I've looked at all the comparison photos here and can see the difference but the mini retina screen looks fine to me. I've also seen it at the Apple store. The colors appear less saturated than the Air but still look natural. I have the Air because I prefer the larger screen. I wouldn't settle for a screen on either device with yellowing or color gradients but I'd be happy with a mini with its current color gamut.
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iPad mini To those who think they have a perfect retina mini...
- Thread starter evasquez7
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Exactly... those saying that the screen is inferior because of the lower color gamut are just nit picking because they don't have what in their own little mind is the "best" product available. But the people on this thread that are saying that the Air is OVER SATURATED are just plain overcompensating their own insecurities and taking the Air down a notch to feel better about their purchase.
It's like Android and Windows users complaining about Apple products being too integrated into a near seamless ecosystem. I said "near"... not perfect. I know there are plenty of "geniuses" on this site ready to jump down my throat.
To the OP - dude, you could drive yourself crazy playing this game. There's always variation, among the same model (different screen mfrs, etc), various models, etc. We've all done it, and most of the time I have to admit I wouldn't have noticed or considered most of the "issues" a problem except for the board comments.
The iPad Mini retina definitely displays colors differently, and is less saturated than the iPad Air. It has a smaller color gamut. Similarly, my MacBook Air 11" doesn't have the best screen in the MacBook lineup, not by a longshot. But the size and portability work great for me, and I love it so I choose not to antagonize myself by comparing it with larger/better screens on other models that look great don't meet my particular requirements as as well. If I need an accurate, color-calibrated display for editing photos, I go fire up my Mac Pro, because the iPad Mini isn't the tool for that stuff anyway.
If you like the size of the iPad Mini, like I do, then make a choice to keep it and appreciate it for what it is, a smaller, slightly more portable option than the iPad Air with a very nice display. Don't put it next to other models or try to find fault/prove to yourself that the screen isn't quite as good as those, because you will.
Hmmm... a lot of the above is true of just about anything in life, isn't it? (Sorry. I'll resist the urge to digress into an existential ramble here.
Bottom line - if the screen is a priority for you, and the other features of the iPad Mini aren't attractive enough to make you feel good about it and accept the whole package, you're always going to be disappointed. Take it back and get an iPad Air, or whatever makes you happy.
The iPad Mini retina definitely displays colors differently, and is less saturated than the iPad Air. It has a smaller color gamut. Similarly, my MacBook Air 11" doesn't have the best screen in the MacBook lineup, not by a longshot. But the size and portability work great for me, and I love it so I choose not to antagonize myself by comparing it with larger/better screens on other models that look great don't meet my particular requirements as as well. If I need an accurate, color-calibrated display for editing photos, I go fire up my Mac Pro, because the iPad Mini isn't the tool for that stuff anyway.
If you like the size of the iPad Mini, like I do, then make a choice to keep it and appreciate it for what it is, a smaller, slightly more portable option than the iPad Air with a very nice display. Don't put it next to other models or try to find fault/prove to yourself that the screen isn't quite as good as those, because you will.
Hmmm... a lot of the above is true of just about anything in life, isn't it? (Sorry. I'll resist the urge to digress into an existential ramble here.
Bottom line - if the screen is a priority for you, and the other features of the iPad Mini aren't attractive enough to make you feel good about it and accept the whole package, you're always going to be disappointed. Take it back and get an iPad Air, or whatever makes you happy.
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When I look at my iPad 3, iPad mini, and iPhone 5, I don't see any big difference in the screens. The iPhone 5 seems to be more vibrant and the iPad mini retina and iPad 3 look the same to me.
I took these 3 photos in a dark room with all three devices on the same wallpaper screen and brightness at full. I rotated the devices and took 3 photos so each device was at the center of the frame for one of the photos. They are a pretty good representation of what I see when I look at the 3 devices.
Here they are:
iPad Mini Retina centered: https://www.dropbox.com/s/wo9z8y013ycfqpa/Ipad Mini retina center.JPG
iPad 3 centered: https://www.dropbox.com/s/kzlj8ibr89czdxz/iPad 3 center.JPG
iPhone 5 centered: https://www.dropbox.com/s/l85rruzomhd4lca/iPhone 5 center.JPG
For me, the iPad Mini retina screen looks great and I am very happy with it. Note: I do not do any professional photo editing or need to worry about exact color correctness. I don't see where most people would have any problem with the screen.
I took these 3 photos in a dark room with all three devices on the same wallpaper screen and brightness at full. I rotated the devices and took 3 photos so each device was at the center of the frame for one of the photos. They are a pretty good representation of what I see when I look at the 3 devices.
Here they are:
iPad Mini Retina centered: https://www.dropbox.com/s/wo9z8y013ycfqpa/Ipad Mini retina center.JPG
iPad 3 centered: https://www.dropbox.com/s/kzlj8ibr89czdxz/iPad 3 center.JPG
iPhone 5 centered: https://www.dropbox.com/s/l85rruzomhd4lca/iPhone 5 center.JPG
For me, the iPad Mini retina screen looks great and I am very happy with it. Note: I do not do any professional photo editing or need to worry about exact color correctness. I don't see where most people would have any problem with the screen.
I'm not seeing a large difference between my 4 and mini. That's all I care about. I'm not going to compare it to the air since I had no intention of ever getting that.
I spent time at the Apple store going back and forth and honestly since they weren't side by side at the same table, I had a hard time seeing a difference.
Purchased a 64gb mini w/ Retina and have been very happy with it so far - I am never going to hold it up against an Ipad air and do a comparison in real world use. At the end of the day - don't torture yourself for color profiles, etc, etc. Decide what you want in a device and figure out which one hits more of the requirement boxes for you (apple or other) and buy it, after a day or two, you'll probably never think about it again.
Purchased a 64gb mini w/ Retina and have been very happy with it so far - I am never going to hold it up against an Ipad air and do a comparison in real world use. At the end of the day - don't torture yourself for color profiles, etc, etc. Decide what you want in a device and figure out which one hits more of the requirement boxes for you (apple or other) and buy it, after a day or two, you'll probably never think about it again.
Scuffgate
I just returned my space gray retina iPad mini today. I got it Friday (ordered it online the first day), and the chamfered edge was scratched out of the box. Top left corner, very clearly noticeable. I thought they had fixed this problem...
I just returned my space gray retina iPad mini today. I got it Friday (ordered it online the first day), and the chamfered edge was scratched out of the box. Top left corner, very clearly noticeable. I thought they had fixed this problem...