iPad Pro 13” M4 iPad Pro - Color shifting of display with viewing angle change normal?

[Lexicon44]

My 13 inch M4 iPad Pro exhibits some color shifting when viewing the display from different angles. Manufactured in April.

In portrait mode when looking at a predominantly white background (something like Freeform), viewing the top half or third of the display straight on and tilting the iPad back introduces a slightly reddish hue to this section of the display while the lower half becomes more neutral. Conversely, looking at the bottom half straight on and tilting the iPad forward introduces a red hue to the bottom while the top becomes more neutral.

Another way to describe it would be to say that when looking at the top half straight on, glancing at the bottom half without changing the iPad viewing angle has the bottom show a slightly reddish hue and vice versa. The behaviour is very similar in landscape so I guess the parts of the display viewed off axis (tilting up or down or left or right) are affected albeit it’s fairly subtle but still noticeable.

I’ve seen this phenomenon on OLED iPhones. Even the same model but different units in the family of the iPhone have this to a greater or lesser extent and the hue isn’t always red.

I think I read OLEDs can exhibit this behaviour. Given how superior this iPad screen has been advertised to be, and how some YouTubers have commented on the fantastic screen uniformity, just wondering if your displays also do this.

 

[aevan]

Yup, it’s normal. Severity may differ from panel to panel, but it is normal and shouldn’t affect your usage.

 

[Spacegray]

I noticed the same issue on my new 11" iPP M4 and for my it was the reason to return the device. The problem seems to occur more or less depending on the light (sunny daylight, cloudy daylight, artificial light).Maybe this is "normal" to OLED-Screens in some way, but it really annoyed me.
I don't know if its caused by the antirefective coating or the panel itself, but i don't see this on my iPad2018 (which of course doesn't have any of this features ) and it occured much less on an iPA M2 i had for comparison.

 

[EugW]

According to Notebookcheck, there is not much shift, at least with their eyes with their 11”.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-iPad-Pro-11-2024-tablet-review-Lighter-slimmer-and-lightning-fast.842302.0.html

 

[Spacegray]

As the panel can come from two different manufacturers, the tests can only be trusted to a limited extent.
Colour shimmers caused by reflections are not part of the test, but only the colour fidelity when the viewing angle is changed.
Compared to an OLED TV, the colours on the iPad pro M4 change significantly at an acute viewing angle.

 

[sparksd]

With an all-white background, I can see a color shift if I significantly change the viewing angle; significantly being so much so that the device is not usable so I see this as a non-issue for me.

 

[Zigman]

You sure you are seeing color shift vs. brightness/contrast?

 

[Spacegray]

With an all-white background, I can see a color shift if I significantly change the viewing angle; significantly being so much so that the device is not usable so I see this as a non-issue for me.

This is what was tested but i guess this is not what Lexicon44 meant.
My device had this hue (location varying by viewing angle) and may be this is also Lexicon44's issue.

I hope, you can see the hue on your screen.

 

[EugW]

This is what was tested but i guess this is not what Lexicon44 meant.
My device had this hue (location varying by viewing angle) and may be this is also Lexicon44's issue.

View attachment 2385666

I hope, you can see the hue on your screen.

Aren't you looking at the iPad straight on in this picture? If so, that is definitely different from than what the OP is talking about.

 

[sparksd]

This is what was tested but i guess this is not what Lexicon44 meant.
My device had this hue (location varying by viewing angle) and may be this is also Lexicon44's issue.

View attachment 2385666

I hope, you can see the hue on your screen.

I can see a slight pink hue but I have to tip mine (13" Pro) significantly to see a color shift.

 

[sparksd]

You sure you are seeing color shift vs. brightness/contrast?

When tilted at a steep angle, I can see a slight pink hue.

 

[Lexicon44]

This is what was tested but i guess this is not what Lexicon44 meant.
My device had this hue (location varying by viewing angle) and may be this is also Lexicon44's issue.

View attachment 2385666

I hope, you can see the hue on your screen.

This is very similar to what I was seeing. In this image I see a sort of neutral / blueish sweet spot in the centre and a reddish / warmer hue above and below.

Imagine titling my screen some 15-30 degrees back or forward causing the reddish hue to creep from below or above into the neutral area I was focused on and looking at dead on.

Tilting the iPad farther back toward 90 degrees had the entire display become a little dimmer and turn blueish.

This is all probably normal. I had a look at iPads at Best Buy and they had similar behaviour albeit much harder to spot under bright lights. Indeed, mine was also harder to spot with pot lights overhead turned on to max.

It also seemed less noticeable with truetone and night shift disabled, but even then there was a very slight hue shift.

Spacegray did an awesome job capturing this in the photo.

 

[Lexicon44]

I can see a slight pink hue but I have to tip mine (13" Pro) significantly to see a color shift.

How do we differentiate between a pink hue versus colour shift.

I imagine you mean a pink hue as being present on the entire display.

In my case I meant portions of the display shift colour / hue slightly between neutral and pink with viewing angle changes.

 

[sparksd]

How do we differentiate between a pink hue versus colour shift.

I imagine you mean a pink hue as being present on the entire display.

In my case I meant portions of the display shift colour / hue slightly between neutral and pink with viewing angle changes.

What I see is the color shift when I change viewing angles; the display seen face-on is fine, no abnormal hue in the whites.

 

[Seameadow]

I’m also noticing this and for me it’s a lot bigger issue than the grain, because it’s visible all the time when using the device in light mode. When viewed straight on, the display has a green hue in the middle and a red hue in the top and bottom parts and even slight tilting changes the hue.

I checked 2 devices in store (13 and 11 inch) and they both showed the same problem (or feature). My iPhone 15 Pro also has this and I hate it, so I guess it’s just how some of these modern OLED’s are made.

 

[Lexicon44]

I’m also noticing this and for me it’s a lot bigger issue than the grain, because it’s visible all the time when using the device in light mode. When viewed straight on, the display has a green hue in the middle and a red hue in the top and bottom parts and even slight tilting changes the hue.

I checked 2 devices in store (13 and 11 inch) and they both showed the same problem (or feature). My iPhone 15 Pro also has this and I hate it, so I guess it’s just how some of these modern OLED’s are made.

I saw very faint grain on my iPad also. When taking a photo of it versus an M1 iPad Pro the grain was extremely prominent on the M4, but at normal viewing distances it was almost imperceptible and so essentially a non-issue. I agree that this hue shift was more of an annoyance.

I have two iPhone 15s at home and they both have the hue shift to a lesser or greater degree, with one being yellowish and one pinkish. Yet somehow on the bigger iPad screen, it was more bothersome.

My 16” M1 MBP also has some hue shifts left to right and top to bottom with a sweet spot on any part of the display looked at dead on, but perhaps because I’m not holding it and constantly varying the viewing angle slightly, it doesn’t bother me.

 

[klasma]

This is what was tested but i guess this is not what Lexicon44 meant.
My device had this hue (location varying by viewing angle) and may be this is also Lexicon44's issue.

View attachment 2385666

I hope, you can see the hue on your screen.

This looks like a bad-quality panel. OLED panel manufacturing is to some extent an analog process, and panels like that (or worse) occasionally come out of the factory. Threads like this one have been a regular occurrence for iPhones.

It’s also true that for the same model, panels from different manufacturers can have different characteristics regarding off-angle color and contrast shift.

 

[sk1985]

A small shift is normal