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iPad mini AnandTech's iPad mini w/ Retina review is out!

HeadForTheHills said:
Certainly an influential review : I just cancelled the Mini retina in favour of the Air.
Use as a photo editor while traveling is one of my main uses.
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got a chance today to compare my photos side by side between air and mini retina, just blown away how inaccurate mini retina colors produced.
 
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I can't believe there is a multipage thread arguing about the "Color gamut" of 2 screens. 99% of people won't even know the difference.
 
shadowjeff said:
"It’s worth pointing out that the red Smart Case is a less saturated color than the red Smart Cover I evaluated with the iPad Air."

OH EM GEE even the red from the mini's case is less saturated than the air's cover!
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Lol that's 300% a marketing gimmick. Brighter colors attract people more. That's why samsung does what they do with their screens. Even if the rMini had 90-100% color gamut, people would prefer the 110% color gamut of the iPad Air.

Unfortunately that isn't our situation though, as they gimped the Retina Mini's

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DisplacedMic said:
which the people selling their Air to buy the Air 2 will be cluttering up just the same.
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Why? The iPad Air seems to be a non-compromise device. The retina mini (to people who are picky about their display) is not.

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Plutonius said:
I doubt it. The lower gamut on the Mini 2 was a design decision and was probably made for heating or power consumption reasons. It was not a manufacturing defect since all the Mini 2 displays behave the same regardless of vendor.



The Mini 3 will have the same display.
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That's what I've been thinking also....and I hate the thought too haha. I'll live with my rMini screen, but I'll try just try to avoid purple and red colors while using it....:D
 
vince22 said:
got a chance today to compare my photos side by side between air and mini retina, just blown away how inaccurate mini retina colors produced, especially bright yellow with air compared to orange/yellow from retina mini, keeping Air for now.

top photo = air
bottom= retina mini
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I did a test on my girlfriend. Without knowing anything about the problem she prefered the ipad mini retina.

She thinks the yellow is more natural. On the air the yellow is more greenish.
 
vince22 said:
got a chance today to compare my photos side by side between air and mini retina, just blown away how inaccurate mini retina colors produced, especially bright yellow with air compared to orange/yellow from retina mini, keeping Air for now.

top photo = air
bottom= retina mini
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Stop it :eek:

I'm trying to forget about how inferior my screen is...:D


(No I'm serious though, it sucks - I'm just not settling for the [too large for my taste] iPad Air)
 
So the Air has a better display + is slightly more powerful. But I think those who were planning on getting the mini for portability aren't going to change their mind at this point.
 
PDFierro said:
So the Air has a better display + is slightly more powerful. But I think those who were planning on getting the mini for portability aren't going to change their mind at this point.
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Nailed it.

I had an Air and I ended up choosing to keeping the rMini since the form factor just works better for me. The short-comings with the less accurate color reproduction, slower performance and image retention issues were taken into account and I still prefer this model -- going to be different for everyone, not sure why it needs to be a heated debate. The facts are undeniable.
 
plasticmoz said:
Nailed it.

I had an Air and I ended up choosing to keeping the rMini since the form factor just works better for me. The short-comings with the less accurate color reproduction, slower performance and image retention issues were taken into account and I still prefer this model -- going to be different for everyone, not sure why it needs to be a heated debate. The facts are undeniable.
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Just curious if in every day use you noticed slower performance and image retention issues?
 
Rogifan said:
Just curious if in every day use you noticed slower performance and image retention issues?
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The image retention is a total non-factor in every day use IMHO. Yes, I did Marco's test and there's some minimal retention that dissipates quickly and there's no way it's detectable in everyday use. I tested a couple more at the Apple store and they had it to varying degrees but I really don't think this is something that users will notice unless you're running something like that test (which is very atypical).

Performance I did notice, but only on a couple of fairly intensive games -- Infinity Blade III was definitely smoother on the Air, but not enough that I'd want to sacrifice the form factor of the Mini. Just buy what you want depending on your needs and it should be fine.
 
Yea I'm not the biggest Anand fan but their reviews can be insightful. I sure wouldnt get something because they recommend it. Different user needs determines that.
 
plasticmoz said:
The image retention is a total non-factor in every day use IMHO. Yes, I did Marco's test and there's some minimal retention that dissipates quickly and there's no way it's detectable in everyday use. I tested a couple more at the Apple store and they had it to varying degrees but I really don't think this is something that users will notice unless you're running something like that test (which is very atypical).

Performance I did notice, but only on a couple of fairly intensive games -- Infinity Blade III was definitely smoother on the Air, but not enough that I'd want to sacrifice the form factor of the Mini. Just buy what you want depending on your needs and it should be fine.
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So for the most part both are non issues, or would be non issues to the majority of mini owners.
 
Bought the air and after 48 hours I took it back for a mini. I had the first gen mini and thought the Air was a great device, just not for me. I love the portability of the mini and the speed and the retina displays are great improvements over the first gen. I think they are both great upgrades over previous generations, just buy one, and enjoy it!
 
plasticmoz said:
Nailed it.

I had an Air and I ended up choosing to keeping the rMini since the form factor just works better for me. The short-comings with the less accurate color reproduction, slower performance and image retention issues were taken into account and I still prefer this model -- going to be different for everyone, not sure why it needs to be a heated debate. The facts are undeniable.
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I am certainly disappointed about the short-comings, but I was only ever considering the Mini. The Air wouldn't work for me. People totally need to buy based on their needs and nothing else.

I won't let a few flaws get in the way of me enjoying a smaller form-factor. I have had my Mini since Wednesday and am loving it.
 
Before last year and the introduction of the iPad3, iPhone 5, and the rMBP, there were practically no portable devices with LCD displays that covered ~100% sRGB, and we survived just fine.
I'd guess that well over 95% of laptop displays sold today are well under 100% sRGB. Most of them have no or horrible calibration. Most laptops aren't even IPS.

We've been so spoiled recently by excellent phone and tablet displays that even one that is much better than the best we saw two years ago is seen as a disappointment.
 
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Just curious, why does Anandtech's review has so much more weight than other reviews? People seems to trust it more. Why?
 
I don't get my iPad mini with retina until Wednesday, but all of the ones that I saw in my local Verizon and Apple stores had a great display. Yes, the iPad Air's screen was more vibrant, but the mini's that I saw looked great. I just hope that mine looks as good as these.
 
enkrates said:
Just curious, why does Anandtech's review has so much more weight than other reviews? People seems to trust it more. Why?
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Probably because he's been writing about tech since the late 90's and more often than not does a really thorough job of reviewing devices. He generally knows what he's talking about -- even if you ignore the opinion pieces, the tests and benchmarks are usually a cut above most review sites.
 
I don't have a rMini, I bought the Air instead. However I was wondering if this color contrast gambit issue is something that Apple can address with a software update at some point? I don't really understand this gambit thing, so please don't shoot me for asking.

ETA: Color difference or not, I still think the rMini is a good device.
 
Rogifan said:
Just curious if in every day use you noticed slower performance and image retention issues?
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Read the review. It's not just a case of being 100 MHz slower than the Air. It also has a different thermal arrangement, which puts performance much closer to the A7 in the iPhone 5s rather than Air. As noted by Anand, this is not noticeable light use, but it is there under intensive tasks such as gaming or video editing,
 
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