Hi, I am thinking of upgrading my mini 4 to the mini 5. Right now I have the space gray version and frequently use it for reading books. I always assumed that the black bezel was best, but I did a bit of research today and now I'm stumped. So I'd like to ask the book reading experts here! Which bezel color do you prefer? Thanks!
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iPad mini Best Bezel Color for Reading Books?
- Thread starter Ellen
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I’ve had both and prefer black, though admittedly it makes more of a difference for video and less for reading.
It's obviously a matter of personal preference, but I much prefer the black bezels. With the black bezel, photos seem to be more vibrant (with white bezels they look washed out). When watching videos, the letterbox and pillarbox "disappears" with the black bezels.
One very annoying aspect of the white bezels is that there is a thin black border around the active part of the screen between the bezel and active area so that when reading text on a white background, you see a thin black frame around it all.
One issue I had with the white bezels (mini 2) was the differing tints of white between the bezels and the screen. Far from disappearing into the page when I was reading I found it more annoying than black. Went back to space gray with the 4 and am getting the same on the 5.
I’d say black is probably the best border color. I know space gray is also probably the most popular device color too. Although, My latest iPad just so happens to be silver. And I really like the silver more now. It hides fingerprints much better too, and looks cleaner usually.
Before I hated silver, and always wanted space gray.
Now Silver is just awesome to me for some reason.
Before I hated silver, and always wanted space gray.
Now Silver is just awesome to me for some reason.
ya’know..I never even noticed that b/f but now, I can’t get past it..dammit..thanks for pointing that out...lol
..so much for ordering a silver (favorite for all things Apple) mini..dammit!
I gave up buying physical books several years ago for the most part, as they were overtaking my house. I've read on both white and black bezeled iPads without any problem, but my current preference is black; it fades into the background and I don't seem to notice it as much as I do with the white.
Thanks, I will probably go with my usual - the space gray (I have the space gray MacBook Pro and the black iPhone Xr) - but I at least wanted to consider the alternative. Tho part of me does feel odd buying basically the same device again.
The white bezel with the black tiny frame around the edge of the screen that @sracer brought up, is probably the only reason I’d avoid the white.
It is remarkable how many people respond to a thread without seemingly reading the original post...or even the headline. Then again, I do see answers to questions on Amazon that simply say, "I don't know," so maybe it isn't that remarkable.
I admit to obsessing about what's best with ebooks - the better screen is the main reason I can justify upgrading from the mini 4 to the mini 5, sometimes my eyes get strained reading with the mini 4 and I borrow a lot of ebooks from the library.
There is nothing "better" about the Mini 5 screen... it is identical to the Mini 4.
That indeed would be very helpful in reducing eyestrain. Although I don't experience eyestrain on my Mini 4, TrueTone would be a welcomed addition.
I was able to find the mini today in a local Apple Store, so I decided to give the silver a try and see how comfortable it is for reading. I haven't set it up yet, but I actually started the day with a space gray one and the screen didn't seem as blue (maybe that was the True Tone) but it also looked so much like my old mini that I began to think it was time for a change. (Which is what I did when I got a space gray MacBook to replace a silver one.) Anyway, I now have 14 days to continue obsessing.....
Thanks for the advice and tips!
Thanks for the advice and tips!
I also have a space grey mini 4 and read on it a lot;
I was curious and tried out the mini 4 with white bezels(mini 5 not yet available) this weekend at a store;
I didn't like it at all; like others have said, for videos, black definitely seems better to me - but also for books!
The white of the pages don't always match the bezel's white and I didn't think it enhanced the reading experience any way... So gonna get the space grey this time too. But please check it out yourself.
On the thin black border of the white version - for me, it didn't seem to be an issue - after all, I have gotten used to the notch on Xs! But check that out too.
I was curious and tried out the mini 4 with white bezels(mini 5 not yet available) this weekend at a store;
I didn't like it at all; like others have said, for videos, black definitely seems better to me - but also for books!
The white of the pages don't always match the bezel's white and I didn't think it enhanced the reading experience any way... So gonna get the space grey this time too. But please check it out yourself.
On the thin black border of the white version - for me, it didn't seem to be an issue - after all, I have gotten used to the notch on Xs! But check that out too.