Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
All iPads iPad Air vs iPad mini retina screen wash
- Thread starter mystikjoe
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I said I'd put more weight on a review than an anonymous poster, but neither would carry more weight than my own two eyes. I have both right in front of me. And yes, there is a slight color difference. The key question is "so what????"
The chart showing the rMini's comes from Reviewed.com, and they gave the rMini an Editor's Choice Award (along with the Air and Surface 2). The display is important to me, and that's why I own a rMBP and not a MacBook Air. Reviewed.com wrote in its conclusion:
"You'd be hard-pressed to determine that this tablet is anything other than great after looking over our lab results. While the mini lags behind competition substantially in terms of color reproduction, that's the only real performance flaw we could find. It's an impressive result, overall. From the couch to the commuter rail, users hunting for a media consumption platform will love this thing, and considering its lion's share of access to the market's available content, you'll probably find yourself wanting to buy it flowers and chocolates."
I'll be looking at the rMini tonight, and if the color is acceptable, my wife wants to buy one. I won't mention the color to her, and will wait for her response. Of course if it looks too bad, I will mention it.
*The above comments were made with the best intentions, and in a spirit of goodwill that this discussion deserves. I'm not singling any one person's opinion out, but did use one post to respond to. In other words, I'm just trying to keep it friendly.
Just curious, what was the result?
I said I'd put more weight on a review than an anonymous poster, but neither would carry more weight than my own two eyes. I have both right in front of me. And yes, there is a slight color difference. The key question is "so what????"
are they all LG displays ? ie is it possible there are different displays on Rminis out and about that are not LG ?
It is possible. But the question remains "so what?". That maybe an non-LG display is a bit more saturated? That would mean opening up and testing several iPads until you find the one you like. Color saturation is not an adjustable feature on the iPads. You get what you get. If we were talking a half of the screen with a yellowish tint, or a line going across the screen, or dead pixels, that's one thing. But color saturation? Color gamut? (there, i said it). There is an element of subjectivity here, and being that these are not modifiable via setting or color profile, then you get what you get, and you either like it or you don't. It's not rocket science, and definitely not a gamut-gate or screen-gate or any other kind of gate. Its not a conspiracy.
I'm less bothered about a reduced gamut, or less saturated colours, but some of those reviews are suggesting skewed colours
I don't understand why that couldn't have been addressed/corrected at the firmware level ? as I said - not to perfection as there will be variation from panel to panel - but surely could be corrected most of the way mind you - I know my Iphone 4 can only display a reduced colour gamut, and is undersaturated - yet I find the PQ just fine
I can't find a RMini in a store to look at yet unfortunately
When you do, I think you will be pleasantly surprised on how good it looks. I know I was. It is such an improvement over the previous mini. To have retina and A7 on such a small device is amazing.
No it's not a conspiracy: it's bull-****. Every other current-gen retina-enabled iDevice can reproduce color accurately except for the iPad Mini. That's a real bummer to photographers, artists, graphic designers (Apple's bread and butter at one time) and people who care about whether or not the image they're looking at actually should be blue, or whether or not it should actually be purple.
For a premium-priced device, it seems to have a decidedly non-premium display, especially since cheapo Android tablets in the same size class produce more accurate colors.
Can't these people buy "every other current-gen retina enabled iDevice"?
I mean, I don't understand this. If you are a professional photographer, you don't buy a little $300 Sony camera. It doesn't suit your purpose. So the Mini doesn't suit their purpose either. Along with the $3000 lens, they can get an iPad Air. I mean, what am I missing? Is every single iDevice supposed to reproduce the entire gamut gamut gamut of colors and be suited for professional photographers? I missed that memo.I was not pleasantly surprised. The colors are lifeless and dull. The A7 is great, though has nothing to do with "how good it looks." The retina is the feather in the cap, I will give you that. The rMini's ppi makes the Air look like a toy. Unfortunately, the colors are so poor that it's almost irrelevant (I guess I have until January 7th to decide all the way).
----------
I'm a photographer, and the money isn't the issue. I don't want a big, bulky 10" tablet. The mini is the perfect form factor (for me). I don't think it's unreasonable to want decent color gamut on a tablet I'm spending $600+ for.Along with the $3000 lens, they can get an iPad Air. I mean, what am I missing?
Here's what you guys are missing:
The color gamut of the device is within Apple's spec. Do you think that this issue (encountered by several reviewers as mentioned above) just happened to slip out of the factory in such large numbers? Displays are created and tested to work within a certain performance metric. I am sure that at this point, these performance metrics consist of dead pixels, light bleed, viewing angles, color accuracy, and gamut. Apple has clearly been involved in the display production as they have rejected many panels, thus resulting in the supply constraints. The panels you are seeing have clearly been vetted.
Qualities such as gamut are a fundamental design choice of the LCD panel. This is not a defect, malfunction, or batch error. This is the way the panel was designed and Apple has obviously signed off on this and has accepted that the gamut on the rMini is within spec. Apple doesn't just tell suppliers to go off and make a display and hope for the best. These things are practically co-designed by Apple.
My conclusion from this is that the tech/manufacturing/cost is just not there yet to produce a high gamut display with this resolution and form factor.
I am not excusing it...I have both an rMini and an Air. I think the smaller gamut is disappointing, but not necessarily a deal breaker. All this has proven to me (after using the rMini for several hours) is that the Air is the definitive iPad experience right now. There is no way around the bigger screen and richer display with such a similar form factor to the mini.
The color gamut of the device is within Apple's spec. Do you think that this issue (encountered by several reviewers as mentioned above) just happened to slip out of the factory in such large numbers? Displays are created and tested to work within a certain performance metric. I am sure that at this point, these performance metrics consist of dead pixels, light bleed, viewing angles, color accuracy, and gamut. Apple has clearly been involved in the display production as they have rejected many panels, thus resulting in the supply constraints. The panels you are seeing have clearly been vetted.
Qualities such as gamut are a fundamental design choice of the LCD panel. This is not a defect, malfunction, or batch error. This is the way the panel was designed and Apple has obviously signed off on this and has accepted that the gamut on the rMini is within spec. Apple doesn't just tell suppliers to go off and make a display and hope for the best. These things are practically co-designed by Apple.
My conclusion from this is that the tech/manufacturing/cost is just not there yet to produce a high gamut display with this resolution and form factor.
I am not excusing it...I have both an rMini and an Air. I think the smaller gamut is disappointing, but not necessarily a deal breaker. All this has proven to me (after using the rMini for several hours) is that the Air is the definitive iPad experience right now. There is no way around the bigger screen and richer display with such a similar form factor to the mini.
Professionals bought the SE30, not the SE.
Professionals bought the IIfx, not the Classic.
Professionals bought the Quadras, not the LCs or Performas.
Professionals bought the Powerbooks, not the iBooks.
Professionals bought the G3/G4 Towers, not the iMacs.
Apple has always had lower spec, cheaper devices, regardless of how they were serving the professional markets.
Professionals should buy the Air, not the new Mini.
Went to Apple store yesterday and played with the rmini, mini, and Air side by side. The difference is very noticeable between the rmini and the Air, so much so that the retina is almost a moot point on the mini. It was really bad in websites with non-black font/lighter background. Display looked so washed out that the retina looked only slightly less fuzzy than the old mini.
The old mini's screen resolution is obviously inferior, but the colors on the screen seemed brighter.
The old mini's screen resolution is obviously inferior, but the colors on the screen seemed brighter.
Well, a year ago the Mini didn't even exist. And to call the iPad Air "bulky" is somewhat of an exaggeration. If the Mini does not satisfy your color requirement, and form factor is more important than either a couple extra inches or iOS, there are other brands of tablets in that size that have very nice screens. The Nexus 7.2 comes into mind. Anandtech says:
"The 7-inch 1920 x 1200 display produces colors that are not only vibrant but, for the first time ever in a Nexus device, accurate as well. Google really worked on color accuracy this time, with a two step calibration process - once at a high level by the panel maker and once again per device during final manufacturing. The result is just awesome..."
So you have to choose between staying with iOS and a "bulky" iPad Air or jumping ship to Android. Those are two of the available options today.
Maybe next year, when the new iPad Mini with Retina Display (rMini2) comes out, maybe they will improve it. A lot can happen in a year.
It's funny....people seem to think that all retina screens should be equal, when the fact is nothing is further from the truth.
Those iPhone displays? They come in at 1136x640 in a 4" display (now on the second generation of 4" retina displays - really 4th if you don't consider adding pixels to the top as difficult engineering wise).
Those iPad air displays? They come in at 2048x1536 in a 9.7" display (now on the third generation of such displays).
Those iPad rMini displays? They come in at 2048x1536 in a 7.9" display (the FIRST generation of such a display).
Before we go off the wall and berate Apple for allowing such nonsense or blaming them for doing this on purpose, lets realize - this is a FIRST generation display tech. Name another tablet in this size range with a display resolution at this level? Name another tablet that has a similar display res that's anywhere near as thin, light and powerful.
You guys are ridiculous. The iPad has been around for THREE AND A HALF YEARS. Seriously? We're going to go apes*** because a FIRST gen display doesn't produce PERFECT colors???
It's actually a step up from the first gen mini as far as color reproduction goes. And while not on par with the more mature panels of the Air, its getting there, outpacing the first gen in every other display quality category (contrast ratio, white balance etc).
If you don't like it, don't buy it. But for the love of God, to whine the way you people do is unbelievable.....if there are better products out there, get one of those. If not, you really have no reason to be upset.
Also, to compare color vibrancy, I went to youtube and played videos of fireworks. You can really see the difference between the Air and mini that way.
+1 on the last paragraph. I was not going to bother with the rMini but the impulse to buy just overcame me when it was for sale at BB basically right off the truck. No biggie, I will just return the rMini.
I already have the 1st gen Mini which has cellular so that will be my portable option although I have outerwear whereby the Air fits in a pocket.
Color me a happy camper. No one is stuck with anything. Make a choice and enjoy the device you picked.
What's a cow's opinion have to do with this?!
moot =/= moo
----------
*Singing* If you can't be with the device you love, love the device you're with.
Indeed it can. And lets hope they do.
Of course they can make whatever they like and I'm free to buy it or not. That's obvious. But this is a discussion forum, about Apple products, and I'm discussing. I think I have the same right to my opinion that the rMini screens look muted and dull as you do telling everyone that "the common person won't notice that [it sucks]" and "go by a Samsung [if you really care about screen quality]." I love the vast majority of my Apple products and would be stoked to see them finally come out with a tablet that I am excited about. I'm just a little disappointed at this particular moment because I thought the rMini would be that device and it's quickly looking like it's not.
There are also dozens of people commenting on the unimpressive color output of the new rMini displays... I am hardly the only one noticing it.
Point taken BUT the new Kindle Fires have excellent displays with the 8.9 HDX getting the nod over the Air AND costing less.
You said displays, nothing about the OS so ....
If people don't bring up issues and ask for higher quality, then we'd all be content with whatever mediocre crap the "big companies" could get away with giving us and we would never make progress. I'm glad to see that so many people care enough to raise the issue; Apple has always charged a premium for their products but I feel that in most cases we get quality that justifies the cost. I don't feel that is the case with the rMinis and think it absolutely warrants discussion.