Retina Mini and iPad Air screen comparison.

PatrickNSF

Well-known member
Nov 17, 2013
85
0
0
Visit site
We have an iPad 3 LTE, mini LTE and mini w/ Retina LTE. They're all fine for what they are. If I was doing paid, professional photo editing I'd be more concerned with the color gamut. As it is, the mini w/ Retina is good for my purposes. I rarely took the iPad 3 LTE out of the house other than on vacations. On the other hand, I take the mini(s) out all the time. (Plus, I prefer to use an iMac or rMBP when I need to do my unpaid, nonprofessional photo editing.)
 

cardfan

Well-known member
Oct 26, 2004
2,234
57
48
Visit site
You can easily see it by comparing to the icons on an iPhone. Or a web page. I took my iPhone 5, iPad rMini, and iPad Air , put them side-by side, and brought up the same web page on each one. Its the page on the Apple web site that shows the iPhone 5c and all the colors. On the iPhone - colors were amazing. iPad Air - incredible. iPad rMini - washed out. :( The green phone in the picture looked more like celery than lime green. The shocking pink phone was more of a salmon, the blue less intense, and the yellow a bit odd (it was the best of the bunch, actually).

As much of an advocate of the Mini as I've been, I'd be lying if I said I'm not disappointed. But...

From an upgrade standpoint if you have the original Mini, the retina Mini is still a tremendous upgrade. A5 to A7 and sharp text. Same color gamut unfortunately. But the key word is SAME. This difference didn't just pop up, it was there last year. Ipad mini 1 vs ipad 3 or ipad 4? Ring a bell? Yep, these full sized ipads have full color gamuts. And yet, millions kept their "washed out" Mini's that even had worse resolution on top of it. In that regard, I think the matter is a little overblown (kinda like the colors on an ipad Air). I'm kinda used to the Mini by now and the more natural looking colors. It's easier on the eyes.

How about the iphone 4/4S? These weren't full color gamut either. I can't say I've seen a single complaint about "washed out" colors on these.

So yeah, I understand the disappointment. Naturally, this means I'd go and get an Air right? Nope. I still much prefer the form factor of the Mini. Like last year, that matters more. It doesn't do me any good to compare the Mini against a product I have no use for. The ipad Air could get a 4k screen with holograms popping out of it but I've learned from the past few years I just have no use for a 10" tablet.

I expect that I'll be delighted when my Mini arrives this week. Looking forward to it. I have zero desire to take it to Best Buy and start comparing with every screen...there's no point to it.
 

RealNeal

Well-known member
Sep 12, 2012
244
5
0
Visit site
Here's a photo taken with my Cannon Power Shot (not the best camera, admittedly). This is Safari on Apple's web site showing the iPhone 5c. You can clearly see the diff. rMini on the left, iPad Air on the right. Both devices were set at maximum brightness and the photo is un-retouched. The difference is even more striking in person.


IMG_1613.JPG
 

BreakingKayfabe

Well-known member
Sep 12, 2008
8,442
53
48
Visit site
As much of an advocate of the Mini as I've been, I'd be lying if I said I'm not disappointed. But...

From an upgrade standpoint if you have the original Mini, the retina Mini is still a tremendous upgrade. A5 to A7 and sharp text. Same color gamut unfortunately. But the key word is SAME. This difference didn't just pop up, it was there last year. Ipad mini 1 vs ipad 3 or ipad 4? Ring a bell? Yep, these full sized ipads have full color gamuts. And yet, millions kept their "washed out" Mini's that even had worse resolution on top of it. In that regard, I think the matter is a little overblown (kinda like the colors on an ipad Air). I'm kinda used to the Mini by now and the more natural looking colors. It's easier on the eyes.

How about the iphone 4/4S? These weren't full color gamut either. I can't say I've seen a single complaint about "washed out" colors on these.

So yeah, I understand the disappointment. Naturally, this means I'd go and get an Air right? Nope. I still much prefer the form factor of the Mini. Like last year, that matters more. It doesn't do me any good to compare the Mini against a product I have no use for. The ipad Air could get a 4k screen with holograms popping out of it but I've learned from the past few years I just have no use for a 10" tablet.

I expect that I'll be delighted when my Mini arrives this week. Looking forward to it. I have zero desire to take it to Best Buy and start comparing with every screen...there's no point to it.

You've seen my moaning over non-retina on the mini for a year now. Taking it back twice and such because I just couldn't stand the display. You won't be disappointed. I can finally look at text on this thing without it looking like the text was sanded down with sandpaper.
 

LCW

Well-known member
Jul 3, 2010
1,468
8
38
Visit site
Wondering if the worst culprits for less saturation on the Mini-R's are the ones with non-Sharp (the company) displays... possibly the Samsung and LG ones ?? Or vice versa of course. It's been said plenty that due to shortage of yield from Sharp, Apple had to turn to LG and even Samsung to supply displays for the Mini-R... wondering if the rush to fill the supply chain allowed for less that optimal quality on some displays... ???
 

BreakingKayfabe

Well-known member
Sep 12, 2008
8,442
53
48
Visit site
Wondering if the worst culprits for less saturation on the Mini-R's are the ones with non-Sharp (the company) displays... possibly the Samsung and LG ones ?? Or vice versa of course. It's been said plenty that due to shortage of yield from Sharp, Apple had to turn to LG and even Samsung to supply displays for the Mini-R... wondering if the rush to fill the supply chain allowed for less that optimal quality on some displays... ???
That wouldn't surprise me in the least. I listened to the iMore podcast this week and Rene made the point how Apple just wants to get their stuff out there ASAP.
 

nj1266

Well-known member
Jun 24, 2011
218
1
0
Visit site
You will not probably notice a difference unless you have the Air and rMini display side by side. Go read the Anandtech article about the Mini and he explains it well. It is a failure of calibration on Apple's part.

For me it is not a big deal. First, I do not have an iPad Air to compare the rMini to. Second, the portability of the device and the ability to hold it with one hand during my lectures far out ways the slight difference in screen calibration.

For my purposes, the iPad Air is just too big.


Sent from my iPhone 7
 

Garz

Retired Moderator
Mar 9, 2009
8,172
155
37
Visit site
The rMini is not the flagship iPad, the Air is. I don't understand why it's so difficult to understand. Plus, they're giving you a choice. If you don't like the rMini, get the Air or another tablet. What's the big deal? If something isn't to the standards I like, I just pick something else...plain & simple!!!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

It's a retina display. Quality should not be taken away just because it's a mini. The color density is the same as the 1st gen and I was ok with it then because it wasn't retina.
 

RealNeal

Well-known member
Sep 12, 2012
244
5
0
Visit site
My understanding is that "retina" is Apple marketing for pixel density, not color gamut.

Then why do their other Retina displays (iPhone, Air, MacBook) have sRGB color gamut?

Apple's competition markets similar sized tablets with 100% sRGB "retina" density displays that cost 1/2 the price of an rMini. Where's Apples leadership here? Where's the "best-of-breed" quality? Not on this display - that's for sure.
 

PatrickNSF

Well-known member
Nov 17, 2013
85
0
0
Visit site
I believe the iPhone 4/4s had a similar gamut to the rMini, and that's a Retina screen. Frankly, I'm more disappointed not having TouchID than I am with the color gamut. But I use my rMini for reading, web surfing, email and things like that. I may browse photos, but I do all my photo editing and color correction on a rMBP and an iMac (both of which screens I color calibrate weekly). I don't find the iPad 3 or the rMini particularly good for photo editing.
 

fluppyboy

Active member
Oct 11, 2013
41
0
0
Visit site
I am a professional photographer, and I will be buying the new iPad min with Retina display. As long as the colour gamut of the new display is no worse than my current iPad mini, I'll be happy. Would I have preferred a better colour gamut this time around? Sure, but I use the iPad mini for those times when I'm on the road and need to save the maximum amount of weight (so as to be able to bring more photo gear, usually :) ).

My iPad minis mostly used for blogging and quick photo uploads when I'm on the road. It was never (and never will be) used for critical photo editing, and neither is my Macbook Pro (even though it is calibrated frequently). If I had an iPad Air, that would not be used for critical image editing either. Critical image editing is always done back at the studio, on a recently calibrated high colour gamut monitor. Always!

That said, it is still a little disappointing that Apple chose a lesser display technology for their newest iPad mini.
 

cyberpaw

Well-known member
Oct 27, 2011
325
1
0
Visit site
So what a lot of you are saying is that the problem is definitely a hardware - screen - problem that cannot be correct by a software update?
 

nj1266

Well-known member
Jun 24, 2011
218
1
0
Visit site
So what a lot of you are saying is that the problem is definitely a hardware - screen - problem that cannot be correct by a software update?

Yes it is a hardware problem. The color accuracy is not as good as the one on the iPad Air. If that is a major concern for you, then get the Air. I value portability over color accuracy, so I am keeping my iPad. In the end, you must do what works for you.


Sent from my 64 gig Retina IPad Mini
 

Ron7624

Well-known member
Sep 8, 2012
221
0
0
Visit site
Well I just got my mini retina and it looks awesome!!!! Love it

Me too. Mine has a stunning display. I picked up an Air for my wife a couple of weeks ago. It replaced her iPad 2. It has a stunning display also. No, I haven't compared them side by side. They both are amazing.
 

JobSteves

Well-known member
Jan 3, 2013
569
0
0
Visit site
The iPad Air's colours do look better but I think I'll stick to my original iPad mini. Not that huge of a difference to make the change.

I think the change from the OG mini to the retina mini is the biggest generational change between two iOS devices ever.


Sent from my iPad using iMore Forums
 

Haalcyon

Well-known member
Jan 26, 2014
865
0
0
Visit site
I think the change from the OG mini to the retina mini is the biggest generational change between two iOS devices ever.


Sent from my iPad using iMore Forums

It is indeed a big leap but bigger than the iPad 2 to the iPad 3...or equally as big?


via the phone
 

JobSteves

Well-known member
Jan 3, 2013
569
0
0
Visit site
It is indeed a big leap but bigger than the iPad 2 to the iPad 3...or equally as big?


via the phone


The 2 had a the a5 chip where as the 3 had the a5x but the mini had the a5 where as the retina mini has the 64 bit a7. So I'd say a much bigger leap/upgrade


Sent from my iPad using iMore Forums
 

Trending Posts

Forum statistics

Threads
259,992
Messages
1,765,262
Members
441,219
Latest member
MadisonOlsen