iPad mini 4 display catches up with Air 2 in color gamut, outdoor visibility

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in iPad edited September 2015
The iPad mini 4 uses a display far superior to those of earlier Mini models, both in terms of color reproduction and how much ambient light it reflects, according to testing and calibration firm DisplayMate.




The Mini 4 now covers "a full and very accurate" 101 percent of the sRGB color gamut, DisplayMate said. Previous Minis managed just 62 percent of the gamut, and with weak color saturation to boot. The new tablet's color accuracy puts it on par with the iPad Air 2, as well as recent iPhone models.

The device is also said to have screen reflectance of just 2 percent, better not only than the 6.5 percent on the Mini 3 but the 2.5 percent on the Air 2, DisplayMate's previous record holder. Most current tablets are said to have reflectance between 5 and 6.5 percent.

Minimizing reflectance is important for maintaining contrast and color saturation under intense lighting, particularly outdoors.

The Mini series has regularly been criticized for using inferior displays next to those on full-size iPads. The Mini 4, though, has been upgraded to better match the Air 2 in many respects, such as RAM and processing power.

The tablet is still missing features of the display on the iPad Pro. When it ships in November, the Pro will offer things like a variable refresh rate and vastly improved touch accuracy, the latter needed to support the Apple Pencil.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 17
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post



    The Mini 4, though, has been upgraded to match the Air 2 in many respects, such as RAM and processing power.

     

    The Mini 4 will be running an A8 chip, while the Air 2 has an A8X.

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  • Reply 2 of 17
    appexappex Posts: 687member
    What about iPad Pro? Matte screen?
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  • Reply 3 of 17
    apple ][ wrote: »
    The Mini 4 will be running an A8 chip, while the Air 2 has an A8X.

    Yeah, that was somewhat deceptive of Schiller to say "we shrunk the iPad Air 2".
    appex wrote: »
    What about iPad Pro? Matte screen?

    Heh, no.
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  • Reply 4 of 17

    I guess my eyes cover 62% or less of the sRGB color gamut, because I've never noticed any obvious deficiency with the color on my iPad mini 2. I've watched everything from Downtown Abbey to Pee-Wee's Playhouse to photographs to web sites to the occasional game and never found it lacking. I also regularly use an iPhone 6, MacBook Pro Retina, and iMac Retina, which are all claimed to cover a much wider sRGB color gamut than the iPad mini 2.

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  • Reply 5 of 17
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by zroger73 View Post

     

    I guess my eyes cover 62% or less of the sRGB color gamut, because I've never noticed any obvious deficiency with the color on my iPad mini 2. I've watched everything from Downtown Abbey to Pee-Wee's Playhouse to photographs to web sites to the occasional game and never found it lacking. I also regularly use an iPhone 6, MacBook Pro Retina, and iMac Retina, which are all claimed to cover a much wider sRGB color gamut than the iPad mini 2.


     

    Well, if your content doesn'T cover that gamut, and many things, especially video you get off the net certainly fall in this category, you wont, see the difference You'd see it mainly in the UI and in looking at pictures, which have the wider gamut.

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  • Reply 6 of 17
    zroger73 wrote: »
    I guess my eyes cover 62% or less of the sRGB color gamut, because I've never noticed any obvious deficiency with the color on my iPad mini 2. I've watched everything from Downtown Abbey to Pee-Wee's Playhouse to photographs to web sites to the occasional game and never found it lacking. I also regularly use an iPhone 6, MacBook Pro Retina, and iMac Retina, which are all claimed to cover a much wider sRGB color gamut than the iPad mini 2.

    And I thought I was the only one...
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  • Reply 7 of 17
    19831983 Posts: 1,225member

    101 percent - isn't 100 percent the maximum of any quantity? Or is it that in display technology that extra 1 percent is supposed to represent something?

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  • Reply 8 of 17
    1983 wrote: »
    101 percent - isn't 100 percent the maximum of any quantity? Or is it that in display technology that extra 1 percent is supposed to represent something?

    This display goes to 11 ;)
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  • Reply 9 of 17
    i agree with you 101%.
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  • Reply 10 of 17
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by 1983 View Post

     

    101 percent - isn't 100 percent the maximum of any quantity? Or is it that in display technology that extra 1 percent is supposed to represent something?


    sRGB isnt the sum total of all possible colors, not by a long shot. Here is an example of another gamut. As you can see, even if you exceed the sRGB, there is still so much left over.

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  • Reply 11 of 17
    flaneurflaneur Posts: 4,526member
    zroger73 wrote: »
    I guess my eyes cover 62% or less of the sRGB color gamut, because I've never noticed any obvious deficiency with the color on my iPad mini 2. I've watched everything from Downtown Abbey to Pee-Wee's Playhouse to photographs to web sites to the occasional game and never found it lacking. I also regularly use an iPhone 6, MacBook Pro Retina, and iMac Retina, which are all claimed to cover a much wider sRGB color gamut than the iPad mini 2.

    It'll be obvious when you compare the 3 and the 4 side by side in the store. So obvious they may not put them at the same table.
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  • Reply 12 of 17
    This is the Mini I've been waiting for. It will allow me to trade in my iPhone 6 Plus for the smaller 4.7" iPhone 6s and feel good about it. While I appreciate the screen size, the Plus is just too big and bulky in my hands and pocket, and the newer model will be even heavier (and that doesn't include any case). The 4.7 model is wonderful for most purposes, and I'll take the new Mini with me whenever a larger screen size is warranted.
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  • Reply 13 of 17
    ksecksec Posts: 1,569member

    I wonder if OLED colour accuracy will catches on someday. Which is what WOLED should solve / improve. But the recent LCD LED display has made huge improvement as well.

     

    And Oh my reflective index. I am going to guess Apple's iPhone 7 will have another major advance in display tech. Likely a Sapphire coating* that has lower then 1% reflective index, even better colouring and lower power. 

     

    That will also means Apple will up the 4.7 to FullHD and 5.5" to its native resolution.

     

    What is rather sad to me is that the Mac display are now being left behind, specifically the Macbook Air. While the whole iOS line up got a very decent display.

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  • Reply 14 of 17
    Well dog gamut.
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  • Reply 15 of 17
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post



    Well dog gamut.

    LMAO.

     

    Well played.

     

    Well played indeed.

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  • Reply 16 of 17
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ksec View Post

     

    I wonder if OLED colour accuracy will catches on someday. Which is what WOLED should solve / improve. But the recent LCD LED display has made huge improvement as well.

     

    And Oh my reflective index. I am going to guess Apple's iPhone 7 will have another major advance in display tech. Likely a Sapphire coating* that has lower then 1% reflective index, even better colouring and lower power. 

     

    That will also means Apple will up the 4.7 to FullHD and 5.5" to its native resolution.

     

    What is rather sad to me is that the Mac display are now being left behind, specifically the Macbook Air. While the whole iOS line up got a very decent display.


    OLED is already color accurate, at least it is the most accurate smartphone technology.

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  • Reply 17 of 17
    19831983 Posts: 1,225member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by staticx57 View Post

     

    sRGB isnt the sum total of all possible colors, not by a long shot. Here is an example of another gamut. As you can see, even if you exceed the sRGB, there is still so much left over.




    I get it now...thanks.

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