Most were breathing a sigh of relief when Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) finally released the iPad Mini with Retina display. But while there’s no denying that the new display is more stunning than the display on its predecessor, one reviewer noted that there is a tradeoff when he compared the new iPad Mini with the new iPad Air. The only question is whether this tradeoff really matters, and to the average consumer, it probably doesn’t.
Comparing Apple’s iPad models
Anand Lal Shimpi examined the original iPad Mini, the new iPad Mini with Retina display and the iPad Air to compare the screens on all of them. He notes that the Retina display on the new iPad Mini has the same 2048 by 1536 resolution as the iPad Mini, which results in Apple’s highest pixel density among its products. The iPad Mini ties with the iPhone 5S in this regard.
He said both text and graphics are better on the new iPad Mini’s display. However, there is a very subtle trade-off he noted in the new iPad Mini, and it’s so subtle you might not even notice, or care, for that matter.
Retina iPad Mini has reduced color accuracy
The reviewer said although display resolution is far better on the new iPad Mini with Retina display, the color gamut hasn’t changed between the old model and the new one. This color gamut is thinner than that of the iPad air, and it is also less than the sRGB coverage he usually looks for in a tablet. He also says there are several other small-size tablets on the market which do offer sRGB coverage, listing the Nexus X and the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 as examples.
Shane Cole of Apple Insider explains color gamut measurements as “measuring the subset of colors a display can reproduce within a larger, predefined area.”
Does this really matter?
At the end of the day, does the average iPad Mini user really care about this reduced color accuracy? Not really, because the human eye can barely, if at all, tell the difference. Photographers and those who edit photos and care about preciseness in colors, however, will want to know about this fact. And besides, Anand suggests that those who are really concerned with color accuracy will opt for the iPad Air over the iPad mini anyway by default.
