New reports on color within the iPad mini with Retina display’s screen have corroborated what we found in our review of the device. During testing of multiple iPad mini units, we discovered that some colors looked notably faded and less vibrant on the Retina iPad mini when compared to the same colors on the iPad Air. Through a series of detailed measurements, DisplayMate notes that the iPad mini with Retina display has a 63 percent color gamut, roughly the same as the first-generation iPad mini. The color gamut “produces noticeably subdued image colors,” which DisplayMate says is “inexcusable for a current generation premium tablet.” DisplayMate ranks the iPad mini with Retina display’s screen as a “distant 3rd” behind the Google Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HDX 7.
Anandtech also noted the iPad mini with Retina display has the same color gamut as the original iPad mini. While the site does say the Retina iPad mini has a much better panel overall than the previous mini, the Air holds a “display advantage.” Apple notably has marketed the iPad mini with Retina display as “identical to iPad Air in every way,” a claim that was parroted by the company’s hand-picked reviewers.