A Generic Model to Improve Color Reproduction Accuracy of Mobile Displays: A Case Study on Apple Devices

Color visualization on websites and in apps usually tacitly assumes device-independent sRGB color space, bypassing the essential step of characterization—a process that requires expensive equipment and significant time. This work proposes a pseudo-device-independent approach applicable to Apple displays, one of the most renowned brands in this area, eliminating the need for characterization by leveraging the Mobile Display Characterization and Illumination Model (MDCIM). For this purpose, 11 Apple mobile displays were characterized, analyzing variations in parameters from spectroradiometer measurements and improving their sRGB tone rendering curves. Tested on an iPhone XS Max, the Color for the Average Apple Display model (CAAD) improved reasonable to good color matches from 4.0% to 84.3%, while incorrect matches dropped from 85.3% to 4.9% when compared to sRGB. These results are nearly as strong as those of the device-specific MDCIM, suggesting that an average model is a practical alternative to individual display characterization.