At $59, the ColorReader EZ is now the cheapest color detector that Datacolor sells, but its performance will lag behind the company’s $249 ColorReader Pro, which uses six white LEDs to illuminate a sample and promises “over 92% first-match accuracy” compared to 85% with the new budget option. Still, it will definitely outperform a smartphone if color accuracy is important to what you do, and won’t break the bank if you’re not a famous reality show interior designer.
See Starving Artists and Design Students Can Afford This Cheap but Accurate Real-Life Color Picker
Check the camera roll on any designer’s smartphone and you’ll find hundreds of random images they snapped for inspiration or because they simply liked a color. But it’s not the best tool for the job. A dedicated color detector is far more accurate, and with Datacolor’s new ColorReader EZ, it’s no longer an obscenely expensive tool accessible to only professional designers.