Standardized spectrophotometers are quite expensive but you can find some more affordable color sensor devices on the market which can also do the job if you are right after the functionality they can offer. Those devices usually don't have a display, and require a companion (mobile) app to work.
Below are some tested or trusted ones for you to compare.
Spectrophotometers
Nix Spectro 2 (5mm)
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Nix Spectro 2 (2mm)
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Variable Spectro 1 Pro
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Variable Spectro 1
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X-Rite i1Basic Pro 3
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Konica Minolta MYIRO-1
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CHNSpec DS-620
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| Full price | 999 USD | 999 USD | 299 USD | 299 USD | 1800 USD | 1600 USD | 750 USD |
| Website | Website | Website | Website | Website | Website | Website |
| Comment | Comes with a positioning jig to help you accurately scan your small samples | Multi-purpose, entry level professional device. It can do emission and amblient light measurements (for example for monitor calibration), as well as reflectance measurements. | Multi-purpose, also monitor calibration, light measurement. Operates from a rechargable battery as well as from usb. | Large screen with basic color information and settings. Also comes with a camera to help position the device correctly (handy because of the size and shape of the device). With the Windows app it's possible to make SCI + SCE measurements at the same time. | |||
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| Connectivity | Bluetooth | Bluetooth | Bluetooth | Bluetooth | USB 1.1 | USB 2.0, WiFi (802.11 b/g/n) | USB 2.0, Bluetooth |
| Software | The Nix Toolkit App (Android, iOS), 3rd part app support, SDK | The Nix Toolkit App (Android, iOS), 3rd part app support, SDK | Spectro app (Android, iOS) or Variable Color app (Android, iOS). They also offer a product called Bridge which enables controlling the device through an API | Spectro app (Android, iOS) or Variable Color app (Android, iOS). They also offer a product called Bridge which enables controlling the device through an API | iProfiler app (Windows, macOS) included, which could be used to measure single colors | ? | iOS, Android app (search for CHNSpec), Windows (comes on a usb stick) |
| Inter-Instrument Agreement | 0.35 ΔE00 average / 0.7 ΔE00 max | 0.5 ΔE00 average / 0.8 ΔE00 max | 0.3 ΔE00 average / 0.3 ΔE00 max | 0.3 ΔE00 average / 0.3 ΔE00 max | 0.3 ΔE00 average, 0.8 ΔE00 max | 0.3 ΔE00 | 0.3 ΔE00 |
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Repeatability
Usually it means short time repeatability on a white tile
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0.05 ΔE00 | 0.1 ΔE00 | 0.05 ΔE00 | 0.05 ΔE00 | 0.05 ΔE00 | 0.05 ΔE00 | 0.03 ΔE00 |
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Measurement Modes
See: ISO 13655:2017
M0: Standard illumination condition without UV consideration. Legacy. M1: Includes UV lighting to match CIE Illuminant D50, suitable for accurately measuring optically brightened materials. M2: UV light is filtered out, used for measuring colors as they appear under non-UV lighting conditions. M3: Combines polarization filters to minimize surface gloss, ideal for measuring colors of shiny or reflective materials. |
M0, M1, M2 | M0, M1, M2 | M2 | M2 | M0, M1, M2 | M0, M1, M2 | SCI, SCE |
| Measurement Time | 1 s | 1 s | 1.5 s | 1.5 s | 400 / s | 1s | 1s |
| Measurement Aperture | 5 mm | 2 mm | 8 mm | 8 mm | 4.5 mm | 3.5 mm | 4/6/8/11 mm diameter, 1x3 mm ellipse, changeable |
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Measurement Geometry
45°/0°: Light illuminates the sample at 45 degrees, with color measured perpendicularly. Ideal for flat, matte surfaces, minimizing texture and gloss effects. Diffused illumination: Light is scattered, hitting the sample uniformly from all directions. SPIN or SCI (Specular Component Included): Includes the sample's gloss in color measurements, reflecting appearance under diffuse lighting. SPEX or SCE (Specular Component Excluded): Measures color excluding gloss, showing how it looks without shine. |
45°/0° (ring illumination optics) | 45°/0° (ring illumination optics) | Diffused/0° (SPIN/SCI) | Diffused/0° (SPEX/SCE) | 45°/0° | 45°/0° | Diffused/8° (SCI/SCE), 40mm diameter integrating sphere |
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Spectral Range
Refers to the span of wavelengths that a device can measure. The visible spectrum spans approx. from 380 to 750 nanometers (nm).
Spectrophotometers often exclude the range above 700 nm, because these longer wavelengths has less impact on perceived color.
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400-700 nm | 400-700 nm | 400-700 nm | 400-700 nm | 380-730 nm | 380-730 nm (reflectance), 360-730 nm (irradiance) | 400-700 nm |
| Spectral Interval | 10 nm | 10 nm | 10 nm | 10 nm | 10 nm | 10 nm (reflectance), 5 nm (irradiance) | 10 nm |
| Light Source | High CRI, broad spectrum LED light source (8x broad spectrum white, violet and ultraviolet) | High CRI, broad spectrum LED light source (8x broad spectrum white, violet and ultraviolet) | Full Spectrum LEDs | Full Spectrum LEDs | i1Pro3 Plus LED Illumination (including UV) | LED | LED+UV |
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Illuminants
A: Simulates incandescent lighting with a color temperature of approximately 2856K, typical of indoor, artificial light. C: Approximates average daylight with a color temperature of about 6774K, less commonly used now. D50: Represents daylight at 5000K, commonly used in graphic arts and printing industries. D55: Simulates mid-morning or mid-afternoon light at 5500K, suitable for color matching in photography. D65: Mimics average noon daylight with a color temperature of 6500K, widely used in color viewing standards. D75: Represents north sky daylight at 7500K, often used in industrial color matching. F2: Simulates cool white fluorescent lighting at 4230K, typical of commercial and office lighting. F7: Broad-spectrum daylight fluorescent lighting at 6500K, used for daylight color matching. F11: Represents narrow band white fluorescent at 4000K, used in certain industrial applications. |
A, C, D50, D55, D65, D75, F2, F7, F11 | A, C, D50, D55, D65, D75, F2, F7, F11 | A, F2, D50, D65 | A, F2, D50, D65 | D50, D65, ... | D50, D65, ... | D50, D65, ... |
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Observers
2° Observer: Represents average human color perception based on a 2° field of view, approximating the central vision of the human eye. Commonly used for precise color matching in small samples. 10° Observer: Based on a 10° field of view, it accounts for peripheral vision and is used for larger samples where color appearance changes with viewing angle. |
2°, 10° | 2°, 10° | 2°, 10° | 2°, 10° | 2°, 10° | 2°, 10° | 2°, 10° |
| Most Closely Mimics | Actual color | Color appearance | |||||
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| Datasheet | Datasheet | Datasheet | Datasheet | Datasheet | Datasheet |
Color Readers
If you don't need spectral data, only color values to identify your colors, it gets as affordable as it can with color readers.
NCS Colourpin II
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NCS Colourpin Pro
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Variable Color Muse 2
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| Full price | 115 USD | 210 USD | 99 USD |
| Website | Website | Website |
| Comment | It's a whitelabeled Variable product | It's a whitelabeled Variable product | |
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| Connectivity | Bluetooth | Bluetooth | Bluetooth |
| Software | NCS+ app (Android, iOS) | NCS+ app (Android, iOS) | Color Muse 2 app (Android, iOS) |
| Inter-Instrument Agreement | < 0.3 ΔE00 average | 0.25 ΔE00 average | 0.2 ΔE00 average / 0.75 ΔE00 max |
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Repeatability
Usually it means short time repeatability on a white tile
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0.1 ΔE00 | 0.05 ΔE00 | 0.05 ΔE00 |
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Measurement Modes
See: ISO 13655:2017
M0: Standard illumination condition without UV consideration. Legacy. M1: Includes UV lighting to match CIE Illuminant D50, suitable for accurately measuring optically brightened materials. M2: UV light is filtered out, used for measuring colors as they appear under non-UV lighting conditions. M3: Combines polarization filters to minimize surface gloss, ideal for measuring colors of shiny or reflective materials. |
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| Measurement Time | 2 s | 1.5 s | |
| Measurement Aperture | 4 mm | 6 mm | 8 mm |
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Measurement Geometry
45°/0°: Light illuminates the sample at 45 degrees, with color measured perpendicularly. Ideal for flat, matte surfaces, minimizing texture and gloss effects. Diffused illumination: Light is scattered, hitting the sample uniformly from all directions. SPIN or SCI (Specular Component Included): Includes the sample's gloss in color measurements, reflecting appearance under diffuse lighting. SPEX or SCE (Specular Component Excluded): Measures color excluding gloss, showing how it looks without shine. |
45°/0° | Diffused/0° (SCI) | 45°/0° |
| Light Source | Full Spectrum LEDs | Full Spectrum LEDs | |
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Illuminants
A: Simulates incandescent lighting with a color temperature of approximately 2856K, typical of indoor, artificial light. C: Approximates average daylight with a color temperature of about 6774K, less commonly used now. D50: Represents daylight at 5000K, commonly used in graphic arts and printing industries. D55: Simulates mid-morning or mid-afternoon light at 5500K, suitable for color matching in photography. D65: Mimics average noon daylight with a color temperature of 6500K, widely used in color viewing standards. D75: Represents north sky daylight at 7500K, often used in industrial color matching. F2: Simulates cool white fluorescent lighting at 4230K, typical of commercial and office lighting. F7: Broad-spectrum daylight fluorescent lighting at 6500K, used for daylight color matching. F11: Represents narrow band white fluorescent at 4000K, used in certain industrial applications. |
D50 | D50 | D50 |
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Observers
2° Observer: Represents average human color perception based on a 2° field of view, approximating the central vision of the human eye. Commonly used for precise color matching in small samples. 10° Observer: Based on a 10° field of view, it accounts for peripheral vision and is used for larger samples where color appearance changes with viewing angle. |
10° | 2°, 10° | 2°, 10° |
| Most Closely Mimics | Color appearance | Actual Color | Color appearance |
| Calibration |
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| Datasheet | Datasheet | Datasheet |