Color measurement using compact devices is described herein. A color measurement device can include a diffraction grating that receives light reflected from a surface whose color is being measured. The diffraction grating is responsive to a control signal to split selected components from the reflected light and to admit the components in sequence to a sensor. The components can correspond to a selected wavelength or frequency of the reflected light. The sensor measures the energy or power level of each of the admitted components. The device can support determining a spectral representation of the color of the surface by generating output signals representing the various energy or power levels of each component of the light reflected from the surface.