diff --git a/src/ng/directive/input.js b/src/ng/directive/input.js
index afa8347e23c6..9644ab21a0d7 100644
--- a/src/ng/directive/input.js
+++ b/src/ng/directive/input.js
@@ -1039,7 +1039,7 @@ function baseInputType(scope, element, attr, ctrl, $sniffer, $browser) {
   element.on('change', listener);
 
   ctrl.$render = function() {
-    element.val(ctrl.$isEmpty(ctrl.$modelValue) ? '' : ctrl.$viewValue);
+    element.val(ctrl.$isEmpty(ctrl.$viewValue) ? '' : ctrl.$viewValue);
   };
 }
 
@@ -1149,10 +1149,10 @@ function createDateInputType(type, regexp, parseDate, format) {
     });
 
     ctrl.$formatters.push(function(value) {
-      if (!ctrl.$isEmpty(value)) {
-        if (!isDate(value)) {
-          throw $ngModelMinErr('datefmt', 'Expected `{0}` to be a date', value);
-        }
+      if (value && !isDate(value)) {
+        throw $ngModelMinErr('datefmt', 'Expected `{0}` to be a date', value);
+      }
+      if (isValidDate(value)) {
         previousDate = value;
         if (previousDate && timezone === 'UTC') {
           var timezoneOffset = 60000 * previousDate.getTimezoneOffset();
@@ -1161,14 +1161,14 @@ function createDateInputType(type, regexp, parseDate, format) {
         return $filter('date')(value, format, timezone);
       } else {
         previousDate = null;
+        return '';
       }
-      return '';
     });
 
     if (isDefined(attr.min) || attr.ngMin) {
       var minVal;
       ctrl.$validators.min = function(value) {
-        return ctrl.$isEmpty(value) || isUndefined(minVal) || parseDate(value) >= minVal;
+        return !isValidDate(value) || isUndefined(minVal) || parseDate(value) >= minVal;
       };
       attr.$observe('min', function(val) {
         minVal = parseObservedDateValue(val);
@@ -1179,18 +1179,18 @@ function createDateInputType(type, regexp, parseDate, format) {
     if (isDefined(attr.max) || attr.ngMax) {
       var maxVal;
       ctrl.$validators.max = function(value) {
-        return ctrl.$isEmpty(value) || isUndefined(maxVal) || parseDate(value) <= maxVal;
+        return !isValidDate(value) || isUndefined(maxVal) || parseDate(value) <= maxVal;
       };
       attr.$observe('max', function(val) {
         maxVal = parseObservedDateValue(val);
         ctrl.$validate();
       });
     }
-    // Override the standard $isEmpty to detect invalid dates as well
-    ctrl.$isEmpty = function(value) {
+
+    function isValidDate(value) {
       // Invalid Date: getTime() returns NaN
-      return !value || (value.getTime && value.getTime() !== value.getTime());
-    };
+      return value && !(value.getTime && value.getTime() !== value.getTime());
+    }
 
     function parseObservedDateValue(val) {
       return isDefined(val) ? (isDate(val) ? val : parseDate(val)) : undefined;
@@ -1274,7 +1274,8 @@ function urlInputType(scope, element, attr, ctrl, $sniffer, $browser) {
   stringBasedInputType(ctrl);
 
   ctrl.$$parserName = 'url';
-  ctrl.$validators.url = function(value) {
+  ctrl.$validators.url = function(modelValue, viewValue) {
+    var value = modelValue || viewValue;
     return ctrl.$isEmpty(value) || URL_REGEXP.test(value);
   };
 }
@@ -1286,7 +1287,8 @@ function emailInputType(scope, element, attr, ctrl, $sniffer, $browser) {
   stringBasedInputType(ctrl);
 
   ctrl.$$parserName = 'email';
-  ctrl.$validators.email = function(value) {
+  ctrl.$validators.email = function(modelValue, viewValue) {
+    var value = modelValue || viewValue;
     return ctrl.$isEmpty(value) || EMAIL_REGEXP.test(value);
   };
 }
@@ -1340,9 +1342,11 @@ function checkboxInputType(scope, element, attr, ctrl, $sniffer, $browser, $filt
     element[0].checked = ctrl.$viewValue;
   };
 
-  // Override the standard `$isEmpty` because an empty checkbox is never equal to the trueValue
+  // Override the standard `$isEmpty` because the $viewValue of an empty checkbox is always set to `false`
+  // This is because of the parser below, which compares the `$modelValue` with `trueValue` to convert
+  // it to a boolean.
   ctrl.$isEmpty = function(value) {
-    return value !== trueValue;
+    return value === false;
   };
 
   ctrl.$formatters.push(function(value) {
@@ -1810,17 +1814,18 @@ var NgModelController = ['$scope', '$exceptionHandler', '$attrs', '$element', '$
    * @name ngModel.NgModelController#$isEmpty
    *
    * @description
-   * This is called when we need to determine if the value of the input is empty.
+   * This is called when we need to determine if the value of an input is empty.
    *
    * For instance, the required directive does this to work out if the input has data or not.
+   *
    * The default `$isEmpty` function checks whether the value is `undefined`, `''`, `null` or `NaN`.
    *
    * You can override this for input directives whose concept of being empty is different to the
    * default. The `checkboxInputType` directive does this because in its case a value of `false`
    * implies empty.
    *
-   * @param {*} value Model value to check.
-   * @returns {boolean} True if `value` is empty.
+   * @param {*} value The value of the input to check for emptiness.
+   * @returns {boolean} True if `value` is "empty".
    */
   this.$isEmpty = function(value) {
     return isUndefined(value) || value === '' || value === null || value !== value;
@@ -2647,8 +2652,8 @@ var requiredDirective = function() {
       if (!ctrl) return;
       attr.required = true; // force truthy in case we are on non input element
 
-      ctrl.$validators.required = function(value) {
-        return !attr.required || !ctrl.$isEmpty(value);
+      ctrl.$validators.required = function(modelValue, viewValue) {
+        return !attr.required || !ctrl.$isEmpty(viewValue);
       };
 
       attr.$observe('required', function() {
@@ -2723,7 +2728,7 @@ var minlengthDirective = function() {
         ctrl.$validate();
       });
       ctrl.$validators.minlength = function(modelValue, viewValue) {
-        return ctrl.$isEmpty(modelValue) || viewValue.length >= minlength;
+        return ctrl.$isEmpty(viewValue) || viewValue.length >= minlength;
       };
     }
   };
diff --git a/test/ng/directive/inputSpec.js b/test/ng/directive/inputSpec.js
index b2ab27ac9469..e579eb0f8db3 100644
--- a/test/ng/directive/inputSpec.js
+++ b/test/ng/directive/inputSpec.js
@@ -2290,6 +2290,22 @@ describe('input', function() {
   });
 
 
+  it('should render the $viewValue when $modelValue is empty', function() {
+    compileInput('<input type="text" ng-model="value" />');
+
+    var ctrl = inputElm.controller('ngModel');
+
+    ctrl.$modelValue = null;
+
+    expect(ctrl.$isEmpty(ctrl.$modelValue)).toBe(true);
+
+    ctrl.$viewValue = 'abc';
+    ctrl.$render();
+
+    expect(inputElm.val()).toBe('abc');
+  });
+
+
   describe('pattern', function() {
 
     it('should validate in-lined pattern', function() {