The first iPad mini 7 reviews were published today and many of them said that the “jelly scrolling” display behavior is less noticeable or completely unnoticeable on the device. However, one prominent technology website disagrees.
The main exception is The edge.
“The ‘jelly scrolling’ effect of the last model is still very much present,” opined The edgeby David Pierce.
In a follow-up comment on Threads, Pierce said: “I’m sitting here scrolling through both the 2021 and 2024 Mini, and if you forced me to choose which is better, I’d say the 2024 is LESS wobbly. But it’s still wobbly .”
Many other reviews said that the “jelly scrolling” appears to have been fixed, as Apple made display-related hardware changes to minimize the effect.
Jason Snell, prescribes Six colors:
My understanding is that the new model’s display circuitry is different from the old model, and I couldn’t detect any “jelly scrolling” during my use. It doesn’t mean it’s gone for good, and I look forward to the eagle-eyed ‘jelly scrolling’ experts bringing back their results, but I certainly couldn’t see it even when I recorded myself scrolling at a high frame speed and played it back frame by frame.
Craig Grannell, prescribes Stuff:
Apple thinks it has optimized the screen, but won’t provide details on how. To my eyes, the jelly scrolling doesn’t look as bad as I remember it being last time, but keep two things in mind. First off, I don’t have the old iPad mini to compare. Secondly, I wasn’t too fussed about it last time anyway.
Nathan Ingraham, prescribes Engadget:
One bit of good news about the screen is that it appears Apple has fixed the “jelly-scrolling” problem that plagued the previous iPad mini. Jelly scrolling occurs when one side of a screen doesn’t refresh exactly the same as the other, and this effect was noticeable in portrait mode on the old iPad mini. It’s not something I ever noticed while using the new iPad mini. I’m curious to see if the problem is completely resolved or if my eyes just didn’t notice it, but I’ll continue to use the iPad mini over the next few weeks to see if I notice any display issues.
Brenda Stolyar, prescribes WIRED:
But I can’t talk about the iPad Mini display without discussing the infamous ‘jelly scrolling’ fiasco on the 2021 model. iPad Mini owners complained that one side of the screen refreshes more slowly than the other when you scroll up and down the screen. I didn’t experience this with my Mini, but Apple has made a point of optimizing the LCD screen in the latest model to correct this problem. Apple has been tight-lipped about what exactly it changed, but for what it’s worth, I once again didn’t see any issues on my review sample.
Tony Polanco, prescribes Tom’s guide:
Finally, I didn’t notice any of the infamous “jelly scrolling” screen tearing effect that plagued the iPad mini 6 during my testing. I can’t tell if Apple has fixed this problem or I just didn’t see it. But if that were to change I will update this review.
Federico Viticci, writing on MacStories:
And although the display technology has remained unchanged (it is an IPS screen that refreshes at 60 Hz), the so-called jelly scrolling problem has been solved thanks to an optimized display controller.
“Jelly scrolling” refers to screen tearing, which can cause text or images on one side of the screen to appear tilted down due to a mismatched refresh rate. It can make one side of the screen look like it’s responding faster than the other, resulting in a visual disruption that’s hard to ignore once it’s noticed.
“Jelly scrolling” on iPad mini 6The effect is noticeable on the iPad mini 6 when used in portrait orientation, which has led to customer complaints over the past three years.
Shortly after the launch of the iPad mini 6, an Apple spokesperson said Ars Technica on the background that “jelly scrolling” was “normal” behavior for iPads with LCD screens. Since LCDs are refreshed line by line, there is a small delay between when the lines at the top and the lines at the bottom are refreshed. The effect is especially noticeable on the iPad mini 6, as it appears in portrait orientation rather than landscape orientation.
The new iPad mini will be launched on Wednesday, October 23.
