'Jelly Scrolling' Rumored to Be Reduced on iPad Mini 7 Thanks to Rotated Screen Assembly

The seventh-generation iPad mini's screen assembly will be rotated to reduce the effect of "jelly scrolling" that some users complain about with the current model, according to a Weibo leaker with an early track record for disclosing accurate information about Apple's plans.

ipad mini 9
The account, known as "Instant Digital," claims that in addition to reduced jelly scrolling, the new ‌iPad mini‌ will also feature the A16 Bionic chip and front camera improvements.

"Jelly scrolling" refers to screen tearing, which can cause text or images on one side of the screen to appear to be tilted downwards because of a mismatch in refresh rates. It can cause one side of the display to look as if it is responding faster than the other side in a visual disturbance that is hard to ignore once noticed.

Apple says the phenomenon is normal behavior for LCD iPads. Since LCD screens refresh line by line, there is a tiny delay between when the lines at the top and lines at the bottom are refreshed. But while this may be normal behavior for LCD screens, it can appear more obvious when observed on the ‌‌‌iPad mini‌'s smaller screen‌‌.

Users have generally only complained about jelly scrolling when the ‌iPad mini‌ is in portrait orientation. The issue is not reproducible in landscape orientation when scrolling, indicating this is a vertical refresh issue. According to the latest rumor, Apple plans to rotate the screen assembly to reduce the jelly scrolling effect in portrait orientation. Whether it will now become more prominent when the ‌iPad mini‌ is in landscape orientation is yet to be seen.

The seventh-generation ‌iPad mini‌ is among several devices that Apple could launch this month, the Weibo user goes on to claim. A modified first-generation Apple Pencil with a USB-C connector instead of Lightning and the sixth-generation iPad Air with the M2 chip are also apparently on the table for announcement toward the end of October. After evidence of a refreshed first-generation ‌Apple Pencil‌ with a USB-C connector was discovered in iOS 17.1 beta code, Instant Digital said that "Apple has not given up on the original ‌Apple Pencil‌, and a USB-C version is expected to be coming soon."

The "Instant Digital" account has shared accurate standalone rumors about the Yellow iPhone 14 spring refresh, frosted back glass on the iPhone 15 and ‌iPhone 15‌ Plus, spatial video capture on the iPhone 15 Pro, and more. That being said, questions remain about how much of the information shared by the user is original or accurate, but until a more long-term track record is established their rumors are worth highlighting.

Related Roundups: iPad mini, iPad Air
Related Forums: iPad, iPad Accessories

Top Rated Comments

Cobra Kai Avatar
9 weeks ago
Reduced and not removed? Jesus. Everytime I think Apple can’t do any less with their upgrades, they say “hold my beer”
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rbramseyjr Avatar
9 weeks ago
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
antiprotest Avatar
9 weeks ago
I want FaceID on my iPad mini and Mac.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
headlessmike Avatar
9 weeks ago

I have Mini 6 for two years and never noticed any jelly effect.
It's only really visible if you vigorously scroll a page up and down very quickly. Not nearly as big of an issue as people like to think it is. I can even see it on my ProMotion iPad Pro if I do as described, but for some reason it's a deal breaker on the mini.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
terraphantm Avatar
9 weeks ago

I have Mini 6 for two years and never noticed any jelly effect.
Eh I notice it every time I scroll through text at any speed. It's definitely one of Apple's worse displays IMO
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
9 weeks ago
With all the insider information available, there is not one mention of it being in production. I don’t believe we will see a new mini this year.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

ios stolen device protection

iOS 17.3 Beta Adds New Stolen Device Protection Feature to iPhone

Tuesday December 12, 2023 10:20 am PST by
The first iOS 17.3 beta rolling out to developers today includes a new "Stolen Device Protection" feature that is designed to add an additional layer of security in the event someone has stolen your iPhone and also obtained the device's passcode. Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern and Nicole Nguyen reported about instances of thieves spying on a victim's iPhone...
iOS 17

33 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 17.2

Tuesday December 12, 2023 1:57 am PST by
Apple has made available for download its major end-of-year iPhone software update, iOS 17.2, featuring a large number of features and changes that users have been anticipating for quite a while. Below, we've listed 33 new things that your iPhone can do once you've installed the update. Check Settings ➝ General ➝ Software Update on your device to get downloading. 1. Help You Keep a Daily ...
iPhone 16 Mock Back 1

iPhone 16 Early Prototypes: What Apple's Next-Generation iPhone Will Look Like

Tuesday December 12, 2023 3:07 pm PST by
With the launch of the iPhone 15, Apple introduced design changes like a curved frame and a frosted glass back. Information acquired by MacRumors suggests that Apple's next-generation iPhone 16 will build on these updates with modifications to the buttons and the camera layout. We have details on early pre-production designs for the iPhone 16, including a look at the variants and hardware...
CarPlay Phone Call

GM Says It's Nixing CarPlay to Make Drivers Safer

Tuesday December 12, 2023 1:47 pm PST by
Earlier this year, General Motors (GM) announced plans to phase out Apple's CarPlay and Android Auto in its future electric vehicles, with the company instead relying on an infotainment system co-developed with Google. This has not been a popular decision with iPhone users, and today, GM provided some additional insight into the decision in a discussion with MotorTrend. According to Tim...
iPhone 16 Side Feature

iPhone 16 Pro Rumored to Have These 12 New Features

Monday December 11, 2023 10:46 am PST by
While the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are still over nine months away from launching, there are already several rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped new features and changes expected for the devices so far. These are some of the key changes rumored for the iPhone 16 Pro models as of December 2023:Larger displays: The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be equipped...
Apple TV 2022 Feature Blue

Apple Releases tvOS 17.2 With Revamped Apple TV App

Monday December 11, 2023 9:58 am PST by
Apple today released tvOS 17.2, the second major update to the tvOS 17 operating system that came out in September 2023. tvOS 17.2 comes more than a month after tvOS 17.1, an update that expanded the availability of the Enhanced Dialogue feature. tvOS 17.2 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌. Go to System > Software Update to get the new software. ‌Apple TV‌...
maxresdefault

Top Five Features in macOS Sonoma 14.2

Wednesday December 13, 2023 3:21 pm PST by
When Apple releases new software, iOS updates tend to get most of the attention, and there are sometimes useful new features in Mac updates that go under the radar. That's the case with macOS Sonoma 14.2. It doesn't have flashy features like the Journal app that came in iOS 17.2, but there are a number of useful improvements that make it worth installing. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube ...