Apple is rumored to be launching a new seventh-generation iPad mini soon, but the new model will not feature a 120Hz ProMotion display, claims a leaker with alleged supply chain sources.
According to the Twitter account @Tech_Reve, the iPad mini 7 "still doesn't have 120Hz," with only the A-series processor expected to receive an upgrade.
Suggestions that Apple could conceivably adopt ProMotion for a next-generation iPad mini began to receive attention when the "jelly scrolling" phenomenon was identified shortly after the iPad mini 6 was released in September 2021.
"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's responding faster than the other side, a visual disturbance that's hard to miss once you notice it.
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.
Late last year, a rumor on Korean forums suggested Apple was testing a Samsung-supplied display for a future iPad mini that would allow for up to 120Hz refresh rates, but no such model has been forthcoming, and Apple's plans for the iPad mini are still unclear, and rumors of an update have only gathered pace over the last couple of months.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman earlier this year reported that an iPad mini update with a minor "spec bump" is not out of the question in 2024. More recently in August, the leaker known as "ShrimpApplePro" suggested a seventh-generation iPad mini was in the works at Apple, and said that they had seen evidence that at least one new iPad model is coming this year. A DigiTimes report last month said Apple plans to release a "small-sized iPad" in the fourth quarter, while 9to5Mac just last week said that its sources believe the iPad mini 7 is coming "soon."
If anything happens before the holidays, a chip upgrade may be the most likely feature of a new iPad mini. The sixth-generation iPad mini currently contains the A15 Bionic chip, while the new iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro use the A16 and A17 Pro chip, respectively. A minor spec bump could also include upgrades to the front and rear cameras, potentially bringing features like Photonic Engine to the iPad for the first time.
