iPad Mini 7 Reviews Say 'Jelly Scrolling' is Fixed, With a Major Exception

The first iPad mini 7 reviews were published today, and many of them said that "jelly scrolling" display behavior is either less noticeable or fully unnoticeable on the device. However, one prominent technology website disagrees.

ipad mini 7 feature
The major exception is The Verge.

"The 'jelly scrolling' effect from the last model is still very much present," opined The Verge's David Pierce.

In a follow-up comment shared on Threads, Pierce said "I'm sitting here scrolling on both the 2021 and 2024 Mini, and if you forced me to pick which one is better I'd say the 2024 wiggles LESS. But it still wiggles."

Many other reviews said that "jelly scrolling" seems to be fixed, as a result of Apple making display-related hardware changes to minimize the effect.

Jason Snell, writing for Six Colors:

It's my understanding that the new model's display circuitry is different from the old model, and I couldn't detect any "jelly scrolling" in my use. It doesn't mean it's for sure gone, and I'm looking forward to eagle-eyed "jelly scrolling" experts reporting back with their results, but I sure couldn't see it, even when I recorded myself scrolling at a high frame rate and played it back frame by frame.

Craig Grannell, writing for Stuff:

Apple reckons it's optimised the display, but won't provide any details on how. To my eyes, the jelly scrolling doesn't look as bad as I recall it being last time, but bear in mind two things. First, I don't have the old iPad mini to compare. Secondly, I wasn't too fussed about this last time anyway.

Nathan Ingraham, writing for Engadget:

One bit of good news about the screen is that it seems Apple has fixed the "jelly-scrolling" problem that plagued the prior iPad mini. Jelly-scrolling occurs when one side of a screen doesn't refresh at exactly the same rate as the other, and this effect was noticeable in portrait mode with the old iPad mini. It's not something that I ever noticed while using the new iPad mini. I am curious to see if the issue has been totally resolved or if my eyes just didn't catch it, but I'll continue using the iPad mini in the coming weeks to see if I spot any display issues.

Brenda Stolyar, writing for WIRED:

But I can't talk about the iPad Mini display without going over the infamous “jelly scrolling” fiasco on the 2021 model. iPad Mini owners bemoaned that one side of the screen refreshed slower than the other when scrolling up and down on the display. I didn't experience this with my Mini, but Apple did make it a point to optimize the LCD in the latest model to alleviate this issue. Apple was tight-lipped on exactly what it changed, but for what it's worth, I once again have yet to see any problems on my test unit.

Tony Polanco, writing for Tom's Guide:

Lastly, I didn't notice the infamous "jelly scrolling" screen-tearing effect that plagued the iPad mini 6 during my testing. I can't say whether or not Apple fixed this issue or I simply didn't see it. But if that should change, I'll update this review.

Federico Viticci, writing at MacStories:

And while the display technology is unchanged – it's an IPS display that refreshes at 60 Hz – the so-called jelly scrolling issue has been fixed 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 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, resulting in a visual disturbance that is hard to ignore once noticed.

ipad mini jelly scrolling ifixit"Jelly scrolling" on iPad mini 6

The effect is noticeable on the iPad mini 6 when the device was used in portrait orientation, leading to complaints from customers over the past three years.

Shortly after the iPad mini 6 launched, an Apple spokesperson told Ars Technica on background that "jelly scrolling" was "normal" behavior for iPads with LCD displays. Given that LCDs refresh line by line, there is a tiny delay between when the lines at the top and lines at the bottom are refreshed. The effect is particularly noticeable on the iPad mini 6 because it can be seen in portrait orientation rather than landscape orientation.

The new iPad mini launches this Wednesday, October 23.

Related Roundup: iPad mini
Buyer's Guide: iPad Mini (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Expected Next Week - Here Are the Release Notes

Friday March 28, 2025 2:01 pm PDT by
With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect. There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for Apple News+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone

Friday March 28, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things. Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple ...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...

Top Rated Comments

Fuchal Avatar
23 weeks ago
I for one love Jelly Scrolling. I hope Apple adds it to more products.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
StuBeck Avatar
23 weeks ago

Can’t Apple just be open about this? What’s the big deal? Just admit “hey, it may have been an issue with the 6, so we made sure to fix it on the 7.” Is that so hard to just be open?
They said it wasn't an issue at all when the iPad Mini 6 came out. I'm not sure why they had to essentially lie about an issue that existed.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
x-evil-x Avatar
23 weeks ago
Just give it a 120hz screen already. Not sure why they haven’t made a pro version of this iPad yet
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
23 weeks ago
It's not fixed .. it's "better"
They "optimized the display controller"

(or something to that effect .. whatever that even might mean, who knows)

Depending upon who you ask, it's still there in some form
What a massive disappointment

What happened to Apple?
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
23 weeks ago

Steve used to often say, "our competitors ship the panels we reject"
It has dawned on me that we are now so far removed from the Steve era that vast majority of the Apple user base doesn’t even know what kind of quality standard we are talking about here

It’s sad
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klky Avatar
23 weeks ago
I'll check it out at the Apple Store and see for myself. Only way to know for sure.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)