iPad Mini 7 has display hardware changes that will likely fix Jelly Scrolling

One of the top complaints about the previous generation iPad mini 6 was “jelly scrolling” or screen tearing, and it sounds like this is an issue that Apple may have addressed with hardware updates to the iPad mini 7’s display.

On the most recent episode of the Six Colors Podcast, Jason Snell and Dan Moren discussed the new ‌iPad mini 7‌ and shared some information about the display. Snell said he understands there have been unspecified tweaks to the display hardware in the ‌iPad mini 7‌ that should make a difference when it comes to jelly scrolling.

Snell didn’t provide a source, but his information likely comes directly from Apple. However, there is only an “implication” that the changes would fix the jelly scrolling, and Snell made it clear that since no one has seen the ‌iPad mini 7‌ yet, there is no concrete information. “My suspicion is that it’s different,” he said. ‘And maybe better. And maybe disappeared.’

Jelly scrolling is a display problem that causes text or images on one side of the screen to be out of sync with the other side. The result is text or images that appear to be tilted downward because the screen refresh rate doesn’t match, and for some people, once you notice the problem, it’s hard to ignore.

iPad mini 6 owners noticed jelly scrolling in portrait mode on the device shortly after it launched in 2021. Some users were not bothered by the effect, while others said it was annoying to look at and could cause eye strain.

Most if not all iPad mini 6 units appeared to be affected, but the degree of impact varied from user to user due to different screen tear tolerances. The effect likely affected earlier iPads, but it seemed more noticeable on the “iPad mini” 6.

Rumors about the iPad mini 7 suggested that Apple would rotate the screen assembly to reduce jelly scrolling, so it’s possible Apple did something like that to minimize the problem on the seventh-generation model.

The ‌iPad mini 7‌ is available for pre-order and will launch on Wednesday, October 23. Once the tablet is available, users will be able to see for themselves whether jelly scrolling has been addressed, and an iFixit teardown will provide insight into any hardware changes. We’ll also likely get reviews before the ‌iPad mini 7‌ models launch, so we can get a clearer answer to the jelly scrolling question in a few days.