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.
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.
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