The iPad mini 7 is out and the cool cats at iFixit have completed and posted a teardown of the new tablet, as well as explored some of the device’s “jelly scrolling” 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, resulting in a visual disturbance that is hard to ignore once noticed. Some users noticed the effect on the iPad mini 6 when it was used in portrait orientation, which lead to complaints. Others didn’t seem to be bothered by the effect. Apple seems to have worked to reduce the effect, and many reviewers of the iPad mini 7 said the “jelly scrolling” effect was less noticeable or had been removed from the latest iPad mini.
It was speculated that Apple might have rotated the display controller inside the iPad mini 7 to make “jelly scrolling” less visible in portrait orientation. During its teardown, iFixit noted that the display controller’s position has not changed compared to the iPad mini 6. The website concluded that Apple has done some unknown “trickery” to reduce “jelly scrolling,” so it still remains unclear exactly what Apple has done to mitigate the issue.
The published teardown video also noted that the iPad mini 7’s rear Apple logo can be removed, but otherwise the device’s internal design is similar to the iPad mini 6.
If you’ve snagged an iPad mini 7, please let us know about your experience with it in the comments.