In spite of its nifty bells and whistles, the rumors mill has it that Apple’s seventh-generation iPad mini may not feature a 120Hz ProMotion display.
Per @Tech_Reve, a leaker assumed to have supply chain sources, 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, wherein text or images on one side of the screen appear to be tilted downwards because of a mismatch in refresh rates. This can also cause one side of the display to appear as if it’s responding faster than the other side of the screen.
Apple has stated that the issue is normal behavior for LCD iPads. Given that LCD screens refresh line by line, there is a tiny delay between when the lines at the top the and lines at the bottom are refreshed. Unfortunately, this issue became more obvious when observed on the iPad mini’s smaller screen.
In late 2022, a rumor on Korean forums suggested that Apple was testing a Samsung-supplied display for a next-gen iPad mini that would offer up to 120Hz refresh rates. This seems not to be the case, and according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the next-gen iPad may only feature a minor “spec bump.”
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. Other elements of a spec bump could see improvements to the front and rear cameras, potentially bringing features such as the Photonic Engine to the iPad for the first time ever.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via MacRumors, @Tech_Reve, and Bloomberg