Apple responds to "Jelly Scrolling" issues with the iPad Mini, says it's normal for LCD displays

Apple says there is nothing wrong with the screens on the new iPad Mini

Moneycontrol News

September 29, 2021 / 02:23 PM IST

Apple says the issue is normal for LCD screens

Apple's newest line of iPad is all set to go on sale in India from October 1. A lot of users and reviewers who have manged to get their hands on the new iPad mini, have reported "Jelly Scrolling" issues with the new screen.

In a statement shared with Ars Technica, Apple told the publication that since LCD screens refresh line by line, there is a small delay between the top and bottom half of the screen. This is the root cause of uneven scrolling issues.

Here is slow-mo video of scrolling on the iPad Mini slowed down EVEN MORE in a frame-by-frame step through. Notice how the right moves up faster than the left.

In normal usage you barely see it, but every now and then it become noticeable. In landscape it goes away entirely pic.twitter.com/iq9LGJzsDI
— Dieter Bohn (@backlon) September 22, 2021

As noted here, by The Verge's Dieter Bohn, the issue seems noticeable when scrolling in portrait mode, with one half of the screen refreshing at a different rate than the other half. This creates a wobbly, jelly like effect and distorts the image on screen.

Thankfully, the issue was subtle enough to not be noticeable in landscape mode and even while using the tablet in portrait, many users didn't notice it until it was pointed out.

It was still speculation, whether this was a problem with the mini's screen or a software issue that could be fixed with an update. Now, Apple has made it clear, that is the intended behaviour of LCD screens.