Earlier this week, it has been reported that the newly launched and redesigned iPad mini 6 is exhibiting a subtle wobbling effect on its display. While users concluded that the effect could be a flaw, Apple refuted this and clarified that such limitations are common behaviour on LCD screens.
In a statement provided to Arstechnica, the company explained that LCD technology refreshes content displayed on screen line by line. This causes a tiny delay between when the lines at the top of the screen and at the bottom are refreshed, thus causing the uneven “jelly-like” scrolling effect when shifting content up and down.
For the iPad mini 6, this is noticeable (albeit subtly) when using the tablet in portrait orientation, but strangely isn’t present when viewing content in landscape mode. Insisting that the effect is a limitation rather than a flaw, Apple believes a hardware or software fix isn’t required for its new compact tablet.
Despite the company’s clarification, Arstechnica and even The Verge maintain that the wobbling effect is more apparent on the new mini. Both publications noted that other 60Hz LCD-equipped iPad models – including past generation iPad minis – did not exhibit the effect, and added that it is quite unusual for Apple to dismiss this.
Regardless, The Verge says that this supposed flaw isn’t entirely a deal-breaker for the new tablet, although it would most certainly irk those who are very particular about display performance. That being said, we’ll definitely keep this in mind when conducting our own tests with the new iPad mini 6 – that is, if we are provided with one for a review.
On a related note, other devices that have been noticed to exhibit “jelly scrolling” include lower-end and certain mid-range laptops, as well as older smartphones. For the latter, one particular model that caused a stir among users is the OnePlus 5 smartphone that was released back in 2017. But like Apple, OnePlus also insisted that the effect is a limitation and not a flaw.
(Source: Arstechnica / The Verge)
