iPad mini could get 120Hz ProMotion display, fixing ‘jelly scroll’

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iPad mini on table
But don't get your hopes up.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

A future iPad mini refresh could bring 120Hz ProMotion technology to Apple’s smallest tablet, according to a new report.

The upgrade could fix the “jelly scrolling” effect that his been exhibited by many 2021 iPad mini units — upsetting a lot of early adopters — which use the same 60Hz refresh rate as iPad Air and the 10.2-inch entry-level iPad.

iPad mini may see a ProMotion upgrade

Apple has so far reserved its ProMotion technology for only flagship devices. It first debuted on iPad Pro in 2017, and it remained exclusive to the largest, most expensive iPad models until finally making the leap to iPhone 13 Pro this year.

ProMotion not only allows a display to become buttery smooth when scrolling webpages, swiping through photos, and playing games. But it also has the ability to reduce its speed to as little as 10Hz to conserve battery life.

One rather sketchy rumor, which comes from an unfamiliar tipster called @FronTron on a South Korean forum, claims Apple is now testing an 8.3-inch Samsung display with a 120Hz refresh rate for a future iPad mini refresh.

Before we dismiss these claims entirely, there is a good reason why Apple might bring ProMotion to iPad mini.

It could be true … but it’s probably not

Its latest models suffer from “jelly scroll,” an effect that comes from its 60Hz refresh rate being unable to update the entire screen quickly enough. It means one side of the screen moves slightly faster than the other while scrolling.

Perhaps, rather than finding another 60Hz LCD display that doesn’t exhibit this effect — which could prove incredibly difficult — Apple has instead decide to just increase iPad mini’s refresh rate so that jelly scroll is eliminated.

Having said that, it does seem incredibly unlikely that iPad mini will get a ProMotion upgrade any time soon. Although the technology may come to most Apple devices at some point, it doesn’t seem like iPad mini would be a priority.

Also, it goes without saying that it’s always best to take uncorroborated claims from unproven sources with a pinch of salt.

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