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It was confusing. Bear with me.
In case you didn’t know, we (along with a number of other tech sources) had an issue with the iPad Mini’s screen – you scroll (no matter how fast or slow), and you notice that one side of the text or image is constantly lagging behind and trying to catch up with the other. To put it simply – it looks like the text or image on the screen is making waves like it’s a depiction of the ocean in the 90s. So we had to put the iPad Mini being tested against other iPads and even iPhones to see if it is “iPad Mini only” or just “normal LCD behavior,” as Apple likes to say. For the record: we used to encounter this kind of screen behavior in a number of older smartphones.
For the test we have the iPad Mini (2021), iPad (2021), iPad Pro (2018), iPhone 8, and Huawei P30 Pro – all except the iPad Pro have screens at 60 Hz, and only the P30 Pro has an OLED display compared to the LCD on the rest of the devices.
iPad Mini (2021) with a 60Hz LCD display and a resolution of 1488 x 2266
Let’s start with the mini elephant in the room – the iPad Mini (2021). Yes – the wobbly / jelly effect is there. It is very present! From my observation, this happens mostly and maybe only when you hold the iPad vertically and scroll in that direction.
Contrary to what others might tell you, the jelly scrolling effect is noticeable even when scrolling slowly, and no – you absolutely don’t have to capture it in slow motion video to notice it. By simply sliding a finger across the screen like I’m following an article, I can see the waves the text is making.
When you start to scroll faster, the effect is even more shocking if you are careful. The point is, if you scroll quickly to get to where you want to be on the page, chances are you’re not paying too much attention to the way the iPad scrolls. Take it for what it’s worth.
iPad (2021) with a 60Hz LCD display and a resolution of 2160 x 1620
Then we have the iPad (9th generation) which has the same type of screen as the iPad Mini. Surely the effect must be similar. Well, this is not the case! The 9th generation iPad shows virtually no jelly scrolling effect, especially in real time. Whether in portrait or landscape orientation, the standard (and ironically the cheapest) iPad sold by Apple is free from this display problem.
iPad Pro (2018) with 120Hz LCD display and 2388 x 1668 resolution
Now this is interesting. The iPad Pro also has an IPS LCD display. However, it comes with Apple’s ProMotion technology for a smooth 120Hz refresh rate versus 60Hz on all other devices in this test.
An important note here is that this iPad Pro 2018 has been my personal device that I have been using for quite some time. Right off the bat, I have to say that I hadn’t noticed the jelly scrolling problem on my iPad Pro… until now.
Yes, scrolling oscillation is also present on the Apple iPad Pro! Is it as bad as the iPad Mini? No. Again, as with the iPad Mini, this does happen, or at least it’s mostly noticeable when scrolling in portrait orientation. Maybe the 120Hz tech helps smooth out the image / text waves, and that’s why the effect isn’t as harsh as on the iPad Mini.
iPhone 8 with a 60 Hz LCD screen and a resolution of 1334 x 750
Shocked. I was shocked to see that the jelly scrolling effect is also noticeable on the iPhone 8’s LCD screen. I would say it’s mostly noticeable in slow motion. If you think, “Martin, you’re a technical writer. Aren’t you supposed to know? ! You are right, so I take it. However, I also have a very good excuse! The jelly scrolling effect on the iPhone is only noticeable in landscape mode – so the exact opposite compared to the iPad Mini and iPad Pro. Why is someone using an iPhone in landscape mode? I’m willing to bet that 99% of people only use an iPhone in a horizontal orientation to watch a video or maybe type – some people do.
You don’t read the articles, scroll through social media, etc. in landscape mode. In fact, many apps don’t even support this. Plus, the frost effect is much less noticeable here, as the phone’s small screen barely has enough vertical space when positioned in landscape mode – you miss out on “testing real estate” almost immediately.
Huawei P30 Pro with a 60Hz OLED display and 1080 x 2340 resolution
Again, an interesting case study as it is generally believed that jelly scrolling is mostly present on LCD screens. Well, not today. I have been using the Huawei P30 Pro for over two years, yet I have never noticed any scrolling issues on the phone.
Surprising or not, the jelly scroll is easily noticeable when taken in slow motion, like the iPhone 8.
Jelly Scroll Problem on iPad Mini and iPad Pro: What Really Happens?
But why?! Well, it turns out that there are a few variables that could make the “jelly scroll” more noticeable on some devices than others:
- Refresh rate (more is better)
- Screen technology (OLED should be a bit better, but not immune to the problem)
- Screen resolution (this is more demanding on the GPU, so it can make scrolling more choppy – this mainly applies to budget tablets / phones)
These are just variables that can affect but not cause “jelly scrolling”. So what is the reason for the jelly scroll? Thanks to the good people at iFixit, we may not need to ask ourselves the question anymore.
According to “target =” _ blank “> iFixit, the jelly scroll problem is there thanks to the way the controller board (which drives the display) is placed. In the iPad Mini, the display board is placed sideways or horizontally inside the tablet body, for reference the same is true for the iPad Pro.
However, as the iFixit teardown discovered, the latest iPad Air, for example, has its controller board positioned vertically – in the top half of the iPad. The same goes for the standard Apple iPad (9th generation).
So the verdict is that the problem with the scrolling of the iPad Pro and especially the iPad Mini is there because of the position of the controller board that powers the screen. It starts from the side rather than from the top like on an iPad Air or iPad (9th generation), which makes “jelly” or “waves” even more visible in portrait orientation.
This also explains why we don’t see jelly scrolling in landscape orientation on the iPad Mini and iPad Pro – because depending on the location of the controller card, landscape is their default orientation.
Why is the effect so noticeable on the iPad Mini compared to the iPad Pro? Well, due to the Pro’s higher refresh rate, which catches up faster and looks a lot smoother, it basically manages to hide the jelly effect more successfully.
Why is the effect not noticeable on your iPhone or Android phone? We’ve been through this before, but in a nutshell – it’s always more or less there when you hold your phone in landscape orientation, but no one really scrolls their phone in landscape orientation, and that’s why the problem isn’t. is not really a “problem” on smartphones.
Conclusion
Ultimately, it’s safe to say that the iPad Mini’s screen features a lot more jelly scrolling than any other tablet I’ve come across, and certainly a lot more than an iPhone.
There must be a reason for Apple’s decision to laterally position the iPad Mini and iPad Pro’s controller board, but either way, that’s no excuse for the effect it has. ‘she has on scroll.
I agree that this problem is not really a “problem” for smartphones, as 99% of people will not do anything in landscape orientation other than watching videos or taking pictures – tasks that are not affected by this problem. .
On the other hand, the vertical and horizontal orientations are handy for scrolling on an iPad. However, I would say the vertical / portrait orientation is preferred for most people, including me. It would therefore be preferable to position the controller card in the upper part of the iPad. Most people will watch movies, type, and draw in landscape orientation, and these tasks should be less affected by jelly scrolling as they don’t involve a lot of scrolling in the first place.
Moreover, the problem does not only affect scrolling. UI elements such as the keyboard that appears when you want to type are also visibly affected – you can see this in real time. Maybe you have to look to see it, but still.
So, to me, it seems like this is a bad design choice on the Apple side, which absolutely deserves the attention it gets. As mentioned, Apple has already released a statement on the matter, which roughly says that jelly scrolling is “normal LCD behavior”. While our testing shows this to be probably true, there is a way to make it less apparent, so we’re hoping Apple fixes this for future versions of the iPad – all iPads.
Personally, I’m a little disappointed that I discovered the issue on my iPad Pro but won’t get rid of it. The iPad mini is a slightly different story, as the effect is more pronounced. Of course, I use a review unit, which I will return anyway, but I’m wondering, “Would I have kept it if I had paid for it?” … The answer is – probably no. Probably.
If you want to check the jelly scroll on your iPad or smartphone, head to this link for a jelly swipe / scroll effect test. Keep your eyes on the UFO. I promise when you open the link it will make more sense. Don’t forget to try out portrait and landscape orientation.
Disclaimer: We are not responsible for destroying the iPad for you. Any disappointment that may arise after the test is your responsibility.
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