iPad iPad Mini 7 60 Hz Screen Refresh Rate Should Be Illegal

[Pbwallstreet]

So I’ve had my 13” M4 iPad Pro for a while and the screen is very good. I used to have an iPad Mini 6 and really liked it. I love the smaller size.

I had been back to the Apple Store a few times here and there and tried out the iPad Mini 7 on a few occasions and really like it for its size.

I hadn’t been to the Apple Store for a while… and just dropped in yesterday. Within 5 seconds of testing out the iPad Mini 7 I realized there is no way I could use it because of how terrible the screen refresh rate is. Everything is so choppy. It’s very noticeable and quite bad. As I have the Pro with the OLED and 120 Hz refresh rate, I can’t deal with the choppy Mini 7.

Interesingly, I also have an M3 MacBook Air (60 Hz refresh rate) and an M1 MacBook Pro (120 Hz refresh rate). I don’t notice the reduced refresh rate on the Air near as much. It’s very usable and a good experience.

I think one part of this is that in iOS and iPadOS, there are a lot of animations with multi-touch and things are more dynamic, so the refresh rates are much more noticeable.

Anyone else have a similar or different experience?

 

[muzzy996]

Different. I have an appreciation for promotion displays but I don't find my mini 7 horrible to use. I actually find the 7 smoother than my mini 6 was and screen performance sufficient for my use. Would I prefer a better quality display? Absolutely, but I don't dislike the Mini 7 at all for lack of a better display. Pro-tip: I like having Reduce Motion and Prefer Cross-Fade Transitions enabled in Accessibility Settings. This reduces animation of windows and app switching which greatly impacts my experience in a positive way.

 

[TechRunner]

While I don't disagree that Apple should be stepping up their refresh game on the Mini, your thread title is a bit hyperbolic to me as I enjoy my Mini 7 immensely and am willing to take the bad with the good for such a powerful small tablet.

 

[sparksd]

I have a Mini 6 and find this description of the display experience to be over the top.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Stating a screen refresh rate should be criminal is unneeded hyperbole that drastically misses the logical mark. I have both devices and I do notice the difference why the mini 7, it is not unusable at all.

 

[joeblow7777]

With all due respect, this seems overly dramatic.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

If you used it in portrait orientation what you’re most likely seeing is 60hz along with the display controller refreshing each side the screen at different intervals. This display controller setup is also the jelly scroll culprit but even if you don’t see the jelly it adds more blur to the already low refresh rate.

Odds are if you hold the Mini 7 in landscape it’s less jarring but yeah going from an instant OLED response time plus ProMotion is gonna be noticeable and the Mini seemingly does it worse than all Apple’s 60hz devices.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I returned a Mini 7 mainly because I just don't think the screen quality is good enough for the pricing and in 2025+

I'm really hoping Mini 8 takes a big jump here

Until then, I'm riding along happily with my trusty Mini 5

 

[Ctrlos]

I couldn't stand the jelly scroll. It probably doesn't bother most people but it just seemed like a huge QA issue on Apple's part.

 

[stocklen]

With all due respect, this seems overly dramatic.

no respect needed. Another hyperbolic post.

Illegal indeed. Ive heard it all now.

If the specs don't suit - don't buy. Its quite simple really.

 

[TokyoKiller]

With all due respect, this seems overly dramatic.

I remember when I used to work at Apple Retail and people would come in making all kinds of demands like Apple owed them something or that Apple is somehow doing something so outrageous that their opinion was the be all end all of things and we were all expected to hear the painful nonsense.

Plenty of other companies make displays that are sub-par yet I don't see anyone crying wolf about their mediocre displays, ffs most TVs on the market still use "a software simulated 120Hz refresh rate".

 

[Devyn89]

8 years after Apple first introduced ProMotion I agree it should be ubiquitous now, but definitely not illegal lol.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Absolutely, 60hz it’s completely pointless and should be completely illegal.
30 Hz it’s fine enough, and will help save battery too.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

I remember when I used to work at Apple Retail and people would come in making all kinds of demands like Apple owed them something or that Apple is somehow doing something so outrageous that their opinion was the be all end all of things and we were all expected to hear the painful nonsense.

Plenty of other companies make displays that are sub-par yet I don't see anyone crying wolf about their mediocre displays, ffs most TVs on the market still use "a software simulated 120Hz refresh rate".

Not sure where your info for software simulated refresh rate came from but top brands on the market don't do that unless you're talking about motion smoothness which is separate of actual refresh rate. Most folks turn this feature off for normal viewing and quality TV's detect gaming consoles which adjust their refresh rate accordingly along with lowering the latency.

Can't speak to the retail side but as stated many times on this website, Apple products costs premium prices and still come with an abysmal 1yr warranty so when a device doesn't live up to the expectations you're gonna hear it. I recently had a MBA logic board failure that was less than 2yrs old so of course the folks at the Apple store want to essentially shame you for not having Applecare but why the heck should I have AC for a device that barely left my desk? Called Apple support and they made it right but as a frequent buyer of Apple stuff, less than 2yrs out of a MBA before a logic board failure, which controls literally everything these days, is unacceptable.

 

[dumastudetto]

If you really mean it, you should forward your suggestion over to the EU.

 

[TokyoKiller]

Not sure where your info for software simulated refresh rate came from but top brands on the market don't do that unless you're talking about motion smoothness which is separate of actual refresh rate. Most folks turn this feature off for normal viewing and quality TV's detect gaming consoles which adjust their refresh rate accordingly along with lowering the latency.

Can't speak to the retail side but as stated many times on this website, Apple products costs premium prices and still come with an abysmal 1yr warranty so when a device doesn't live up to the expectations you're gonna hear it. I recently had a MBA logic board failure that was less than 2yrs old so of course the folks at the Apple store want to essentially shame you for not having Applecare but why the heck should I have AC for a device that barely left my desk? Called Apple support and they made it right but as a frequent buyer of Apple stuff, less than 2yrs out of a MBA before a logic board failure, which controls literally everything these days, is unacceptable.

Yeah sorry I meant motion smoothness but the way most display companies positioned it and marketed it made it seem like those products actually were 120Hz capable, like these different marketing names: https://www.displayninja.com/what-is-samsung-motion-rate-sony-motionflow-lg-trumotion/

I am with you on the warranty aspect when it comes to hardware failure like in your case. Apple support generally comes through with exceptions but you should at least get 2 years of warranty considering the premium.

 

[Jumpthesnark]

iPad Mini 7 60 Hz Screen Refresh Rate Should Be Illegal​

No, it should be a war crime! Contact the International Criminal Court!
/s

Also, this you?

 

[klasma]

I couldn't stand the jelly scroll. It probably doesn't bother most people but it just seemed like a huge QA issue on Apple's part.

It’s a deliberate hardware design decision, maybe triggered by the fact that with the new case design there’s less space on the short side for the display controller, and likely with the justification that the device is now more targeted at landscape use (narrower aspect ratio, benefitting video and gaming).

 

[turbineseaplane]

the device is now more targeted at landscape use (narrower aspect ratio, benefitting video and gaming).

I really dislike the aspect ratio change on the 6 & 7

It's surprisingly noticeable, in a negative way, coming from a Mini 5

 

[klasma]

I really dislike the aspect ratio change on the 6 & 7

It's surprisingly noticeable, in a negative way, coming from a Mini 5

It’s a noticeable downgrade, I’ve stayed with the mini 5 for that reason as well.

 

[turbineseaplane]

It’s a noticeable downgrade, I’ve stayed with the mini 5 for that reason as well.

I have my frequently mentioned nitpicks about the iPhones all being basically the same size of large and even larger, but this is an interesting sidebar discussion.

It is a little odd and frustrating that we only have different sizes but not different aspect ratio options for iPads

That is another area where I would like to see more hardware diversity from Apple

Personally, I think the original iPad aspect ratio of 4:3 really nailed the best of all worlds

 

[Allen_Wentz]

So I’ve had my 13” M4 iPad Pro for a while and the screen is very good. I used to have an iPad Mini 6 and really liked it. I love the smaller size.

Anyone else have a similar or different experience?

Yes, my experience is different. Also I find click bait headlining "should be illegal" offensive. Just do not buy what you do not want.

You asked. Just my $0.02.

 

[Student of Life]

I returned a Mini 7 mainly because I just don't think the screen quality is good enough for the pricing and in 2025+

I'm really hoping Mini 8 takes a big jump here

Until then, I'm riding along happily with my trusty Mini 5

At full price, I agree 100%. No one should pay 499 for it

At its current discount price of 399, it's not that bad. If you have a bestbuy near you, you can get an open item one even cheaper and it still qualifies for AppleCare if that interest you, (350-370ish)

The mini 8 hopefully has Oled but thats a good two to three years away. The mini 7 has a chip equivalent to the iPhone 15, has double the ram to 8 gig and equally important the base model now has double the storage to 128 gb. It would not be a bad upgrade but if you happy with the Mini 5 just keep it and wait for the 8.

 

[sleeptodream]

So I’ve had my 13” M4 iPad Pro for a while and the screen is very good. I used to have an iPad Mini 6 and really liked it. I love the smaller size.

I had been back to the Apple Store a few times here and there and tried out the iPad Mini 7 on a few occasions and really like it for its size.

I hadn’t been to the Apple Store for a while… and just dropped in yesterday. Within 5 seconds of testing out the iPad Mini 7 I realized there is no way I could use it because of how terrible the screen refresh rate is. Everything is so choppy. It’s very noticeable and quite bad. As I have the Pro with the OLED and 120 Hz refresh rate, I can’t deal with the choppy Mini 7.

Interesingly, I also have an M3 MacBook Air (60 Hz refresh rate) and an M1 MacBook Pro (120 Hz refresh rate). I don’t notice the reduced refresh rate on the Air near as much. It’s very usable and a good experience.

I think one part of this is that in iOS and iPadOS, there are a lot of animations with multi-touch and things are more dynamic, so the refresh rates are much more noticeable.

Anyone else have a similar or different experience?

I’d agree, my eyes for sure take some time to adjust when I use my iPad Air, coming from other devices with promotion.

That said, they do adjust. I think it’s a brain thing as much as it is eyes. You kinda stop trying to read things as it’s scrolling. After a bit you stop noticing it. That’s my experience at least

 

[TechnoMonk]

Illegal? Sounds like folks who started calling 911 when Tik tok went dark few days back. Don’t trivialize the illegal stuff for your desire for consumerism.