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

Sheepish-Lord said:
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.
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That’s a great point! I do find that the iPad mini, when used in landscape mode to be much less jittery!

I’m much the same as the original poster… In that I have an iPhone 15 Pro and an M1 iPad Pro 11 inch… Both with promotion and I find the mini 7 display to be very jarring… Jittery when used in portrait mode. I might even lock up the guy who designed this display if I ever met him😊

Unfortunately, portrait mode is the primary mode of use with the mini 7…at least for me. I’m OK with it because I got it at the 399 price for the base model and I figure I can always sell it for a reasonable price at some point. However, scrolling with the mini seven makes me almost seasick!

Man, wouldn’t a 120 Hz refresh rate on the iPad mini be fantastic .:))
 
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The Mini 6 display was so bad, it gave me eyestrain and headaches whenever I ever looked it. The Mini 7 display has improved from the Mini 6 to the level of a mediocre LCD display. My 6 year old iPad Mini 5 still has an LCD display that is far sharper and better than either the Mini 6 or 7. To me, there is no excuse that a 6 year old tablet looks so much better than current models that are much faster. If I ever buy another iPad Mini, I will probably end up waiting for the first OLED iPad Mini. However, I would not say that the Mini display should be illegal, only that I won’t spend my money on one.
 
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it’s fine for the Minis size

You should focus your attention to the base iPad and the Air for the fact that they have bigger screens and 60hz. But then the next mini will have OLED so 60hz will feel much better for that than LCD.
 
You probably notice the reduced frame rate more on the iPad because of all fluid and bouncy everything is in iPadOS. macOS is more static and still.
 
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sleeptodream said:
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
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Agreed.
It’s not great but you definitely stop noticing after a while using.

Doesn’t make it ok, but I bought the mini mainly for comic and ebook reading which is unaffected by refresh rates.
 
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I think that for whatever reason refresh rate changes are more noticeable on tablets. I do feel a lot of difference while I use my wife's M1 iPad Air instead of my M4 Pro, but on the other hand switching to my 12 mini does not give me the same feeling (even if it is older hardware)
 
Pbwallstreet said:
Obviously I never meant illegal literally. I just find the refresh rate on the Mini 7 really jarring to the point that it’s not usable for me. I understand not everyone will have the same experience as me.
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Please don’t call 911 about your devices, tik tok not working or McDonalds messed up your cheese burger. Have some self control. Hyperbole and childish behavior is a huge problem for emergency services, getting bogged down on what people think is illegal, literally or otherwise.
 
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Pbwallstreet said:
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?
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Let's get DOGE right on this, of course it means piles of burning illegal iPads of almost every model except Pro line.
 
sparksd said:
I have a Mini 6 and find this description of the display experience to be over the top.
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Should be illegal certainly is, but any iPad that isn’t entry level should have better in 2024 (and I just remembered it’s now 2025.)

I held off upgrading my 60hz phone for as long as I could, and had nothing to complain about with my Mini 6 at this time. My new(er) phone is at 90, and the Mini home screen in particular now feels choppy. When many other brands now offer rates above 60, we expect better from Apple - and shouldn’t have to spend £1,000+ to get it.

If they were ultimately going to make the Mini 7 an entry level, bringing the 8 out sooner rather than later and dropping the price of the former, that would be good for consumers. You shouldn’t have to choose between screen size and specification.
 
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I without doubt prefer pro-motion and was concerned when I “downgraded” from an 11” iPad Pro but in reality haven’t found the lack of 120hz much of an issue. Yes I’d rather the mini 7 had PM however the portability, weight reduction etc are worth the trade-off.

Also thanks to the better portability I find I pick up and use the mini 7 more than I did the 11 Pro, I take it more places too.
 
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Pbwallstreet said:
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?
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Exactly the same here, I was quite surprised at my own reaction to the Mini screen after using my higher refresh IPad and iPhone. I too own a M1 Pro 14”, and have a 15” Air for work which I never really notice the difference on. Granted I only use it for office tasks, but that entails tons of scrolling.
 
This is a pretty entertaining post. I just haven't noticed what has been described to any degree where it bothers me. I really didn't have any expectations of the ipad mini in the screen resolution/refresh department, i think its great screen not at the level of the pro models in any apple category but enough to pay for itself in photo editing, video editing and Office 365 and Windows365 work for me that i dont even think its size is trade-off either. I still understand that ipad mini is not for everyone.
 
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RoadWarrior56 said:
The Mini 6 display was so bad, it gave me eyestrain and headaches whenever I ever looked it. The Mini 7 display has improved from the Mini 6 to the level of a mediocre LCD display. My 6 year old iPad Mini 5 still has an LCD display that is far sharper and better than either the Mini 6 or 7. To me, there is no excuse that a 6 year old tablet looks so much better than current models that are much faster. If I ever buy another iPad Mini, I will probably end up waiting for the first OLED iPad Mini. However, I would not say that the Mini display should be illegal, only that I won’t spend my money on one.
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Exactly how I feel

I had the Mini 7 next to my Mini 5 and I chose the Mini 5 display (and the aspect ratio) and returned the Mini 7
 
macbookj0e said:
I without doubt prefer pro-motion and was concerned when I “downgraded” from an 11” iPad Pro but in reality haven’t found the lack of 120hz much of an issue. Yes I’d rather the mini 7 had PM however the portability, weight reduction etc are worth the trade-off.

Also thanks to the better portability I find I pick up and use the mini 7 more than I did the 11 Pro, I take it more places too.
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Lucky! I can’t go back from pro motion, I can’t unsee the lag on mini compared to iPhone 13 PM and m1 iPad Pro. iPad mini is not a must for me to vent about Apple. I chose not to buy something I don’t like. Enjoy your mini.
 
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Outrageous! My mini 7 and even my mini 6 are just fine for me.

This oldie about the iPhone 4 (
) says it all. If you don't like it, don't buy it. Period. Effing. End.
 
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kierennyc said:
m4 13 iPad Pro and recent iPad mini 7 owner

OP is right. The screen is criminal for a premium device in 2025.
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iPad mini is not premium. iPad Pro is premium device. I just don’t get why some one would want iPad Pro and iPad mini with a iPhone screens much bigger than those tiny iPhone 4s or 5. I used to love my mini with iPhone 5, after moving to 7 plus barely used it. With my 13 PM, iPad Pro 13, iPad mini is redundant. If you want splurge, that’s great. If Apple wanted iPad mini to be premium, they probably could, but I doubt the volume of mini is worth.
 
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TechnoMonk said:
I just don’t get why some one would want iPad Pro and iPad mini with a iPhone screens much bigger than those tiny iPhone 4s or 5. I used to love my mini with iPhone 5, after moving to 7 plus barely used it. With my 13 PM, iPad Pro 13, iPad mini is redundant. If you want splurge, that’s great. If Apple wanted iPad mini to be premium, they probably could, but I doubt the volume of mini is worth.
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These are slighly off due to the exact aspect ratio on the phone, but basically even the largest iPhone is still sports 40%-ish less display area than the iPad Mini

It's a huge difference if you try them both in hand

Additionally, going from iPad Mini to the smallest iPad Pro is yet another massive leap
I'd pondered it and spent a lot of time demoing both ... they are just used totally differently due to how much larger the 11" iPP is vs the Mini


Screenshot 2025-01-25 at 08.50.11.png
 
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