Choppy scroll on M1 Chip Macbook Air

I too was new to Macs and found it disappointing to have this issue on a M1 device, that is supposed to have tight hardware and software integration.

I went to an Apple Store and got a replacement but that too had the same issue.

While I was at the store, I checked this on two Intel MacBook Pros, 13-inch (4 thunderbolt ports) and 16 inch.

They both had the same scrolling issue when browsing Apple's own product webpages.

This is purely a macOS Big Sur (11.2.x) issue. I think it was less noticeable on 11.1 which came installed.

Thank you for sharing your experience.

That is interesting that it also happens on the Magic Mouse, maybe it happens on the Magic Trackpad too.

I use a Logitech MX Vertical and with the Unifying Receiver the cursor movement is smooth, but when connected via bluetooth it stutters a lot.

This could point to persisting Bluetooth issues that were supposedly fixed in macOS 11.2.

The Bluetooth connection might be the problem indeed. When connecting my MacBook Air M1 to the same external display (4K BenQ > HDMI) and use the trackpad to move things around the effect seems less persistent than with the Mac Mini + Magic Mouse 2. I also tried a Magic Mouse 1 with the Mini. Same issues. So for now everything points to the BT connection... I've just installed Big Sur 11.3 and will check tomorrow.

Big Sur 11.3 might show some marginal improvement with scrolling (Safari 14.1) and UI animations.

But I have noticed other UI bugs with 11.3.

And I have not tried the mouse in wired mode, as it would not be my usual method of operation.

I coincidentally saw my friend still using macOS 10.9.5 on a 2014 MacBook Air and was shocked to see how smooth the entire UI was, web browsing etc.

It is very disappointing to experience these numerous issues with macOS 11 and M1.

I have an iMac late 2009 with 10.11.6 and the UI outperforms the Mac Mini M1 completely. It's a rocksolid UI experience and although I have 'mistreated' it al lot it never fails or feels unstable.

Mouse in wired mode somewhat improves the low res feeling of the UI but in general it's still horrible, I'm running 11.3.1 now. I don't understand why none of the tech reviewers mention this issue. Sure, the chip is fast but it's the UI I have to work with for 8 hrs per day. It's unbearable and I have no idea if or when Apple is going to fix this.

I just bought a Mac Mini M1 16gb. The very first thing I noticed is how slow, choppy, laggy the UI is, in particular cursor tracking and scrolling. I’ve tried three different mice, a wired Microsoft comfort mouse, a wireless Logitech MX Pro 3 in both Bluetooth and unifying reciever mode, and a Logitech M720 as well. All work perfectly on my Windows machine but feel like they are stuck in glitchy molasses on the Mac. Tried updating Big Sur, Safari Tech Preview, mouse speed, Logitech software, command line acceleration disable, nothing works. It’s an incredibly handicapped feeling and if there isn’t a solution then I think I’ll probably have to just return the machine. It’s unfortunate as I wanted to be able to program for iOS in Xcode, but I couldn’t imagine spending any amount of time working in such an slow environment.

Especially the glitchy and low resolution visual representation of the UI is horrible to work with. Very curious how the new iMac's will perform. If they have the same issues al lot of people will be disappointed. I do hope it's a Big Sur issue and not a first gen M1 problem.

This is really frustrating. Scrolling up and down is my biggest dilemma. My productivity is being affected and considering that I’m a first time user of mac I was really expecting for more. Really disappointing. Has anyone noticed that laggy scrolling even with the use of arrow up/down keys? I mean it’s obviously not that smooth compared to when you use the track pad. This is driving me nuts.

reading through some comments I'm kinda stunned. I came here cuz I felt like safari was glitchy. or may be they're actually having a defective system. probably you guys ask for a refund. man.

or an installed software might be affecting the performance too. I've lot of apps installed on this machine. its 5months old. only 90GB free of 256GB. 10+hours of daily usage. still I noticed its not smooth only when using Safari.

probably what I'm experiencing will be fixed. until them I will be sticking with Chrome. . I guess It has nothing to do with peripherals cuz even using built-in trackpad and still there're stutters when using safari. I tried same webpages in Chrome and its super-smooth. hence I'm sure it's not a hardware limitation. obviously M1 has the power. It compiles code, builds projects like crazy. faster than the i9 16" mac.

so probably there's something which needs further development in safari or it might not be optimised for a certain framework.

if you're using 3rd party mouses make sure there're no compatibility issues. I develop apps and use Xcode as well. it runs both iOS and android simulator simultaneously. (with many other apps running in the background including chrome and safari.) its fast and no heat at all even though there is no fan.

I have a M1 MacBook Air base model (8GB, 256GB) btw. I was willing to buy a mouse but man, the trackpad is so amazing and nothing like I've used before. then I decided to not to buy any mouse.

furthermore take a look at https://chromeisbad.com

sometimes the chrome cause issues with Macs. even with intel macs.

Yes, it is quite noticeable in Apple Music as there is text and media, I have reported this too.

Since March, I have filed nearly two dozen issues using the macOS Feedback form, but nobody has got back to me yet.

11.3 has its own set of UI issues. 🤦‍♂️

I also have an M1 MacBook Pro with 8GB RAM and 512GB storage I also see this choppiness, I don't know why plus the MacBook Pro comes with all the CPU and GPU cores. I think this may be software related like the popping speaker issue on the 16 inch MacBook Pro. I hope apple fixes this soon.

I've done some testing (all on M1 chip):

Big Sur + MacBook Air + Magic Mouse 2 and 1 > same issue

Big Sur + MacBook Air + Trackpad > everything is smooth

Big Sur + MacMini + Magic Mouse 2 and 1> same issue

Big Sur + MacMini + Wired Mouse > everything is smooth

iMac late 2013 + Magic Mouse 2 and 1> everything is smooth

iMac late 2009 (!) + Magic Mouse 2 and 1> everything is smooth

My conclusion: it's the Bluetooth and M1 with BigSur that's causing the problem. I hope it's a software issue.

I'll post this results also in a new discussion related to Mac mini and notify Apple.

I have been using a standard set of media rich websites to test this issue IMDB, The Verge, etc.

After updating to 11.4, I am seeing some improvement, maybe 30-40% reduction in the stuttering while scrolling website through Safari.

This is while using the built-in trackpad on the M1 MBP (stuttering was most noticeable in this scenario).

Scrolling with the mouse wheel on a Logitech MX Vertical connected via the Unifying Receiver seems ok (Logitech Options is not installed).

Can confirm that M1 MBP trackpad scrolling has improved in Apple apps such as Music, Preview, Mail and App Store.

There is still some stutter when the scrolling is coming to a stop (inertia).

I will still report this through Feedback, but this is the most/only improvement we have had for this issue, since macOS 11.0.

Maybe all our complaining finally paid off! 😌

Exactly, the stutter when the scrolling is coming to a stop (inertia) is apparent in all apps. Most visible in Safari bus also in Mail. But do you also see the same 'stutter' when moving (finder or app) windows at a certain speed across the desktop? There is no motion blur as seen in previous OS/intel Macs. Now the edges of the window stutter or lag fragmented. Only when using a Bluetooth mouse and not when using a trackpad.