Apple has reportedly delayed the Apple Watch Ultra’s rumored transition to microLED screens. Initial rumors suggested the company could make the switch by 2024.
However, display analyst Ross Young believes Apple has pushed back the change to the second half of 2025.
Apple Watch Ultra’s microLED transition delayed to 2025
Multiple reliable sources have claimed Apple is working on adopting microLED screens on Apple Watch. Ross was among the first to make this claim at the beginning of 2023. Back then, he revealed the microLED panel for Apple Watch would go into mass production by the second half of 2024.
However, it was unclear if the 2024 Apple Watch would use the new display technology or if Apple would reserve the panel for its 2025 model. The analyst is now back with a more concrete timeline, saying the microLED Apple Watch has been pushed to 2025.
Rumors of the microLED Apple Watch have circulated since 2019. A Bloomberg report from January 2023 also claimed that Apple’s in-house display could debut on the 2024 Apple Watch Ultra.
microLED panels should offer higher brightness, better contrast, and color
Apple currently uses OLED screens on the Apple Watch lineup. However, since these panels use organic pixels, they can die if overused, leading to dead pixels and lower brightness. microLED circumvents this problem by ditching the organic pixels. This also enables them to reach higher brightness levels and avoid screen burn-in.
Despite working on microLED technology in-house, Apple has struggled to prepare it for mass production. Since microLED panels have not entered mass production, Apple could further delay their adoption due to technological hurdles.
The Cupertino giant reportedly wants to use microLED panels on its other devices, including iPhones. For now though, don’t expect the first microLED Apple Watch Ultra to land before 2025 at the earliest.
