The first Apple Watch with a microLED display will launch in the later part of 2025, with mass production set to kick off in early 2026, Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu said today in a note seen by Supercharged.
It is expected that the first microLED Apple Watch will be launched as early as the later part of 2025,” Pu said today. More specifically, It is expected that the high-end Ultra will be the first model to get a microLED display, followed by other products. Pu also said that the company aims to replace the display technology currently used in its Vision Pro headset with microLED instead of micro-OLED.
Sources have conflicted on when a launch could occur for the first microLED Apple Watch. Some reports have indicated the project has been delayed to 2026 after being planned for launch in 2024. Other sources pin a launch much sooner, taking place next year.
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Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman has reported that an Apple Watch Ultra with a microLED display could come out next year, followed by the iPad, Mac, and iPhone in the years tracking. The new screens will be the first made by Apple themselves and replace displays from traditional suppliers LG and Samsung.
The screens will show up first in an update to the Apple Watch Ultra currently planned for the end of 2024. I’d expect them to then make their way to the iPhone a few years after that, and maybe, one day, iPads and Macs.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in January 2023
Gurman reports the custom-developed screens are “brighter, have better color reproduction, and can be seen from more angles.” The Cupertino giant kickstarted the development of its custom microLED screens in 2017 as part of its effort to produce more components in-house rather than relying on suppliers, a direction it’s also seeking with cellular modems but with limited success.
Apple Watch roadmap
If a 2024 launch is expected, the microLED display will appear on the third-generation Apple Watch Ultra. The newly released second-generation high-end, rugged Ultra model was minor, featuring only a faster chip and a brighter display. Apple is reportedly working on a significant redesign of the Apple Watch, also destined for 2024, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the product’s launch.
