Last week, analyst Jeff Pu and leak expert Ross Young talked about some rumors about upcoming Apple Watch models. Pu said that the new display will be on the second-generation Apple Watch Ultra, which is expected to come out at the end of the third quarter of 2024. The first watch has a 1.92-inch LTPO AMOLED screen, but the next one will have a 2.1-inch microLED screen.
The backlight for micro-LED screen is made up of very small light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Even though they are hard to make, these monitors show more accurate colors, darker blacks, and better contrast. Also, MicroLED screens don’t get burned in like LCD and OLED screens do, so images don’t stay on them.
Apple is getting ready for MicroLED screens to be used a lot
Ross Young is thought to be one of the best leakers. He also runs Display Supply Chain Consultants as its CEO (DSCC). Young said in a tweet that Apple will start using MicroLED displays for the regular Apple Watch starting with the Series 11 model in 2025.
In another tweet, Young said that LG Display is building a small assembly line for making microLEDs, and that it will start working in the second half of 2024. Even though Apple bought microLED maker LuxVue in 2014, Young said that Cupertino won’t be involved in making all microLED parts. This is why LG Display is building the assembly line mentioned above.
Mark Gurman of Bloomberg said today in his weekly Power On newsletter that after Apple uses microLED technology for the Apple Watch and Apple Watch Ultra, the next product to have a microLED display will be the iPhone. Gurman also says that Apple could use micro-LED for the screens on the iPad and Mac computers.
Remember that micro-LED displays use LEDs that are even smaller than the miniLED used in the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2021) and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2022).
