Apple is reportedly getting closer to incorporating microLED displays in its future wearables. The next Apple Watch Ultra, which is speculated to go official in 2024, is expected to use the upgraded display technology. The Cupertino-based tech giant’s entire product range is now expected to transition to microLED displays eventually, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman suggested in a newsletter emailed to subscribers. Apple might take an entire decade to install the superior display on its iPhone, iPad, and Mac lineup. This would allow the company to lessen its reliance on other display suppliers like Samsung Electronics and LG.
In the latest edition of his newsletter Power On, Gurman corroborated his earlier claims and said that Apple’s shift to its custom microLED displays will cover its entire product line after the technology debuts in Apple Watch Ultra in 2024. From next year onwards, Apple could replace the current OLED standard with microLED technology in its iPhone, iPad, and Mac units.
According to Gurman, Apple’s microLED project, codenamed T159, started in 2017. MicroLED display offers high resolution, colour contrast, viewing angles, and brightness. With this move, the Cupertino, California-based tech giant is aiming to reduce its reliance on companies like Samsung Electronics and LG.
Gurman forecasts that Apple’s microLED displays will debut with Apple Watch Ultra in late 2024. Then the display technology could reach the iPhone lineup, followed by the iPad series and eventually Mac models. The company is likely to take time with the transition and it may use an entire decade for microLED to arrive on Macs.
Besides Apple, Samsung is also planning to use microLED displays for its future Galaxy series wearables. Currently, the South Korean electronics manufacturer uses OLED displays for its Galaxy smartwatches. Samsung’s Display division reportedly began a microLED display development project last year and assigned a team to commercialise microLED displays for smartwatches.