The 2026 Apple Watch Ultra, expected to be the first model to switch from OLED to micro-LED, looks set to have a significantly larger display – and a higher price-tag.
A new supply-chain report suggests that the display of the higher-tech model could grow to 2.12 inches …
The upcoming switch to Micro-LED
We’ve previously outlined Apple’s display roadmap, which began with IPS LCD with conventional backlighting.
Next up was IPS LCD with miniLED backlighting. Apple switched to this for iPad Pro models, and is now using it in MacBooks.
The switch to OLED began with the Apple Watch, before reaching iPhones as of the iPhone X. OLED iPads are expected early next year, with MacBooks to follow.
Micro-LED, as the name suggests, comprises microscopic versions of conventional LEDs, with entire arrays of these making up each pixel element. Micro-LEDs are a hundred times smaller than traditional LEDs.
In time, Apple is likely to adopt micro-LED for all its devices, but that switch is expected to take a decade – starting with the Apple Watch.
Expected to debut in 2026
We’ve heard various predictions for when we might see the first Apple Watch with micro-LED, with 2024 once cited by both Jeff Pu and Bloomberg. That was later revised to ‘2025 or later‘ – and 2026 now seems to be favored.
TrendForce previously indicated that low yield rates were the reason for a delay from 2025 to 2026.
The tiny size of micro-LED components makes displays extremely tricky to manufacture, which can result in both low yield rates and consequent high costs.
2026 Apple Watch Ultra – larger and pricier
TrendForce has today reiterated the 2026 timing, and given a little more detail.
The introduction of Apple Watch with Micro LED is expected in 2026 […]
TrendForce’s Senior Research Vice President, Eric Chiou, analyzed Apple’s progress in adopting new display technologies during the display technology session. He mentioned that the next-generation Apple Watch panel would use Micro LED as the display technology, with a size larger than the current Apple Watch Ultra at 2.12 inches.
That would be an increase over the 1.91 inches of the original and current models. While that doesn’t sound much, an 11% increase in the diagonal size would equate to a pretty dramatic difference in the total screen area – as seen in our scaled-up illustration above.
Additionally, the report suggests that the new display tech will mean Apple has to pay 2.5 to 3 times the cost of the existing OLED screen. That’s of course just one component, but would represent a cost increase of around $80, which the company seems likely to try to recoup through a retail price increase. In practice, Apple may apply a higher markup on the basis of its promotion of the new display tech.
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