After an update to the Apple Watch Ultra in 2024, the use of microLEDs in Apple products will spread across its whole product line.
Apple continues working on microLED display tech
It is believed that Apple will use the microLED display technology it has been researching for several years in a late 2024 upgrade to the Apple Watch Ultra. After that, the tech giant might incorporate the same technology into the remainder of its range of products, which includes its iPhone, iPad, and Mac models.
According to Mark Gurman’s “Power On” newsletter for Bloomberg, Apple has been working on its custom-built microLED displays, codenamed T159 since 2017. After spending almost six years on them, Apple is almost ready to release the technology in a finished product.
Gurman predicts that after that 2024 release, Apple will turn to its iPhone lineup for the next microLED improvement, followed by its iPad lineup, and finally its Mac portfolio. Eventually, it’s anticipated that Apple will incorporate microLED into each of its major product categories.
Due in part to the complexity of the technology, it is estimated that the plan may take longer than estimated to be implemented on Mac. Gurman notes that by the time iPad is anticipated to employ the technology, iPhone will have had OLED panels for about six years. A similar delay may occur with microLED.
MicroLED technology uses tiny LEDs to create pixels, improving efficiency while providing more accurate color, high contrast for better HDR and viewing in poor lighting conditions, support for wider viewing angles, less chance of screen burn-in, low latency for higher refresh rates, and support for wider viewing angles.
In related news, display analyst Ross Young recently revealed that LG Display is building a small production line to provide Apple with microLED displays for the Apple Watch. Opening in the second half of 2024, the factory is expected to supply microLED backplanes and build Apple’s displays.
In contrast to a recent Bloomberg report which claimed that Apple is working on in-house displays for future Apple Watch models, Young believes that Apple will continue to rely on its supplier for microLED displays.
