Update (02/29/2024) – EB
At the beginning of February we saw reports that the Apple Watch Ultra with a MicroLED screen could have been delayed due to the high production cost. Now an announcement from an Apple supplier gives more credibility to this possibility, as also reported by Counterpoint Research.
Curiosity 29 Feb
Economy and market 29 Feb
The supplier is OSRAM, which should be responsible for the Watch Ultra's MicroLED screen. In its announcement, it says it will “re-evaluate its strategy for MicroLED displays” after a “key project was unexpectedly cancelled.” The repercussion was negative and caused the company's shares to plummet almost 40% immediately after the announcement.
OSRAM says that “discussions with the customer related to the project are ongoing”, which gives minimal hope that the Apple Watch Ultra with a MicroLED screen will continue in development, although its launch will be postponed again. The expectation is that the watch would hit the market with the new screen in 2025 or 2026.
Apple
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Economy and market 28 Feb
Production chain consultants at Counterpoint Research say the project was canceled due to the high cost, low production yield and risks involving the new screens. They also claim Apple may seek another supplier, but it is highly likely that it will continue to release watches with OLED screens.
Among the advantages of a MicroLED screen are greater brightness, energy efficiency, contrast rate, durability and other advantages, but the biggest obstacle is still its price.
Update (06/02/2024) – RS
Apple Watch Ultra with MicroLED screen may be delayed due to high production costs
The launch of Apple Watch Ultra with screen MicroLED may be postponed by the company. This is according to a Korean report released this Tuesday, which mentions possible problems faced in the manufacture of the wearable. Therefore, the product expected to be launched in 2026 could arrive well after that date.
As reported by The Elec portal, the yield in smart watch production and the high cost of the panels could be the reasons for this current situation. To give you an idea, the cost of MiniLED displays, which have been developed by Apple for over a decade, would cost something around US$ 150 (R$ 746).
Apple
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Economy and market 02 Feb
This value is not only higher than that of an equivalent OLED panel, but it is also more expensive than the screens implemented in the iPhone 15 line. In this sense, the panels for Apple's most recent cell phones had a production cost that varies between US$ 80 (in the case of the 6.1-inch variant) and US$ 120 (6.7” display).
That said, it can be concluded that a value of US$150 would have an impact on the price, which would have a considerable increase compared to what is seen in the market today. Therefore, not only is the launch forecast for 2026 unlikely to come to fruition, but the launch for 2027 is still considered a very optimistic scenario.
Apple's idea of becoming independent from Samsung Display may still be a little far from being realized and, furthermore, as it intends to use MicroLED across its entire portfolio, replacing the screens may take a long time to come to fruition.
See also: the deactivation of the oximeter on the Series 9 and Ultra 2 models after a legal battle in the USA.
Original Article (12/15/2023)
According to TrendForce, the Apple Watch Ultra will come with a screen that is 10% larger than its predecessor devices and migrates from OLED to microLED. The launch for the wearable is scheduled for 2026.
The latest device has a 1.93-inch screen, but the next one will apparently come with a 2.12-inch screen.
The microLED panel is expected to cost two to three times more than the equivalent OLED display used in the current model, at a price of around US$120. Therefore, the price of the device is also expected to increase. It will be supplied by ams OSRAM of Germany and LG Display of South Korea.
In August, inside sources claimed that LG Display purchased a patent that describes the “transfer printing process” on a MicroLED panel.
Advanced display offers brightness, color reproduction, dynamic range, improved viewing angles and efficiency. The project is part of Apple's plan to reduce its dependence on Samsung as a supplier while benefiting from the in-house engineering of its own displays as well as its chip technology.
TrendForce's 2026 launch timeframe for the microLED Apple Watch Ultra remains unchanged.
Apple has been working on custom microLED display technology for nearly a decade. The company is said to have plans to replace all of its existing LCD, OLED and mini-LED panels with microLED in the long term, with the technology being designed to be scaled up.
And you, what are your expectations for Apple's new wearable device? Leave your comment below!