Apple Watch Ultra could be the first to implement the change.
Samsung and LG’s days as Apple’s preferred display manufacturers may be numbered.
Mark Gurman of Bloomberg reported that Apple plans to begin manufacturing its displays for mobile devices such as the iPhone and Apple Watch by 2024. According to the report, the Apple Watch may be the first of the company’s products to switch to a display manufactured by Apple.
According to the report, Apple plans to replace the displays on its most expensive Apple Watch models, most likely the Apple Watch Ultra, by the end of 2019. According to Gurman, the next Apple Watch Ultra display will transition from the current OLED technology to microLED technology.
According to the report, Wei Chen, who manages Apple’s display technology group within Johny Srouji’s Hardware Technologies division, is in charge of Apple’s project. Reportedly, microLED display testing for the Apple Watch Ultra has already begun.
As with the Apple Watch Ultra, the reporter did not provide a timeframe for the switch. Therefore, it appears unlikely that this feature will be included in the iPhone 15 lineup.
What are the advantages of microLED?
According to those with knowledge of the project, switching the Apple Watch Ultra from OLED to microLED will “offer brighter, more vibrant colors and improved visibility from an angle. The displays create the illusion that the content is painted directly onto the glass.”
While the current plan is to begin the transition with the next generation of the Apple Watch Ultra in 2024, those with knowledge of the project have indicated that it could be delayed until 2025.
The promises seem intriguing, so if Apple can pull it off, such a change seems worthwhile — provided that microLED displays can still achieve the deep blacks and contrast offered by OLED currently, and in some cases exclusively. We cannot give up that…correct?
