The micro-LED Apple Watch Ultra may come in 2027 or possibly later, according to a recent source. It was earlier predicted to occur in 2024, 2025, or 2026. It is believed that Apple’s hesitation stems from the micro-LED screen’s outrageous price, which manufacturers have not been able to reduce to a more reasonable level.
Apple Watch Ultra with microLED display rumored to launch by 2027
There is also a contention that cost, not technical limitations, is the barrier to the production of microLED screens. According to The Elec, manufacturing simulations and production yield estimates from Apple suggest that the cost of producing an Apple Watch Ultra 3 screen would be $150.
As per a report published in The Elec, there is still uncertainty around the release date of the Apple Watch that features a microLED display, and it has been postponed until 2027. The story quotes analysts who claim that Apple has faced difficulties completing the supply chain for the components needed to make the microLED screens for its smartwatches.
Unlike past reports that suggested a possible 2025 release, this is the opposite. The next Apple Watch Ultra may not come until 2026, according to a previous rumor from Trend Force and a suggestion from Ross Young of the DSCC that 2025 might be the year that microLEDs are used in Apple Watches.
While LG is currently refining the technology, Apple is also dealing with a reduced yield rate. According to reports, LG Display said in August of last year that it had purchased 14 patents related to a method of boosting output by reducing production faults. How soon LG Display makes the announcement is still unknown. So, the Apple Watch Ultra with microLED could debut in 2027 or possibly later.