The latest report by display analyst Ross Young says the upcoming microLED Apple Watch Ultra has been slated for the second half of 2025. While some analysts predicted this device could launch as soon as next year, it seems Apple will need more time to add this technology to its best smartwatch.
In a post on Twitter today, Young said Apple delayed this change to the second half of 2025 at the earliest. Although it’s unclear what happened, Apple’s supplier could be facing production challenges.
The last time we heard about the microLED Apple Watch Ultra was in March, after a February full of rumors. At that moment, a DigiTimes report showed Apple was actively developing microLED technology since it bought LuxVue in 2014. With production challenges and high manufacturing costs, the Cupertino firm wanted to add this new display to the Apple Watch Ultra.
For the first generation of this display, European company OSRAM will be the primary supplier of microLED chips for Apple, while Taiwan’s Epistar could become an additional supplier by 2026-2027.
Rumors about the microLED Apple Watch Ultra started with an analysis by Haitong Intl Tech Research analyst Jeff Pu. According to his note, Pu expects Apple Watch sales to drop in 2023 due to a “lack of significant spec upgrade.” He says this new miniLED Apple Watch Ultra will have a 2.1-inch display, up from the 1.93-inch on the current model.
Besides Ross Young, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman expects Apple to introduce the microLED Apple Watch Ultra by 2025.
For 2023, rumors about new features to Apple Watch models are still sparse. Apple is working on blood glucose level and blood pressure sensors, but it’s unclear whether these features will land this year or need a few more years of development. Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman believes this will be another mild year for Apple’s smartwatch lineup, apart from a new, faster processor.
