A new supply chain report this morning claims that while a future Apple Watch with micro LED is being developed, an expected delivery date varies between 2026 and 2027.

While Apple Watch is currently using organic light emitting diode (OLED), Apple plans to apply micro LED first to its top Ultra model.  LED is an inorganic material, so it has an advantage in product lifespan over OLED, which is organic. LED is superior in luminance and power consumption.

It is known that the biggest obstacle to mass production of the Micro LED Apple Watch is the micro LED manufacturing cost, including production yield. According to a simulation considering production yield, the manufacturing cost of an Apple Watch micro LED of approximately 2 inches is known to amount to $150. It is four times the manufacturing cost of the existing 2.0-inch Apple Watch OLED of $38. Looking at panel costs alone, the Micro LED Apple Watch should be sold at a higher price than the OLED iPhone.

It is known that Apple has not yet specified a component supply chain for Apple Watch Micro LED production. It is known that Apple is jointly developing epiwafers and chips with Epistar and OSRAM, transcription with Luxview (acquired by Apple in 2014), TFT backplane with LG Display, transcription and CMOS backplane with TSMC, and microassembly with ITRI. However, it is estimated that no concrete progress has been made other than the composition of these core supply chains.

According to The Elec report, the reason Apple is aiming to apply micro LED starting with the Apple Watch is screen size and pixel density. The Apple Watch has a small screen and a pixel density of 300 to 400 PPI. The iPhone 15 series released last year has a screen size of 6.1 inches and 6.7 inches, and a pixel density of 460 PPI. As PPI increases, micro LEDs must be made smaller and planted more densely, which isn't easy.

In contrast, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claimed A year ago that the switch to micro LED could begin in 2024. That report further noted that "the microLED displays will be Apple’s first screens designed and developed entirely in-house.