Oliver Haslam on April 4, 2018, 1:52 am

Apple Said To Be Working On MicroLED Display For Future Apple Watch And AR Wearable

Following on from a similar report which came out of the altogether more reliable Bloomberg last week, DigiTimes is today reporting that Apple is indeed working with TSMC on a new MicroLED display technology for use in future products.

The new report claims that the displays are set to be used in future high-end Apple Watch devices as well as a new augmented reality device.

DigiTimes believes that the two implementations will require displays of around 1.4-inches and 0.8-inches respectively, although those sizes are less firm. Bloomberg previously suggested that Apple is currently in the research and development phase of MicroLED production, working out of a secret building in California, for use in both iPhones and Apple Watch.

Despite Bloomberg’s claims that this process is still in its infancy, DigiTimes believes that we could see Apple begin making panels for the Apple Watch as soon as the end of the year. Bloomberg’s original report had the same thing happening no sooner than 2020, but even if DigiTimes is correct it is likely we would not see anything using the new MicroLED technology reach the market until a new Apple Watch release mid-way through 2019 at the earliest.

The potential for MicroLED displays making their way into an iPhone is even less likely any time soon, purely due the size of the screens required for a smartphone. That doesn’t mean Apple is not working towards that goal though – DigiTimes says Apple is interested in making such displays for larger devices, including for tablets and laptop computers.

The draw of MicroLED is clear to see. They offer higher brightness levels from less power usage, with the panels themselves being thinner than those currently available. Something that would be very useful when creating something like a wearable device.

(source: DigiTimes)