Apple Watch Ultra With 10% Larger Display and MicroLED Expected to Launch in 2026

The Apple Watch Ultra will gain a 10% percent larger display upon switching from OLED to microLED in 2026, according to Taiwanese research firm TrendForce.

The current Apple Watch Ultra has a display size of 1.93-inches, whereas the upcoming microLED model is apparently due to feature a 2.12-inch screen. The microLED panel is estimated to cost two to three times more than the equivalent OLED display used in the current model, at a price of around $120. It is due to be supplied by Germany's ams OSRAM and South Korea's LG Display.

Apple's plan to bring a microLED display to the Apple Watch Ultra is very widely corroborated, starting with a report from display analyst Ross Young in January 2023. The advanced display offers improved brightness, color reproduction, dynamic range, viewing angles, and efficiency, making images look more like they are "painted" atop the display glass. The project is part of Apple's plan to reduce its reliance on Samsung as a supplier while yielding benefits from engineering its own displays in-house, just like its chip technology.

TrendForce's 2026 launch time frame for the microLED Apple Watch Ultra remains unchanged and is later than several other sources, which have largely centered on 2025.

Apple has reportedly been working on custom microLED display technology for almost a decade. The company is said to have plans to replace all of its existing LCD, OLED, and mini-LED panels with microLED in the long term, with the technology being designed to be scaled up from the Apple Watch to the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro headset.