Apple's Custom MicroLED Displays Likely Heading to iPhone, iPad, and Mac After Apple Watch Ultra

Apple is likely planning to bring custom microLED displays to the iPhone, iPad, and Mac after the technology debuts in a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra currently scheduled to launch by the end of 2024, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

iphone 13 pro display shot
In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Gurman said that Apple has spent about six years developing microLED technology for what will become the first display custom-designed by the company itself, mirroring its work on Apple silicon. Earlier this week, Gurman said that Apple is planning to introduce the display technology with a new Apple Watch Ultra in 2024.

Apple reportedly kicked off its microLED project, codenamed T159, around 2017. The display is intended to offer improved brightness, color reproduction, and viewing angles, making images look more like they are "painted" atop the display glass, and replace parts currently supplied by companies like Samsung and LG.

After debuting in 2024's Apple Watch Ultra, Gurman expects Apple's custom microLED displays to expand to the ‌iPhone‌, potentially followed by the ‌iPad‌ and the Mac at an even later date. He believes Apple's long-term plan is to bring microLED displays to all of its key products, but it could be a decade before it emerges in the Mac owing to the complexity of the technology at this early stage. For comparison, Gurman noted that the ‌iPhone‌ will have had OLED displays for over six years by the time they are expected to come to the iPad.

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

20 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Monday December 16, 2024 8:55 am PST by
Apple released iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. Apple has added a handful of new non-AI related feature controls as...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 2 Redux

Top 5 Apple Products to Look Forward to in 2025

Friday December 20, 2024 2:22 pm PST by
It's looking like 2025 is going to be an important year for Apple, with the company planning to revamp the iPhone, push further into smart home products, and improve Apple Intelligence. There are tons of new products rumored for 2025, including new iPhones, M4 Macs, a smart home command center, and much more. We've highlighted the top five Apple products that will have the biggest impact in...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Sunday December 22, 2024 8:09 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cites a source within Apple. The report said that iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that is capable of running iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro ...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

iOS 18.2.1 Update Coming Soon for iPhone

Saturday December 21, 2024 4:45 pm PST by
Apple appears to be internally testing iOS 18.2.1 for the iPhone, based on evidence of the software update in our website's analytic logs this week. The logs have accurately revealed many iOS versions before they were released. iOS 18.2.1 should be a minor update that fixes bugs and/or addresses security vulnerabilities, but it is unclear which specific issues might be resolved. The update...
mac pro creativity

Apple Launched the Controversial 'Trashcan' Mac Pro 11 Years Ago Today

Thursday December 19, 2024 7:00 pm PST by
Apple launched the controversial "trashcan" Mac Pro eleven years ago today, introducing one of its most criticized designs that persisted through a period of widespread discontentment with the Mac lineup. The redesign took the Mac Pro in an entirely new direction, spearheaded by a polished aluminum cylindrical design that became unofficially dubbed the "trashcan" in the Mac community. All of ...
Google Nest Hub 2

New 'HomePod' With 7-Inch Display, A18 Chip, and More Reportedly Launching Next Year

Saturday December 21, 2024 2:03 pm PST by
Apple plans to release a new "HomePod" with a 7-inch LCD display, an A18 chip, and Apple Intelligence support in 2025, according to DigiTimes. Google's Nest Hub It is unclear how much the screen-equipped HomePod would cost, but Apple is seemingly aiming for a reasonable price. In a paywalled report this week, the supply chain publication said Apple has selected China-based manufacturer Tianma ...
m3 macbook air blue

Apple Accidentally Leaked the Next MacBook Air

Sunday December 22, 2024 8:33 am PST by
Apple earlier this month released macOS 15.2, and in doing so it accidentally confirmed new MacBook Air models coming next year. Apple accidentally released macOS 15.2 restore files for unreleased "‌MacBook Air‌ (13-inch, M4, 2025)" and "‌MacBook Air‌ (15-inch, M4, 2025)" models. While it no surprise that the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models were going to be updated with the M4 ...
apple tv 4k yellow bg feature

New Apple TV Rumored to Launch Next Year With These Features

Tuesday December 17, 2024 9:02 am PST by
The current Apple TV 4K was released more than two years ago, so the streaming device is becoming due for a hardware upgrade soon. Fortunately, it was recently rumored that a new Apple TV will launch at some point next year. Below, we recap rumors about the next-generation Apple TV. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week reported that Apple has been working on its own combined Wi-Fi and...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: Every Apple Product Coming in 2025

Friday December 20, 2024 9:19 am PST by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we take a look ahead to all of Apple's expected hardware announcements for 2025. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Rumors and reports from a range of reliable sources suggest that Apple will release at least 22 new products in 2025, with a series of minor to major updates and refreshes planned for the iPhone, iPads,...

Top Rated Comments

enterthemerdaverse Avatar
25 months ago

Why would your screen be on and on the Home Screen enough to burn in? I only ever saw burn in on a friends old android phone where she’ll fell asleep with it touching her skin and the phone screen stayed on all night long. Burn in doesn’t happen in normal use cases
This is what burn-in looks like when I show it on top of a full screen white background.

Some apps have burned their icons into the display. The iOS menu bar items and task switcher also are burned in.

This isn't Apple's fault. It's just what OLED does if your display is on a lot after more than 2 years.



Attachment Image
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
25 months ago
I just wish Apple would prioritize this microLED display for the ? iPhone Pro lineup first since that is the blockbuster product. But I get Apple wants to test it out on ⌚️ Apple Watch first (smaller display).
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rychiar Avatar
25 months ago

Loving mini LED and micro LED because OLED has left burn-in on my iPhone ?
Why would your screen be on and on the Home Screen enough to burn in? I only ever saw burn in on a friends old android phone where she’ll fell asleep with it touching her skin and the phone screen stayed on all night long. Burn in doesn’t happen in normal use cases
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mystery hill Avatar
25 months ago
Who would’ve guessed?
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
t0rqx Avatar
25 months ago
Seeing how they release every iPhone with one hardware improvement per year, this probably gonna happen in 2032.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Choco Taco Avatar
25 months ago

I think we all knew this since the news came out about Apple Watch five ?️ days ago. But thank you for the confirmation, Mr. Mark Gurman.
I don’t think you can consider anything Gurman says as a confirmation. ?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)