Apple Watch Ultra With MicroLED Display Seemingly 'Canceled' For Now

Apple supplier ams OSRAM on Wednesday announced it would "re-assess its microLED strategy" after a "cornerstone project" was "unexpectedly cancelled" that day. The company's stock plunged nearly 40% following the news, earlier shared by AppleInsider.

Apple Watch Ultra 2 hero feature white
Counterpoint Research's Display Supply Chain Consultants told MacRumors that it believes this project related to the rumored Apple Watch Ultra with a microLED display. The research firm said low production yields, along with high costs and risk, are likely the primary reasons for the project being canceled with ams OSRAM. The firm said it remains to be seen if Apple looks for another supplier, or sticks with OLED displays for the Apple Watch.

ams OSRAM said "discussions with the related customer are ongoing," so an Apple Watch Ultra with a microLED display is not completely ruled out, and it may just be further delayed. The device was expected to launch in 2025 or 2026, depending on the source, but it may take even longer to be released, if ever, given this latest development.

Apple is believed to have been actively developing microLED technology since it acquired California-based company LuxVue in 2014. Benefits of microLED displays compared to OLED displays typically include increased brightness, improved power efficiency, higher contrast ratio, and more, but the technology is still expensive.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch Ultra 3
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose. Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
homepod mini thumb feature

New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and AirTag Were Expected This Year — Where Are They?

Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen. Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
ios 26 digital id passport wallet

Apple Announces Launch of U.S. Passport Feature in iPhone's Wallet App

Wednesday November 12, 2025 9:15 am PST by
Apple today announced that iPhone users can now create a Digital ID in the Apple Wallet app based on information from their U.S. passport. To create and present a Digital ID based on a U.S. passport, you need: An iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26.1 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 26.1 or later Face ID or Touch ID and Bluetooth turned on An Apple Account ...
Tesla Charging

Tesla Working to Add Apple CarPlay Support to Vehicles

Thursday November 13, 2025 8:31 am PST by
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 2

Wednesday November 12, 2025 3:29 pm PST by
Apple today provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26.2, which adds a few new features worth knowing about. Measure App Apple's Measure app now features a Liquid Glass design for the level, with two Liquid Glass bubbles instead of white circles. Games App There's now an option to sort games in the Games app Library by size, in addition to Name and Recent. CarPlay The...
apple intelligence erroneous support list

Apple Intelligence Apparently Too Smart for M1 Macs After Listing Error

Wednesday November 12, 2025 2:49 am PST by
Update: It took a day, but Apple has now corrected its Apple Intelligence device compatibility list to show support for the earliest Apple silicon Macs. The original article follows. Apple's website is causing some confusion among Mac owners, and for good reason – its device compatibility listing for Apple Intelligence appears to have dropped support for M1 Macs. The U.S. version...
tvOS 26 Profiles

tvOS 26.2 Adds a Useful New Feature to Your Apple TV

Friday November 14, 2025 10:02 am PST by
Starting with the upcoming tvOS 26.2 update, currently in beta, additional profiles created on the Apple TV no longer require their own Apple Account. In the Settings app on the Apple TV, under Profiles and Accounts, anyone can create a new profile by simply entering a name and indicating whether the profile is for a kid. The profile will be associated with the primary user's Apple Account,...

Top Rated Comments

sniffies Avatar
22 months ago
Not another cancellation.

What's next?

Apple decides to cancel Apple
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
madmin Avatar
22 months ago
This Apple has been over Cook'd
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
McWetty Avatar
22 months ago

Not another cancellation.

What's next?

Apple decides to cancel Apple
Apple will cancel Mother Nature next…



Attachment Image
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nfl46 Avatar
22 months ago
Lol. So instead of Apple doing layoffs, they just decided let’s cancel every darn thing. Lol. That’s one way to save money I guess.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tomtad Avatar
22 months ago
And we think you would have loved it!

Seriously though there seems to be some big changes happening internally at Apple. Somethings off.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tennisproha Avatar
22 months ago
at this point it seems microLED may not be a feasible technology
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)