Apple Watch is likely to adopt MicroLED Display Technology in 3-4 years

This year, Apple Watch Series 6 is expected to have an OLED screen like previous models, but a future model will likely be the first Apple product to adopt MicroLED display technology, though not for another three to four years.

This is the most important takeaway reading between the lines of remarks made by the chairman of Epistar, Taiwan’s top LED manufacturer, who is reportedly working on a factory to produce MicroLED displays specifically for future Apple products. .

Fan in DigiTimesreport submitted on Monday:

Smartwatches will be the first major applications for micro LEDs with volume increases likely to take place 3-4 years from now, according to Epistar chairman Lee Biing-jye.

Epistar has overcome many technological difficulties micro-LEDs, such as mass transfer, and expects to achieve reliable production capacity in 2-3 years, and introduce end-market applications in 3-4 years, Lee noted.

Apple is reportedly investing $ 330 million in the Taiwanese MicroLED plant to produce monitors for future iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, and other devices. MicroLEDs size of 20-50 microns are too small for PCB substrate that supports minimum size of 50-100 microns, and therefore glass substrates are used.

Taiwanese LCD panel manufacturer AU Optronics is understood to be supplying the glass substrates for the monitors, while Epistar is now said to be focusing on improving yield percentages for micro LED epitaxy and reducing mass transfer costs.

There are several advantages of MicroLED screens over LCD and OLED displays, including darker and more energy efficient. For example, the power consumption of MicroLED monitors is only one tenth of that of LCD monitors, and the color gamut is close to OLED.

In addition, MicroLED can support higher brightness, higher dynamic range and a wider color gamut, while also achieving faster refresh rates, a wider viewing angle and lower energy consumption.

Because of the difficulties involved in developing MicroLED technology, early designs are expected to rely on mini-LEDs that are somewhere between traditional LED and MicroLED technology. However, Apple still considers MicroLED technology the ‘top priority’, according to an earlier report.

Apple has six mini-LED products in the works set to debut in 2020 and 2021, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Apple is said to debut the technology in a 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ for launch later this year, followed by a 27-inch iMac Pro, a 14.1-inch MacBook Pro, a 16-inch ‌‌‌‌MacBook Pro‌‌‌‌, a 10.2 .-inch iPad, and a 7.9-inch ‌‌‌‌iPad‌‌‌‌ mini.

Apple has been testing prototype ‌‌‌Apple Watch‌‌‌ models with MicroLED displays since 2017. While early rumors suggested that an ‌‌‌Apple Watch‌‌‌ with a microLED display could launch as early as 2020, one leak threw cold water on that prediction in May by claiming that this year ‌‌Apple Watch‌‌ Series 6 will use the same OLED display as previous models.

There is precedent for new display technologies that first appear in the ppApple Watch‌‌. When it was introduced in 2014, the ‌‌Apple Watch‌‌ had an OLED screen. The technology then migrated to the neiiPhone‌ X three years later.