Have we reached peak smartwatch?
The best Apple Watches have some of the finest screens in the smartwatch world, with the Apple Watch Ultra 2 taking the title of best in the world. With a massive 3,000 nit-brightness Retina Display, it’s wonderful to look at and a key part of what makes the Ultra 2 one of the best smartwatches around. However, there have been reports Apple had an even better screen in the works… until recently.
Apple was working on microLED technology – which would have been used to increase the brightness and contrast while being more energy-efficient than the current screen tech – for its next watch, presumably the Apple Watch Ultra 3. However, noted Apple analyst and leaker Ming-Chi Kuo states that Apple has shelved plans for the technology, claiming “it can’t add significant value to the product”. Kuo said Apple has laid off many of the microLED development team, and “there’s currently no visibility on any microLED-related projects”.
Kuo calls this a “major setback” for Apple, but after seeing the next generation of wearables at MWC 2024, I’m almost convinced there may be other forces at play here.
