The Apple Watch Ultra with a microLED screen isn't coming until the end of 2025, says new report.

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A longer wait than expected.

Apple Watch Ultra
(Image credit: Future)

According to analyst Ross Young, the next big update to the Apple Watch Ultra with an improved microLED display is coming, but you'll have to wait until the second half of 2025.

Previously, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman had confirmed Apple was working on a microLED model and expected the huge update to the best Apple Watch to release towards the end of 2024. Now it appears that the release window is even further away than it first seemed.

Young had previously reported a 2025 release but is now expecting the microLED Apple Watch Ultra to release closer to 2026 than first anticipated. In February, Young tweeted, "While everyone else reported that the MicroLED Apple Watch would launch in 2024, we remained steadfast that it would be 2025, now essentially confirmed by its MicroLED supplier Osram."

Will a microLED Apple Watch Ultra be worth the wait?

The Apple Watch Ultra has been a massive success since releasing last year. With a bigger screen, longer battery life, and a sturdier body, the Ultra has become the go-to Apple Watch for those looking for the best of the best. 

Adding microLED technology to the Apple Watch Ultra would make the smartwatch even better and brighter for those that use the watch in direct sunlight. The Ultra is expected to be the first Apple product to incorporate microLED technology, with the iPhone and iPad likely to follow further down the line.

microLED is the latest advancement in LED displays and uses ultrafine pixels to create a sharper and brighter image. That being said, what would the benefits be over OLED on such a small display? With a couple of years to wait, watchOS may be overhauled entirely by the time this new Apple Watch Ultra brings new use cases for microLED technology and makes the best Apple Watch even better.

John-Anthony Disotto
John-Anthony Disotto
How To Editor

John-Anthony Disotto is the How To Editor of iMore, ensuring you can get the most from your Apple products and helping fix things when your technology isn’t behaving itself. Living in Scotland, where he worked for Apple as a technician focused on iOS and iPhone repairs at the Genius Bar, John-Anthony has used the Apple ecosystem for over a decade and prides himself in his ability to complete his Apple Watch activity rings. John-Anthony has previously worked in editorial for collectable TCG websites and graduated from The University of Strathclyde where he won the Scottish Student Journalism Award for Website of the Year as Editor-in-Chief of his university paper. He is also an avid film geek, having previously written film reviews and received the Edinburgh International Film Festival Student Critics award in 2019.  John-Anthony also loves to tinker with other non-Apple technology and enjoys playing around with game emulation and Linux on his Steam Deck.

In his spare time, John-Anthony can be found watching any sport under the sun from football to darts, taking the term “Lego house” far too literally as he runs out of space to display any more plastic bricks, or chilling on the couch with his French Bulldog, Kermit.