Apple is Working With TSMC to Develop MicroLED Panels for New Apple Watch, AR Wearable [Report]

Apple is working with TSMC to develop MicroLED display panels for future Apple Watch and AR wearable devices, according to a DigiTimes report. Analyst Luke Lin says that Apple is working on microLED panels for both small-size and large-size applications.

Apple is working with TSMC to develop micro LED panels on silicon-based backplanes for use in the Apple Watch and an augmented reality (AR) wearable device, Lin noted. Apple is also working on another project developing large-size micro LED panels on TFT-based backplanes and will use them in products sized much larger than its MacBooks, said Lin.

Sources say that Apple is preparing a 1.3-1.4 inch microLED panel for the Apple Watch and a 0.7 to 0.8-inch microLED panel for an AR wearable device, possibly glasses.


The Apple Watch display could enter mass production in the second half of 2018 or 2019 while a large-size one could enter mass production in 2019 or later. There's no production schedule for the AR wearable panel as of yet, according to Lin.

Apple is expected to adopt microLED in its top of the line Apple Watch models to start, as costs are 400-600% higher than OLED panels.

Another recent report claimed that Apple is developing its microLED technology in a secret manufacturing facility in Santa Clara, California. More details on that facility here.

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