We’ve already pondered the existence of a second-gen Apple Watch Ultra that could get released either in 2023 or 2024, but the turn of the year gave us the first big tidbit of information about the super-premium Apple wearable.
According to analysts, the Apple Watch Ultra 2nd Gen might be the first smartwatch with a micro-LED display, a stark difference in comparison with the LTPO OLED display found on the current Apple Watch Ultra.
The main difference between OLED and micro-LED displays is the nature of the light-emitting diodes themselves: OLED uses organic ones, whereas micro-LED utilizes inorganic diodes. Thanks to this, micro-LED could potentially deliver much higher contrast and color gamut rendition, as well as being way more durable and more efficient than OLED displays. This would be a much better upgrade on a device with larger display, like an iPhone or an iPad, but the potential efficiency and durability gains shouldn’t be downplayed, especially when considering the second-gen Apple Watch Ultra.
Not only that, but the rumors also call for a larger screen altogether—the next Apple Watch Ultra might carry a 2.1-inch display, a 0.2-inch increase in comparison with the 1.9-inch screen of the current rugged smartwatch. We can’t really see how Apple would fit a larger display in the 49mm case of the Apple Watch Ultra, which means that the already large smartwatch could become even larger and definitely look funny on thinner wrists.
Now, the latest set of rumors calls for a potential 2024 release date for the Apple Watch Ultra 2nd Gen, alongside the iPhone 16 generation, which would make sense. The Apple Watch Ultra is still a novel and premium product among Apple’s smartwatch lineup, and could easily skip a generational refresh in 2023 in favor of a major design and hardware upgrade come late 2024. By then, Apple should have transitioned to a much smaller and more efficient manufacturing node for its mobile chips, likely TSMC’s 3nm process, which would potentially introduce big efficiency gains and longer battery life. All current Apple Watches, including the Ultra, are powered by variations of the S6 chipset.
