2024 Apple Watch Ultra will get 10% larger display, claims sketchy report

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in Apple Watch edited February 2023
A questionable rumor from DigiTimes suggests that Apple Watch Ultra will get a larger 2.1-inch display in 2024.

The Apple Watch Ultra is already very large by wearable standards
The Apple Watch Ultra is already very large by wearable standards


Apple has been slowly growing the Apple Watch size since its 2015 debut. The original Apple Watch had a 1.5-inch display in a 38mm case.

A report from Digitimes suggests Apple will increase its Apple Watch size yet again, from the massive 1.92-inch display to one that's 10% bigger, or about 2.1 inches. The device is already incredibly large and unwieldy, depending on the user's wrist size. The increase is related to Apple's transition to MicroLED, but it isn't clear why.

This isn't the first we've heard of a 2.1-inch display in an Apple Watch. Analyst Jeff Pu shared a similar report suggesting the Apple Watch Ultra would get MicroLED in a 2.1-inch display.

That contradicts display supply chain analyst Ross Young, who believes MicroLED won't be coming to Apple Watch until 2025. Of the rumors, AppleInsider expects Young's to be the most accurate due to his track record.

Both Digitimes and Jeff Pu don't have the best track record. The information they have is gleaned from Apple's supply chain, but both sources have demonstrated a general misunderstanding of Apple's plans.

It's also not clear if this is a "chicken or the egg" situation. DigiTimes may have independent information from Pu, but it often will parrot a rumor from another source, with one of its own.

Depending on how you measure, metal frame and all, the Ultra barely reaches 2-inches diagonal
Depending on how you measure, metal frame and all, the Ultra barely reaches 2-inches diagonal


Apple could undoubtedly release a larger Apple Watch in the future, but another size increase so soon after the first Apple Watch Ultra seems unlikely. It isn't even clear how often Apple will update this high-end watch, as it could be on an every-other-year upgrade cycle.

If so, the second-generation Apple Watch Ultra would arrive in 2024. While this aligns with the report's timetable, the expectation that Apple would increase the display size by as much as 10% in a second-generation model two years after the first isn't grounded in history.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 11
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,377member
    Amazoncom TFY Sports Wristband Forearm Band for iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S - White Cell Phones
    Here you go.

    dewmeapplguywatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 11
    peejaybeepeejaybee Posts: 54member
    it's pretty obvious there's room for a screen size increase without making the case any larger. Not sure why the article wouldn't posit this.
    ronnwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 11
    SoundJudgmentSoundJudgment Posts: 187member
    Same Body-size. Bigger 2.1" Micro-LED Display. Done. What's the hold-up? Get on it, Tim!
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 11
    jumejume Posts: 209member
    This watch to be contender in outdoors needs a bigger battery and not a bigger display!!!
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 11
    Wesley HilliardWesley Hilliard Posts: 231member, administrator, moderator, editor
    peejaybee said:
    it's pretty obvious there's room for a screen size increase without making the case any larger. Not sure why the article wouldn't posit this.
    We didn't mention it because it isn't feasible for the rumored size change. Sure, you could push the display out ever so slightly more, but that wouldn't lead to a 2.1-inch display.

    It is difficult to determine without one in front of me, but specs say the current device is 1.93 inches diagonal with a 1.92 inch display. The bezels are likely included in that measurement, and the active display could reach further to the edge in a new model, sure.

    But for the display to increase to 2.1-inches, bezels gone or not, you'd need a much larger device case. Thus, making this rumor highly unlikely for a second-generation product. We'll be lucky to see any external changes beyond new colors in the updated model, upgrades will be the display type moving to MicroLED and new processors and sensors.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 11
    charlesncharlesn Posts: 1,017member
    "The device is already incredibly large and unwieldy, depending on the user's wrist size."

    I can't believe this nonsense is still being reported. I was initially put off from even considering the Ultra due to comments like these in early reviews. Thankfully, I went to see it for myself and realized that whoever was reporting this had to be oblivious to the world of sport/professional/chronometer watches from companies like Breitling. Their all-stainless SuperOcean Watch with an Ultra-sized face weighs in at nearly a half-pound on your wrist. The Ultra with an Ocean Band is 3 ounces. Even less with the Trail or Alpine loops. I bought an Ultra on the spot after seeing it, and it's by far my favorite new Apple product in many years. For a guy, my wrist size is M, maybe M/L at best. And as others have noted, the current body could easily accommodate a 10% larger display with no change in size. 
    edited February 2023 gregoriusmwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 11
    Wesley HilliardWesley Hilliard Posts: 231member, administrator, moderator, editor
    charlesn said:
    "The device is already incredibly large and unwieldy, depending on the user's wrist size."

    I can't believe this nonsense is still being reported.
    I mean. Read it again. Depends on wrist size. I didn't say that large watches weren't a thing, but there is an upper limit to usability for some. It is a lightweight watch and comfortable to wear, but the size can become unwieldy if you've got smaller wrists. Demand seems to be for a smaller Ultra, not a bigger one.

    FWIW, I'd wear a PIP-Boy-sized Apple Watch. 😂 

    Also, see my previous comment. The Apple Watch Ultra isn't 2.1 inches and can't accommodate a 10% larger display without a new case.
    mike1watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 11
    gregoriusmgregoriusm Posts: 517member
    charlesn said:
    "The device is already incredibly large and unwieldy, depending on the user's wrist size."

    I can't believe this nonsense is still being reported.
    I mean. Read it again. Depends on wrist size. I didn't say that large watches weren't a thing, but there is an upper limit to usability for some. It is a lightweight watch and comfortable to wear, but the size can become unwieldy if you've got smaller wrists. Demand seems to be for a smaller Ultra, not a bigger one.

    FWIW, I'd wear a PIP-Boy-sized Apple Watch. 😂 

    Also, see my previous comment. The Apple Watch Ultra isn't 2.1 inches and can't accommodate a 10% larger display without a new case.
    Then change it to "The device can be incredibly large and unwieldy, depending on the user's wrist size."
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 11
    9secondkox29secondkox2 Posts: 2,990member
    Absent a new and outstanding competitor, the ultra likely won’t change industrial design for a few cycles. 
    Alex_Vwatto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 11
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,945member
    Ive got a 44mm AW6 and it’s plenty big enough. I really don’t need more space. I already snag it on things.
    Alex_V
  • Reply 11 of 11
    Alex_VAlex_V Posts: 235member
    9secondkox2 said:
    Absent a new and outstanding competitor, the ultra likely won’t change industrial design for a few cycles. 
    Agreed. Apple will squeeze this particular orange (a.k.a. production line) for a while yet, before they consider changing anything that requires chassis re-design and re-tooling. But, I don’t think anything a competitor can do (foreseeably) will change Apple’s overall production plans. 
    watto_cobra
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