Apple Watch rumored to get next-gen OLED upgrade in 2027

Smartwatches are already pretty advanced, but there's one area where upgrades are still needed — battery life. According to the latest rumor, Apple is working on the issue from a different angle — a more efficient OLED screen for the next generation Apple Watch.

Apple may introduce power-saving "HMO" tech in future Apple Watch series

The Korean news outlet The Elec reports that Apple is considering a new OLED display backplane technology, called HMO, in order to make future Apple Watch devices more efficient.

The new technology is being developed by LG Display, one of the two major display suppliers along with Samsung that Apple is using for the Watch devices.

What is HMO, and how is it different?

The HMO abbreviation stands for "high-mobility oxide" and uses LG's sixth-generation production line for small and medium OLED panels.

Reportedly, Apple is eyeing this technology as a successor to the low-temperature polycrystalline oxide, or LTPO — the current display tech that enables features such as always-on and variable refresh rate.

HMO is designed to increase the mobility of electrons through the transistor layers of the display. When electrons move freely and with less resistance, this results in lower energy required to make the electrons move in the first place, hence a more efficient display.

This new technology is believed to be three to five times better in letting electrons flow compared to LTPO (10 cm²/Vs (square centimeters per volt-second) compared to 30 to 50 cm²/Vs)).

LG or Samsung?

Samsung Display is the other big supplier of OLED panels for iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watch devices. LG's big rival is working on a completely different technology, called atomic layer deposition, or ALD for short.

This technique relies on a very careful deposition of thin, atomic-size transistor layers. A painstakingly slow process, aimed at the same final result — better transport of electrons through the transistor layer.

It's too early to say which technology is superior, but industry experts suggest that Samsung is trying to control the transistor layers even better than LG, potentially gaining an advantage. But we'll have to wait for the end product from both companies to pass a final judgement.

Which Apple Watch devices will get the new tech first?

According to the report, the first Apple products to make use of LG's new HMO tech will be next year's Apple Watch series.

It makes sense from the perspective of a testbed device. Apple has a history of testing new display tech on smaller devices before rolling it out to iPhones, iPads, etc.

The Elec points out that the new HMO technology is still far from the shelves. LG needs to validate it for mass production, which is a slow process that involves verifying several key properties of the material, including mobility, uniformity, reliability, process temperature, and yield.

No changes in this year's Apple Watch display panels

Given the current stage of this technology, regarding mass production, it's safe to assume that this year's Apple Watch devices won't get it.

The earliest timeline for the adoption of the HMO tech inside the Apple Watch devices is 2027, with some more conservative predictions pointing toward 2028, when a big Apple Watch redesign is expected as well.

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