The iPhone could get a microLED display — what that means for you

iPhone 14 Pro Max
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

You may want to skip the iPhone 15 later this year because if you can hold off on buying a new iPhone for another year or two, you could get a far superior display.

Writing in his Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman says that future iPhones will be equipped with microLED screens. He claims, these panels will be brighter, with better viewing angles and color accuracy than existing screens.

These microLED displays have previously been rumored for a future Apple Watch Ultra successor coming "the end of 2024", which Gurman says will be the first product to show off the new tech. The tipster noted we can then expect to see the screens appear on iPhones "a few years after that."

It's perhaps unsurprising that after the iPhone, Gurman claims Apple could move to add microLED to iPads and later Macs. The whole process could take up to a decade though, similar to how iPhones have OLED panels right now; but the iPad is still using LCD (or mini-LED in the iPad Pro (12.9-inch)'s case, which is a derivative of LCD technology).

The other notable thing about the microLED displays is that they have been reportedly developed (since 2017) to be Apple's first set of internally-designed displays. And these would be another step in the company's march towards total component self-sufficiency. We've already seen this with Apple Silicon chipsets in Macs and iPads over the past couple of years, with powerful chipsets like the Apple M2 chip powering top-tier devices like the iPad Pro and MacBook Air M2.

As for what we can actually expect this year, the iPhone 15, according to the most recent rumors, is expecting to stick with 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch OLED displays, as we've seen on the iPhone 14 series and older models. 

Other upgrades, such as a periscope telephoto camera on the iPhone 15 Pro, and a new iPhone 15 Ultra model with a new titanium design with haptic, solid-state buttons, are rumored though, which should make the new iPhones a worthwhile purchase for most users in need of a phone upgrade. 

TOPICS
Richard Priday
Assistant Phones Editor

Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.

Read more
Apple Studio Display shown side on with Wheel of Time playing
Apple's next Studio Display tipped to arrive in 2026 — and it'll be brighter than ever
Apple iPhone 16 & 16 Plus hands-on.
iPhone 17 just tipped for this long overdue Pro feature in new report
Mac Studio on a desk plugged into a Studio Display
Apple's Studio Display may be getting a welcome Mini LED upgrade
iPhone 17 Pro render
iPhone 17 Pro — 7 biggest rumored upgrades
Renders of the iphone 17 in teal, green and dark green
iPhone 17 just tipped for the one big upgrade we've been waiting for
Apple iPhone 16 held in the hand.
iPhone 17 just tipped for this Pro feature after years of waiting
Latest in iPhones
iPhone 16 with Apple Intelligence logo for iOS 18.1
iOS 18.4: All the newest Apple Intelligence features coming to your iPhone
Apple maps logo on iPhone screen
I avoided Apple Maps for trip planning — but these iOS 18 features are changing my mind
New emojis with iOS 18.4 beta release.
iOS 18.4 beta brings 8 new emoji to your iPhone — here's all the new options
An image of an iPhone screen showing the Safari app icon in the center
I got tired of Safari revealing my web searches in iOS 18.4 — this setting fixes that
iPhone Flip Concept
Foldable iPhone delays — there’s a bigger problem going on at Apple
iPhone 17 Air render
iPhone 17 Air — new survey could be bad news for Apple's super thin iPhone
Latest in News
Disney Plus logo
Disney Plus upgrade just fixed one of my biggest problems with the home page
Tom Hiddleston as Robert Laing in "High Rise" now streaming on Netflix
5 best Netflix movies in March you haven't watched yet
iPhone 16 with Apple Intelligence logo for iOS 18.1
iOS 18.4: All the newest Apple Intelligence features coming to your iPhone
Maria Debska in "Just One Look" now streaming on Netflix
3 best Netflix shows in March you haven't watched yet
Split image featuring the Galaxy S25 Edge (left) and Galaxy S25 Ultra (right)
Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge just tipped for two Galaxy S25 Ultra-level features
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
Amazon is giving away a ton of free games for its Big Spring Sale — here’s how to claim yours