The Galaxy Watch Ultra is an excellent smartwatch (read our review), and its Super AMOLED screen is one of the reasons why it offers such a great experience. Its display can reach up to 3,000 nits of peak brightness. However, there is a new screen from Samsung Display that I want to see on the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2.
I want Samsung to be more courageous and use a Micro LED screen on the next Galaxy Watch Ultra.
Samsung's Micro LED screen for smartwatches can reach up to 4,000 nits brightness
At the ongoing CES 2025 expo, Samsung Display is showcasing a new Micro LED screen designed for smartwatches. As this is a prototype device, we weren't allowed to touch or interact with it, but we were amazed by its extremely high brightness, making it perfect for outdoor use.
It is a 2.1-inch screen with a 418 x 540 pixels resolution and a pixel density of 326ppi. More importantly, it can reach a peak brightness of up to 4,000 nits. That is 33% brighter than the OLED screen on the Galaxy Watch Ultra.
OLED vs Micro LED for smartwatches: Which is better?
While the Galaxy Watch Ultra's screen is great, the new Micro LED screen would be an even better choice, as it is not only brighter but also more durable.
Theoretically, Micro LED screens are more durable than OLED screens and have a longer lifespan while keeping the existing advantages of OLED screens. Micro LED screens are emissive in nature, just like OLED screens, offering perfect blacks, infinite contrast ratio, and wide viewing angles.
On top of those advantages, Micro LED screens have faster response times, better power efficiency, and can work in a wider range of temperatures (resulting in lower chances of heat-induced damage) than OLED screens.
All these features and advantages make Micro LED screens great for smartwatches.
Since it is a comparatively newer technology than OLED, Micro LED screens didn't have as good pixel density as OLED screens. However, that no longer appears to be an issue, as Samsung Display's Micro LED screen has the same pixel density as OLED screens on existing Galaxy Watches.
Look at the Galaxy Watch Ultra's OLED screen in our video below.
No other smartwatch in the world currently uses a Micro LED screen. Apple has reportedly dabbled with Micro LED screens but hasn't yet introduced them in Apple Watches. Reports claim that Apple has dropped the plan to bring Micro LED screens to its smartwatches.
Samsung has always been known for bringing advanced and groundbreaking display technologies to its devices, and it has yet another opportunity to do so with the second-generation Galaxy Watch Ultra.
