Compared to other smartwatches, the Apple Watch doesn’t exactly have the best battery life, unless you spring for the Ultra model. But Apple might have a way to fix that by adopting a different type of display technology. According to Korean publication The Elec, Apple might turn to LG for HMO backplane technology for the Apple Watch.
Future Apple Watch could use HMO display tech
For those unfamiliar, our smartphones and smartwatches use OLED displays with an LTPO backplane. This is what enables variable refresh rates, like dropping down to 1Hz when viewing static images, and going up to 120Hz (or higher) when gaming or watching videos.
However, the report claims that Apple might adopt a new HMO backplane technology for a future Apple Watch. The tech is currently being developed by LG, but there’s no guarantee that Apple could use it. This is because LG is still developing and validating the tech, so whether it’ll make the cut remains to be seen.
But the question is, why? Why would Apple switch to HMO instead of continuing to use LTPO for the Apple Watch? To put it simply, better battery life and a simpler manufacturing process.
To make an LTPO backplane, it requires a laser crystallization and ion implantation process. It’s not exactly the simplest of processes, nor is it cheap. However, HMO skips that by going with a pure oxide. It’s not easier to manufacture, but it’s simpler, and there are also energy efficiency benefits of HMO that could potentially allow it to draw less battery.
Ultimately, we don’t think end-users will notice a difference in display quality, but maybe they might notice it in battery life.
When will it arrive?
Unfortunately, like we said, LG is still developing and validating the tech. This means there’s a good chance it won’t make the cut for 2026’s Apple Watches. Assuming LG is successful and Apple decides to adopt it, we imagine it’ll arrive in 2027 at the earliest.
In the meantime, we expect Apple will refresh its smartwatch lineup later this year. This will most likely take place in September alongside the new iPhone 18 Pro series and iPhone Ultra foldable. We haven’t really heard much about the Apple Watch Series 12. However, there are rumors suggesting the Apple Watch Ultra 4 could see a major redesign along with an upgrade in health features.
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