AUO Says MicroLED Watch Development Continues

MicroLED may still have a future in Garmin’s high-end watches. AUO, the supplier behind Garmin’s first MicroLED screen, said during its October 29 third-quarter earnings call that it is continuing to develop MicroLED products with customers in the premium watch market. That matters because Garmin omitted MicroLED from the Fenix 9 range, making the technology’s brief appearance look like a dead end.

For endurance athletes, the appeal is obvious: extreme brightness can make a display easier to read in hard daylight. Garmin’s Fenix 8 Pro MicroLED reached 4,500 nits, while Fenix 9 Pro AMOLED models reach up to 3,000 nits and Solar versions retain MIP displays. MicroLED is clearly capable of brute-force visibility. AUO also said earlier this year that it was progressing toward a “next-generation watch,” though it has not identified Garmin as the customer.

The more meaningful news is manufacturing. AUO says it aims to cut MicroLED costs by 50% every two years through yield improvements, design work and newer production processes. Its Gen 4.5 high-resolution MicroLED line is expected in the first half of 2027, bringing more capacity for watches and other projects. That does not confirm a MicroLED Fenix 10. It does suggest the component supplier is still solving a problem Garmin has already tested in public.

What remains disappointing is that the first Fenix 8 Pro MicroLED got the wrong compromises for a Fenix: it was thicker, considerably more expensive, and delivered much shorter battery life than its AMOLED sibling. Brightness was not the limiting factor. Until cost, case thickness and battery endurance improve together, AMOLED and MIP remain the more practical choices. Athletes shopping now may find better value in the [Fenix 8’s current price drop](/en/articles/garmin-fenix-8-drops-below-600-before-black-friday-2026-11-01).

Our verdict: MicroLED is alive, but still a future-facing premium option rather than a reason to wait on a current Garmin purchase. For runners, cyclists and triathletes, battery life and wearability beat headline brightness every time.