Technologies

What is Micro-OLED? Apple Vision Pro’s Screen Tech Explained

The microscopic version of the beloved display tech winds up the pixels per inch to insane levels. Here’s why Apple and others are so excited about this new version of OLED.

At WWDC 2023, Apple announced the Vision Pro AR/VR headset, which offered an impressive amount of technology and an equally imposing $3,500 price tag. Yet, one of the things that helps the Vision stand out from cheaper products from Valve and Meta is the use of a new type of display called micro-OLED. More than just a rebranding by the marketing experts at Apple, micro-OLED is a variation on the screen technology which has become a staple of best TV lists over the last few years.

Micro-OLED’s main difference from «traditional» OLED is right in the name. Featuring far smaller pixels, micro-OLED has the potential for much, much higher resolutions than traditional OLED: think 4K TV resolutions on chips the size of postage stamps. Until recently, the technology has been used in things like electronic viewfinders in cameras, but the latest versions are larger and even higher resolution, making them perfect for AR and VR headsets.

Here’s an in-depth look at this tech and where it could be used in the future.

What’s OLED?

OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode. The term «organic» means the chemicals that help the OLED create light incorporate the element carbon. The specific chemicals beyond that don’t matter much, at least to us end-users, but suffice it to say when they’re supplied with a bit of energy, they create light. You can read more about how OLED works in What is OLED and what can it do for your TV?.

A chart showing the basic differences between OLED microdisplays and traditional OLED displays. — The basic differences between micro-OLED and «traditional» OLED.

Sony

The benefit of OLED in general is that it creates its own light. So unlike LED LCD TVs, which currently make up the rest of the TV market, each pixel can be turned on and off. When off, they emit no light. You can’t make an LED LCD pixel totally dark unless you turn off the backlight altogether, and this means OLED’s contrast ratio, or the difference between the brightest and darkest part of an image, is basically infinite in comparison.

OLED TVs, almost all manufactured by LG, have been on the market for several years. Meanwhile, Samsung Display has recently introduced OLED TVs that also feature quantum dots (QD-OLED), which offer even higher brightness and potentially greater color. These QD-OLEDs are sold by Samsung, Sony, and, in computer monitor form, Alienware.

Micro-OLED aka OLED on Silicon

A cutaway diagram of a micro-OLED display. — The layers of a micro-OLED display.

Shanghai University

Micro-OLED, also known as OLEDoS and OLED microdisplays, is one of the rare cases where the tech is exactly as it sounds: tiny OLED «micro» displays. In this case, not only are the pixels themselves smaller, but the entire «panels» are smaller. This is possible thanks to advancements in manufacturing, including mounting the display-making segments in each pixel directly to a silicone chip. This enables pixels to be much, much smaller .

Two Sony micro-OLED displays. They look like computer chips. — Two Sony micro-OLED displays. They look like computer chips because that’s what they’re based on.

Sony

If we take a look at Apple’s claims, we can estimate how small these pixels really are. Firstly, Apple says the twin displays in the Vision Pro include «More pixels than a 4K TV. For each eye» or «23 million pixels.» A 4K TV is 3,840×2,160, or 8,294,400 pixels, so that should equate to around 11,500,000 pixels per eye for the Apple screens.

Next, Apple partnered with Sony (or maybe TSMC) to create these micro-OLED displays and they are approximately 1-inch in size. To calculate the size of each pixel I’m going to use 32-inch 4K TVs as a comparison, and these boast about 138 pixels per inch (ppi). We don’t know the aspect ratio of the chips in the Vision Pro, but if they’re a square 3,400×3,400 resolution that would be a total of 11,560,000 pixels, so that’s a safe bet. So, if that’s the case, these displays have a ppi of around 4,808(!) and that’s more than almost anything else on the market, and that’s by a lot. Even the high-resolution OLED screen on the Galaxy S23 Ultra has a ppi of «only» 500. Regardless of the panel’s production aspect ratio, the ppi is going to be impressive. Apple didn’t respond immediately to CNET’s request for clarification.

AR and VR microdisplays are so close to your eyes that they need to be extremely high performance in order to be realistic. They need extreme resolution so you don’t see the pixels, they need high contrast ratios so they look realistic, and they need high framerates to minimize the chance of motion blur and motion sickness. In addition, being in portable devices means they need to be able to do all that with low power consumption. Micro-OLED seems able to do all of these, but at a cost. Literally a cost. The Vision Pro is the most high-profile use of the high-end of the technology and it costs $3,500.

A tiny monochrome micro-OLED display next to the tip of a mechanical pencil. — A monochrome micro-OLED display from the company Microoled, one of the largest manufactures of micro-OLED displays. On the right is the tip of a mechanical pencil.

Microoled

The Micro-OLED technology isn’t particularly new, having been available in some form for over a decade. Sony has been using them in camera viewfinders for several years, as have Canon and Nikon. Like all display techs, however, micro-OLED has evolved quite a bit over the years. The displays in the Vision Pro, for instance, are huge and very high resolution for a micro-OLED display.

A 7.8mm wide high-resolution Micro-OLED display. — A high-resolution color micro-OLED display by the company Microoled.

Microoled

How is micro-OLED different from MicroLED? Despite the fact that they’re written slightly differently, they are superficially similar in the way they are both self-emitting, or can make their own light. But on a more in-depth level, the differences between the carbon-based OLED and the non-carbon LED are sadly beyond the scope of this article. Suffice it to say right now, MicroLED is better suited for large, wall-sized displays using individual pixels made up of LEDs. Micro-OLED is better suited for tiny, high-resolution displays. This isn’t to say that MicroLED can’t be used in smaller displays, and we’ll likely see some eventually. But for now they’re different tools for different uses.

The future is micro?

The ENGO 2 eyeware with the tiny Micro-OLED display built into the nosepiece. — The ENGO 2 eyeware uses a tiny micro-OLED made by the company Microoled. The display reflects off the inside of the eyeware to show you your speed, time, direction and other data. Basically anything an athlete would need for better training, but instead of on a watch or phone, it’s projected in real time in front of you. Essentially, a heads-up display built into sunglasses.

ENGO

Where else will we see micro-OLED? At MWC 2023, Xiaomi announced its AR Glass Discovery Edition featured the technology, and future high-end VR headsets from Meta, HTC and others will likely use it. Currently, a company named Engo is using a tiny micro-OLED projector to display speed and other data on the inside of its AR sunglasses. I know I sure don’t need these, but I want them. Then there’s the many mirrorless and other cameras that have been using micro-OLED viewfinders for years.

Could we see ultra-ultra-ultra high-resolution TVs with this new technology? Technically, it’s possible but highly unlikely. Macro micro-OLED is just OLED. The resolutions possible using more traditional OLED manufacturing are more than enough for a display that’s 10 feet from your eyeballs. However, it’s possible micro-OLED might find its way into wearables and other portable devices where its size, resolution and efficiency will be an asset. That’s likely why LG, Samsung Display, Sony and others are all working on micro-OLED.

Will ultra-thin, ultra-high resolution micro-OLED displays compete in a market with ultra-thin, ultra-high resolution nanoLED? Could be. We shall see.

As well as covering TV and other display tech, Geoff does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, massive aircraft carriers, medieval castles, epic 10,000-mile road trips and more. Check out Tech Treks for all his tours and adventures.

He wrote a bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines and a sequel. You can follow his adventures on Instagram and his YouTube channel.

Technologies

AI Agents at Work: Microsoft Copilot Is Getting Its Own Version of Claude Cowork

Built in collaboration with Anthropic, Microsoft’s new tool can create spreadsheets, run reports and do research autonomously.

Microsoft Copilot probably isn’t something you think about a lot, unless your company pays for you to use it at work. Microsoft has been fighting for consumers whose hearts and minds were quickly captured by other AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini. The company’s latest wave of agentic updates, announced Monday, is its sharpest weapon yet.

The biggest new feature is Copilot Cowork, built in collaboration with Anthropic. If you’ve heard of or used Anthropic’s Claude Cowork, Microsoft’s version will feel similar. Copilot Cowork can use information in your files, email and calendar to independently complete assignments, no human supervision needed. It can create spreadsheets, run reports and do research for you.

«Cowork is the new chat. It’s the new way of interacting with AI,» said Charles Lamanna, Microsoft president of business apps and agents. Instead of overseeing AI and chatting with it, we can now entirely delegate tasks to it like a fellow team member. «With chat, you’re babysitting every step — this is much more like ‘fire and forget’ with Cowork to get the job done.»

For example, Lamanna said he used Cowork to analyze his meeting calendar for the next three months. The AI used his email and calendar history to understand what upcoming meetings may not be necessary for him to attend, and it pulled together its recommendations in an easy-to-view chart. After Lamanna reviewed it, Cowork declined some meetings, with AI-written meeting notes attached if needed. The AI’s 40-minute «delightful and practical» process saved him and his executive assistant hours worth of time so they could focus on more important duties.

Cowork is rolling out now on a limited basis as it’s a research preview concept. Microsoft also announced it will be making its AI agent platform, Agent 365, generally available on May 1. Agent 365 is a way for companies to oversee and manage all of the agents, or bots, that employees are using for their work. Microsoft itself has created more than a half-million AI agents using Agent 365, the company shared in a statement. New AI models from Anthropic and OpenAI will also be made available in Copilot. Smartly, the company isn’t picking a side in the growing feud between the AI startups.

Agentic AI at work

Agentic AI tools like the ones Microsoft is building are extremely popular for workers. Despite only being a research preview, Claude Cowork has garnered a lot of fans — and sparked a lot of worry on Wall Street. Major tech stocks fell at the end of January as Anthropic’s AI developments cast doubts on the future of work.

New AI tools like Cowork, Claude Code and even OpenAI’s Codex are becoming increasingly capable of replacing traditional software products, like the kind Microsoft is known for. So it makes sense that Microsoft would want to bring that agentic prowess to its own AI. Agentic AI has been a major area of focus for AI companies recently. OpenClaw, an open source agentic project that went viral this year, is one of many examples of why tech execs think 2026 will be the year of agentic AI.

Lamanna said that «the shape of what we do on a day-to-day basis will change,» but AI ought to give time back to people to focus on high-value tasks. We’re entering a new arc, going from having a human use AI to do a task quicker to delegating it entirely to an AI agent, he said.

As this tech becomes more available, there are a lot of questions about the best way to integrate AI into our work lives. Many workers are worried about having their jobs replaced by AI, fueled by AI-centric layoffs at Amazon and Block. For those who manage to keep their jobs, one study found that AI may actually make their work days longer and less enjoyable. Like any new tech, the implementation of AI will determine how effective it is — and how much it actually helps you.

Technologies

My iPhone 17E Review in Progress: The Appeal Is Magnetic (and Pink)

Apple’s new $599 budget phone brings MagSafe compatibility, higher base storage and an A19 chip. That makes the trade-offs easier to swallow.

I never thought MagSafe’s haptic feedback could be so satisfying.

I’ve been using Apple’s $599 iPhone 17E, which brings MagSafe’s magnetic technology to its lowest-priced handset. Beyond the added convenience of easily attaching chargers and accessories, this signals Apple’s efforts to expand once-premium features across its full iPhone lineup, no matter how much you’re willing to pay. Plus, the addition of a fresh color warms my pink-loving heart.

The iPhone 17E borrows other features from the $829 baseline iPhone 17. The budget option packs the same A19 chip (albeit with a four-core GPU instead of five), an action button and a 48-megapixel main camera. It starts with 256GB of storage, making that $599 price more enticing — even if it’s arguably pushing the limits of what’s considered a «budget» phone. But the fact that I have to double-check whether I’m reaching for the iPhone 17E or the 17 is surely a good sign that the gap between the two is narrowing — and in the right direction.

Other aspects of the 17E serve as a reminder that you get what you pay for. The bezels are noticeably thicker than on Apple’s more premium options. There’s no Dynamic Island for system notifications and Live Activities, but rather an old-school notch at the top. A fixed 60 Hz display also means there’s no always-on display, so I can’t quickly glance at the time or my notifications — something that’s been hard to get used to.

There’s a lot that makes the iPhone 17E feel like a worthy lower-priced option. And for most people, the compromises shouldn’t feel too glaring, especially when you’re saving a couple hundred dollars.

The iPhone 17E is available to preorder now, and hits store shelves on March 11.

iPhone 17E look, feel and display

One of my favorite things about the iPhone 17E is that it doesn’t sacrifice the premium look and feel of its pricier counterparts. Like the other iPhone 17 models, the iPhone 17E’s back glass has a satisfying matte finish that’s resistant to fingerprints. An aluminum frame keeps it feeling nice and light at 169 grams, compared to 177 grams on the iPhone 17.

The iPhone 17E’s 6.1-inch display is just slightly smaller than the 6.3-inch display on the iPhone 17, a difference that’s hardly noticeable. The lower-priced option shares the same Ceramic Shield 2 cover glass, which Apple says has three times better scratch resistance than the iPhone 16E’s display, and 33% less reflection.

The 60Hz refresh rate is a step down from the 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate you’ll get on Apple’s other phones, but it’s a nearly imperceptible difference unless you’re gaming. Personally, the biggest downside to this limitation is not having an always-on display, which I rely on extensively to peek at the time and see all my notifications at a glance. Going without that feature has taken some getting used to.

While the iPhone 17 supports 1,600 nits HDR peak brightness, the iPhone 17E tops out at 1,200 nits peak HDR brightness. Holding the phones side by side, I can see the difference, but the 17E looks just fine, even in the California sunshine.

The iPhone 17E’s smaller size can either be a benefit or a drawback, depending on your preferences. I tend to gravitate toward larger phones, so typing and scrolling on a smaller frame was a bit of an adjustment. But if you want a more compact device that’ll fit in practically any pocket, you’ll dig the 17E’s dimensions.

This year, Apple decided to branch out and add a soft pink color option to its budget line, along with the standard black and white. Luckily, I got paired with a pink model that takes on a pastel-like, blush hue that’s certainly more subdued than the bold orange of the iPhone 17 Pro. The subtle shade is nice if you want some color without making too much of a statement. I’m always happy when fun colors aren’t limited to the pricier models.

iPhone 17E camera gets some minor upgrades

Similar to last year’s budget iPhone, the iPhone 17E has a single 48-megapixel rear camera. With sensor cropping, it can also snap 2x telephoto images, which look as good as 1x photos to my eyes. A bonus perk of having just one rear camera is that it’s significantly less obtrusive than the camera bumps on other iPhone 17 models, particularly the Pros. It’s refreshing to go back to a phone I can hold without my fingers brushing against an ever-expanding camera platform.

Like my experience with the iPhone Air, the lack of an ultrawide camera feels limiting. It’s harder to take landscape photos or capture a wider scene — though if I had to choose between an ultrawide and a telephoto camera, I’d always pick the latter. I’m much more likely to punch into something to show more detail than take a dramatically wider shot.

The iPhone 17E has a 12-megapixel selfie camera, drawing another parallel to the iPhone 16E. The 17E doesn’t get the Center Stage camera feature that debuted on the iPhone Air and 17, which can automatically switch between portrait and landscape orientation as more people come into the frame without you rotating your phone. I don’t see this as much of a loss; in fact, I keep Center Stage disabled on my iPhone 17 Pro Max, largely because old habits die hard and I just end up rotating my phone manually anyway.

Not having Cinematic mode for video on the budget line is still a bummer, since I rely on it for more professional-looking clips with blurred backgrounds. But if trade-offs have to be made, that’s a manageable one.

The hardware feature I’ve struggled without is the Camera Control button — not because I ever use it as a shortcut to Apple’s Visual Intelligence, but because that’s how I almost exclusively launch the iPhone’s camera now. I like having a physical button that’s easy to trigger (perhaps too easy for some) when I want to quickly snap a photo. Without Camera Control on the iPhone 17E, you’ll have to open the camera the old-fashioned way by tapping on your screen, swiping the lock screen to the left or using the action button as a camera shortcut. Though I don’t think most people will mind that, especially if you’re coming from a phone that never had Camera Control in the first place. And you can access Visual Intelligence from the iPhone 17E’s Control Panel.

Portraits get a nice boost on the iPhone 17E, compared to last year’s budget phone. Apple says the advanced image pipeline allows subjects to stand out more naturally against their bokeh-effect backgrounds. For example, a person will appear in sharper focus, including fringe details like their hair or the corner of their glasses, and the transition to the image’s blurred background looks a bit more gradual and realistic.

When you’re snapping pictures in the camera’s standard Photo mode, it’ll now automatically detect cats and dogs, in addition to people, and enable portrait shots without you having to switch to that setting.

And now, you can also adjust the focus point of a photo after you’ve snapped it by going to Edit in the Photos app and tapping where you want to focus. You can modify the amount of background blur, too. It’s great to see that flexibility and customization on Apple’s lower-tier phone.

Here are a few of my favorite photos I’ve taken on the iPhone 17E:

iPhone 17E battery and MagSafe compatibility

The iPhone 17E touts the same 26 hours of video playback as the iPhone 16E. On Apple’s product pages in the European Union, where it’s required to disclose battery capacity, that’s listed as 4,005 mAh, (the same as the 16E). Apple says the battery is aided by the power-efficient A19 chip, the new C1X cellular modem and the «advanced power management of iOS 26.»

In my first few days with the phone, the battery has held up impressively well. I started with a full battery at 10:12 a.m. on Saturday, and still had a healthy 48% by 8 p.m. When I woke up the next morning at 5:15 a.m. (yes, my sleep schedule has been completely thrown off by Mobile World Congress and jet lag), the phone was at 38%. I feel confident I can go about my day without worrying about the phone dying prematurely.

The iPhone 17E supports 20-watt wired charging. And with MagSafe and Qi2 compatibility, it can charge wirelessly up to 15 watts — double the 7.5 watts on the iPhone 16E. That’s still less than the 25-watt wireless charging (Qi2.2) the iPhone 17 supports, but it’s a worthy step up from last year.

With wired charging, the iPhone 17E went from 8% to 61% in half an hour. I look forward to testing MagSafe charging speeds as well.

I’ve enjoyed snapping MagSafe accessories such as cases and wallets onto the iPhone 17E simply because I can. I’ve also been tapping into Apple’s StandBy feature, which displays widgets while you charge your phone in landscape mode, including a calendar, clock and photos.

Final thoughts for now: Should you buy the iPhone 17E?

The iPhone 17E brings subtle yet welcome changes to Apple’s budget line — namely, MagSafe charging, a higher base storage level and a more advanced A19 chip. This year’s phone shares a lot in common with the iPhone 16E, especially when it comes to the cameras and battery capacity, but it still shines in both areas.

More notably, the iPhone 17E borrows a handful of features from the baseline iPhone 17, which costs $200 more. The phones have a similar feel, a 48-megapixel main camera and that A19 chip. You’ll spot some notable design differences, including the iPhone 17E’s prominent notch, wider bezels and the lack of a Camera Control button.

If you’re switching from an older iPhone like the iPhone 11 or 12, these are trade-offs you’ll hardly notice, especially in light of all the relative upgrades. Similarly, if you’re coming from another budget phone that’s a few years old, like the iPhone SE (2020) or an older Android counterpart, the improvements are sure to outweigh any missing premium features.

If you’re using last year’s iPhone 16E, the incremental changes don’t justify the upgrade, even with the long-awaited addition of MagSafe. Apple doesn’t appear to be targeting this demographic anyway, since its promotional materials largely compare the iPhone 17E to older models like the iPhone 11. That’s where the differences really stand out.

Apple iPhone 17E specs vs. Google Pixel 10A, Apple iPhone 17, Apple iPhone 16E

	Apple iPhone 17E	Google Pixel 10A	Apple iPhone 17	Apple iPhone 16E
Display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate	6.1-inch OLED display; 2,532×1,170 pixels; 60Hz refresh rate	6.3-inch POLED, 2,424×1,080 pixels, 60-120Hz variable refresh rate	6.3-inch OLED; 2,622×1,206 pixels; 1-120Hz variable refresh rate	6.1-inch OLED display; 2,532×1,170 pixels; 60Hz refresh rate
Pixel density	460 ppi	422 ppi	460 ppi	460 ppi
Dimensions (inches)	5.78×2.82×0.31	6.1×2.9×0.4	5.89×2.81×0.31	5.78×2.82×0.31
Dimensions (millimeters)	146.7×71.5×7.8	154.7×73.3×8.9	149.6×71.5×7.95	146.7×71.5×7.8
Weight (grams, ounces)	167g (5.88 oz.)	183 g (6.5 oz)	177g (6.24 oz.)	167g (5.88 oz.)
Mobile software	iOS 26	Android 16	iOS 26	iOS 18
Camera	48-megapixel (wide)	48-megapixel (wide), 13-megapixel (ultrawide)	48-megapixel (wide) 48-megapixel (ultrawide)	48-megapixel (wide)
Front-facing camera	12-megapixel	13-megapixel	18-megapixel	12-megapixel
Video capture	4K	4K	4K	4K
Processor	Apple A19	Google Tensor G4	Apple A19	Apple A18
RAM + storage	RAM unknown + 256GB, 512GB	8GB + 128GB, 256GB	RAM N/A + 256GB, 512GB	RAM unknown + 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
Expandable storage	None	None	None	None
Battery	4,005 mAh	5,100 mAh	3,692 mAh	4,005 mAh
Fingerprint sensor	None, Face ID	Under display	None, Face ID	None, Face ID
Connector	USB-C	USB-C	USB-C	USB-C
Headphone jack	None	None	None	None
Special features	MagSafe, Qi2 charging (up to 15W), Action button, Apple C1 5G modem, Apple Intelligence, Ceramic Shield, Emergency SOS, satellite connectivity, IP68 resistance	7 years of OS, security and Pixel feature drops, Gorilla Glass 3 cover glass, IP68 dust and water resistance, 3,000-nit peak brightness, 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 30W fast charging with 45W charging adapter (charger not included), 10W wireless charging Qi certified, Satellite SOS, Wi-Fi 6E, NFC, Bluetooth 6, dual-SIM (nano SIM + eSIM), Camera Coach, Add Me, Best Take, Magic Eraser, Magic Editor, Photo Unblur, Super Res Zoom, Circle to Search; colors: lavender, berry, fog, obsidian (black)	Apple N1 wireless networking chip: Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 6, Thread, Action button, Camera Control button, Dynamic Island, Apple Intelligence, Visual Intelligence, dual eSIM, 1 to 3,000 nits brightness display range, IP68 resistance; colors: black, white, mist blue, sage, lavender; fast charge up to 50% in 20 minutes using 40W adapter or higher via charging cable; fast charge up to 50% in 30 minutes using 30W adapter or higher via MagSafe Charger	Action button, Apple C1 5G modem, Apple Intelligence, Ceramic Shield, Emergency SOS, satellite connectivity, IP68 resistance
US price starts at	$599 (256GB)	$500 (128GB)	$829 (256GB)	$599 (128GB)

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Monday, March 9

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for March 9.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.