According to LED Inside's latest report on the "2019 Mini LED and HDR High-End Display Market Report". Mini LED backlight technology will compete directly with OLED in the display field in 2019. According to reports, due to the advantages of Mini LED backlight technology, Apple also begins to cooperate with suppliers in Taiwan and Japan. This technology can be used on PCs and tablets.
TrendForce has shown that the Mini LED display has a local dimming function similar to the OLED screen compared to the features of the two technologies. In some product lines, Mini LED-backlit display is cheaper than that of an OLED. For traditional LCD panel factories, it will be an opportunity to upgrade product specifications to compete with OLED technology.
Since the difference between the Mini LED backlight technology and the traditional LED backlight technology is that more Mini LED chips are used, only the panel factory needs to update some devices. In the case of using the previous panel production line, there is almost no impact on the panel supplier. However, an increase in the number of LED lamps also leads to an increase in cost compared to a conventional LCD panel. Therefore, how to reduce costs will be the key to whether the Mini LED backlight can be accessed in the future.
From the perspective of the supply chain, Taiwan's panel makers have weaker production capabilities, so they are mainly focused on Mini LED backlight technology solutions. Besides, many LED manufacturers in Taiwan have launched customized products for major customers, primarily for high-end display and backlight applications. Most of them can modify the device themselves.
Chinese manufacturers are also actively developing Micro LED and Mini LED technology. For example, the Mini LED products produced by Eastar have a pixel pitch of 0.9 mm. This LED display is very close to the LCD screen, giving you a better visual enjoyment than the previous LED screen. Also, Chinese panel maker BOE announced a partnership with US company Rohinni to produce miniature jointly LED and mini LED solutions for display backlighting. The main goal is to increase the speed and accuracy of LED transfer to the substrate to create more cost-competitive products.
