In 2020, China’s Mini LED upstream supporting and downstream applications will show a dual phenomenon. Upstream manufacturers have increased their investment, and downstream manufacturers have been in a hurry, causing Mini LED backlight applications to fail to truly open the market.
In 2021, manufacturers such as Apple and Samsung will make efforts in Mini LED backlight applications, which will help upstream and downstream manufacturers to form resonance and accelerate the popularization of Mini LED backlight applications.
China’s Mini LED industry chain will be radical in 2020
Mini LED has a huge market prospect. TrendForce report shows that by 2024, the global Mini/Micro LED market will reach 4.2 billion US dollars. Macroblock believes that the Mini LED market is growing rapidly, and the Mini LED market is expected to exceed US$1 billion in 2023.
In order to meet the upcoming outbreak of China’s Mini LED market, LED industry chain companies have poured in. In 2020, Sanan, Epistar, HC Semitek, Nation Star, Ruifeng, Ledman, Leyard, Unilumin, Hongli, WG Tech, etc. will continue to promote research and development and industrialization of Mini LED technology. Among them, Qianzhao Optoelectronics raised 1.15 billion yuan for Mini/Micro, high-efficiency LED chip research and development and manufacturing projects; Hongli Mini/Micro LED semiconductor display project phase I was officially put into production, and has reached a small batch supply of many models. A large number of samples and some models can be mass-produced; WG Optoelectronics has achieved a breakthrough in the copper coating technology of Mini LED glass substrates. Various tests have been recognized by customers and have entered the small batch production stage.
As one of the important new display technologies, Mini/Micro LED has also attracted the attention of panel companies such as BOE, TCL Huaxing, HKC, AUO, Innolux, and Altek. It is understood that BOE has built a glass-based Mini LED production base and has cooperated with HC Semitek to develop Mini LEDs; TCL Huaxing and Sanan Semiconductor have established a joint laboratory with a registered capital of 300 million yuan, focusing on the development of Micro-LED display technology; HKC’s 55-inch Mini LED-backlit quantum dot TV was exhibited, with a dot pitch of 0.1845mm, a peak brightness of 1000cd/m2, and a contrast ratio of 100,000:1. Altek acquired Hexin Optoelectronics’ idle plant in Nanco, mainly to meet future operational needs and to develop Mini/Micro LED panels.
Jiwei analyst pointed out that panel manufacturers had some intersections with LED companies in the backlight module field before, and now they will carry out more in-depth cooperation with LED companies in the Mini/Micro LED field. Because the Mini/Micro LED industry chain is relatively long, it requires the support of TFT from panel manufacturers and technological breakthroughs such as LED chips from LED companies. Neither party alone can provoke the backbone of Mini/Micro LED industrialization.
China’s Mini LED market wasn’t hot in 2020
Compared with a prosperous Mini LED industry chain, the Mini LED application market in 2020 is slightly bleak. Mini LED backlight is in the stage of tasting it in TV, monitor, notebook computer, car display and other application markets. Although the Mini LED direct display market maintains rapid growth, the market penetration rate is still very low.
Mini LED direct display breaks through the limitations of seam, size, ratio and resolution, and makes up for the shortcomings of LCD single screen or LCD splicing screen. It has obvious advantages in the market of 100 feet and above, and has the opportunity to integrate large-screen splicing and LED conferences. The rapid penetration of the machine and other markets. In 2020, Samsung, LG, Leyard, Unilumin, Lehman, National Star Optoelectronics, Alto, etc. have all released Mini LED direct display products, but due to higher prices, Mini LED direct display products haven’t aroused big waves.in the market.
Mini LED backlight applications are generally digital products and are more cost-sensitive. The release time of iPad Pro products equipped with Mini LED backlights has been postponed to 2021, resulting in a flat Mini LED backlight application market performance in 2020.
In 2020, Mini LED backlights have been successfully applied to TVs, monitors, laptops, tablet computers, and car displays. It looks like a hot topic, but in fact, most manufacturers are just to show off their muscles and have no large-scale application and promotion. In 2020, TCL, Xiaomi, Konka, etc. all launched Mini LED-backlit LCD TVs, but they are all positioned as high-end products, and sales are very limited; Dell exhibited a 31.5-inch Mini LED-backlit medical display, but it is still improving and has not been listed for sales; MSI launched the world’s first Mini LED-backlit LCD screen notebook computer Creator 17, mainly for design, gaming and other professional user groups; TCL Huaxing exhibited the world’s first 48-inch 8K In-cell Touch AM Mini-LED backlit curved car The screen has not yet been adopted by car manufacturers.
China’s Mini LED application will usher in a turning point in 2021
In 2021, China’s Mini LED application market is expected to usher in a turning point. The influx of major manufacturers such as Apple, Samsung, Hisense, and LG will promote the widespread use of Mini LED backlights in tablet computers and TVs.
Apple iPad Pro and MacBook are expected to introduce Mini LED backlights in 2021. Epistar is actively cooperating with Apple to convert 95% of its production capacity in Taiwan, China into Mini LEDs. In 2021, Apple will become one of the main forces in Mini LED backlight applications.
Not only Apple, but Samsung tablets and TVs are also actively introducing Mini LED backlights. Samsung will not only release the Galaxy Tab equipped with Mini LED backlight, but also launch Mini LED backlight TVs of 55-inch, 65-inch, 75-inch, 85-inch and other sizes. It is estimated that the shipment target will reach 2 million units in 2021, which will accelerate the applications of Mini LED.
In addition, in 2021, Hisense will officially mass-produce 4K 120Hz overlay TVs equipped with Mini LED backlight; TCL will launch a new OD Zero Mini LED backlight TV; LG will release QNED TVs with quantum dot technology and Mini LED backlight.
In 2021, Mini LED backlight will accelerate the popularization of TVs, notebook computers, tablet computers and other applications, and it is expected to become the first year of Mini LED backlight popularization, thus driving the display industry in China into a new era of Mini LED.
Source: Jiwei