Apple’s latest display drives demand, MiniLED backlight is both an opportunity and a challenge

Apple recently released a Pro Display XDR 32-inch 6K monitor that uses a new LED backlight solution, driving the display industry to actively search for new technology solutions for high-end products. The next generation of Mini LED backlight technology will be the development focus of various manufacturers. It is estimated that the output value of Mini LED backlight will reach 340 million US dollars by 2023 (the output value of Mini LED backlight only, excluding other driver ICs and backplanes).

Apple’s Pro Display XDR 32-inch 6K display uses a new LED backlight solution. Through an ultra-bright array of 576 blue LEDs and a passive matrix driver IC that can quickly control each LED, the Pro Display XDR screen brightness reaches 1,000 nits, the peak brightness reaches 1,600 nits, and the contrast ratio reaches 1,000,000:1. Although this backlight solution is not the Mini LED backlight widely rumored in the industry, it also brings a new dawn to the LED and display industry.

Displays using Mini LED backlights have multi-zone local dimming (Local Dimming) functions, and the contrast effect is similar to that of OLED displays. In some product lines, the cost of Mini LED backlight displays is even lower than that of OLED displays. For panel manufacturers, it will be able to further improve product specifications and have the opportunity to compete with OLED technology.

Although the backlight technology of existing high-end display models has not yet reached the true Mini LED backlight level, it can be observed that high-end TVs from Samsung and Sony have adopted multiple LEDs with traditional backlight specifications and combined with local dimming modes to create higher contrast and better picture performance.

The price of Mini LED backlight products is still high, and manufacturers aim to commercialize it within 2 to 3 years

At this stage, the main challenge in the development of Mini LED backlight products is still cost. The increase in the number of LED chips and driver ICs, coupled with various factors such as yield and uniformity, has resulted in high costs. Furthermore, because the price of LCD panels is currently falling too fast, adding the cost of Mini LED backlight will significantly increase the overall display cost, which will seriously affect customers' willingness to import.

Mini LED is both an opportunity and a challenge. Many panel manufacturers are actively developing active driving solutions on glass backplanes, hoping to reduce the cost of LED driver ICs and PCB backplanes; equipment manufacturers are also developing new mass transfer methods to reduce the cost of Mini LED parts. The manufacturer's goal is to reduce costs to the point where commercial mass production can be achieved in the next 2 to 3 years.