According to a comprehensive report released by the Korean electronics industry on November 28, Chinese mobile phone manufacturers are developing mobile devices equipped with MicroLED displays, aiming to release them in 2028, and prototypes are expected to be launched as early as 2027. MicroLED is a next-generation display technology in which each ultra-small LED element emits light independently to form a pixel; by individually controlling the light emission of each pixel, the technology can significantly improve image quality, including achieving higher contrast ratios. For this reason, MicroLED, as the next generation display technology, has been widely used in various IT applications such as ultra-high-definition TVs, smart watches, extended reality (XR) devices, and smartphones.products attract much attention.
MicroLED's biggest advantage is its ultra-high brightness - it can produce a picture that is 100 times brighter than the OLED screens currently used in high-end products, providing clear picture quality even in poor visibility outdoors. Although OLED has great advantages such as perfect black and infinite contrast, its brightness improvement has limitations due to the fragility of the luminescent material (organic material) itself. In contrast, MicroLED uses inorganic materials, making it durable and less prone to screen burn (screen afterimage). Screen burn-in means that a specific area of the display displays the same image for a long time, or the pixel brightness is permanently reduced, leaving an afterimage after long-term use at high brightness; MicroLED's inorganic materials undergo almost no chemical changes even when high current is applied for a long time, thus avoiding the generation of permanent afterimages. In addition, MicroLED also responds faster than OLED: Due to the characteristics of organic materials, OLED requires a more complex drive circuit (TFT) to control heat generation and image retention (screen burn-in), so precise current control is required; in contrast, MicroLED uses inorganic materials and has higher stability. The process of applying the required current is relatively simple and straightforward, allowing it to respond faster to the power signal.
Samsung Display 2.1-inch microLED smart watch screen
Lee Seung-woo, vice president of the Korea Display Industry Association, said that with the accelerated transformation of OLED technology and the emergence of next-generation inorganic light-emitting technologies such as microLED, the industrial structure is changing rapidly this year. If South Korea ensures core processes and material technologies through national R&D, South Korean companies can also ensure competitiveness with technological advantages.
Different from the layout in the OLED field, the technical strength of Chinese companies in the MicroLED field is considered to have surpassed Korean domestic companies. China has always focused on LCD and LED manufacturing and has used this industrial base to actively promote the research and development of MicroLED displays. Among them, BOE and TCL's display subsidiary China Star Optoelectronics (CSOT) have invested heavily in MicroLED research and development, targeting large-sized and small- and medium-sized displays; BOE also started producing MicroLEDs on 6-inch wafers at the end of last year through its LED subsidiary Huacan. It is worth noting that Chinese companies have the most advanced technology and mass production capabilities, especially in the field of small, ultra-high brightness microdisplays (LEDoS) - a technology that integrates LEDs on silicon wafers to achieve extremely small size and high resolution.
Park Dong, professor of the Department of Electronic Engineering at Sogang University in South Korea and former CEO of Samsung DisplayJian Jian stated at the Future Forum on Materials, Components and Equipment in July that the panel suppliers of the recently released MicroLED TVs are all from mainland China and Taiwan Province of China, and there are no local Korean companies. South Korea needs to establish a supply chain for MicroLED as soon as possible.
Comparison of LCD, OLED and microLED device structures
In fact, Korean domestic companies have also been promoting the research and development of Micro LED displays. LG Display holds multiple patents related to the precise transfer of ultra-small chips onto substrates - one of the biggest challenges in commercializing Micro LEDs - and the company also has extensive experience in designing thin-film transistors (TFTs) that drive and control LED chips. Therefore, some analysts predict that LG Display will become a strong partner when Apple launches Micro LED products in the future.
Samsung Display released its first Micro LED display with a brightness of up to 6,000 nits (display brightness unit) at the K-Display 2025 exhibition held at COEX in Seoul in August, specifically for the next generation of smart watches. This is far from the 4,000 nit mic Samsung Display released at the CES 2025 show in January this year.ro LED display has only been around for six months.
However, due to manufacturing cost constraints, Korean domestic companies have adopted a more conservative attitude in building small and medium-sized Micro LED mass production facilities. The manufacturing process of MicroLED is very complex, and the core is the need to accurately transfer millions of chips to the substrate, which results in its production cost being much higher than that of traditional OLED. In particular, achieving QHD resolution in smartphones requires millions or even tens of millions of MicroLED pixels, which further complicates the process. Therefore, it is reported that domestic companies in South Korea are prioritizing the application of MicroLED in smart watches. Because smartwatches have lower pixels per inch (PPI) requirements compared to smartphones.
The global MicroLED smartwatch market is expected to grow from about $160 million this year to $1.2 billion in 2030, market research firm UBI Research predicts. In addition, the agency added that if Apple joins the market, large-scale investment and mass production will truly begin, marking a leap forward for MicroLED as a mainstream wearable technology.
ANNA