“Leading China-based smartphone vendors, including Huawei Technologies, Oppo and Xiaomi Technology, plan to adopt mini LED-backlit panels as an alternative to AMOLED for smartphones to be launched in second-half 2018 and have asked Taiwan-based makers to start producing mini LED backlighting in June 2018, according to industry sources,” Siu Han and Adam Hwang report for Digitimes.
“The vendors speculate Apple may extend use of AMOLED panels to its iPhone devices to be launched in 2018, occupying more of Samsung Display’s AMOLED production, the sources said,” Han and Hwang report. “According to Epistar, the largest Taiwan-based LED epitaxial wafer and chip maker poised for production of mini LED chips, if mini LED backlighting is used in 15 million smartphones in 2018 – equivalent to 1% penetration – global demand will reach 60 billion mini LED chips in the year, equivalent to monthly use of 100,000 mini LED epitaxial wafers.”
“As a TV needs about 10,000 mini LED chips for backlighting, if mini LED penetrates 4% of TVs in 2018, global demand will reach 100 billion mini LED chips in the year, Epistar said,” Han and Hwang report. “Production of mini LED backlighting for smartphones and TVs is likely to begin in second-half 2018, with specifications to be decided in the first half, Epistar noted.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: In addition to AMOLED, Apple is exploring Full Active LCD (which are capable of edge-to-edge designs) in the near-term as well as microLED longer term.
SEE ALSO:
Apple hits speed bump in microLED development – November 20, 2017
Apple may use Full Active LCD over OLED to create next-gen bezel-less iPhones – September 28, 2017
Apple plans microLED displays for wearable devices; could come as soon as 2018 – June 8, 2017
Apple’s research in microLED displays highlights a fundamental strategic shift – June 29, 2016
Apple acquires 21 LuxVue patents with some using synthetic sapphire – May 6, 2014
Apple acquires LuxVue, maker of power efficient microLED technology – May 2, 2014
Next big thing from Apple are the Quantum Dot Displays.
patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2017/09/apples-fourth-invention-covering-next-gen-quantum-dot-displays-surfaced-today-at-the-us-patent-office.html