At present, our mobile phone screens are mainly composed of two kinds of panels, one is the OLED currently used in most Liu Haiping and drilling screen mobile phones, and the other is the LCD that still has a small number of mobile devices in use. However, as more and more panel technologies are introduced, the future of mobile device screens is no longer limited to these two technologies. Lighter, thinner, and non-burning mini LED devices will be available as soon as possible in the next 1-2 years. .

In the report released by Tianfeng International on December 2, Guo Mingdi predicted that Launch at least 4 new products with mini LED panels in 3 years, including the new iPad Pro coming in the third quarter of next year and the new 16-inch MacBook Pro coming in the fourth quarter.

Guo Mingming pointed out that “mini LED will play a key technical role in the innovation of Apple’s medium-sized display products.” And with the promotion of new Apple products, it will also promote the development of such panels in the industry and accelerate the application of new technologies.

From this perspective, mini LED is not only a new display technology, but also an indispensable role for the future development of mobile devices.

In fact, it is not the first time that mini LEDs have appeared in Guo Mingyu ’s report. As early as this May ’s report on display technology, Guo Mingji already predicted that iPad Pro and MacBook Pro using mini LED will be in late 2020 and 2021. Debut.

In the September report Guo Mingying believes that the reason why Apple chose mini LED is to solve the problem of OLED burn-in and improve the durability of products; the second is to reduce dependence on Samsung, the OLED industry leader.

Comparison with currentOLEDs, mini LEDs also have the characteristics of being bendable and drillable, that is, they are in line with the current needs of “full screen” and “foldable” devices. Moreover, its ultra-high contrast characteristics also allow this panel to achieve the same level of display color as OLED.

But compared to traditional LEDs and OLEDs, since mini LEDs reduce a single LED light source by about 10 times, it can have local dimming characteristics based on bending, and the screen’s HDR partition will be more dense, showing The picture will become clearer and more detailed.

▲ Apple Pro Display XDR display uses LED backlight technology

For a simple example, the Apple Pro Display XDR display has 576 LED array brightness areas, and its brightness and sharpness have reached a very high level. After using the mini LED backlight technology, since more LED light sources can be put in, the display array of the backlight will also double, and the brightness and sharpness of the screen will also rise accordingly.

In the display industry assessment report, mini LED was once considered to be the third new panel trend after traditional LCD and OLED TVs, because the cost of this panel is actually similar to that of OLED, but the higher-definition picture quality it brings is exactly the importance of current and future TVs. One of the selling points and trends.

Comparison of the three backlight technologies of LCD, mini LED, and OLED by high-industry research

But what really makes mini LEDs available for mobile device assembly is actually cost and reliability.

Of course, this is related to the higher cost of OLED itself and yield rate generally cannot be separated, although at present OLED has been widely used, and its production yield has gradually improved, but the higher cost and medium yield are still the flaws of OLED.

Even Samsung, an OLED giant, adjusted some mid-range models that use OLEDs to LCDs (such as the Galaxy A series) in 2018. Although Samsung did not explain this, according to Korean media Analysis of ETNews has a certain relationship with the cost of the panel, after all, the yield rate can be directly linked to the cost.

On the other hand, because mini LEDs also have the characteristics of high-contrast colors, thinner, foldable, and drillable features of OLEDs, and the light source becomes a backlight panel instead of the panel itself, mini LEDIt can also solve the durability problems such as “burning screen” from the root. In addition, according to statistics from the Industrial and Industrial Research Institute, compared to OLED, mini LED also has a 20% ~ 30% reduction in energy consumption and faster response speed.

So, mini LED is more like a new technology between traditional LCD and OLED. It changes the size of the backlight source on the basis of the former, but retains the shape and color advantages of OLED.

▲ Comparison of mini LED and Micro LED technology

For the reason that Guo Mingdi predicted in the report that Apple will use mini LEDs in the iPad Pro and MacBook Pro devices, I think it is mainly related to the positioning of the two products and improving the device experience.

In this aspect, mini LEDs are thinner in form than traditional LCDs, and their power consumption characteristics can also extend the service life of mobile devices. This is true for the two mobile products that will be thinner and extend battery life in the future. Sexual help. On the other hand, the backlight characteristics of the mini LED can also bring higher screen brightness and sharpness to the two Pro-oriented products, and also gradually distinguish the Pro series from other series in terms of hardware configuration.

However, although mini LED is not as far away from us as Micro LED, this technology is still in the early stage of “achievable but not energy-producing”. This is why Guo Mingyu said that Apple devices using mini LED technology are the most popular. The main reason for the arrival of the third quarter of next year. And according to the past industrial assembly rhythm of OLED screens, mini LED should need to be produced and used in large quantities after 2020.