Mini LED backlit displays are expected to cost less than OLED displays by 2022, making Mini LED backlit displays market competitive, according to a TrendForce LEDinside survey released on Wednesday.
TrendForce said the cost of Mini LED backlit displays is expected to be more than $100 (about $710), of which the Mini LED backlight module cost more than 60%.
The survey shows that the current manufacturing cost of Mini LED backlit displays is higher than traditional LCD and OLED displays. However, as manufacturers continue to improve process technology and process yields, the cost of Mini LED backlit displays is expected to decline by 15-20% per year.
In December last year, Tianfeng International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple will launch four to six products with Mini LED displays over the next two to three years.
The first product with Mini LED will be the high-end 12.9-inch iPad Pro with A14X processor, expected to be released in the third quarter of this year, and the second will be the 16-inch MacBook Pro, expected to be mass-produced in the fourth quarter of this year.
However, in mid-April this year, analyst Jeff Pu said that the 12.9-inch iPad Pro with a Mini LED display may be "delayed" until early 2021 due to the complicated panel design of the device.
Previously, Kuo had expressed Apple's interest in Mini LED displays because they offer good wide color gamut performance, high contrast, high dynamic range and local dimming for a longer life. At the same time, using Mini LEDs will make the display thinner, lighter, and not as prone to aging as OLED.
In addition to the iPad Pro, Apple will also integrate Mini LED backlighting technology into other product lines, while other leading brands will also use the technology in their own products.
