Apple has been working hard in the past few years to deploy the mini LED technology on its products. After much anticipation, the company finally introduced the new display technology with the iPad Pro. The new display offers more efficiency and bright colors than common LCDs. According to the Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), Apple may become a dominant company when it comes to mini LED technology in the coming years. Apparently, the shipment of display panels using Mini LED technology will overcome 40 million units by 2026.
Apparently, thanks to Apple’s iPad Pro which uses mini LED technology, the average quarterly shipment of mini LED display panels will reach 1 million units in 2021. According to the report, the amount may also hit considerable amounts later this year. According to Digital Supply Chain Consultants, the latest industry research shows that Apple Mini LED products will, in fact, dominate the market in the next few years. Furthermore, the researchers expect the price of Mini LED backlights to decrease considerably in the next few years. Apple is expected to bring in Chinese suppliers this quarter, so the technology may become considerably cheaper with more offers.
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Apple will dominate the micro-LED category and will introduce it on more products
The DSSC further states that with the lower production costs and further vertical integration, the price of mini LED will no longer be “out of reach”. Therefore, Apple may increase this technology on more products rather than saving it for premium devices. Now the big question, is whether other companies will join this trend or not. Maybe you’re still not aware of what mini LED represents, but we can clarify it a little below.
To those unaware, mini LEDs are smaller diodes that are less than 0.2 mm. In comparison to tractional LCDs that use multiple LEDs, a panel with mini-LEDs uses many more LEDs. While a traditional display has hundreds of LEDs, a mini-LED display uses more than a thousand. Therefore, the images can be clearer and brighter. Still, the energy consumption is way more efficient. Apple wants to explore mini LED displays that use 10,000 LEDs.
Worth noting, that the mini-LEDs are a starting step ahead of micro-LED displays. Apple is working on micro-LED technology, but the mini LED comes first. The micro-LED tech is similar to OLED with self-emissive pixels that can each be independently lit. It’s a technology that has the potential to replace OLED in the future. Unfortunately, there is still no sign of devices with this tech.
In related news, Apple seems to be the target of component supplies. While Samsung tries to get into the Apple M2 manufacturing, many VCM suppliers are trying to take part in iPhone 14 design.
