Over a decade after Sony demonstrated micro-LED technology, a few brands have followed and pursued the use of inorganic LEDs, touted to beat OLEDs. Sony initially targeted its Crystal LED for professional and commercial applications and tapped the high-end residential segment later. But it is Samsung that is credited to have introduced the first consumer modular micro-LED TV at CES 2018.
While OLED continues to lord over the display sphere, micro-LED has been steadily making its mark, especially in more than 100in screens. LG released the LG Magnit, a 136in unit for meeting rooms and conference halls, in 2023, and a residential 118in version the following year. TCL joined the fray with a 163in set, the X11H Max. The prototype made an appearance at Display Week 2024.
At the recent CES 2025, Samsung presented a transparent display concept based on micro-LED, previously announced in 2024, as well as a smartwatch concept. It also showcased a beauty mirror that can analyze skin types and provide recommendations. In TVs, the company has a micro-LED lineup that includes a 110in unit released in 2022 and the 89, 101 and 114in models in 2024.
The event was also the venue for the launch of Hisense’s 136MX MicroLED, its first consumer-ready 136-inch MicroLED TV.
Elsewhere, others have presented prototypes, developing or shipping transparent displays. They include AUO, VueReal, Tianma, PlayNitride, Innolux, Sitan and Lextar, according to MicroLED-Info, a portal for micro-LED professionals and enthusiasts.
Advantages over OLED
Both micro-LED and OLED are self-emissive, a feature that eliminates the need for backlighting typical in LCDs, mini-LEDs and QLEDs.
However, micro-LEDs outperform OLEDs in terms of brightness, response time and life span. They produce higher brightness, with up to 10,000cd/sqm already achieved while the maximum for OLEDs is 3,000cd/sqm. Based on response time that helps in reducing motion blur, micro-LED’s is as short as 2ns compared to OLED’s 1 to 2ms.
And while both technologies render colors in high contrast, micro-LEDs have better stability over time thanks to the use of inorganic LEDs. OLEDs, which use organic semiconductor materials that degrade after a while, can suffer burn-ins and discoloration. This major difference in structure also results in a longer life span for micro-LEDs.
One other advantage of micro-LED is its use of a modular design, allowing tiling or putting together of multiple modules to create a much bigger display.
Caveat
Despite the benefits offered by micro-LED, it has not yet reached commercialization because it is still a new technology.
Traditional LED chips are usually larger than 200μm, mini-LEDs are sized 101 to 200μm and micro-LEDs are below 100μm, according to Ross Noonan of UK-based company LED Studio. Because they are extremely small, micro-LEDs require high precision and accuracy for handling and assembling or a new set of manufacturing technologies. The size also makes defect detection and repair processes complicated and difficult, and this impacts throughput.
VueReal CEO Reza Chaji, in an interview with DigiTimes, enumerated the five key challenges in micro-LED mass production: cost, yield, throughput, performance and wafer utilization efficiency.
There are solutions being developed to address these issues and they are expected to result in improving manufacturing efficiency, accuracy and scalability and realizing commercialization at the level OLED.
Great promise
Owing to micro-LED’s potential to be the next-generation display and lighting technology, Research and Markets is projecting that it will achieve a CAGR of 71.51 percent between 2024 and 2034. The market, valued at $3.73 billion in 2024, will reach $821.54 billion by the end of the forecast period.
The applications that will drive this growth include AR and VR headsets, TVs, smartwatches, automotive head-up displays, monitors and laptops, smartphones and tablets, and digital signage. In the lighting segment, micro-LEDs are anticipated to be adopted in general, automotive and specialty lighting. This makes consumer electronics the biggest market, followed by the automotive and advertising industries.
In spite of Apple’s cancellation of its micro-LED project with ams-Osram, the sector would maintain its momentum, according to a press release from the Yole Group. “Companies are rethinking their strategies – some are slowing down or stopping, while others are accelerating their efforts, taking advantage of less competition. Alliances are forming along geographic lines, with around thirty fabs or pilot lines still moving forward.”
China’s micro-LED ventures
The promising future of micro-LED technology has been attracting the attention of Chinese manufacturers.
In 2022, Shenzhen Tianma built the first micro-LED display production line in the country, which is scheduled to begin operating for small batch orders in 2025. Chengdu Vistar allocated $416 million in 2023 for a micro-LED display project scheduled to have started mass manufacturing toward the end of 2024. The facility is for 4.78, 14.5, 29, 58, 88 and 102in units.
In the chips segment, San’an spent $1.2 billion on a new factory in Hubei to produce 1.61 million mini-LED and micro-LED GaN epitaxial wafers, 750,000 GaAs epitaxial wafers and 84,000 mini-LED backlights every year.
BOE HC Semitek invested $277 million in a project that would have started operations in late 2024. The plant’s annual production capacity is 58,800 micro-LED wafers. Meanwhile, Chongqing Konka installed production lines, with a monthly output of 2,400 micro-LED chips and 1,000sqm displays.
In 2024, agreements were signed, with a total investment of $11.11 billion, according to Sohu News.
Micro-LEDs
Micro-LEDs can be sourced from China. These usually have chips from Epistar, San’an and Nichia, driver ICs from Raydium and Samsung and glass substrates from Corning, AGC, Sumitomo and Nitto.
