In simple terms, mini LED is a backlighting tool whereas micro LED serves as the actual display. The advantage of using mini LED chips for backlights is that this technology is smaller and offers better brightness, color and contrast specifications than currently used LED chips. However, the downside is a higher cost, so at least in the beginning, this will only be for higher-end panels.
AUO chairman and CEO Paul Peng says the adoption of mini LED has no impact on the company's micro LED roadmap. Peng notes micro LED remains in the development stage in 2018-2019, but adds that many product samples are expected to be shown during that period. At the moment, AUO has no date set for the volume production of micro LED as there are still a lot of challenges with the technology.
For micro LED, due to challenges in mass transfer technology, it is quite unlikely to be adopted for TV, Peng noted. But micro LED is better than OLED in terms of service life and than LCD in terms panel thickness and contrast, Peng said.
Micro LED, which is also better than OLED in resolution and than LCD in response time, are most likely to be used in AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) devices, Peng indicated. Micro LED panels will also be suitable for use in smartphones but may be less competitive in cost, Peng noted, adding micro LED applications for smartphones may come after they have been successfully used in other products, Peng said.