Omdia: Mini LED backlight LCD display expected to surpass OLED display in 2025

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According to the latest Omdia Mini LED Backlight Market Tracker, LCD TV display equipped with mini-LED backlight unit will be reaching 6.2 million units in 2024. During the same year, Samsung Display and LG Display are forecasted to produce 6.8 million units of OLED TV display, including both WOLED and QD OLED TV variants. However, by 2025, the mini-LED backlight TVs are forecasted to reach 9.3 million units, surpassing the 7.5 million units of OLED TV, for the first time.

Since 2022, the LCD TV display market with mini-LED backlight and quantum dot materials has experienced substantial growth. This expansion is driven by the continuous cost reductions through effective supply chain management of the mini-LED backlight and advancements in quantum dot materials. While OLED TV displays are celebrated for their infinite contrast ratio, exceptional color gamut and fast response times, the combined mini-LED backlight and quantum dot-equipped LCD TV display is now challenging OLED TV's dominance. The mini-LED backlight enhances dimming functions and HDR capabilities while quantum dots boost color gamut performance, leading LCD TV OEMs and panel makers to adopt both technologies to elevate their product specifications.

OLED TV display shipment have outpaced mini-LED backlight displays for the past decade, but this trend is set to change from 2025.

Samsung, LG Electronics, Sony, TCL and Hisense are all aiming for double digit growth in their mini-LED backlight TV display shipment in 2024 and 2025.

"OLED TV panels offer significant advantages in the high-end TV market, such as higher brightness, better environmental friendliness due to fewer components and materials, no halo effect on the screen since there is no mini-LED grouping for dimming zones, and a strongly established premium TV image among consumers," commented David Hsieh, Senior Research Director in Omdia's Displays practice.

"However, mini-LED backlights are now competitive in several aspects : a mature supply chain, the shift to larger LCD TV displays, the cost-effective 500-2,000 dimming zones, the production of super larger size like 85-inches and above, and ample capacity for LCD TV open cells,"  added Hsieh. "Therefore, there will be intense competition between mini-LED backlight LCD TVs and OLED TVs moving forward, which will help expand the high-end TV segment and align with the trends towards larger sizes," concluded Hsieh.