Mini LED backlight technology enhances display performance, such as contrast and brightness, by integrating more LED chips and implementing local dimming. This innovation has injected new vitality into LCD displays.

As we enter 2025, notable trends are emerging in Mini LED backlight technology, both in technical advancements and applications, signaling a possible transition into the 2.0 era.

Hisense & Samsung Upgrade Mini LED with RGB Light Sources
With the maturation of the industry chain and increasing adoption by downstream manufacturers, more display products are now equipped with Mini LED backlighting.

However, basic Mini LED backlighting alone is no longer a sufficient competitive advantage. To enhance product competitiveness, manufacturers have adopted a strategy of increasing the number of LED chips and creating more local dimming zones, thereby achieving finer control and higher contrast for premium displays.

However, leading display manufacturers are now focusing on the light source itself to improve Mini LED backlight technology. At CES 2025, Hisense and Samsung unveiled their latest Mini LED backlight solutions, integrating RGB chips as light sources to emit white light, replacing the traditional method of using blue light combined with phosphors.

Specifically, Hisense launched the world’s first 116-inch RGB Mini LED TV, claiming to feature the industry’s first RGB three-dimensional color control LCD display technology and the world’s first RGB light-source synchronized control picture quality chip.

(Photo credit: Hisense)

According to reports, the RGB three-dimensional color control LCD display technology transitions from traditional black-and-white backlighting to RGB multi-primary color backlighting and from single light control to synchronized light-color control.

This results in more realistic and delicate colors and richer, clearer details in Mini LED backlit displays. Hisense previously stated that its RGB Mini LED TV is expected to be available in March 2025.

Similarly, Samsung also introduced its RGB Micro LED TV at CES 2025, earning the CES 2025 Innovation Award.

Samsung claims that this is the world’s first RGB Micro LED TV, featuring the first full-color local dimming, lowest power consumption, and the thinnest consumer display design.

(Photo credit: Samsung)

Unlike traditional LED TVs that use only blue backlighting, this new solution employs Micro RGB (red, blue, and green light) backlight technology, utilizing even smaller LED chips to emit light separately. This enables more vivid colors while reducing power consumption by 20%.

Samsung revealed that the RGB Micro LED TV will be available in 75-inch 4K and 85-inch 4K models, along with the first-ever 98-inch 8K version, scheduled for release later this year.

Apart from Samsung and Hisense, media reports suggest that TCL is also expected to launch an RGB-LED backlight TV this year, integrating its previously introduced “Omnipanel Dimming Technology” with RGB Mini LED technology.

Mini LED Backlight Soon to Be Applied to Smartphones?
As Mini LED technology advances, its application scope continues to expand beyond televisions, monitors, laptops, automotive displays, and VR headsets. A new potential application for Mini LED backlighting is emerging.

Reports suggest that some display manufacturers are currently testing Mini LED screens and planning trial production of Mini LED backlit smartphone displays. However, further details have yet to be disclosed.

Given the current smartphone display market, OLED technology is already highly developed. Therefore, for Mini LED backlight + LCD display solutions, which are still in their early stages, the advantages remain unclear. Whether this solution can establish practical application value in the highly competitive smartphone market requires further market observation.

Will Apple Return to Mini LED Backlighting?
Reports indicate that Apple is expected to launch a second-generation Studio Display with Mini LED backlighting in 2025, supporting a 90Hz refresh rate.

Apple has previously integrated Mini LED technology into several products, including its first professional-grade Pro Display XDR, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (5th & 6th generations), and the 14/16-inch MacBook Pro models from 2021 and 2023—covering monitors, tablets, and laptops.

However, since 2023, Apple has shifted its focus toward OLED technology, aiming to introduce nine OLED-based products before 2027, including iPads and MacBooks.

Apple’s transition to OLED technology has posed challenges to the growth of Mini LED backlighting. However, the potential launch of the second-generation Studio Display with Mini LED backlighting brings new hope to the Mini LED industry, indicating that major tech companies have not abandoned the technology entirely, and it may still be featured in future products.

What are the upcoming prospects for Mini LED backlighting? On February 26-27, 2025, TrendForce’s LEDinside and WitsView will host the 2025 TrendForce Next-Gen Display Industry Seminar (DTS 2025) at the JW Marriott Hotel in Shenzhen, China.

At the event, industry experts and analysts will provide in-depth insights into the development and application of Mini LED backlight technology. Additionally, more exciting discussions on display industry trends will be featured at the conference—an event not to be missed!

(Photo credit: Samsung)

TrendForce 2025 Mini LED Backlight Display Trend and OLED Technology Competition Analysis
Release Date:
PDF (194 Pages)- 28 August 2024
Languages: Traditional Chinese / English