Apple’s launch of iPhone X has led to a wave of 3D sensing technology, bringing its key component—vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL)—into the spotlight. However, the number of VCSEL suppliers with mass production capacity is very limited due to technical barriers, leading to short supply of VCSELs and thus delaying Android camp’s plan to follow suit. TrendForce estimates the penetration rate of 3D sensing in smartphones will grow from 2.1% in 2017 to 13.1% in 2018, while Apple remains the major adopter.

Here begins a debate: when Mini LED is ready to enter the smartphone display market, it have to face an oversupply of OLED screens. Does Mini LED still have chances to grow in this space? And for how long can it last?

Since Apple joined to share some of the OLED supply for its iPhone X in 2017, the shortage of OLED panels has become intensified. Because of the agreement Apple signed with the exclusive supplier Samsung, Apple always stays in the list as the top priority that a large proportion of the OLED supply goes to. Other smartphone manufacturers struggle as they also want to use OLED panels for their products but the supply is simply not enough. Thus, they, the Chinese smartphone brands in particular, turned to Mini LED.

Trends in the display industry are heavily influenced by the developments in the consumer electronics markets, and this is seen in the rapid growth of the OLED panel market due to the rising demand from smartphone and TV brands. 

The confirmation of Samsung Display (SDC) being Apple’s AMOLED panel supplier for the upcoming iPhone devices has spurred other smartphone brands and panel makers to aggressively invest in this display technology. The latest display market forecast by WitsView, a division of TrendForce, finds that AMOLED is set to become mainstream in the global smartphone market in the near future with the penetration rate reaching to almost 50% by 2020.

For the first time, Osram Opto Semiconductors has integrated two LED chips and a lens into a single module. The compact Oslux S 2.1 multi-chip LED brings together all the company's extensive technical expertise into a new LED product for camera flash applications. With its brightness of 125 lux, the Oslux S 2.1 provides uniform illumination of photos and video recordings from mobile devices such as smartphones.

Japan Display Inc. (JDI) intends to acquire Panasonic and Sony’s OLED joint venture JOLED to better compete with Korean rivals and emerging Chinese players, reported Nikkei Asian Review.

Samsung Electronics scrapped its flagship Galaxy Note 7 after a series of explosion incidents caused by faulty batteries that has dented its brand reputation. Industry insiders estimate the Korean electronic conglemorate might raise DRAM, AMOLED and other component prices to compensate losses incurred from the Note 7 incidents.

The adoption of iris recognition features into Samsung’s flagship Galaxy Note 7 in New York last week caught market attention, users of the device can unlock their phones simply by peering into their smartphone displays, reported TechNews.

ams AG, a leading provider of high performance sensors and analog ICs, today introduced new proximity sensing and proximity/ambient light sensing modules which enable android smartphone manufacturers to reduce the sensor aperture in the display’s cover glass to its smallest diameter.

A recent report from renowned Apple specialist and analyst Ming Chi Kuo from KGI Securities projects the current iPhone 6 design might be overhauled in the next generation phone, and be replaced with a 5.8” curved glass casing AMOLED display phone, reported MacRumors.

Philips introduced two new smartphones that employs its Soft Blue technology to reduce eye strain in October 31, 2015 in China, according to an article from Vine Report.

The specs on iPhone 6s were not far off from early predictions in the industry, such as Apple will be redesigning the phone to meet selfie enthusiasts’ demands, reported Chinese-language media TechNews.

Photos of a new HTC smartphone model featuring three LED flash lights have been leaked on Chinese media Weibo recently, reported CNMO.com.

Royal Philips, the global leader in lighting, today announced that the City of Los Angeles (LA) will become the first city in the world to control its street lighting through an advanced Philips management system that uses mobile and cloud-based technologies. The new technology confirms LA’s Bureau of Street Lighting as a trailblazer in next generation LED street lighting with a new solution that saves energy, reduces maintenance and provides quality lighting that makes streets safer for LA residents. The technology also supports Mayor Garcetti’s Great Streets initiative, promoting the revitalization of neighborhoods through more pedestrian-friendly streets for LA’s citizens.

Foxconn might start small scale OLED production in 2016, according to a Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun report.

The LEDWizard controller brings amazing lighting control right to any smartphone or tablet device and is perfect for controlling the lights in different rooms, and even on indoors and outdoor lighting systems without the hassle of requiring more remotes

Li-Fi, a technology that transmits large quantities of data using blinking LED light signals undetectable to the human eye, was considered a substitute for the radio frequency based Wi-Fi transmission during the technology’s early development stages. Yet, the technology’s applications has gradually evolved since it was created by Harald Haas, a professor at the University of Edinburgh, in 2010.

In the Western hemisphere, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has earned a reputation of being an Apple wannabe. Whether it is in the phone’s exterior design or operation system interface, Xiaomi tends to mimic Apple’s every detail (TechCrunch even made a graphic comparison last week to deliver the point), so it probably is not too surprising that it now wants sapphire glass for its premium smartphones too.

Smart bulbs are a very interesting smart home appliance and often the first products families introduce into the household, according to a report by Sinai. Manufacturers design concept is also easy to understand: Use the smartphone to control the light switch, and even swap colors, or audio system and other interactive products.

The sapphire substrate industry is booming on growing non-LED application demands. Tooted as having the potential to eliminate cracks and scratches, many electronic device manufacturers have been shifting their focus from glass to sapphire substrate over the past few years. A player looking into the sapphire substrate market has recently emerged.

In order to avoid saturation of the high-end smartphone market and increase market penetration in India and China, Samsung Display will reduce AMOLED panels and increase LCD panel production in 2014. Samsung Electronics wants to turn their focus to mid-market LED handsets in 2014, but this change in business strategy will have an impact on Samsung Display’s business performance.

The LED and sapphire substrate industry has a very close relationship. Through the use of industrial equipment, crystals are grown from raw materials which are then grinded into crystal bars. These bars are then sliced into sapphire substrate wafers. The majority of which are supplied to LED production. Due to the hardness and suitable structure of sapphire substrate for LED applications, the two have long been used in combination. 

Bay Area startup LumiLife is developing an aesthetically driven, technologically advanced lighting system that taps the vast potential of smart devices to deliver creative, personalized lighting experiences that bring colorful inspiration to people’s lives.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. introduced Galaxy Round, the first mobile phone with a curved display last week, the Galaxy Round. With this new curved display technology, Galaxy Round blends the latest smartphone screen innovations with unique design features are blended into Galaxy Round.

Samsung Mobile Display said on Sunday that it predicts the global smartphone market to grow to 500 million units in 2012 from 170 million in 2009, accounting for 29 per cent of the entire mobile phone market in 2012. And OLED screens could appear on 50 per cent of all mobile phones within next five years, the company predicted.