Market Overview

The global market size of Mini LED displays is projected to attain 18,122 thousand units in 2024, 123.2％of that of the previous year  (based on the shipment volume of manufacturers). While the main application of Mini LED displays had been computer tablets, in the last few years the demand is increasing rapidly as displays for television sets (high-end TVs). The market size of Mini LED TVs is expected to surpass 7 million units in 2024, exceeding that of OLED TVs. Considering that Apple is starting to replace Mini LED with OLED display for its new iPad products, a mainstay application for Mini LED displays will likely be TVs hereafter.

On the other hand, we forecasted that the global market size of MicroLED displays will reach 244 thousand units in 2024, 297.6% of that of the preceding year. Despite the steady demand growth for compact electronic devices and smartwatches in general, as the launch of Apple’s smartwatches equipped with a MicroLED display has been pushed back to 2026 (which may slip to 2027 or even later), a major market growth of MicroLED displays cannot be expected sooner. Meanwhile, adoption of MicroLED displays as AR/VR display, AR display in particular, is expected to gain momentum. For these reasons, we predicted that the market of MicroLED displays will be driven mainly by smartwatches and AR/VR displays.

Noteworthy Topics

LEDoS MicroLED Displays Expected to Increase Presence in AR Devices

Whilst AR/VR displays commercially available today are mostly using ultra-compact liquid crystal displays (LCDs), MicroLED's very high brightness and reduced power consumption indicates high compatibility to AR device, which needs to show images on transparent smartglasses not only for those used indoors but also for those used outdoors.

As a result, we believe the installation of LEDos MicroLED displays for AR devices will grow in tandem with the growth of the entire AR device market. Although MicroLED displays compete with OELD-on-Silicon (OLEDoS) microdisplays for AR/VR applications, since MicroLED displays are suited for VR devices like headsets, MicroLED displays has a competitive edge over them as technology built into a pair of AR smartglasses.

Future Outlook

Propelled by the demand for displays for high-end TV displays, the global market of Mini LED displays is forecasted to expand to 57,964 thousand units by 2031. Meanwhile, the global market of MicroLED displays is projected to reach 21,380 thousand units by 2031, driven by the rise for demand to introduce them in AR/VR devices and smartwatches.

Research Outline