2017 is approaching the end of the year, LED industry in this year is also considered the ups and downs, the impact of the oled industry, LED ring Cheng into signs of decline. What will surprise us in 2018?
一、 Micro LED is beautiful, but Mini LED is more real
2016 LED ring is the hottest Micro LED Micro LED, but in 2017 the long-awaited Apple Watch did not use the Micro LED screen, so I have been looking forward to the author really lost a hand, but fortunately Mini LED. From Micro LED to Mini LED strategy, the entire LED industry, has always felt that a long time to mass production technology to take a step forward. Maybe many people see the Micro LED is far away from us, because everyone is doing Mini LED, but I see the LED further.
Although Mini LED is considered a transitional product of Micro LED, but I think Mini LED should be treated as a new product form. First of all, do not say Micro LED in the end can mass production problems, to say that the current LCD and LED display, at least the demand for LED is still the largest display market, even if the OLED caused a great impact, but at least for the time being 3-5 years, the LCD display is still a place, especially in the case of China's large-size LCD line continued investment, the backlight market is still a great demand.
In addition, there are LED displays are accelerating toward smaller size, and Mini LED is out of the small space between the Micro LED, so if the small spacing continues to go down, Mini LED still have strong market demand support. So regardless of whether the production of Micro LED, LED industry, Mini LED is also a huge opportunity.
二、small distance into the cinema, the next step is TV
For LED displays, in addition to cell phones, monitors and TV screens, as well as movie screens, in 2017 Samsung unveiled the world's first LED movie screen and installed it at Lotte World Studios in South Korea. And it is reported that at the CES 2018 in Las Vegas in January 2018, Samsung will bring the first Micro LED TV. Among them, the largest size of 150 inches, and 2018 will be mass production on the market.
According to my understanding, Samsung's movie screen is a 455-inch screen diagonal, 1,024 cm wide and 540 cm high screen. In fact, p2.5,1010 package of small pitch display. However, the participation of Samsung is of great significance to the future development of small distances. At the same time Samsung plans to 2018 LED TV, which will also open up new opportunities for small spacing LED future.
三、iiPhone X to promote 3D sensing, VCSEL high-speed blue ocean
2017 is the tenth anniversary of Apple, so iPhone has done a lot of revision, one of which is Apple's iPhone X with Face ID. iPhone X Face ID and face recognition of the general mobile phone is not the same, with Face ID, iPhone can also detect whether the user's eye is watching the iPhone's display, while iPhone X also has 3D sensing capabilities. There is a structured light receiver module, which is composed of six components, one of which is the VCSEL. As the iPhone has always been the benchmark for the mobile phone industry, the industry forecast that this will lead to the rapid growth of VCSEL.
More to the point, near the end of 2017, Apple again announced plans to invest $ 390 million in its VCSEL array vendor Finisar, which is being used on the iPhone X TrueDepth camera. But shortly after Finisar posted a message that there was a problem with Apple's announcement that Finisar should pay 390 million U.S. dollars, Apple did not make any debt or equity investments in Finisar. The amount Apple refers to is the amount the company is expecting for a period of time Future business.
Regardless of investment or not, Finisar's VCSEL business will usher in new growth. Because VCSEL provides support for some of the key features of the iPhone X, such as Face ID, Animoji and portrait mode selfie, and AirPods' near-responsiveness. The iPhone X sales continued breakthroughs in the future more products will be applied to this series of design. It is reported that Apple has newly developed a high-end 2018 iPad, will use many of the design elements of the modified iPhone X, including built-in Face ID support. If in accordance with the previous Apple's supporting industrial chain demand for development, the future VCSEL bound to become a new growth momentum LED industry.
四、LGD launched the world's largest production line, OLED lighting usher in a new change
OLED lighting has long been considered as unattainable, too expensive, can not enter the home, can only be located in some high-level design, the market is not big. However, in 2017 LGD announced the launch of the world's largest OLED lighting production line and the introduction of OLED lighting brand "Luflex".
The fifth generation OLED lighting production line (1,100mm x 1,250mm) of LGD's Gumi P5 plant which is fully put into mass production is the largest in the world with the production line of the second generation (370mm x 470mm), a quantity of about 30 times or more can be produced. LGD plans to use 15,000 pieces as its initial production capacity, and then gradually expand production, mass production, is expected to improve quality, while ensuring price competitiveness, and accelerate the expansion of market share.
As a veteran of the LED industry, I have always believed in new technologies, and I can not believe their attitude. I believe LED people have experienced a T8 LED lamp 300 even higher prices when the price, but today only need a few dozen prices. OLED lighting in the end will not impact the LED, will always be expensive? In fact, from the current investment in China for OLED point of view, the future is the largest OLED manufacturing center. LED there is much room for price cuts, is not OLED no chance to cut into, I want to make a question mark.
Also worth mentioning is that in 2017 Guangya show, I found that OLED products have boarded the stage, of course, there are many deficiencies, but it does have his advantages. 2018 is considered the first year of OLED display in China, there will be many 6 generations of AMOLED production line after another release, production capacity will be substantially increased by 2020, which will have a new impact on LED lighting, I think as a LED industry, Still need to understand the changes in competitive technology before they can sit tight in their "fishing boat."
五、COB display into the lobby, small pitch market ushered in a new adjustment
COB small screen is actually not a concept of fresh, but why in the LED industry in 2017 to make it? Because Harvatek launched its COB display product in 2017, Harvatek's advantages may be even more pronounced as the small pitches go somewhere.
