(Yicai Global) Oct. 14 -- Chinese display manufacturers are investing heavily in mini and micro-light-emitting diode technologies which are emerging and increasingly compact ways to make TV and phone screens more bright.

From January to August, more than 30 Chinese companies invested CNY41.5 billion (USD5.8 billion) in the field of mini and micro-LED displays, thanks to favorable policies and the rising downstream demand, the China Video Industry Association wrote in a white paper released yesterday.

Pioneers in the field are trying to balance between quality and costs to increase the use of the novel products as fast as they can, Yicai Global learned. The shipments of mini-LED TV sets will likely surpass those of organic light-emitting diode TVs in 2026 as the picture quality of mini-LED displays improves and costs drop, said Yan Chenghui, general manager of Beijing-based Xianxin Technology.

Leading Chinese panel firms, including San’an Optoelectronics, Shenzhen's Jiangxi Zhaochi Semiconductor, and Xiamen-based Changelight, have made big bets, which is expected to drive the development of these types of displays.

Xiamen-headquartered San’an announced in March that it will raise CNY7.9 billion (USD1.1 billion) and use CNY6.9 billion of that to build its mini and micro-LED display project in Hubei province. Zhaochi also said in March that it will invest CNY5 billion to build a plant to make mini-LED chips and fine-pitch LED display modules.

Global device makers, including Apple, Samsung, and TCL, have adopted mini-LED backlight technologies in their products to allow for clearer colors due to smaller diode sizes.

The global shipments of medium-sized mini-LED panels should jump by 86 percent to 13.8 million units this year from a year ago, and over 95 percent of the total should go to Apple, based on the white paper. Mini-LED displays used in TV sets are expected to tally 4.6 million units, and next year, large shipments of mini-LED displays for vehicles should begin.

Chinese panel suppliers TCL China Star Optoelectronics Technology, Boe Technology Group, and Skyworth Group are developing mini and micro-LED displays. Some of those are for cars. TCL CSOT partnered with teams from carmaker Mercedes-Benz and tire manufacturer Continental to develop a 47.5-inch mini-LED display with 8K resolution for vehicles.

In 2026, the global shipments of vehicle-mounted mini and micro-LED displays will reach five million units, industry experts predicted.

Editors: Shi Yi, Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi