HKC Expands RGB Mini LED to TVs, Monitors, and Automotive Displays
In the Chinese display industry, HKC has long been known as a leading panel manufacturer, fueled by its large-scale LCD-based mass production capabilities. However, its recent move to focus on RGB Mini LED is seen as a strategic shift that transcends its traditional identity. While existing Mini LEDs improved image quality through a combination of blue LED backlights and quantum dot film, HKC has adopted a structure that directly uses red, green, and blue (RGB) LEDs as the backlight source, demonstrating a technological advancement in color reproducibility, contrast control, and operating precision. RGB Mini LED is attracting attention as a next-generation display technology due to its ability to separate and control colors from the backlight stage, resulting in higher color purity and reduced light loss. Its scalability to large-area, high-brightness environments is also remarkable. This technological advancement has first become visible in the ultra-large-screen TV market. HKC has proven its large-area display capabilities by supplying 100-inch and larger RGB Mini LED TV panels to the global TV brand Hisense. In particular, the RGB Mini LED panel used in Hisense’s 116-inch UX series reportedly achieves a peak brightness of approximately 8,000nits, features 3,584 local dimming zones, and achieves color reproduction performance that meets over 95% of the BT.2020 color gamut. Simultaneously achieving high brightness and color uniformity on ultra-large screens is a technically challenging task. HKC is satisfying these requirements with RGB Mini LED, establishing a unique technological edge in the ultra-large TV market.
In the monitor market, the precision control capabilities of RGB Mini LED are expected to be further highlighted. HKC plans to officially announce its next-generation premium monitor lineup based on RGB Mini LED at CES 2026, expanding its large-area TV picture quality technology to high-resolution, high-refresh-rate desktop environments. The 31.4-inch 4K RGB Mini LED monitor, the “M10 Ultra,” is expected to be unveiled at CES 2026. It features a total of 1,596 physical local dimming zones and employs cluster-based operation, individually controlling RGB elements within each zone. This RGB cluster-based control is a key factor in effectively suppressing the halo effect, a problem faced by existing Mini LED monitors. Its performance targets the premium market, with a peak brightness of approximately 1,600nits, a native refresh rate of 165Hz, and up to 330Hz in FHD mode. Color reproduction is also expected to reach 98% to 100% of the BT.2020 standard, making it ideal for gaming environments as well as video editing and professional monitors where color accuracy is crucial.
The automotive display sector is also a key area where HKC is strategically expanding its RGB Mini LED offerings. With the spread of electrification and autonomous driving technologies, in-vehicle displays are becoming larger and more multiplexed. Stable visibility even under direct sunlight and reliability over long periods of use are emerging as key requirements. HKC’s automotive display solution, utilizing RGB Mini LEDs, has reportedly achieved a power consumption reduction of approximately 20% compared to conventional methods while maintaining high brightness of over 1,000nits. In particular, in large-scale integrated display structures that integrate the cluster and CID into a single screen, RGB Mini LEDs are recognized as a technology suitable for next-generation dashboard design due to their ability to easily maintain brightness and color uniformity.
HKC’s 12.3-inch RGB Mini LED display optimized for automotive use with over 1,000 nits brightness and low power consumption. (Source: HKC)
A key enabler of this comprehensive product expansion is large-scale investment in Mini LED and M-LED production infrastructure. HKC is pursuing a dedicated Mini LED production base project worth approximately 9 billion yuan in Liuyang, China, with an annual production capacity of over 500 million Mini LED backlight modules. This production base integrates LED chips, backlight modules, and panel assembly into a single value chain, serving as a strategic base for simultaneously securing cost and supply stability, key challenges for RGB Mini LEDs. Furthermore, through the operation of its direct-view LED factory in Mianyang, HKC is accumulating experience in ultra-fine LED processes and laying the foundation for expansion into next-generation LED-based displays. According to Changwook Han, Executive Vice President of UBI Research, “HKC’s RGB Mini LED strategy is a strong mid- to long-term technology roadmap encompassing TVs, monitors, and automotive displays. Key to this is that it has simultaneously secured the core elements of high brightness, high color reproduction, and precision control, and is expanding these to large-area displays and high-reliability environments. With this, coupled with large-scale investments in Mini LED and M-LED production infrastructure, HKC is establishing a unique position in the next-generation LED-based display ecosystem.”
Changwook Han, Executive Vice President/Analyst at UBI Research (cwhan@ubiresearch.com)
2025 Automotive Display Technology and Industry Trends Analysis Report
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