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Table comparing TCL's SQD-Mini LED technology with RGB Mini LED displays from Samsung and Hisense.

TCL defines SQD(Super Quantum Dot )-Mini LED as its flagship at CES 2026

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At CES 2026, while Samsung Electronics and Hisense positioned RGB Mini LED as the top tier of their existing QLED lineup, TCL presented a diametrically opposed strategy, placing Super Quantum Dot (SQD)—an evolution of QD technology—at the core of its flagship offerings. This signals a shift in the competition within the LCD-based ultra-large premium TV market, which is expected to expand around RGB backlighting. It also marks a stage where the role and status of QD are being redefined.

Specification comparison table of TCL SQD-Mini LED (X11L), Hisense RGB Mini LED (116UX), and Samsung Micro RGB TV (130")

Comparison of TCL’s SQD-Mini LED flagship strategy against RGB approaches from Samsung and Hisense at CES 2026. (Source: UBI Research)

TCL’s decision to showcase SQD-Mini LED as its flagship at CES 2026 reveals an intent to redefine the very concept of QD. Whereas QD was primarily perceived as a “material that expands color gamut,” TCL has repositioned Super Quantum Dot (SQD) as the core technology responsible for ‘color purity and control stability’ as QD evolves toward high brightness and ultra-high zone-count local dimming.

As Mini LED TVs evolve with ultra-high zone-count local dimming and ultra-high brightness, phenomena like color blooming/color crosstalk at high-brightness boundaries become more sensitive, not just simple brightness bleed (halo). TCL has prioritized addressing this issue in its flagship models, proposing a solution combining SQD (High-Purity QD) + filter + color purity algorithms.

TCL positioned SQD-Mini LED not as a new technology, but as an extension of the Halo Control System introduced at CES 2025. At CES 2025, TCL defined Halo not as a single backlight issue, but as a systemic challenge requiring a holistic solution encompassing optical distance (OD), drive timing, backlight control precision, local dimming algorithms, and panel characteristics. The key change at CES 2026 is that while maintaining this framework, the flagship’s problem definition has been expanded to a dual challenge of “brightness blooming + color blooming.”

Diagram of TCL's Halo Control System technology designed to manage light bleeding and color blooming

TCL’s Halo Control System addresses picture quality issues by integrating backlight control with advanced optical structures. (Source: TCL)

What’s interesting is that TCL didn’t deny the RGB trend itself. TCL positioned RGB Mini LED as a high-end lineup beneath its flagship SQD-Mini LED. This approach directly impacts consumer experience. High-end TV buyers care not only about the impact of ‘peak moments’ but are more dissatisfied when quality falters during specific content (subtitles, night scenes, high-contrast edges, fast-moving sports/gaming scenes). TCL’s decision to anchor SQD in its flagship models is interpreted as a strategic choice to align with premium buyers’ psychology—prioritizing “minimum dissatisfaction” over “peak perceived quality.”

At CES 2026, LG Display emphasized that OLED TVs offer more stable control over light and color compared to LCD-based premium TVs. This highlights the awareness that as competition intensifies in high brightness and ultra-high zone-count local dimming, ‘consistency of control’ could emerge as the core premium value, surpassing ‘highest specs’.

The premium TV market is expected to evolve into a multi-front competition for some time, with RGB-based (LCD) models offering perceived impact, QD/SQD models emphasizing color purity and control stability, and OLED maintaining its self-emissive control advantage. Ultimately, the decisive factor will not be competition over single metrics (brightness, number of dimming zones), but rather how stably light and color are maintained across diverse content environments as experienced by consumers, thereby minimizing dissatisfaction risks.

Changho Noh,  Senior Analyst at UBI Research (chnoh@ubiresearch.com)

▶2025-2026 Beyond Mobile: IT OLED Technology and Industry Analysis Report

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Bar chart illustrating the rapid growth of Mini-LED and OLED in the automotive display market through 2030.

Automotive Display Premiumization Accelerates… Mini-LED and OLED Revenue Share Expected to Exceed 10% in 2026, Expanding Further by 2030

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As the adoption of electric vehicles and the transition to software-defined vehicles (SDVs) gain momentum, automotive displays are rapidly being elevated from simple information panels to core components that shape user experience (UX) and enable brand differentiation. Amid this shift, the adoption of Mini-LED—capable of delivering both premium image quality and high readability—is expanding, with clear growth trends emerging across shipment volume and key market indicators.

According to UBI Research’s “2025–2026 Automotive Display Technology and Industry Trend Analysis Update Report,” shipments of automotive Mini-LED displays totaled approximately 4.5 million units in 2024 and are expected to increase to around 6.75 million units in 2025. The key drivers behind this demand are rising requirements for high brightness, enhanced readability, and high contrast, as applications expand to larger center information displays (CIDs), center displays, panoramic displays, and integrated screen configurations.

From a technology perspective, Mini-LED is considered an attractive option for automakers because it maintains an LCD-based structure while enabling premium image quality through local dimming, making it easier to secure both performance and supply stability. As a result, its influence within the market is expected to grow. The revenue share of Mini-LED displays is projected to increase from around 3.0% in 2024 to surpass 10% for the first time in 2026, and to exceed 20% from 2030 onward.

Forecast graph of automotive display shipments by technology (Mini-LED, OLED) from 2023 to 2030 (Source: UBI Research)

Graph showing the growth of the premium automotive display market, with Mini-LED projected to reach 6.75 million and OLED 4.5 million units in 2025. (Source: UBI Research)

In addition to Mini-LED, OLED is also showing strong growth momentum. Automotive OLED display shipments are projected to reach approximately 4.5 million units in 2025, and in the mid- to long-term are expected to form an annual market of around 13 million units by 2030. As a self-emissive technology, OLED delivers deep blacks and high contrast, making it advantageous for enhancing premium UI readability and overall visual quality. In terms of design, adoption is expanding primarily in high-end vehicles. OLED’s revenue share is forecast to exceed 10% in 2026 and expand to approximately 17% by 2030.

Changwook Han, Executive Vice President at UBI Research, stated, “Recently, automakers have been redefining the vehicle interior as a ‘brand experience space,’ and as competition intensifies in premiumization, display specification upgrades are becoming the most direct means of differentiation.” He added, “As demand grows for premium image-quality elements such as high brightness, high contrast, and wide color reproduction, both Mini-LED and OLED are benefiting from expanding adoption. Mini-LED is increasingly adopted for readability and stable mass-production applicability in large-area screens, while OLED is expanding primarily for premium emotional appeal and design differentiation.”

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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Bar chart illustrating the significant reduction in chip and package size of Smartkem's MiP4 technology compared to POB and COB methods.

Smartkem unveils next-generation Mini-LED backlight technology at IDW 2025… Announces ‘MicroLED-in-Package (MiP4)’ structure featuring proprietary RDL technology

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UK-based advanced materials company Smartkem announced its next-generation Mini-LED backlight technology at International Display Workshops 2025, held at the Hiroshima International Conference Center in Japan from December 3 to 5. Co-developed with National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) in Taiwan and Coretronic, this technology is named ‘MiP4 (MicroLED-in-Package 4-in-series).’ It is characterized by solving the challenges of micro LED processes and maximizing price competitiveness through the convergence of advanced semiconductor and display process technologies.

While Mini-LED backlight technology currently leads the premium TV and tablet markets by providing excellent contrast ratios and color reproduction, it faces structural limitations. Mini LED chips like the existing ‘0820’ model (0.2mm x 0.5mm) cannot be miniaturized further, limiting cost reduction potential. Furthermore, while backlight driver circuits typically use 12V as the standard voltage, individual LED chips operate at around 3V, necessitating separate step-down converters. This was a major cause of power loss and complicated driver board design.

The MiP4 technology presented by the Smartchem research team at this year’s Hiroshima IDW ‘25 solved these issues with a novel approach called ‘series connection packaging’. The team placed four ultra-small micro-LED chips, each under 85µm (micrometers), onto a glass substrate and electrically connected them in series to form a single package (0.6mm x 0.6mm).

Comparison graph of Chip size (black) and Package size (blue) for POB, COB, and MiP4 technologies (Source: Smartkem)

Comparison showing significantly reduced chip and package sizes of MiP4 compared to conventional POB and COB methods (Source: Smartkem)

The most notable aspects of this research result are material efficiency and luminance performance. Smartchem announced that in testing a backlight module composed of 400 zones, MiP4 technology reduced the amount of GaN (gallium nitride) epitaxial material used by a remarkable 84% compared to the existing COB (Chip-on-Board) method. While the conventional COB method uses 73.6mm² of GaN area per backlight unit, MiP4 uses only 11.56mm², dramatically lowering material costs.

The MiP4 manufacturing process integrates advanced semiconductor and display process technologies. The research team adopted a method where the GaN LED structure grown on a sapphire substrate is separated via a ‘Chemical Lift-off’ process and then transferred onto a glass substrate. On the glass substrate, a redistribution layer (RDL) composed of a polymer insulating film and metal wiring was formed, electrically connecting four micro LEDs in series.

(a) Schematic of RDL routing for uLED series integration on glass substrate (Source: Smartkem)

(a) Schematic illustrating the RDL routing process for integrating micro-LEDs in series on a glass substrate (Source: Smartkem)

This ‘Chip-first’ and RDL-based integration process not only ensures 12V compatibility at the chip level but also provides a package form immediately applicable to SMT (Surface Mount Technology) processes, enhancing manufacturing reliability.

Material usage decreased while performance actually improved. The MiP4-based backlight module achieved a maximum luminance of 34,047 nits with an optical film applied, demonstrating significantly higher luminous efficiency compared to commercial COB products that recorded 25,619 nits.

Smartchem and the research team anticipate that once commercialized, this technology will become a powerful weapon capable of competing with OLED in the small-to-medium high-definition display market, including notebooks, tablets, and automotive displays.

Smartkem MiP4 details: (a) MiP4-based 400-zone on FR-4 PCB, (b) laminated optical film stack with 12V driving, (c) Performance comparison table between COB and MiP4 (Source: Smartkem)

(a) MiP4-based 400-zone backlight unit, (b) demonstration with laminated optical films under 12V driving, and (c) table comparing brightness and efficiency between COTS (COB) and MiP4 (Source: Smartkem)

Changho Noh,  Senior Analyst at UBI Research (chnoh@ubiresearch.com)

▶2025 Micro-LED Display Industry and Technology Trends Report

▶XR Industry Trends and OLEDoS Display Technology & Industry Analysis Report

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2026 Outlook (1) Premium TV: OLED TV Cost Improvement and Mini-LED Expansion Strategy

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In the 2025 TV market, the proliferation of large-size RGB Mini-LED products has significantly broadened technological options. Manufacturers, led by TCL and Hisense, have actively expanded their product lineup to 85- to 115-inch sizes, increasing affordability in the ultra-large market. In particular, leveraging the efficiency of large-area panel production using 10.5th-generation LCD production lines, they have introduced products at a variety of price points. This shift has diversified the competitive landscape in the ultra-large market, particularly those 80 inches and above.

According to a table analyzing the selling prices of OLED and RGB Mini-LED TVs by UBI Research, factors other than price still play a significant role in consumer selection in the 60- to 70-inch segment. While RGB Mini-LED TVs have become more accessible, with prices dropping to around $1,000, OLED TVs are also selling at similar price points, thanks to sales promotions and a mature supply chain, maintaining a balanced technological landscape. In particular, OLED’s unique picture quality characteristics, such as black expression, viewing angle, and response time, continue to be a key factor in the premium 65- to 77-inch market.

2025 OLED TV and RGB Mini-LED TV Price Comparison by Size (Source: UBI Research)

2025 OLED TV and RGB Mini-LED TV Price Comparison by Size (Source: UBI Research)

A key variable in the 2026 market outlook is structural improvements in OLED TV panel manufacturing costs. With the end of depreciation of LG Display’s Guangzhou 8.5th-generation OLED line in the second half of 2025, fixed costs will be reduced. Furthermore, process stabilization and material cost reductions are expected to streamline the overall cost structure. This will allow manufacturers to pursue a broader range of pricing strategies and is highly likely to strengthen OLED’s price competitiveness, particularly in the premium 65- to 77-inch market.

Meanwhile, the Mini-LED camp is expected to adopt various strategies to address this trend. Major manufacturers are seeking to maintain competitiveness through improvements in backlight structures, refinement of operating algorithms, and product portfolio restructuring. Based on production structures that leverage the 10.5th-generation LCD line, they are likely to expand their product line options in ultra-large and mid- to large-sized products. Analysts suggest that RGB Mini-LED TVs will continue to offer advantages in terms of production efficiency, particularly in the ultra-large market (80 inches and above). UBI Research Vice President Han Chang-wook predicted, “In 2026, the premium TV market will become more structured, with each technology’s strengths differing across segments, driven by a complex mix of consumer demands, pricing conditions, and manufacturers’ product strategies.” He continued, “OLED is expected to strengthen its competitiveness in key premium segments based on cost improvements, while Mini-LED will expand its response strategy based on production efficiency in ultra-large areas. This will strengthen the multi-layered market structure, where the two technologies each demonstrate competitiveness in different areas.”

Changwook Han, Executive Vice President/Analyst at UBI Research (cwhan@ubiresearch.com)

▶Quarterly Medium & Large OLED Display Market Tracker Sample

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Moving forward with ultra-large vehicle displays

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Not only are vehicle displays increasing in size and number, but pillar-to-pillar displays, which integrate multiple displays on the dashboard into a single screen, have recently been applied to automobiles. Pillar-to-pillar displays have the advantage of enhancing the competitiveness of premium automobile brands through simple and stylish interiors, and allowing users to enjoy movies and games in the car through large screens. The Geely Galaxy E8 EV, launched last year, is equipped with a 45-inch pillar-to-pillar display. The display is a panel with amorphous silicon TFTs and Mini-LEDs and was supplied by BOE.

Sony Honda Mobility’s upcoming 2026 electric vehicle, AFEELA, will feature a 40-inch pillar-to-pillar display. The 40-inch pillar-to-pillar display panel with LTPS TFT and Mini-LEDs is provided by LG Display.

(Source: LG Display)

(Source: LG Display)

TPS TFTs have the advantage of faster mobility than amorphous silicon TFTs, making it easier to create high-resolution, high-brightness panels and reducing the black border, known as the bezel. And Mini-LEDs that utilize localized dimming are more expensive as the number of chips increases, but they offer OLED-like image quality with higher contrast and reduced thickness, which is important for external viewability.

“The share of LTPS TFTs in automotive displays was 34.7% in 2024 by revenue and will grow to 52.3% by 2030,” said Chang Wook Han, principal analyst at UBI Research. “The share of Mini-LEDs in automotive displays was 6.4% in 2024 and will increase to 29.1% by 2030,” said Han.

Chang Wook HAN, UBI Research Analyst(cwhan@ubiresearch.com)

▶2025 Automotive Display Technology and Industry Trends Analysis Report Sample