MiniLED Displays 2023 - Performance and optical construction comparison

• Apple
• Luminit
• Mntech Nanolumi
• Samsung
• Skyworth
• TCL

A competitive position for MiniLED with regard to OLED

After several years and many announcements, MiniLED backlights are coming to the market. According to manufacturers’ claims, they will allow LCDs to offer a contrast similar to OLED while providing high brightness. All that while offering reduced power consumption, a very thin form factor (thickness), and cost/price competitiveness with OLED.

Most major TV manufacturers like Samsung, Sony, LG, TCL, and Skyworth offer MiniLED TVs. MiniLED technology is also used in other types of display devices, such as monitors and tablets.

Many products are on the market, using different technologies such as Quantum Dots, Optical Distance Zero, All-In One-Plate, or Chip-On-Glass technology. Users, integrators, and manufacturers must discriminate between available products based on accurate and independent assessments of their performance and features.

Fair comparisons between product features and performance

In order to understand the technology of the MiniLED backlights, PISÉO has analyzed the optical architecture of five MiniLED displays:

• Apple iPad Pro MiniLED 12”9 Tablet,
• Samsung MiniLED Odyssey NEO G9 Monitor,
• Samsung QLED 64.5" 65QN900A TV,
• TCL 85X925 Pro 85” TV,
• Skyworth Q72 Smart MiniLED TV

PISÉO analyzed the technologies implemented and the optical performance in terms of brightness, contrast, halo, and color and presents here the different implementations.

This provides a better understanding of the characteristics of such products and the performance currently achievable with MiniLED technology in display applications to those operating in the display market, enabling better strategic decision-making.

The present report has a specific focus, reporting on the performance test results and analyses done on these five displays. It is an opportunity to make fair and objective comparisons between the product features and performance.

Technologies and architecture choices leading to different display performance

From an architectural perspective, the measurements and analysis performed by PISÉO on the five displays highlight that increasing the number of zones and reducing their surface area improve the quality of the local dimming experience (increases contrast and reduces halo), and that increasing the number of LEDs allows a reduction in the display thickness (Optical Distance). For large displays, manufacturers face the challenge of offering displays that are as thin as possible while still ensuring the rigidity of the display.

The brightness measurement and analysis made by PISÉO show the difficulty of combining a higher peak brightness and higher brightness uniformity in the same product.

The color reconstitution differs between the five analyzed displays. The difference is explained by the ability to generate pure primary colors with narrow wavelength bands. Color converters are crucial in converting blue light from MiniLEDs into the most monochromatic green and red wavelengths possible.

Key Features

• Description of the MiniLED-based backlight unit technology.
• Comparison of the backlight unit architecture of the five displays, each being made of several optical films,
• Comparison and analysis of the five displays, at product and at backlight unit levels, on:
  • brightness performance,
  • local dimming zone, contrast and halo performance,
  • color performance,
  • SDR Gamma and Video HDR10 EOTF,
  • artifacts (flicker and reflectance).

• Opinion of PISÉO on the different technologies used by the five analyzed displays.

Product objectives

• While manufacturers are announcing displays based on MiniLED, Apple, Samsung, TCL, and Skyworth claim to use technologies such as Quantum Dots, OD zero, Full-Array Local Dimming, and Chip-On-Glass technology. These technologies should improve the display’s brightness, contrast, and color purity. This report compares the optical performance of MiniLED backlight units and analyzes the role of each technology in the optical performance of displays:
• What is the MiniLED backlight unit.
• How is it made?
• Comparison of the features of each backlight unit.
• Comparison of the architecture employed in the backlight unit to increase optical performance.
• Comparison of the key performance of each display.
• Analysis of the relationship between the performance of the BLU and the performance of the display.

Glossary

Table of contents

General introduction

Objectives of the report

Our approach, how do we operate?

Authors of the report

Companies cited in the report

Executive Summary

Product overview

• Apple iPad Pro MiniLED 12”9

• Samsung Odyssey NEO G9

• Samsung QLED 64.5" TV 65QN900A

• TCL 85X925 Pro MiniLED 8K

• Skyworth Q72 Smart MiniLED

Architecture

• Executive Summary

• Overview

• Key Elements: Substrate, Chips, Optical Films, etc.

• Layers of the Optical Stack

• Optical Distance

• Die Size, Number of Dies, and Optical distance

• Optical Design and Thickness

• Focus: Samsung VS. TCL Pro 85” TV Optical Designs

• Overview: LEDs and Dimming Areas configuration

• Reflector Types

• LED Density

• Overview

• Number of Zones: Angular Resolution

Brightness

• Executive Summary

• BLU Brightness and BLU Brightness Uniformity

• Brightness Measurements

• Brightness

• Brightness Uniformity Measurements

• Brightness Uniformity

• Angle-dependent Brightness Behavior

• Display Performance vs BLU Performance