TrendForce: Mini LED backlight TV shipments to reach 3 million units this year

In the past two years, brands such as Samsung, TCL, and Xiaomi have successively launched Mini LED backlit TVs. TrendForce research points out that high-specification Mini LED backlit TV products have successfully opened up market topics among Korean brands. With Chinese mainland brands adopting cost-effective sales strategies to boost product shipments, it is estimated that global Mini LED backlit TV shipments will reach 2.6-3 million units in 2021.

According to a report published on TrendForce's official website on May 20, OLED has become synonymous with high-spec TVs due to its high color saturation and high contrast ratio, which has won the favor of consumers. However, the current high price of OLED TV panels has led TV brands to switch to Mini LED backlight TVs, which also feature high brightness and high contrast ratios. The trend of competing with OLED has taken shape, and has also opened up a new specification positioning for the TV market.

In 2021, Samsung Electronics officially launched the new Neo QLED product equipped with Mini LED backlight. The display size covers 55 inches to 85 inches, with high resolution of 4K and 8K. The backlight source uses 8000-30000 Mini LEDs, and is equipped with 500-2500 zone backlight control to create a high contrast effect of 1000000:1. Coupled with the high color saturation solution of quantum dots, Samsung Electronics not only has a new generation of high-end products that can compete with OLED, but also quickly made a name for itself in Mini LED backlit TVs.

Chinese TV brands such as TCL and Xiaomi have launched Mini LED backlit TVs one after another, and their deployment of Mini LED TVs is even faster than that of Samsung. Among them, TCL's 6 series products, which are targeted at mid-range customers, use about 3,840 Mini LEDs and are equipped with a 240-zone dimming design, creating greater flexibility in cost. For a 75-inch 4K resolution TV, the price of TCL's 6 series is $2,000 lower than that of Samsung, making it more attractive to budget buyers who are brave enough to pursue new specifications.

Thanks to its cost-effective strategy, TCL achieved a shipment volume of 120,000 Mini LED backlit TVs in 2020. TrendForce also expects that such cost-effective products will continue to play an important role in driving the expansion of Mini LED backlit TV shipments in 2021.