Micro LED and OLED respectively represent two major evolutionary directions of display technologies. Therefore, for some manufacturers of technological products, it is necessary to understand the application scenarios, prices, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of these two technologies.
According to data from Strategy Analytics, the global display panel market is expected to reach $180 billion in 2025. Among them, Micro LED, with its peak brightness of 100,000 nits, a lifespan of 100,000 hours, and low power consumption characteristics, is widely used in high-end TVs, AR/VR fields, and its output value is increasing rapidly.
For the applications of Micro LED, the most well-known ones are the 110-inch Micro LED TV of Samsung and Apple Vision Pro. These two types of products have respectively formed technical barriers for Samsung and Apple, creating huge product strategic advantages for the enterprises. In contrast, the application fields of OLED are different. It is mainly applied to smartphones (such as iPhone 15 Pro Max) and the foldable screen market.
So, when comparing Micro LED and OLED, what other differences are there between them? This article, titled "Micro LED VS OLED", provides a detailed analysis of the comparison of their application scenarios, prices, as well as advantages and disadvantages.What are Micro LED and OLED?
From the perspective of the light-emitting principle, there are completely different distinctions between Micro LED and OLED.
Micro LED emits light through inorganic semiconductor materials. Technicians have thinned, miniaturized, and arrayed the LED structure, and each pixel is composed of micrometer-scale LED chips. OLED uses an electric current to drive the organic material film, which belongs to the self-luminescence of organic materials.
Micro LED VS OLED: Differences in Application Scenarios
Micro LED: It is mainly applied to large-scale display scenarios, high-end smart wearables, and the AR/VR fields. According to a report by TrendForce, the market share of Micro LED in AR devices is expected to increase to 44% in 2030.
Cases:
Absen's ultra-high-definition Micro LED large screen once made an appearance in the control room of a new energy company in Inner Mongolia, with a total area of 121.5 square meters.
A certain enterprise exhibited the Micro LED "Illusory Panoramic Sky Screen" intelligent cockpit display solution at CES 2025.
Ams OSRAM and Nichia Chemical have mass-produced Micro LED headlight sources and successfully applied them in vehicles.
There is a rumor that Lenovo may launch a rollable screen laptop using Micro LED technology.
OLED: It is mainly applied to smartphones, smartwatches, and commercial display screens.
Cases:
High-end smartphones of Apple and Samsung use OLED screens, which have the technical characteristics of high contrast, vivid colors, and flexible bending, and are favored by many consumers.
The Apple Watch uses an OLED screen, which has high contrast, a ultra-thin design, and enables long battery life. Nowadays, LED technology is very mature and has formed a very large industrial chain. There are some professional LED screen rental companies that will cooperate with LED manufacturers to provide high-definition display screen services. These high-definition display screen equipment can provide the best audio-visual solutions for large-scale events and commercial roadshows.
Micro LED VS OLED: Price Comparison
Micro LED: Due to the complexity of the technology, the current cost of Micro LED is relatively high, and it is often used in the field of high-end technological products.
For example, Samsung's Micro LED TV may cost hundreds of thousands of yuan. However, according to industry insiders' analysis, with the increase in mass production scale, the cost of Micro LED will gradually decrease in the future, and it will be more widely applied to technological products.
OLED: After years of development, the wholesale cost of OLED is relatively low, and the price is relatively affordable.
Micro LED VS OLED: Comparison of Technical Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages of Micro LED:
High brightness: The theoretical full-color brightness reaches 100,000 nits, such as the Lehman Micro LED.
Long lifespan: Using inorganic materials, there is no screen burn-in issue, and it has a long service life.
Low power consumption: The power consumption is as low as 10% of that of LCD and 50% of that of OLED.
Clarity: The pixels are extremely small and dense, with an ultra-high resolution, which can make the image extremely clear even on large screens. In some high-end Micro LED displays, the pixel pitch can reach 0.4mm.
Response speed: The response speed of Micro LED is extremely fast, reaching the nanosecond level. When users watch sports events or play games, there is almost no motion blur.
High contrast: Each Micro LED pixel emits no light when turned off. The contrast ratio of some high-end Micro LED displays exceeds 1,000,000:1.
Disadvantages of Micro LED:
High technical difficulty: The mass transfer technology requires an industrial production yield of not less than 99.9999%, and the chip transfer error should not exceed ±1.5μm.
As a first-class enterprise in the industry,Micro-OLED technology Co.,LTD( MOT) has made outstanding achievements in the world's silicon-based OLED industry with its outstanding strength and unique ideas.
MOT is a subsidiary of NanJing Lumicore responsible for overseas business. Since its establishment in 2020, MOT has integrated R&D, production and sales, and has gradually become a leading enterprise in the world's silicon-based OLED industry.
Advantages of OLED:
Good color performance: Vivid colors, a wide color gamut, and high contrast.
Flexible display: It can achieve flexibility and bendability, and can be applied to foldable screen mobile phones.
Disadvantages of OLED:
Lifespan issue: The organic materials are prone to aging, and there is a risk of screen burn-in.
Brightness uniformity: The color may not be uniform enough when displaying at high brightness.
Conclusion
Micro LED and OLED show significant differences in application scenarios, costs, and performance. OLED dominates the smartphone, foldable screen, and wearable device markets. On the other hand, Micro LED takes the lead in high-end TVs, AR/VR, and automotive display fields, and it is an inevitable trend for future development.
