The end of LCD televisions could be drawing closer, with a report from the display industry analysis firm DSCC saying that growth of Mini-LED backlight technology is likely to stall in 2025. 

DSCC’s report said Mini-LED technology will stop growing at that time as Apple Inc., one of the biggest buyers of the displays, transitions to OLED display technology for its tablets and notebooks. 

Mini-LED backlights are commonly paired with LCD panels in TVs, laptops, tablets and computer monitors. They help to improve backlight control by creating more dimming zones. Adoption of Mini-LED technology has accelerated in the TV industry with TCL and Samsung Electronics using it in their premium TVs, positioning it as an alternative to OLED. 

DSCC said TV makers will continue to make premium Mini-LED LCD TVs until 2027, though it expects the market to peak at around 30 million units annually in 2025. After that, Mini-LED shipments are likely to plateau, it said. 

"This is because Apple will be applying OLED panels instead of MiniLED panels for its tablets and then subsequently notebooks, according to analyst firm Display Supply Chain Consultants," Korean website The Elec stated in a report. 

Mini-LED displays are expecting to lose market share to OLED in TVs, smartphones, laptops and elsewhere. The technology has many advantages over LCD displays, and manufacturers are investing millions of dollars to improve their capabilities and ramp up production capacity. 

This year, both LG Display and Samsung Display announced new and improved OLED panels for their 2023 TVs. LG’s improved White OLED panels are based on Micro Lens Array technology that delivers a significant improvement in overall brightness. Samsung’s QD-OLED displays are also brighter this year, and will therefore be more competitive with Mini-LEDs in that aspect. That’s bad news for Mini-LED and LCD, as higher brightness is the only real advantage that those displays offer.