Mini LED backlight technology becomes the new favorite in automotive displays, with its advantages revealed!

The global automotive industry is rapidly developing towards intelligence and electrification. Intelligent cockpits and in-vehicle display technologies have become core areas of automotive innovation.

With the rapid development of intelligent cockpit technology, the automotive display backlight module is undergoing a new technological revolution. As a key factor affecting the display effect, automotive display backlight technology has become the focus of industry competition. 

Mini LED, the new favorite in the trillion-yuan market. 

Among various automotive display backlighting technologies, Mini LED backlighting technology has become the new favorite in the market due to its unique advantages and has attracted much attention.

I. Technical Advantages of Mini LED

Mini LED, or sub-millimeter light-emitting diode, refers to LEDs with chip sizes ranging from 50 to 200 μm. Its primary application is in the backlight modules of LCD screens to achieve more precise dynamic backlight effects. Compared with traditional LED backlight technology, Mini LED backlight technology offers numerous significant advantages. 

I.Brightness enhancement 
In terms of brightness, Mini LED technology improves the display brightness significantly by changing the edge-lit backlight to a direct-lit one, which enables more LEDs to be embedded in the panel of the same size. 

With the advancement of mass transfer technology and die bonding technology, the size of Mini LED chips has gradually decreased. The brightness of Mini LED light boards can even reach tens of thousands of nits. After being filtered by film materials and LCD screens, the brightness of display terminal products can reach HDR 1000 - 2000, which is nearly one order of magnitude higher than that of traditional LCD screens. 

For instance, some vehicle-mounted displays equipped with Mini LED backlight technology can still present clear images under strong outdoor light, solving the problem of poor readability of traditional displays in bright light.

2. Contrast Enhancement

In terms of contrast, Mini LED backlighting features local dimming technology, which can dynamically adjust the overall picture through fine partitioning, thereby achieving high dynamic contrast. Under darkroom conditions, the theoretical contrast ratio of Mini LED is consistent with that of OLED screens and can reach an infinite level. Due to the insufficient brightness of OLED screens themselves, their ambient contrast ratio (ACR) is also relatively poor. Under an ambient illuminance of 300Lux (a typical daily environment), the contrast ratio of Mini LED is about 45% higher than that of OLED. For instance, taking a 31.5" Mini LED backlight display from a certain manufacturer as an example, that product is equipped with 2304 dimming zones. The peak brightness of the display can exceed 1000 nits, the dark state brightness can reach approximately 0.001 nits, and the dynamic contrast ratio is as high as one million to one, enabling a more precise contrast between bright and dark areas. It can be seen that the high contrast achieved through local dimming technology can present a more realistic picture effect, making drivers feel as if they were on the scene. 

3. Power Consumption and Lifespan 

Power consumption and lifespan are also advantages of Mini LED. At the same brightness, the overall power consumption of Mini LED devices can be reduced by 30% compared to OLED products, making them more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. 
In terms of service life, Mini LED uses inorganic materials, which have a longer lifespan than the organic materials used in OLED. Moreover, unlike OLED products, it does not suffer from screen burn-in when displaying high-brightness areas or the same image for a long time. 

4. Flexible display form 
In addition, Mini LED backlight technology also offers greater flexibility in display forms, capable of achieving various display effects such as curved and irregular shapes, meeting the diverse design requirements of automotive interiors and providing car manufacturers with more design space. 
The above has elaborated in detail on the significant advantages of Mini LED in terms of brightness, contrast, power consumption, etc.

II. Manufacturers Enter the Market One After Another

The advantages of Mini LED backlight technology have attracted many enterprises to enter the field of in-vehicle displays one after another. 
The SU7 model launched by Xiaomi features a 16.1-inch front center control ecological screen, which adopts Mini LED backlight technology and is supplied by TCL CSOT. 
This central control screen features a 3K high resolution, offering clear and detailed images. Whether it's navigation maps, audio-visual entertainment or in-car office work, it can provide a clear and smooth visual experience. 
The 16:10 aspect ratio makes the screen wider, suitable for displaying various contents. Meanwhile, the 91.7% screen-to-body ratio makes this screen almost the visual center of the entire central console, enhancing the vehicle's technological feel. 
BOE showcased a 44.8-inch PHUD with a Mini LED backlight solution at the 2025 CES, achieving a 9K ultra-high resolution and a brightness of 7,000 nits.

There are also numerous enterprises actively laying out in the Mini LED automotive display field. For instance, as a liquid crystal display module manufacturer, Saitoda Technology has also made remarkable progress in Mini LED backlight technology. 

The Mini LED automotive backlight products developed have advantages such as high reliability and high stability, which can meet the usage requirements of automobiles in various complex environments, injecting new vitality into the development of the automotive display market. 

III. Widespread Application of Automotive Display Backlight Modules 

Automotive display backlight modules are widely used in central control screens, instrument panels, HUD (head-up displays), and rear-seat entertainment screens, etc. Among them, the development of HUD technology is particularly prominent, with AR-HUD and PHUD (panoramic head-up displays) emerging as new highlights. In 2025, the backlight technology for in-vehicle displays shows a diversified development trend. Mini LED, with its outstanding performance advantages, has emerged as a leading choice in the in-vehicle display market, favored by many automakers. 
It can be foreseen that in the future, the backlight technology for vehicle-mounted displays will continue to develop in the direction of higher performance, greater intelligence and thinner and lighter designs. 
With the continuous advancement of technology and the reduction of costs, Mini LED backlighting technology will be applied in more vehicle models, providing consumers with a more superior, intelligent and environmentally friendly driving and riding experience. 
In the future, Mini LED will enjoy a broader development space in the field of in-vehicle displays and become a brilliant pearl in the trillion-level market.