Automotive-grade Mini LED backlit screens, integrating more functions, are becoming a key component driving the intelligent and personalized development of automobiles. Recently, the Audi E5 Sportback, a pure electric vehicle jointly developed by SAIC and Audi, was unveiled. This vehicle features a personalized "Audi Smart Island" Mini LED touchscreen that can interact with the central control screen to enhance the cockpit display and interactive experience.
Image source: SAIC Audi
Audi's Smart Island features Refond Mini LED backlighting technology . Located in the center console, the Audi Smart Island integrates a touch strip and physical knobs, with a 2.43-inch screen. This screen uses Refond Optoelectronics' Mini COB white light solution, which, by eliminating QD and other color-conversion films, improves brightness while reducing thickness and enhancing reliability, meeting the high reliability requirements of ultra-thin automotive displays.
In terms of screen display performance, Refond Optoelectronics, through its Mini COB white light Local Dimming technology, helps Audi's Smart Island achieve precise local dimming, which not only reduces power consumption and extends lifespan but also improves contrast and dynamic display effects. According to Refond Optoelectronics, this is also the industry's first Mini COB white light automotive application.
Image source: SAIC Audi
The Audi Smart Island features a modular design with dual scroll wheels and a touch bar. The touch bar screen boasts a brightness of 1000 nits, ensuring clear visibility even in bright sunlight. Users can quickly switch between central control screen content by swiping or pressing, combining mechanical feedback with intuitive operation to enhance driving convenience and safety.
The Audi Smart Island system reportedly supports over 50 quick operations, including answering phone calls, starting navigation, and switching driving modes, which users can personalize according to their needs. This system combines touch operation with mechanical scroll wheel interaction, balancing traditional operating habits with a modern touch experience, aiming to enhance the convenience and practicality of the cabin.
Mini LED Backlighting Technology Facilitates Smart Cockpit Upgrades <br /> In recent years, with the development of smart cockpits and multi-screen trends, Mini LED backlighting technology has been increasingly widely used in the field of automotive displays. According to incomplete statistics, 17 car models have already been equipped with Mini LED screens, mainly used in central control screens, instrument panel screens, and passenger-side displays.
Looking at new cars on the market, the new LS6 from Zhiji and the new ES8 from NIO, both released last month, are equipped with Mini LED backlit in-vehicle screens.
In terms of intelligent experience, the Zhiji LS6's "new all-scenario digital cockpit" provides users with an interactive experience. The 27.1-inch 5K giant cockpit screen uses Ruifeng Optoelectronics' Mini LED COB backlight panel solution, which has a brightness of 800 nits and an ultra-high contrast ratio of 100,000:1. It also uses Longli Technology's Mini LED display technology.
Image source: Zhiji
The cabin of the new NIO ES8 features dual 24-inch SKYLine digital skyline screens, each 1.4 meters long. These screens utilize Longli Technology's Mini LED backlighting technology. Additionally, the NIO ES8 also features a 21.4-inch ultra-large ceiling-mounted entertainment screen, which also uses Longli Technology's Mini LED backlighting technology.
SKYLine dual 24-inch digital skyline screens (Image source: NIO)
The outstanding performance of LED companies in the field of automotive Mini backlighting <br /> From the market trend perspective, with the continued growth of demand for intelligence, multi-screen, and personalization, Mini LED backlighting technology will be applied in more car models and cabin scenarios, helping automakers create more technologically advanced and interactive cabin systems.
With the development of Mini LED backlighting technology in smart cockpits, related LED companies have achieved remarkable performance.
According to the 2025 interim report, in terms of packaging manufacturers, Refond Optoelectronics' sales revenue from LED and automotive backlighting increased by 86% year-on-year. While maintaining existing customers, it actively expanded to new customers and made progress. Blue Ocean Lithium CSP LED chips have achieved mass production and shipment in the field of automotive Mini backlighting. Nationstar Optoelectronics' automotive Mini LED backlighting products have provided customized solutions for multiple customers.
In the LED backlight display module sector, Hanbo High-Tech's automotive Mini LED backlight products have already partnered with numerous Tier 1 suppliers and OEMs; Yidong Electronics has successfully attracted several new customers and projects for automotive display modules, covering well-known new energy vehicle OEMs in the industry, and plans to continue developing new products such as Mini LED; Weishi Electronics' revenue in the first half of the year reached 977 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 9.81%, and its net profit attributable to the parent company was 19.4808 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 0.87%, with automotive backlight display modules being the main source of revenue; Baoming Technology benefited from the sales growth of new energy vehicles from BYD, Xiaomi, NIO, Geely and other companies, and its automotive display business continued to expand, with ultra-high brightness HUD backlights also showing a rapid growth trend.
In the field of integrated circuits, Mingwei Electronics has expanded its smart landscape products to automotive ambient lighting applications, promptly launching new compatible products, which has boosted sales of its Mini backlight series and further consolidated its market position in the automotive lighting and display fields.
Overall, LED companies have improved their performance by relying on technological innovation and product strength, which has also laid the foundation for the application of high-performance Mini LEDs in more car models in the future.
