Brighter, energy-efficient OLEDs go into production this year – but they won’t come to TVs yet
The best OLED TVs are about to get a whole lot better. A new panel technology known as eLEAP will officially enter production later this year FlatpanelsHD. Although it won’t be used in big name TVs initially, the new screen technology promises to deliver brightness of over 3,000 nits and improved durability, meaning screens can last longer, reducing e-waste.
eLeap was developed by Japan Display (JDI), a company formed from the merger of the display businesses of Sony, Toshiba and Hitachi. And while we first started reporting on it in 2022, production is only just starting to ramp up with plans to expand this to the mainstream market by the end of 2024.
While no consumer brands have yet announced plans to use the new technology, the panels will likely appear first in laptops, with one of the first panels being a 14-inch OLED for portable computers. That gives a peak brightness of 1,600 nits, but even brighter panels are in the pipeline.
What is eLeap OLED?
eLeap – it’s an extremely vague acronym for “environment positive lithography with maskless deposition, extreme long life, low power and high luminance” – uses light to transfer patterns in the production of integrated circuits, a process that also provides greater brightness and longer durability, which is great news for reducing e-waste.
This is the first OLED technology to use such a process, and according to Japan Display, the production process is currently six months ahead. In the eight months before the launch, JDI says it already achieved production yields of 60%. The higher the yield, the more efficient the production and the lower the costs.
According to JDI, it will supply eLeap panels “for use in a wide range of end-use applications, including smartwatches and wearables, smartphones, notebook PCs and automotive displays.” However, televisions are currently conspicuous by their absence. This is because the production capacity is not yet there to produce larger panels: JDI’s factory for this is not expected to be online until 2027.