au optronics lcd panel manufacturer

Modern AUO TFT displays are equipped with LCD technology what means that they are very robust and user-oriented so the displays can be used in various operational areas. LCD`s are very diffused – you can find them in POI and POS systems or Touchscreens – basically everywhere.

Founded in 1996, AUO is an enthusiastic, technology-driven company delivering products and solution services that advance the frontier of innovation. Consolidating the strength of the Group, AUO’s operation covers five major business areas including display, system solution, industrial intelligence, healthcare, and energy. The company is based in Taiwan and operates across Asia, the US and Europe, with a global team of 38,000 people. AUO’s consolidated net revenues in 2021 were NT$370.69 billion.

AUO specializes in the R&D and manufacturing of display panel, and develops high-valued and differentiated product applications. Leading the industry with abundant R&D personnel and innovative technologies, AUO is committed to providing diverse vertical solutions through integrating core display technologies with AIoT. By integrating software, hardware, cloud, and service platforms, AUO provides one-stop services that fulfill the diverse demands of vertical markets including retail, education, enterprise, medical, healthcare, mobility, manufacturing, and energy. Through cooperation, complementation, and co-creation, AUO constructs the smart AIoT eco-system with our strategic partners, achieving our vision of realizing an innovative living future.

AUO takes corporate sustainability as its core corporate philosophy, and dedicates actions to corporate governance, environmental sustainability, the popularization of science education, cultural preservation, and caring for social welfare. AUO has been listed in Dow Jones Sustainability World Index since 2010 and in Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index since 2018. In 2022, AUO became an official member of RE100, the first enterprise in the global display manufacturing industry to commit to using 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. Through our endless devotion to smart manufacturing and sustainable production, AUO was selected for the Global Lighthouse Network by the World Economic Forum and awarded the Manufacturing Leadership Award by the Manufacturing Leadership Council of The National Association of Manufacturers.

AU Optronics Corporation is Taiwan"s largest producer of flat panel displays--that is, thin film transistor liquid crystal display panels, or TFT-LCDs--and is also the world"s number three manufacturer, trailing only South Korea"s Samsung and LG-Philips. As the first Taiwanese company to begin producing active matrix LCDs in the early 1990s, AU Optronics has played a leading role in Taiwan"s transformation as one of the world"s high-technology centers. The company has expanded its production from small-sized panels to the latest-generation large-scale panels, such as Taiwan"s first high-definition 46-inch television panel, debuted in late 2003. AU Optronics also has developed a strong in-house research and development component, which has enabled it to become the first in the world to produce an amorphous silicon-based TFT OLED (organic light-emitting display). The company expects to put this technology into practice producing panels for new generation mobile telephones--including those produced by sister company BenQ, Taiwan"s leading mobile phone producer. AU Optronics operates subsidiaries in Taiwan, Japan, China, the United States, and The Netherlands, with production based in Taiwan and in Suzhou, China. In 2003, AU Optronics posted revenues of more than TWD 104 billion ($3.1 billion), multiplying its sales by more than 18 times since 1999. The company is led by Chairman K.Y. Lee, who is also chairman of BenQ Corporation.

With RCA"s assistance, ERSO successfully launched Taiwan"s first IC production facility. In 1980, the government body spun off the IC line into a new company, United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC). UMC at first turned out small chips for the consumer market, such as for use in digital wristwatches. Through the decade, however, UMC continued to develop its technology--and the sophistication of its production capacity. Commodity production remained, however, a major part of the company"s business.

In 1985, UMC became the first of Taiwan"s IC producers to go public, listing on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. The listing enabled the company to begin pursuing a diversification into other emerging technologies. One of these was the small but potentially vast market for liquid crystal display (LCD) panels. UMC"s interest turned toward the development of thin-film transistor (TFT) technology, and in 1990 the company backed the founding of a new company dedicated to the development of TFT-LCD technology, called Unipac Optoelectronics. UMC was to remain a major Unipac shareholder throughout the decade.

Turning once again to foreign partners in a series of technology transfer agreements, Unipac set out to build its own first-generation production plant, known as Fab L1 within the company, at the newly built HsinChu Science-based Industrial Park. That facility began testing in the early 1990s, and by 1994 had launched full-scale production.

Portable computers, however, represented the most buoyant market for TFT-LCD technology. At the middle of the decade, the 10.5-inch form factor became the industry standard. Yet, Unipac, like other emerging Taiwanese LCD manufacturers, continued to lag behind its larger competitors in Japan and Korea, while depending on technology brought in from these countries and elsewhere. At the same time, Unipac faced impending pressure from a number of new competitors, which were ramping up to production of their own large-size panels in the latter half of the 1990s.

One of the new companies was Acer Display Technologies (ADT), which was founded as a subsidiary of the fast-growing computer group in 1996. ADT"s ambitions took a big step forward in 1998, when the company signed a technology transfer agreement with IBM. Not to be outdone, Unipac reached its own technology transfer agreement that year with Japan"s Matsushita. Both agreements promised to boost Taiwan"s capacity for producing large-sized TFT-LCD panels.

The agreement with Matsushita enabled Unipac to complete its second-generation fab, which began mass production in 1999. The company"s entry into the large-sized panels market launched its transformation. From sales of just $20 million in 1998, Unipac entered a period of explosive growth. By the end of 1999, the company"s revenues topped $70 million.

By March 2000, Unipac launched its first 17-inch TFT-LCD, becoming the first in Taiwan to produce in the larger than 15-inch category. The company followed that triumph with a listing on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, ultimately reducing UMC"s stake in Unipac to just 40 percent. Soon after Unipac"s public offering, it was joined on the stock exchange by ADT, also making its stock market debut. By the end of 2000, Unipac had launched mass production in its newest Generation 3.5 facility, FAB L3m, capable of producing 60,000 sheets per month. In the meantime, Unipac continued producing its original small-sized screens, capturing the world"s number two position in that market, behind leader Sharp of Japan.

UMC had in the meantime been structuring its operations, shedding its commodity ICs business to refocus itself as a pure-play semiconductor foundry. As part of that effort, UMC sought a means to spin off its LCD business. In 2001, Unipac found a new partner when Acer agreed to spin off its own display panels subsidiary ADT into a new, merged company together with Unipac, called AU Optronics. The chairman"s seat at the new company was taken by K.Y. Lee, who also served as chairman at another Acer offshoot, BenQ Corporation.

AU Optronics" combined production capacity--which included two LCD facilities from ADT--placed it among the global industry"s leaders, and also gave it the top position in the domestic market. The company"s combined clout encouraged it to launch an effort to gain greater control of its technology requirement. In 2000, AU Optronics opened its research and development facility in Hsinchu. As the company"s executive vice-president, Lu Po-Yen toldEBN: "The research and development of various types of new products has become the key for us to surpass our current high position and quicken the pace of our ascension to the world"s no. 1 flat-panel-display company."

As part of that effort, the company pledged to spend some $300 million leading up to 2005, doubling its previous research spending. The effort began to pay off toward the end of 2002, when the company displayed its first fifth-generation LCD panel. By then, the company also had finished development on the world"s first amorphous silicon-based organic light-emitted display (OLED). The company formally debuted the completed product, a four-inch screen, in 2003.

By the end of 2002, AU Optronics" research and development push began paying off for the company--in that year, AU Optronics led the market in filing for new patents, with 265 patent rights applications. AU Optronics also had been stepping up its production, including the June 2002 launch of a new fab in Suzhou, on the Chinese mainland, with a production capacity of 50,000 LCD modules per month.

By 2003, AU Optronics was able to claim the number three position worldwide in shipments of large-sized TFT-LCD panels, as the market for computer peripherals and especially for new LCD-based televisions began to take off worldwide. In August of that year, the company launched production of the world"s first 30-inch wide LCD television panel. This was followed soon after by the debut of the first Taiwan-built 46-inch HDTV LCD panel. At the other end of the scale, AU Optronics began targeting the mobile phone market, launching production of its own low-power screens. The company also sought to gain a foothold in the palm-sized market, debuting Taiwan"s first two-inch transreflective LCD screen in October 2003. By the end of that year, the company"s annual sales had soared past TWD 104 billion ($3.1 billion).

As it entered 2004, AU Optronics had launched construction of a new sixth-generation LCD fab, slated for completion in 2005. The company also began plans for a new seventh-generation fab, originally scheduled to enter mass production in 2007. However, poor market conditions--a drop-off in demand in late 2004 combined with the rapidly falling prices of LCD-based televisions and computer monitors--forced AU Optronics to consider placing the opening of the new facility on hold. Nonetheless, AU Optronics seemed on course to achieve its goal of becoming the world"s leading maker of TFT-LCD screens by the middle of the decade.

Principal Subsidiaries: AU Optronics (Suzhou) Corporation (China); AU Optronics Corporation America; AU Optronics Corporation Japan; AU Optronics Europe B.V. (Netherlands); AU Optronics Korea.

2004: The company launches construction of a sixth-generation production plant, slated to open in 2005; the company considers suspending construction of a seventh-generation plant due to poor market conditions.

December 2020 AUO 9.4-inch high resolution flexible micro LED display technology honored with 2020 Innovative Product Award from Hsinchu Science Park

AUO was founded as Acer Display Technology, Inc. in August, 1996. Following a 2001 merger with Unipac Optoelectronics Corp., the company changed its name to AU Optronics Corporation. It acquired Quanta Display Inc. in 2006. AUO"s merger with the two aforementioned companies has seen it become a market share leader in the LCD panel market. AUO Display Plus was born in 2021 as the independent industrial equipment and signage division of AUO. It features higher customizability than the conventional AUO and will meet a wide range of customer needs.AUO Display Plus was born in 2021 as the independent industrial equipment and signage division of AUO. It features higher customizability than the conventional AUO and will meet a wide range of customer needs.

Originally established in 2003 and publicly listed in 2006. The company merged with Chi Mei Optoelectronics and Toppoly Optoelectronics in March 2010, in what was the largest merger in the flat panel display industry. Chimei Innolux Corporation was the successor company, and it initially preserved the Chimei name. In order to differentiate itself from the ChiMei brand, the company was renamed “Innolux Corporation” in December 2012.

Innolux’s 14 plants in Taiwan possess a complete range of 3.5G, 4G, 4.5G, 5G, 6G, 7.5G, and 8.5G-8.6G production line, making it the world’s total display solutions provider offering a full range of large/medium/small LCD panels and touch-control screens.Innolux offers advanced display integration solutions employing innovative, differentiated technology, including 4K2K ultra-high resolution, 3D naked eye, IGZO, LTPS, AMOLED, OLED, and touch-control solutions. Innolux is active in drafting specifications, and is a market trend leader. Its all-inclusive product lines span the full range of TFT LCD panel modules and touch panels, including TV panels, desktop monitors, notebook computer panels, small and medium-sized panels, and medical and automotive panels. The world’s leading manufacturer of TFT-LCD displays, Innolux supplies customers that include many of the world’s leading information and consumer electronics manufacturers.

PlayNitride is planning for an IPO, and if all goes according to plan, the company will issue new shares and will start trading at the newly launched Taiwan Stock Exchange Innovation Board in Q3 2022.

AU Optronics have been showing new microLED display prototypes, and the following video from Insight Media shows the company"s booth and new displays at SID Displayweek 2022.

You can see AUO"s stretchable 141 PPI display (a very interesting demo, developed together with PlayNitride), the rollable 14.6" 2K (202 PPI) LTPS microLED display, AUO"s 1.4" circular 454x454 (326 PPI) microLED another stretchable microLED, this one 6.45" in size with a 900x450 resolution (163 PPI), and finally AUO"s 17.3" 2000-nits 1280x720 transparent (60% transparency) microLED prototype.

AUO will show a rollable 14.6" microLED display, that offers a 2K resolution (202 PPI) with a 40 mm rolling radius. The company will also show a 17.3" 2000-nits 1280x720 transparent (60% transparency) microLED prototype. In 2021 the company demonstrated a smaller transparent display, which was even brighter at 3,000 nits.

According to reports from Korea, Samsung Display recently approached AU Optronics with a request to develop a 12.7" microLED LTPS TFT backplane to be used in Samsung"s MicroLED TVs.

These new backplanes will be used in Samsung"s 2022 microLED TVs. This will be a change from Samsung"s current microLED TVs that use printed circuit boards (PCBs), and will allow Samsung to release TVs with higher pixel densities, and thus enable smaller 4K TVs. According to the report, Samsung"s plan is to launch 89-inch, 101-inch and 114-inch LTPS-based microLED TVs in 2022.

AUO Optronics is showing its latest microLED ALED display prototypes at SID DisplayWeek 2021. Most of these aren"t new display (AUO already demonstrated these last month) but it"s the first time we got these on video:

You can see the 1.39" 472x472 (338 PPI) full-circle microLED display, developed together with PlayNitride. You can also see AUO"s 12.1-inch 169PPI microLED display it first demonstrated in SID 2020, and the 9.4-inch 228 PPI flexible microLED prototype it also developed together with PlayNitride.

The first display, which you see above,is a 1.39-inch 472x472 (338 PPI) full-circle microLED display. AUO says that this is the highest-density MicroLED display ever developed. AUO did not disclose more about this display (which was developed together with PlayNitride) but the company says that it offers ultra-wide viewing angles and high brightness.

AU Optronics released this nice video that shows its latest microLED display prototypes. First up is the company"s 12.1" automotive display. This one features a 1920x720 (169 PPI) resolution, and is made on an LTPS backplane. This display was shown first in 2018.

According to a report from Taiwan"s Economic Daily news, a new mini-LED and micro-LED display factory is under planning in Taiwan"s Hsinchu Science Park. The new fab is built by Apple (who will invest $334 million) in collaboration with AU Optronics and Epistar.

According to the report, the Science Park Administartion approved Apple, Auo and Epistar"s plan on February 18. The new fab will act as an expansion of Apple"s existing display center in Taiwan.

In January 2008 AUO resumed their OLED operation, and after years of development the company started mass producing AMOLEDs again in 2014. AUO is also developing OLED TV panels, flexible and bendable panels, transparent OLEDs and OLED lighting panels. The company"s OLED program is mainly focused on wearable OLEDs and OLED for VR applications.

AU Optronics is a worldwide top 3 manufacturer of TFT displays. The electronics manufacturers were formed in 2001 and have been producing a wide range of industrial high-quality displays for over a decade.

Based in Taiwan, AUO have now established a global presence in the electronics sector, making them one of the most competitive and popular manufacturers worldwide. AUO TFT displays are competitively priced without compromising on the excellent performance ratio.

As AUO display distributors we offer an extensive range of unique TFT display models, available in screen sizes varying from 5” (12.7cm) to 65” (165.1cm), all with different resolutions, brightness levels and viewing angles.

If you would like any more information about the AUO solutions we supply at Display Technology please contact us today by phone on +44 (0)1480 411600 or by email at info@displaytechnology.co.uk. You can alternatively use our contact form at the bottom of this page to ask us any questions.

We have some updates from AU Optronics about their panel development plans which is always interesting to see. This is AUO as a panel manufacturer, as opposed to any specific monitor/display manufacturer, but it gives an indication of where monitors are likely to go in the future by looking ahead at the panel production plans. AUO make a large portion of the IPS-type panels (their ‘AHVA’ technology) in the market which is always of interest along with a range of interesting TN Film options. Please keep in mind that the production dates are not set in stone and may change, and there is then also a lag of several months before a panel is produced, then used in a display and launched to market. We will update our panel parts database with all the new information we have as well as best we can.

If you missed it, our last update from AUO was July 2021 and worth a read back. Here are the highlights from this new update. We also have updates coming soon for BOE so stay tuned for that, and have recently published updates from LG.Display here.

In our last update in July 2021 there’s wasn’t very much information listed for this new panel, but we knew AUO were developing new 24.5″ sized TN Film panel with a 360Hz native refresh rate. So far the only 360Hz panels released to market have been by AUO with their IPS-type technology, as featured in screens like the Asus ROG Swift PG259QN we tested back in Sept 2020. Some gamers still prefer TN Film panels for additional snappiness and for competitive gaming so it will be interesting to see what AUO can manage in this sector too.

We have some more details now with the panel part being the M250HTN01.J, and spec wise we know it has a 1920 x 1080 resolution, 3ms G2G response time, 1000:1 contrast ratio, 400 nit brightness and standard 72% NTSC (sRGB basically) colour gamut. The panel should have gone in to mass production now in June 2022. We may see some screens announced based on this 360Hz TN Film panel at some point soon.

If 360Hz isn’t enough for you, then we first saw a sneak peak of this even higher refresh rate panel from AUO in early May, where as part of a video promoting their new AmLED backlight technology (discussed more below) they also mentioned briefly a new 480Hz TN Film panel. We had very little information but soon after Asus announced their new ROG Swift display which was based on this panel and offered a 500Hz refresh rate.

Actually, looking at the latest AUO roadmap it seems there are aspirations to offer this panel at 540Hz, or at least that is mentioned within the specs!

Perhaps AUO are still locking down just how fast this panel will be, and it will be linked to how fast response times can reach as well to make the super-high refresh rate viable. We do know now that the panel part will be the M241HTN01.0 and will offer a 24.1″ screen size and 1920 x 1080 Full HD resolution. The response time spec from AUO is listed as “<3ms G2G” and also “2ms on/off”, and this will need to reach reliably under 2ms across the transitions to make 500Hz viable, or <1.85ms if they want to push to 540Hz. Time will tell if this is possible from their new panel. It is TN Film though which holds some promise.

In other specs interestingly AUO list HDR 1000 support meaning a peak brightness for HDR of at least 1000 nits. It also has a 96-zone AmLED backlight. That’s an unexpected but pleasant surprise. More information about AmLED and their other panels using this backlight tech below. This is a decent number of zones (not amazing, but decent) and will offer a high peak brightness capability as well. We don’t know if perhaps there will be other iterations of this panel so we can’t be certain at this stage whether announced models like the Asus ROG Swift 500Hz will offer this but it seems likely. At the moment we have very few specs for the Asus monitor. There is also a wide colour gamut with 95% DCI-P3 listed.

Panel production is scheduled for Q1 2023 so that probably means we won’t see any monitors using this panel until middle of next year sadly. In the mean time there’s the 360Hz TN Film panel discussed above which is being produced sooner.

One of the flagship offerings from AUO will be their new M270DAN10.0 panel. This is 27″ in size and combines a 2560 x 1440 resolution with a 360Hz refresh rate! It feels like we’ve only recently started to see 1440p 240Hz screens released, including for instance the Nixeus NX-EDG27240X that we’ve recently reviewed. It will be interesting to see these 360Hz options appear, and they could be sooner that you might think! Panel production is scheduled for July 2022 at the moment for this option.

Interestingly there are also a couple of versions planned with a 576-zone AmLED backlight for improved local dimming, HDR experience and peak brightness – more on that in the AmLED section below. The M270DAN10.2 andM270DAN10.3 panels will feature 1440p at 360Hz again but are not expected to go in to production until at least Q4 2022 (TBC). So these AmLED backlit versions will certainly be further out than the normal edge-lit panel.

Continuing the theme of high refresh rate panels, AUO are also planning to produce later on a 32″ sized IPS panel with a 3840 x 2160 4K resolution and a 240Hz refresh rate! This could be extremely interesting, although you’re going to need a beast of a system to power something like that. In other specs AUO list a 3ms G2G response time, 400/600 brightness, 95% DCI-P3 colour gamut and a 3-side borderless design.

You’ve got some time to start saving, or updating your PC though; this panel (M320QAN03.0) isn’t due to go in to mass production until Q3 2023 at the moment, so a long way away.

AUO are developing a range of panels with their new “AmLED” backlight technology, an update to the FALD and Mini LED backlight units you might find today on some higher end displays. There is a focus on improving the number of dimming zones which should in turn help improve HDR experience, with talk about increasing to 2000+ and even 4000+ zones.

AUO explain in some previous press material that: “AUO’s AmLED display technology, thanks to the enhanced mini LED backlight design, has achieved revolutionary performance in gaming displays. With adaptive local dimming technique, brightness, contrast ratio, colors, refresh rate and power consumption can be precisely adjusted in real time based on the images, environment, as well as users’ needs, therefore providing lifelike gaming visuals and immersive experience to meet gamers’ and content creators’ stringent demand for image quality and smooth operations.”

You can see they are promoting the high peak brightness (1400 – 2000 nits being mentioned), longer life expectancy at higher brightness levels and potential for higher frame rates (at the moment at least) in this above graphic. Keep in mind this is AUO’s marketing view of the world.

AmLED basically boils down the screen having a Mini LED backlight that has been finely tuned by AUO to allow it to work properly in gaming situations and with variable refresh rates. Optimising the backlight dimming and control to ensure, as they put it “utmost brightness and contrast”. It’s been apparently made for content creators and e-sports pros, which feels like two pretty separate target markets.

AU Optronics later added a video explaining AmLED in more detail which we’ve embedded below. Within this video AUO are also keen to promote the performance of the Mini LED backlight in various areas, although of course keep in mind this is their marketing video.

They talk about how under higher ambient lighting conditions the technology can deliver 3x higher “ambient contrast ratio” (ACR) than an OLED display which don’t perform as well in bright room conditions. AUO are also promoting the fact that AmLED displays don’t show the same brightness degradation and burn in risks of OLED in their promotional video. They have also focused on blue light reduction by shifting the blue light wavelength to the 460 nm range, something that Eyesafe promote and talk about on their website.

32″ 4K with 160Hz and 576 zones – We had a bit of information about the M320QAN02.8 in our last update, originally expected to go in to production in Q3 2021 but slipped a bit to May 2022. This should now be in production we believe. This is a 32″ sized IPS panel with 3840 x 2160 4K resolution, 160Hz refresh rate, 1000 nit peak brightness, 98% DCI-P3 / 99% Adobe RGB colour gamut (thanks to Quantum Dot coating) and a 3-side borderless design. It has 576 dimming zones.

32″ 4K panel with 2304 zones (60Hz only) – a lower refresh rate option is planned but with a significantly higher number of dimming zones. The M320QAN02.A has 2304 dimming zones and will offer a 12ms response time, 99% Adobe RGB gamut (QD) and HDR 1400 support. It’s scheduled for October 2022 production at the moment. This was originally listed in our last July 2021 roadmap as featuring a 160Hz refresh rate and lower HDR 1000 level for an August 2021 development, but it looks like the spec has been updated while production has been delayed (now 60Hz but with HDR 1400).

27″ 1440p panels with 360Hz and 576 zones – we mentioned these above when discussing the 1440p 360Hz panels. The M270DAN10.2 andM270DAN10.3 offer a 3ms response time along with HDR 1000 support and use 576 dimming zones. The 10.2 panel has a 99% Adobe RGB colour gamut listed while the 10.3 panel has a 95% DCI-P3 gamut listed. Both are pencilled in for Q4 2022 production but this is to be confirmed and only currently planned.

27″ 4K panel with 160Hz and 576 zones – The M270QAN07.5is currently in planning for a possible Q4 2022 production. It will offer a 5ms response time, 99% Adobe RGB gamut (Quantum Dot) and HDR 1000 support. This one has 576 dimming zones.

This one deserved a section of its own, but falls in to the AmLED category discussed above. A new panel, the M320MAN01.0 is planned for production from Q2 2023 which will be 32″ in size and offer a very high 8K resolution (7680×4320). This will be combined with a new AmLED backlight with an impressive 4608 dimming zones. It’s a 60Hz only panel before any gamers get too excited, but will offer 99% Adobe RGB / 99% DCI-P3 colour gamut and HDR 1000 support. Expected monitors using this to be very expensive and aimed at the professional market as and when they are announced.

Another model in the AmLED line-up deserving of a separate mention is the M340QVR01.7. This is a 34″ ultrawide panel with a 1000R curvature and 3440 x 1440 resolution. It has a 165Hz native refresh rate and 200Hz overclock support. This model has a 576-zone AmLED backlight, HDR 1000 support and a 90% DCI-P3 colour gamut. Production is scheduled for July 2022.

M315QRV02.6 that has 1000R curvature and 144Hz and should be in mass production starting June 2022. A 165Hz update of this panel is also being planned but with no firm dates yet

There are also a quite a few other high refresh rate Curved VA panels of note. The focus from AUO here seems to be with a range of curvature options, including a steep 1000R to match recent Samsung VA panel developments. New planned 240Hz VA panels look particularly interesting, if response times are sufficient to keep up. Samsung have done a great job enhancing their response times on recently tested 240Hz VA panels from their range, finally clearing up the dreaded black smearing and making panels that can actually keep up with the frame rate (e.g. Samsung Odyssey G7screens). Let’s hope AUO can do the same with their new 240Hz options.

A couple of new very large format panels have appeared on the latest update. The M490AVR01.0and M490AVR2.0panels are 49″ in size and offer a 5120 x 1440 resolution. The 1.0 panel has a 1800R curvature and a 120Hz refresh rate and is expected to go in to production in September 2022. The 2.0 version will be curved but the actual curvature is still TBC, but this panel will offer a higher 240Hz refresh rate. This is still in planning phase at the moment but with a tentative date of Q2 2023 listed.

Another newly announced panel from last time that looked interesting was the M315QVN02.0. This is flat format 31.5″ sized panel, and offers a 3840 x 2160 “4K” resolution combined with a 144Hz refresh rate. This is a VA technology panel though, unlike the wide range of IPS technology panels already announced from various manufacturers in this kind of size range (31.5 – 32″). So this is one of the first ~32″ sized panels with 4K @144Hz but with VA technology being used. Other specs listed include HDR 600 support and a 90% DCI-P3 colour gamut. Production appears to have slipped from July 2021 to April 2022 on the timelines listed, but should now already be under way.

The 34″ size is not one that AUO has previously invested in, having concentrated their efforts in the 35″ space, and leaving 34″ to Samsung (VA) and LG.Display (IPS) until now. AUO now have several new panels in production which are 34″ in size, offering a 21:9 ultrawide aspect ratio and a 3440 x 1440 resolution. There are 3 panel variants listed:

M340QVR01.7– 165Hz refresh rate (with 200Hz overclock support) and 1000R curvature, discussed above already as this is the panel with a 576-zone AmLED backlight, HDR 1000 and 90% DCI-P3 colour gamut. This one is planned for July 2022 production

Also discussed in the latest AUO roadmap are some new “commercial” products which seem to be IPS-type panels (AHVA technology) with an increased and improved contrast ratio of 2000:1. This could be a rival to LG.Display’s “IPS Black” perhaps, although not much information is provided at this stage on the technology behind the improved contrast ratio. There are two 27″ sized panels listed:

We have some updates from AU Optronics about their panel development plans which is always interesting to see. Our last update was Oct 2020. This is AUO as a panel manufacturer, as opposed to any specific monitor/display manufacturer, but it gives an indication of where monitors are likely to go in the future by looking ahead at the panel production plans. AUO make a large portion of the IPS-type panels (their ‘AHVA’ technology) in the market which is always of interest along with a range of interesting TN Film options. Please keep in mind that the production dates are not set in stone and may change, and there is then also a lag of several months before a panel is produced, then used in a display and launched to market. We will update our panel parts database with all the new information we have as well as best we can.

AU Optronics plan to push this in the coming years, with listings now of 1080p @ 480Hz, 1440p @ 360Hz and UHD (4K) @ 240Hz!The 1440p 360Hz option looks like it will be the first to go in to production sometime in 2021, with the others planned for 2022 sometime. No details on panel sized or other specs at the moment, only that these are the plans to drive refresh rates.

An interesting new addition in our last update was the M315QVR02.0. This is 31.5″ in size and is a VA technology panel with a steep 1000R curvature. It offers a 3840 x 2160 (“4K”) resolution along with a 144Hz refresh rate. Production was not planned until Q2 2021 at the time although this seems to have been brought forward slightly and should now be in production and expected to be available around Q3 2021.

While not listed last time for some reason, an alternative panel had the same specs but a less steep 1500R curvature instead. This has now re-appeared and again should be in production and expected to be available around Q3 2021.

There are also a quite a few other high refresh rate Curved VA panels of note. The focus from AUO here seems to be with a range of curvature options, including a steep 1000R to match recent Samsung VA panel developments. New planned 240Hz VA panels look particularly interesting, if response times are sufficient to keep up. Samsung have done a great job enhancing their response times on recently tested 240Hz VA panels from their range, finally clearing up the dreaded black smearing and making panels that can actually keep up with the frame rate (e.g. Samsung Odyssey G7screens). Let’s hope AUO can do the same with their new 240Hz options.

No sooner have these screens started to finally appear, do we have news from AUO that they are looking to boost that refresh rate a little up to 160Hz in the next generation of these 4K panels. These are still in planning phase with a tentative Q3/Q4 2021 date listed for now, but we’d expect this to slip a bit.

AUO have various panels planned with FALD backlights and Mini LED backlights (even more zones) for excellent HDR performance on an LCD panel. Some also have high refresh rates included:

M320QAN02.7– 32″ in size with a 576 zone LED backlight (AUO refer to this as Mini LED, although it’s a bit more like FALD options we’ve seen to date given the more limited number of zones). This panel has a 3840 x 2160 resolution, 60Hz refresh rate only, wide gamut with 99% Adobe RGB coverage, 8-bit colour depth, 600 cd/m2 brightness, 1000 cd/m2 peak brightness for HDR 1000. Originally expected to go in to production in Dec 2020 which slipped a bit but should be in production now since May 2021.

An additional 32″ sized panel with a 576 zone LED backlight is also now listed (M320QAN02.8) but this time with an expected 160Hz refresh rate. Again with 99% Adobe RGB gamut and HDR 1000 support. This one is in planning phase only, but listed for now at Q3 2021.

Another similar panel (M320QAN02.9) is listed with the same 4K at 160Hz specs but an HDR 600 capability only (but still with a 576 zone Mini LED backlight). This one is again in planning phase and penciled in for Q3 2021 at the moment.

Most exciting perhaps is a new 32″ panel (M320QAN02.A) that is currently in development with a 2304 zone Mini LED backlight and high 160Hz refresh rate. This is listed with 99% Adobe RGB gamut and HDR 1000 support again, and expected to be in production around August 2021.

M270QAN02.6 – 27″ in size with a 576 zone LED backlight. This panel has a 3840 x 2160 resolution, high 144Hz refresh rate, wide gamut with 99% Adobe RGB coverage, 8-bit colour depth, 600 cd/m2 brightness, 1000 cd/m2 peak brightness for HDR. Originally expected to go in to production in Dec 2020 but now listed for Q3 2021.

There’s not very much information listed for this at the moment, but AUO are also developing now a 24.5″ sized TN Film panel with a 360Hz native refresh rate. So far the only 360Hz panels released to market have been by AUO with their IPS-type technology, as featured in screens like the Asus ROG Swift PG259QN we tested last Sept 2020. Some gamers still prefer TN Film panels for additional snappiness and for competitive gaming so it will be interesting to see what AUO can manage in this sector too.

Another newly announced panel that looks interesting is the M315QVN02.0. This is flat format 31.5″ sized panel, and offers a 3840 x 2160 “4K” resolution combined with a 144Hz refresh rate. This is a VA technology panel though, unlike the wide range of IPS technology panels already announced from various manufacturers in this kind of size range (31.5 – 32″). So this is one of the first ~32″ sized panels with 4K @144Hz but with VA technology being used. Other specs listed include HDR 600 support and a 90% DCI-P3 colour gamut. It’s expected to be available quite soon actually with production supposedly under way since July 2021.

The 34″ size is not one that AUO has previously invested in, having concentrated their efforts in the 35″ space, and leaving 34″ to Samsung (VA) and LG.Display (IPS) until now. AUO now have several new panels in production which are 34″ in size, offering a 21:9 ultrawide aspect ratio and a 3440 x 1440 resolution. There are 4 panel variants planned:

The other two have a steeper 1000R curvature to rival what Samsung are doing at the moment with their VA panels. Again there is a 100Hz version (M340QVR01.5) and a 165Hz version (M340QVR01.6). Both slipped back from Jan/Feb 2021 slightly to March 2021 but should now be in production.