Chinese LCD Manufacturers Lead the Medical High-Refresh Rate Display Track, Custom Liquid Crystal Modules Spur a Multi-Billion-Dollar Incremental Market

Amid the wave of smart upgrade in medical devices, Chinese liquid crystal display (LCD) manufacturers are breaking into high-end markets through custom liquid crystal modules. In August 2023, Tianma Microelectronics announced the mass production of its 4K 120Hz medical endoscope display, marking a new stage for domestically developed high-refresh medical display technology. According to CINNO Research, China's medical LCD market is expected to exceed $1.8 billion this year, with custom liquid crystal modules accounting for over 40% of demand—emerging as a technological frontier for display manufacturers.

1. Localization Breakthrough in 4K High-Refresh Medical Displays: Custom Modules Decouple Import Dependence

The high-end medical display market, long dominated by Japanese and South Korean firms, is being penetrated by Chinese LCD enterprises. Tianma Microelectronics’ newly mass-produced 5.5-inch custom liquid crystal module integrates 4K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate, using self-developed RGBW pixel arrangement technology to maintain 0.01cd/m² dark-field precision while reducing power consumption by 42%. This module has obtained FDA certification and is integrated into Olympus’ new-generation electronic endoscope, directly replacing Sharp’s equivalent product. This achievement has boosted the self-sufficiency rate of China’s medical display supply chain from 28% in 2019 to 65%. Companies like BOE and Shenchao Optoelectronics are also accelerating the development of touch modules for surgical robots.

2.Cross-Industry Integration of Display Technologies: Custom Demands Spur a Hundred-Billion-Dollar Ecosystem

In the cross-border innovation of "medical devices + displays," custom liquid crystal modules demonstrate strong scalability. AU Optronics developed a 7-inch 3D liquid crystal module for the Da Vinci surgical robot, which enhances surgical precision to 0.02mm through polarized light layering technology. TCL CSOT, meanwhile, created a 6.2-inch antibacterial LCD for portable ultrasound devices, reducing liquid-contact failure rates by 90% via nano-coating. Industry analysts note that such highly customized products achieve a gross margin of 45%—three times that of standard displays. In the first half of 2023, Chinese LCD enterprises filed 1,276 patents for custom modules in the medical field, a year-on-year increase of 68%.

3.Collaborative Industrial Upgrades: Display Manufacturers Tap into a Blue Ocean

In response to the personalized needs of medical device manufacturers, domestic display firms are building rapid-response systems. Innolux established a "Medical Display Innovation Center," reducing custom module development cycles from 18 to 9 months. Visionox has partnered with Mindray Medical to set up a joint lab, developing specialized driver ICs for endoscopes, monitors, and other scenarios. This deep collaboration model has raised Chinese LCD enterprises’ global market share in medical displays from 12% in 2020 to 31% in 2023. Omdia predicts that China’s medical custom liquid crystal module market will reach $5.3 billion by 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of 24%.

4.Transition from Standard Products to Integrated Solutions

As price wars rage in the consumer electronics sector, Chinese LCD manufacturers are achieving value breakthroughs in the medical track through customization. Innovations from 4K high-refresh endoscope displays to antibacterial touch modules not only break technical barriers but also reshape the display industry’s business model. With the continuous rise in smart medical device penetration, custom liquid crystal modules are poised to become a core engine for China’s display industry upgrade.