Major smartphone vendors like Samsung and Apple have been making improvements regarding unlocking devices beyond password-based methods, resulting in the rapid development of biometrics recognition in smartphones. In addition to smartphones, biometrics authentication methods will also be used in tablets and wearable devices.

VCSEL (vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser) technology has been at the center stage in the tech world of late, in the wake of the debut of the new iPhone X, which contains a 3D sensing module with VCSELs as its core components. Their importance even made Apple fork over quite an amount of money to secure some of the VCSEL shipment from Finisar, a laser chip producer.

In retrospect, companies had already realized the only way to earn themselves new opportunities in such a mature market is to redevelop their technologies and gear up for niche markets with higher margins. LEDinside picks five trends that drove the LED industry this year and gives a quick analysis on what they will lead the industry to in 2018.

Did you know that the LED lights market is set to grow by 23 percent every year? The industry is growing in popularity but why should you be switching to LED lighting for your home? The main benefit of their use is their energy saving abilities.

Seeing a future with IoT Technology gradually maturing, Lite-On Technology is making a big push into automotive IoT and smart traffic systems and will showcase its products in January at CES 2018. It has comprehensive 802.11P solutions and is developing solutions that meet the LTE-Vehicular mobile standard.

On December 21st, the 5th Summit of China Intelligent Manufacturing and LED Industry Development was successfully held at Ji’an City, Jiangxi Province.

IQE plc announces its pre-close trading update for the full year ending 31 December 2017. The Group announces that it expects full year revenues to be ahead of market expectations, and to be not less than £150m for the year ending 31 December 2017. Wafer sales are on track to deliver strong double-digit growth in 2017 and to continue to diversify. The three primary markets are Photonics, InfraRed and Wireless.

Heliospectra AB, an expert in intelligent LED lighting technology for greenhouse and controlled plant growth environments, announces an order from Revered of Aurora, Colorado. A respected leader in Colorado's medicinal and adult use cannabis market since 2014, Revered will install Heliospectra LX60 intelligent LED grow lights as the company continues to expand its cultivation, operations and branded product portfolio. The order is valued at 741,740 SEK ($88,130 USD).

IQE plc, the Welsh supplier of advanced wafer products and wafer services to the semiconductor industry, announces that its wholly ownedsubsidiary, NanoGaN Limited, has secured the purchase and assignment of a portfolio of patents from Taiwan based Luxtaltek Corporation.

A group of Japan's researchers, legislators, and businessmen hope to use rare earth metals in the deep sea near coastal area of Japan to make LED products. They aim to use them for the Olympics and Paralympic Games in Japan in 2020, reported the Yomiuri Shimbun.  

Appearing to be strapped for cash, smartphone screen manufacturer Japan Display (JDI) is currently in talks with Chinese panel makers, including BOE, Tianma, and CSOT, over an investment more than  USD 1.8 billion. The Japanese company hopes to seal the deal by the end of March 2018, reported Kyodo News.

Universal Display Corporation announced an OLED evaluation agreement with Royole Corporation, a developer of advanced flexible OLED displays, flexible sensors, and smart device electronics. 

Mixed-reality solution specialist Realfiction will introduce the world’s largest OLED-based mixed-reality display, DeepFrame, during CES 2018.

Innovusion, a privately held company based in Silicon Valley, emerged today out of stealth mode and is introducing its ground-breaking LiDAR technology with industry leading features and functionality.

At CES 2018, TriLumina will demonstrate multiple use cases for its innovative 940 nm VCSEL illumination modules, including a novel solid-state 3D LiDAR system powered by its illumination modules, which will be showcased at the company's Suite at the Westgate Hotel as well as in the Leddar Ecosystem Pavilion.

Among lots of companies developing Micro/ Mini LED, an Idaho-based startup is looking to use its products in a totally different segment. Rohinni, first exposed in 2014, has been developing Micro LED for keyboard backlighting and automotive lighting.

Samsung (SDC) currently dominates the small-sized OLED panel supply globally. As for the large-sized TV panel segment, SDC decides to focus on QLED, a quantum dot display technology. SDC used to promote curved TVs, but now it decides to change its course.

Several Taiwanese LED companies have seen positive results after three quarters of business transformation. As they have been shifting more capacity to non-blue LED applications, more mid- and small-sized LED firms starts to see turnarounds. Looking ahead to 2018, Taiwanese companies will keep differentiating themselves from Chinese competitors and expanding product lines in niche markets, such as IR LED, sensors, and Mini LED.

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Solid-State Lighting Program has released a new report that estimates the installed stock, energy use, and lumen production of all general-illumination lighting products operating in the U.S. in 2015. The third such report issued by DOE since 2002, it provides the baseline that helps DOE plan its R&D program, and is used by both governmental and nongovernmental organizations for planning and evaluating lighting opportunities as well as additional research efforts.

WitsView, a division of TrendForce, reports that the global shipments of branded LCD TV sets for 2017 will total 210 million units, a decrease of 4.1% compared with prior year. For 2018, the shipments decline will reverse, and grow by 3.9% to 218 million.

Samsung’s CHG90 recently received further validation from the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA), who, following a rigorous testing procedure, confirmed that the CHG90 (along with the CHG70) exemplifies its DisplayHDR™ 600 performance standards and is the industry’s first display to be certified as DisplayHDR™ compliant.

Successfully obtaining technologies able to mass produce Micro LED products, Korean mid-sized LED maker Lumens begins to produce both small- and large-sized Micro LED display prototypes planned to be showcased at CES 2018.

eLux announced that the U.S. Patent Office has issued in early December US Patent No. 9,825,202 titled “Display with Surface Mount Emissive Elements”. This is the first issued eLux patent which covers the foundational work done on massively parallel fluidic assembly of µLEDs to make high resolution displays. 

The chip wavelength of LED can be adjusted to produce both visible and invisible light bulbs. In light of lower production cost, companies are developing more UV LEDs, further driving the growth of ultraviolet lamps. It is estimated the market value of ultraviolet lamps will continues to increase at a CAGR of 13.32% from 2017 to 2021.

A new war is looming in the display market. The rumor that Samsung may team up with the Micro LED supply chain in Taiwan has caught the attention of Foxconn CEO Terry Gou.

Recent advances in the design of high-performance phosphorescent emitters have led to the leap-forward development of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) and their applications in commercial electronic products, including computer monitors, cellular phones, and high-density televisions. With the dedicated efforts of the team during these five years, a significant impact to the fields of OLEDs and organic photovoltaics (OPVs) has been made.

Apple today announced the latest award from its $1 billion Advanced Manufacturing Fund. Finisar, a manufacturer of optical communications components, will receive $390 million as part of Apple’s commitment to support innovation and job creation by American manufacturers.

Taiwan-based LED chip manufacturer Epistar announced its business plan for 2018 will be around five cores—backlighting, high-end LED lighting, infrared application, automotive lighting, and innovative digital display. Ming-Chun Chou, General Manager of Epistar, stated the company will officially produce Mini LED in 2Q18 at the earliest.

San’an Optoelectronics announced, on December 5, 2017, the firm's board meeting passed the Investment Cooperation Agreement, which is going to be co-signed by the firm, People's Government of Quanzhou City in Fujian Province, and People's Government of Nan'an City in Fujian Province.

Ouster, a San Francisco-based developer of high-performance LIDAR technology emerged from stealth, announces the launch of the company's new OS1 model LIDAR, and $27 million in Series A funding, led by Cox Enterprises.