Engineering for Longevity and Efficiency
Beyond image quality, TCL CSOT emphasizes longevity—a common pain point for OLEDs, where blue subpixels degrade faster. By optimizing organic material compounds and leveraging uniform subpixel usage (a perk of Real RGB’s balanced structure), the company claims its panels could last up to 30% longer than competitors’. Additionally, refined power algorithms may reduce energy consumption by 15%, extending battery life without sacrificing brightness.
“Real RGB OLED isn’t just an upgrade—it’s a reimagining of how displays should perform,” said Dr. Li Wei, TCL CSOT’s Chief R&D Officer. “We’re tackling every flaw, from motion blur in fast-scrolling content to the ‘burn-in’ fears that haunt today’s users.”
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UDC doesn't sell red host
Xiaomi unveils flagship 17 Pro Max… TCL CSOT supplies Real RGB OLED panels and changes Red Host supplier September 30, 2025/in Display, Focus on /by UBIResearchNet
 Xiaomi 17 Pro Max unveiled with TCL CSOT Real RGB OLED panel (Source: Xiaomi)
On September 25th, Xiaomi unveiled three new smartphones, the Xiaomi 17 Series (Regular, Pro, and Pro Max). TCL CSOT has announced that it will exclusively supply all displays (front + back) of the Xiaomi 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max. The Pro Max’s main display is a 6.9-inch 1200×2608 high-resolution LTPO AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and 3,500 nits of brightness. The rear is also a 2.9-inch LTPO AMOLED with a resolution of 596×976.
TCL CSOT has been working on developing a Real RGB structure using inkjet printing technology for a long time, so some speculated that the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max would also feature this technology. However, the Real RGB structure is actually realized through a Fine Metal Mask (FMM) process. This means that each pixel is composed of independent red, green, and blue subpixels, resulting in excellent clarity and accurate colors without any loss of resolution.
The diamond pixel structure, which Samsung Display primarily uses, has the advantages of higher luminous efficiency, more resistance to burn-in, and higher perceived resolution while reducing the number of physical pixels, which is advantageous for cost-effective high-resolution implementation. It also has strong patent protection, which has acted as a barrier to entry for other companies. However, it has been pointed out that the diamond pixel structure does not have the same number of R, G, and B subpixels, which can cause slight readability degradation or color bleeding, especially in small text or complex graphics.
TCL CSOT’s Real RGB structure appears to be a strategic move to improve visual quality, including color accuracy and text readability, and to avoid Samsung patents. TCL CSOT’s continued investment in inkjet printing Real RGB technology, while supplying FMM-based Real RGB for major products like the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max, suggests that TCL CSOT is actively exploring both technological paths. While inkjet printing has potential for large OLEDs and cost-effectiveness in the long term, there are still challenges to overcome, including technical difficulties, mass production, and reliability, before it can be applied to small, high-resolution products.
TCL CSOT’s new panel features a C10 set, the latest emissive layer stack structure, to improve luminescence efficiency and stability. A particularly noteworthy point is that among the core light-emitting materials, Lumilan’s material was applied instead of the DuPont product previously used for the Red Host. Founded in 2017, Lumilan is a Chinese company specializing in OLED materials, backed by China’s Jizhi Technology and Xiaomi Changjiang Industrial Fund. With a factory in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, the company has been focusing on the R&D, production and sales of OLED emitting materials, and has strengthened its strategic partnership with Xiaomi, including the establishment of a joint research center in 2022. The Xiaomi 17 Pro Max application is the fruit of that cooperation. The replacement of one of the main core luminescent materials with a Chinese company’s product heralds a new change in the supply chain of the global display industry.
Changho Noh, Senior Analyst at UBI Research (chnoh@ubiresearch.com)
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