After 20 years of technological dedication, Visionox has overcome the bottleneck of traditional AMOLED manufacturing, using technological innovation to break through growth limitations

Source: Times Business Research Institute Author: Lu Shuoyi

Breaking free from the 'shackles' of traditional FMM (Fine Metal Mask), Visionox (002387.SZ) is redefining AMOLED manufacturing with its self-developed ViP (Visionox intelligent Pixelization technology)

On April 9 this year, entrusted by Visionox, the LCD Branch of the China Optics and Optoelectronics Association assisted in organizing relevant experts to hold a seminar and appraisal meeting on Visionox's ViP achievements in Hefei. After evaluation by academicians Ouyang Zhongcan, Cao Yong, and Tian He from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the experts unanimously agreed that Visionox’s ViP technology demonstrates both technological innovation and industrial application value, reaching an internationally leading level, and provides a new Chinese solution for the global upgrade and iteration of new display technologies

This is not a conceptual release from a laboratory but an industrial breakthrough with completed commercial validation. At the meeting, Visionox announced that wearable products from Honor equipped with ViP technology have achieved mass production and shipment. This means that the disruptive technology known as 'FMM-free' has passed rigorous verification by brand customers and end markets. From technological definition to industrial implementation, Visionox has made a critical leap forward, proving to the world that Chinese display companies are capable of forging a new path of independent and controllable foundational technology

Technological breakthrough: reconstructing pixels through lithography to overcome bottlenecks in traditional AMOLED manufacturing

AMOLED, with advantages such as self-emission, high contrast ratio, and flexible foldability, has become the mainstream technology for high-end displays. However, for a long time, FMM, the core process supporting AMOLED mass production, has been regarded as the 'bottleneck' of the evaporation process. Its resolution limitations, low yield rates for large sizes, and monopolization by a few suppliers in Japan and South Korea have consistently been a challenge that China's display industry cannot ignore.

For many years, the global display industry has continuously explored alternatives to FMM. However, methods such as printing or inkjet have been constrained either by yield rates or material systems, failing to achieve large-scale mass production. At this crossroads of industrial transformation, Visionox’s ViP technology offers a new path that is practical, mass-producible, and independently controllable.

ViP essentially replaces FMM entirely through 'lithography + spacer structure.' By using lithography to directly define pixel patterns on the substrate and employing a spacer structure to achieve precise deposition of independent pixels, it eliminates the constraints of physical masks on accuracy and size at the root level. This significantly enhances material utilization and design flexibility, fundamentally reconstructing the logic of OLED pixel production. This allows production lines to save on costs related to FMM and schedule production more economically.

This technological path brings exponential performance improvements. According to Visionox, ViP technology can achieve a pixel density of 1700ppi; combined with Tandem stacked device technology, it can achieve six times the device lifespan or four times the brightness compared to traditional FMM AMOLED, solving the industry-wide contradiction of 'high brightness and long lifespan being difficult to balance.'

The feature of high screen brightness ensures a good experience both indoors and outdoors. Performance advantages such as low power consumption and long lifespan also better meet the needs of medium-sized electronic products for extended office work and entertainment.

The transition to FMM-free technology marks a fundamental shift in OLED manufacturing technology. Visionox has formed a complete patent layout covering processes, structures, and devices, with full intellectual property rights under its control. To date, Visionox has filed a significantly higher number of FMM-free patents than its competitors.

The ultimate test of technical value lies in mass production and market acceptance. The evolution of Visionox’s ViP technology represents a record of overcoming challenges from 'being able to produce it,' 'delivering it,' to 'making it usable.'

Starting from initiating research on spacer structures in 2002, ViP has undergone over two decades of technological accumulation: the world’s first debut in May 2023, the lighting up of the first mass-production module in December of the same year, the groundbreaking of the world’s first 8.6th generation ViP production line in September 2024, and finally achieving scale shipments to brand customers in Q1 2026, completing a full closed loop from lab to commercial use.

Industry breakthrough: stabilizing the foundation highlights resilience, achieving differentiation to break through the high-end market

In the OLED display sector, Visionox has chosen a 'deep breakthrough' development path. Its core competitiveness is not scale, but rather establishing a technological edge in specific fields through unique innovative technologies, thereby achieving differentiated growth.

Market data also confirms the resilience of this strategy. According to CINNO Research, global AMOLED smartphone panel shipments are expected to reach 920 million units by 2025, with Chinese manufacturers capturing over 50% market share for the first time. Visionox, with shipments of approximately 102 million units, holds 11.1% of the global market share, ranking third globally and second domestically among AMOLED smartphone panel suppliers.

A stable shipment scale provides Visionox with the foundation to continuously invest in cutting-edge R&D, enabling it to upgrade steadily from a panel supplier to a technology roadmap definer and emerging market pioneer. Currently, Visionox has established a customer base covering major global Android brands such as Honor, Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo, ZTE, and Google. Its delivery capabilities and product quality have been highly recognized by leading manufacturers, laying a solid customer foundation for the ongoing expansion of ViP technology application scenarios.

Notably, Visionox has built a comprehensive innovation matrix covering form, perception, and performance, further amplifying the advantages of ViP technology.

In terms of form innovation, Visionox's seamless foldable screen solution directly addresses two long-standing user pain points in foldable smartphones: thickness and creases. In terms of perception innovation, the company's globally pioneering in-car full-view UDIR (under-display infrared) flexible AMOLED solution upgrades displays from passive terminals to active perception and interaction portals, providing revolutionary hardware support for driver monitoring and occupant recognition functions in smart cockpits.

At the recently concluded 2026 International Display Technology Conference (ICDT

2026), the company showcased a full range of products based on ViP technology, covering wearable devices, smartphones, and laptops, marking the evolution from a single technological breakthrough to platform-based, full-scenario commercial capabilities.

As industry technology continues to evolve, future competition in China's OLED industry will be a long-term contest among all-around champions, technological pioneers, and niche leaders. As a technology provider that has achieved disruptive breakthroughs in core processes, Visionox is well-positioned to leverage ViP to gradually unlock greater growth potential.

In the short term, ViP will penetrate into wearable devices and the smartphone sector, further consolidating its advantages in the consumer electronics market. Mid-term, it will fully enter the medium-sized market, including notebooks and tablets, via the 8.6th-generation production line, transitioning from a single-point technological breakthrough to full-size scenario coverage. In the long term, it will drive customized display solutions for AI scenarios, creating a second growth curve for Visionox, optimizing its revenue structure, and achieving higher-quality sustainable development.

From planting the first isolation pillar seed in 2002 to lighting up every pixel in Honor’s wearable products in 2026, Visionox has played a pivotal role in the critical upgrade phase of global OLED development. It has freed high-generation production lines from the constraints of FMM's 'metal mask,' making photolithography a reality in the industry. This is not just a technological victory but also a declaration of confidence in its chosen path: On the track of new display technologies, Chinese companies can also become industry definers.

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