What are COB LED,SMD LED and GOB LED?
12 2025-04-19
What is difference between COB display and SMD, GOB?
——What are COB LED,SMD LED and GOB LED?
COB (Chip-on-Board) LED display is a display technology that directly packages LED chips on a circuit board (PCB), eliminating the bracket and reflow soldering steps of traditional SMD (surface mount) and protecting the chip and circuit through epoxy resin overall packaging. GOB is a packaging technology that covers the surface of SMD LED display with special transparent glue (epoxy resin or silicone) to enhance the protection. The full name is Glue on Board.
The following is an analysis of its core features, advantages and disadvantages, and applicable scenarios:
——COB vs SMD vs GOB comparison


——COB technology principle

1. Packaging process:
    LED chip → die bonding (directly bonded to PCB) → wire bonding → fluorescent glue coating → overall packaging curing.
2. Structural features:
    ① No independent lamp beads, the chip is in direct contact with the PCB.
    ② The surface is covered with transparent or matte epoxy resin to form a flat and particle-free display surface.


——Total 5 advantages of COB LED display
1.Ultra-high reliability: no risk of lamp beads falling off, anti-vibration, anti-collision, protection level up to IP68 (underwater use)
2.Ultra-small pitch: mass production technology can reach P0.4 pitch, suitable for ultra-high-definition scenes such as medical imaging and command and control rooms.
3.Extreme image quality: no pixel graininess, viewing angle 180°, contrast ratio > 10000:1 (pure black field, delicate bright part)
4.Long life: chip life > 100,000 hours (traditional SMD about 50,000 hours), slower light decay.
5. Environmental adaptability: moisture-proof, dust-proof, salt spray-resistant, suitable for harsh environments such as ships and mines.


—— 3 major disadvantages of COB LED display
1. High cost: The price is 2-3 times that of the same level SMD screen, mainly due to low yield rate (<90%) and process complexity.
2. Difficult maintenance: If a single chip is damaged, the entire module needs to be replaced, which is costly and time-consuming.
3. Brightness limitation: The current maximum brightness is about 2000cd/m², and outdoor applications require high-brightness optical films (such as brightness enhancement films)
——COB display screen application scenarios
1. High-end indoor display: 4K/8K conference screen (such as Huawei Ideahub), radio and television studio (CCTV 8K ultra-high-definition channel)
2. Professional fields: medical imaging (DICOM standard grayscale display), aerospace (anti-electromagnetic interference)
3. Virtual production: Hollywood XR stage (such as "The Mandalorian" uses Sony Crystal LED COB screen).
4. Special environment: ship deck screen (anti-salt spray), mine monitoring (explosion-proof design).