In simple terms, among the comparable transparent screen technologies currently available on the market (2024-2026):
✅ Transparent screens made with LEDs (especially transparent LED screens / Micro-LEDs)
LED transparent screens are a relatively mature technology, using LED beads/micro-LEDs to emit light while maintaining a certain degree of transparency.
Market price range (based on common transparent LED screen prices): Approximately $500 – $2,500 per square meter (approximately ¥3,500 – ¥18,000/㎡), depending on the model, pixel pitch, brightness, and other configurations.
Overall, LED transparent screen technology is mature, the supply chain is well-established, and the price is at a medium level among transparent display technologies. Micro-LED transparent screens are more expensive, but still fall under the LED category.
✅ Transparent screens made with photonic chips
This type of technology (such as photonic chip transparent displays from photonic crystal technology) is a newer transparent display method that uses nano-photonic structures to control light, achieving extremely high transparency and display effects.
Currently, there is little to no publicly available market pricing data, as this technology is not a standard product line in a mature industry, but rather an emerging, highly customized product.
Information from user communication platforms suggests that the "cost of photonic chip transparent screens may be lower," but this depends on project customization, size, performance, and other factors (not a uniform pricing data).
Which is cheaper?
✔️ Generally, transparent LED screens (including LED and Micro-LED technologies) are easier to obtain price quotes for, and under similar display requirements, they are often cheaper and more mature than emerging photonic chip technologies.
✔️ As a new technology, the current scale of production, market pricing, and transparent supply chain of photonic chip transparent screens are still in the development stage. Therefore, there is insufficient public data to prove that their overall cost is cheaper than LEDs. Some argue that it can be cheaper in certain scenarios, but this is mostly a functional claim, not a comparison of mass production prices.
Summary
LED transparent screens: Mature technology, transparent pricing, generally controllable costs, and easier to purchase.
Photonic chip transparent screens: Emerging technology, potentially superior performance, but currently difficult to directly compare prices; if not scaled up, customization costs may be higher.
The practical answer: Unless there are specific product price comparisons available, generally speaking, transparent screens made with LED technology are cheaper and easier to procure and budget for. While photonic chip technology may see cost reductions in the future, current commercial pricing is still unclear.