The difference between SMD and COB light strips
With the popularity of the "no main light lighting" design concept, LED fantasy light strip products are becoming more and more popular in bars, KTVs, wedding halls, and banquet halls, and are widely used by designers. There are two common LED flexible light strip products on the market, namely SMD LED light strips and COB LED light strips. Although each product has its advantages and differences, this article will help you understand the difference between the two to facilitate you to make a suitable choice.
SMD LED light strips
SMD LEDs, also known as SMD LEDs, refer to "surface mount devices". They are LED chips directly mounted on flexible printed circuit boards (PCBs), and rows of small lamp beads are formed after packaging. They are the most common type of LED devices on the market. SMD LED light strips have the advantages of high brightness, energy saving, flexibility, customizability, long life, and easy installation, and are particularly popular.
Common models of SMD light strips: 3528 SMD light strip: The package size is 3.5mm x 2.8mm, the power of a single LED is usually 0.08W-0.2W, the operating voltage is 12V or 24V, and it is often used in scenes such as decorative lighting and backlighting.
5050 SMD light strip: The package size is 5.0mm x 5.0mm, the power of a single LED is usually 0.2W-0.5W, the operating voltage is 12V or 24V, and it is often used in scenes such as decorative lighting and backlighting. 2835 SMD light strip: The package size is 2.8mm x 3.5mm, the power of a single LED is usually 0.2W-0.5W, the operating voltage is 12V or 24V, and it is often used in scenes such as decorative lighting and backlighting. 5630 SMD light strip: The package size is 5.6mm x 3.0mm, the power of a single LED is usually 0.5W-1W, the operating voltage is 12V or 24V, and it is often used in scenes such as lighting and backlighting.
3014 SMD light strip: The package size is 3.0mm x 1.4mm, the power of a single LED is usually 0.1W-0.2W, the operating voltage is 12V or 24V, and it is often used in scenes such as lighting and backlighting.
Since ordinary SMD LED flexible light strips use separate SMD LED components, the distance/gap between two adjacent LED devices is relatively large. When the light strip is lit, you can see the luminous points one by one, which some people call hot spots or bright spots. Therefore, if you don’t want to see hot spots or bright spots, you need to use some covering materials (such as plastic covers) to place them on top of the SMD LED light strip, and you must leave enough height for light mixing to reduce the bright spot effect of the luminous points, so the aluminum profiles used are usually relatively thick.
COB LED Strips refer to LED strips made with Chip on Board (COB) technology. COB technology integrates multiple LED chips on the same substrate to form a tight chip array. This structure makes the light source more compact and integrated, and the light-emitting area is continuous and uniform, resulting in higher brightness and more uniform light. Similar to SMD LED strips, COB LED strips also have multiple LED chips on the surface of the flexible circuit board. The difference is that COB LED lights usually have more LED chips and the distance between these LED chips is closer.
Due to the continuous phosphor glue coating, COB LED strips can output uniform light without very obvious single light spots, so they can output uniform and consistent light without the need for additional plastic covers. If you still need to use aluminum slots, you can choose very thin flat aluminum profiles.