A display driver IC is a small share of the bill of materials, but it decides whether a production line keeps running. When an engineer or a purchasing manager searches for a driver replacement, the question is rarely “which part is technically best” — it is “which part can I actually get, at a price the project can carry, without waiting twelve weeks for a reel.”
Titan Micro (TM) and Holtek (HT) are the two families that come up most often in that search. Both build display drivers with similar architectures for the same jobs: driving 7-segment LED digits, dot matrix panels and LCD segments. They are not interchangeable in every socket, but for a large share of designs they solve the same problem — often at noticeably different cost and availability. This guide compares them from a sourcing and design perspective so you can decide which belongs on your next board.
Titan Micro (TM) Series: Overview
Titan Micro Electronics is a Chinese fabless IC design house focused on display driver and control ICs. Its TM series sits inside a very large installed base of consumer appliances, metering products and industrial panels — most of them designed and built in China and South Asia. That installed base is why the parts are easy to find today: continuous domestic demand means distributors hold stock rather than buying against a forecast.
The family splits into two practical groups. LED display drivers — TM1637, TM1640, TM1650, TM1628, TM1638, TM1668, TM1616 — drive 7-segment digits or dot matrix LED panels directly, and several include an integrated keyboard scan matrix so one IC handles both the display and the front-panel buttons. LCD segment drivers — TM1621B, TM1621C, TM1621D — drive multiplexed LCD glass through 1/2, 1/3 or 1/4 duty and bias options, and are common in energy meters, thermostats and measurement instruments.
Holtek (HT) Series: Overview
Holtek Semiconductor is a long-established Taiwanese MCU and peripheral IC maker. Its HT display drivers — HT16K33, HT1632C, HT16K24, HT1621B, HT1622, HT1628 — have a strong record in industrial and instrumentation designs, and the HT16K33 became a de facto standard in prototype LED matrix projects because of its simple I2C interface.
The strengths of the HT family are documentation maturity and a long quality record in industrial equipment. The trade-off is commercial rather than technical: HT parts are usually quoted higher than functionally equivalent TM parts, and lead times on non-stocked items can be long when ordering from outside China.
Technical Specifications: LED Display Drivers
The table below summarises the LED driver parts from both families that buyers compare most often. Confirm the latest revision against the manufacturer datasheet before releasing a BOM.
| Part | Maker | Display mode | Key scan | Interface | Package | Supply voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM1637 | Titan Micro | 8 seg × 6 digit LED | 8 × 2 | 2-wire serial | SOP20 / DIP20 | 5 V |
| TM1650 | Titan Micro | 8 seg × 4 digit LED | 8 × 2 | 2-wire serial | SOP16 / DIP16 | 2.8 – 5.5 V |
| TM1616 | Titan Micro | Compact LED display | No | 2-wire serial | SOP16 / DIP16 | 5 V |
| TM1640 | Titan Micro | 8 seg × 16 bit (128 dot) LED panel | No | 2-wire serial | SOP28 / SSOP28 | 5 V |
| TM1668 | Titan Micro | 10 seg × 7 digit LED | Yes | 3-wire serial | SOP24 / SSOP24 | 5 V |
| TM1628 | Titan Micro | 10 seg × 7 digit to 13 seg × 4 digit LED | Yes | 3-wire serial | SOP28 | 5 V |
| TM1638 | Titan Micro | 10 seg × 8 digit LED | 8 × 3 | 3-wire serial | SOP28 | 5 V |
| HT16K33 | Holtek | 16 × 8 LED matrix (128 dot) | 13 × 3 | I2C | SOP28 / SSOP28 | 4.5 – 5.5 V |
| HT1632C | Holtek | 32 × 8 / 24 × 16 LED matrix | No | 3- or 4-wire serial | QFP44 / LQFP44 | 4.5 – 5.5 V |
Both families offer 8-level or better digital brightness control and drive common-anode or common-cathode LED configurations depending on the part. The differences that matter on a BOM are interface width, package pitch and supply voltage headroom.
Technical Specifications: LCD Segment Drivers
| Part | Maker | Dots | Interface | Package | Supply voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TM1621B | Titan Micro | 128 (32 × 4) | 4-wire serial | SSOP48 / LQFP44 | 2.4 – 5.2 V |
| TM1621C | Titan Micro | 128 (32 × 4) | 4-wire serial | SOP28 | 2.4 – 5.2 V |
| TM1621D | Titan Micro | 128 (32 × 4) | 4-wire serial | QSOP24 | 2.4 – 5.2 V |
| HT1621B | Holtek | 128 (32 × 4) | 3- or 4-wire serial | SSOP48 / LQFP44 | 2.4 – 5.2 V |
| HT1622 | Holtek | 256 (32 × 8) | 3- or 4-wire serial | LQFP64 / QFP100 | 2.4 – 5.2 V |
| HT1628 | Holtek | 256 (32 × 8) | 3- or 4-wire serial | LQFP44 / QFP44 | 2.4 – 5.2 V |
The LCD pairs are closely matched: TM1621B and HT1621B share the same 32 × 4 RAM-mapping architecture, the same duty options and the same SSOP48 / LQFP44 outlines. Where a board already uses HT1621B, TM1621B is very often the lower-cost second source after an interface and timing check. The pin-level analysis is in the TM1621B vs HT1621B comparison.
Applications: Where Each Family Wins
Home appliances and white goods. Air conditioner indoor units, washing machine panels, microwave and induction cooker displays are the heartland of the TM1668, TM1628 and TM1650. These designs need a driver that handles 4 to 10 digits, scans a few front-panel keys, runs from a 5 V or 3.3 V rail and costs as little as possible at volumes in the hundreds of thousands. Titan Micro was built for exactly this segment — see the Titan Micro LED driver IC selection guide for a model-by-model breakdown.
Instrumentation and metering. Energy meters, thermostats, weighing scales and handheld instruments usually use segmented LCD glass, so the TM1621B / TM1621C / TM1621D family is the relevant choice. Holtek’s HT1621B and HT1622 have a long record here and some utility customers still specify HT parts by name; for those programs TM1621B is normally the cost-down path once the customer accepts an alternative.
Dot matrix panels and signage. For a 128-dot or larger LED matrix, TM1640 and TM1638 cover the smaller end and Holtek’s HT1632C covers larger 32 × 8 arrangements. On development boards the HT16K33 has an edge because its I2C interface is trivial to drive from Arduino, Raspberry Pi and ESP32 — the trade-off is unit cost at production volumes.
Export markets. For buyers in India, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and the Middle East, the decisive factor is usually not the brand on the datasheet but whether the distributor can ship mixed reels on a short lead time. Manufacturing in those markets frequently runs mixed-model lines, so a supplier holding both TM and HT stock in China removes a real scheduling risk.
Titan Micro vs Holtek: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Factor | Titan Micro (TM) series | Holtek (HT) series |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | China, domestic fabless design house | Taiwan |
| Unit price at volume | Typically 20 – 40% lower for equivalent function | Higher baseline pricing |
| Availability in China | Broad distributor stock, low MOQ, short lead time | Depends on authorised channel; longer lead time on non-stocked items |
| Package options | Includes DIP for legacy and through-hole boards | Predominantly SMD (SOP / SSOP / LQFP / QFP) |
| Interface | 2-wire or 3-wire serial, 4-wire on LCD parts | I2C on HT16K33; 3/4-wire serial on others |
| Brightness control | 8-level digital dimming on LED drivers | 16-level on HT16K33; 8-level or better on others |
| Key scan integration | Widely available (TM1650, TM1628, TM1638, TM1668) | Available (HT16K33 13 × 3; HT16K24) |
| Ecosystem and tooling | Strong in the China appliance ecosystem; growing library support | Mature documentation, extensive open-source library support |
| Best fit | Cost-driven volume production, Chinese and South Asian supply chains | Industrial qualification; projects where the part is already specified |
Which One Should You Design In?
Choose Titan Micro for volume production, for DIP packages on existing through-hole assemblies, for 5 V or 3.3 V boards that need an integrated key scan, or when your current Holtek part is on a long lead time and you need a functional second source. Common starting points: TM1650 for 4-digit panels with keys, TM1628 or TM1638 for larger panels, TM1640 for dot matrix, TM1616 for space-constrained display-only boards, and TM1621B for segmented LCD.
Stay with Holtek if a customer or regulatory file already names the HT part, if the design depends on the HT16K33 I2C protocol and its 16-level dimming, or if you need the larger 256-dot arrangements that only HT1622 and HT1628 provide in this comparison.
Design in both. This is what experienced procurement teams actually do: lay out the footprint so the TM and HT part can share it where the pinout allows (TM1621B and HT1621B is the clearest case), qualify both, then buy whichever is available and cheaper at the time. For the two most common cross-family pairings see TM1650 vs HT16K33 and TM1628 vs HT1628; for in-family decisions see TM1637 vs TM1650, TM1668 vs TM1628, TM1616 vs TM1650 and TM1637 vs TM1638 vs TM1650.
Buying Guide: How to Source TM and HT Drivers Safely
Driver ICs are cheap per unit and expensive per failure. A reworked board, a rejected batch or a stopped line costs far more than the price gap between an original part and a grey-market copy. Check these five points before you buy.
1. Verify the original source. Ask for the manufacturer name and the lot or date code on the reel, request a photo of the actual reel label before payment, and confirm the part marking matches the datasheet. Counterfeit and re-marked drivers are common in this category, especially on high-search models such as TM1637 and TM1621B.
2. Confirm real stock, not a promise. A distributor claiming 300,000 pieces in stock should be able to state the warehouse location, date code and packaging format (tube, tray or reel) in the same reply. Vague answers usually mean the parts are being brokered after you order.
3. Check quality inspection practice. At minimum expect incoming visual and marking inspection; ideally sample electrical verification on a test fixture. For production programs, ask whether a sample batch can be supplied for your own qualification run.
4. Look for export experience. A supplier who has shipped to India, Vietnam or Europe before will handle the commercial invoice, packing list, HS code, air-freight packaging and ESD-safe handling without being taught. This saves weeks on a first order.
5. Demand MOQ flexibility. A supplier willing to ship 100 pieces for a sample build and later scale to 100,000 for mass production is far more useful than one insisting on a full reel before quoting.
Why Buy Titan Micro and Holtek Drivers from Newfly Electronics
Newfly Electronics is a China-based IC distributor focused on display driver and control ICs, with direct access to the Chinese supply chain in which Titan Micro parts are built.
Competitive China supply chain pricing. Titan Micro does not maintain a dedicated foreign trade sales team for most overseas markets and quotes high prices to small international buyers. Buying through Newfly removes that layer and gives you pricing based on domestic Chinese market levels rather than export list prices.
Stable, verified supply. We hold stock across the TM display driver range — TM1637, TM1640, TM1650, TM1628, TM1621B, TM1638, TM1668, TM1616 and the TM1621C / TM1621D LCD variants — and can also source Holtek HT parts when your design requires them, so you are not juggling two suppliers for one panel.
Export experience and documentation. We ship to India, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, the Middle East, Europe and the USA, and handle export documentation and ESD-safe packing as standard.
Technical support. Ask us for datasheets, package drawings, reference schematics or an interface note on migrating from an HT part to a TM part. We can also advise which model fits a given digit count, key matrix and supply rail.
Small quantity and bulk orders. Samples and pilot quantities are welcome and pricing scales for production volumes — there is no minimum reel requirement to get a quotation.
Contact us at sales@newflyelectronics.com or on WhatsApp at +86 15112635657 with the model numbers and quantities you need. Background on how we source and verify these parts is in our Titan Micro TM IC sourcing guide and the Titan Micro IC distributor China overview.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is TM1621B a direct replacement for HT1621B? Functionally, in most designs yes — both are 32 × 4 RAM-mapping LCD segment drivers with the same duty options and packages. Confirm the serial interface timing and bias configuration against both datasheets before releasing the change. Full detail in the TM1621B vs HT1621B comparison.
Can TM1650 replace HT16K33? They solve the same problem but are not pin or protocol compatible. TM1650 uses a 2-wire serial interface with a fixed device address, while HT16K33 uses I2C with 16-level dimming and a 13 × 3 key matrix, so a board change is normally required — see TM1650 vs HT16K33.
Which Titan Micro LED driver has built-in keyboard scan? TM1650 (8 × 2), TM1668, TM1628 and TM1638 all integrate key scanning, letting one IC drive both the digits and the front-panel buttons. TM1616 and TM1640 are display-only.
Are Titan Micro ICs still in production? Yes. The TM display driver range is actively produced and stocked. Titan Micro does not market these parts aggressively outside China, which is why overseas buyers often struggle to find an original source — that is the gap Newfly fills.
Is Titan Micro a genuine manufacturer rather than a re-marking house? Titan Micro Electronics (天微电子) is a Chinese IC design house with its own part numbering and datasheets. The TM models listed here are its own products, not re-marked Holtek parts, and we supply originals with reel labelling and date codes you can verify.
Do you provide datasheets, and can I order small quantities? Yes to both. Send the models you are evaluating to sales@newflyelectronics.com and we will return datasheets, package drawings, pricing and current stock. Sample and pilot quantities are supported on TM and HT parts with no full-reel minimum, and we export regularly to India, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Middle East, Europe and the USA.
Request a Quotation
If you are comparing TM and HT display drivers for a new design, a cost-down project or an urgent production shortage, send us your model list and quantities. We will confirm current stock, quote competitive China supply chain pricing, and supply the datasheets and technical notes needed to qualify the part.
Email sales@newflyelectronics.com or message WhatsApp +86 15112635657. Include the model number, package type, quantity and target market, and we will reply with price and availability — usually the same working day.