Nichia claims its 319A high-power LED is a record breaker by achieving a whopping 164 lm/W at 700 mA (5,000 K). And the 319A is a production device, Nichia say, i.e. not one shining brightly deep down in a liquid nitrogen vessel or in the minds of a few theorists at MIT. Mass production of this super LED is planned for late this month or early January 2017 so with a bit of luck you will be dazzled by your daughter’s new flashlight for Summer Camp.

The size of the 319A is 3.5 x 3.5mm and the device and is foot-print compatible with earlier 3.5-mm LEDs, if not optically. Breakdown is specified at 1,050 mA (~3 W).

A variant with 3000 K color temperature is expected to yield 415 lm with a minimum CRI (color rendering index) of 80. This device won’t give you much deep red though as its R9 CRI specification is zero.

Nichia showcased a number of breakthrough LED technologies at the recent Lux Live show in London’s Excel Centre … what’s in a name.