19 years of dominance may be coming to an end...
Samsung has held the top spot in the global premium television market for almost two decades — and although the company is still a leader, the competition is not only catching up but is already nearly overtaking. The latest report from Counterpoint Research (Q1 2025) shows that Chinese brands Hisense and TCL are no longer playing for second place. They are realistically threatening the number one position.
Increases That Cannot Be Ignored
Over the past year, Hisense has increased its revenue in the premium television segment by as much as 87%, while TCL recorded a similarly impressive increase of 74%. Both brands have significantly strengthened their positions in the market, noting a noticeable jump in their share of global shipments. Hisense's share rose from 14% to 20%, while TCL increased its share from 13% to 19%.
Similar changes are visible in the revenue structure. Hisense improved its result from 13% to 17%, and TCL from 13% to 16%. The report did not provide exact figures for Samsung, which is telling in itself. Meanwhile, LG, which lost its position as the runner-up last year, has not recorded any clear growth during this period.
Hisense is targeting the USA, then the world
This is no coincidence. Already in November 2024, Hisense announced that it aims to dethrone Samsung. The plan? First the American market, where the Korean brand is still strong, and then taking the global leadership position. And looking at the growth rate — these are not empty PR announcements, but a very concrete expansion strategy.
TCL operates less spectacularly, but just as effectively. It is systematically building its global presence, and a 6 percentage point year-on-year growth in the premium segment is a strong signal for the entire industry.
Samsung has opted for OLED, but that is not enough
One of the reasons for Samsung's weakened position may be its change in technology strategy. The company abandoned the aggressive development of Mini-LEDs in favour of OLEDs. By 2023, Samsung was the leader in Mini-LED TV sales, but after the debut of its own OLEDs (finally) — it lost that advantage. Already in 2024, TCL surpassed it. Now, the same is being done by Hisense and Xiaomi.
It is worth noting: in 2024, for the first time Samsung sold more OLEDs than Mini-LEDs. It still develops the Neo QLED line with Mini-LED, but it is OLEDs that are positioned as its flagship products. The problem is that OLEDs, especially in larger sizes, still cost significantly more than competing Mini-LEDs.
Chinese brands are playing the size and price game
At the same time, what consumers want has changed. Televisions over 75 inches are gaining in popularity, and Hisense and TCL are perfectly positioned to ride this wave. They offer large screen sizes at prices that do not deter customers. Mini-LEDs from these brands are increasingly being chosen over OLEDs — not because they are "better," but because they are bigger for the same money.
Counterpoint reports that just in the last year:
shipments of premium televisions have increased by 79%
revenues in this segment have risen by 59%
But this growth has not gone to Samsung or LG. Most of these profits have been snatched up by Chinese manufacturers.
Mini-LED cheaper, OLED still luxurious
Bob O’Brien from Counterpoint explains this quite simply:
“MiniLEDs and OLEDs compete at similar price points. But due to differences in production costs between OLED and LCD, the customer has to choose: a smaller OLED or a larger MiniLED. And more and more often, they are choosing the larger screen.”
This explains why brands like Hisense, TCL, and Xiaomi are growing, while Samsung is not. Because although OLEDs offer excellent quality, consumers have begun to look mainly at… diagonal size. The “wow” effect of an 85-inch screen matters more than perfect black levels.
Samsung is still the leader — but for the first time in years, it cannot be certain of that. Chinese brands have a clear plan, an aggressive pricing strategy, and increasingly better technology. And customers? They are becoming less loyal to logos, more interested in how many inches and what quality they are getting for a specific amount.
If nothing changes, 2026 may be the first year that Samsung relinquishes the throne in the premium television market. And that would be a significant shift in the global consumer electronics landscape.
Source: hdtvtest.co.uk
