Tomasz Wadowski
Large format, big ambitions, and even bigger questions. Samsung has begun test production of a new television with a diagonal of as much as 115 inches, which it refers to as RGB MicroLED. It sounds impressive, but the situation is not as straightforward as the name suggests.
What will RGB MICRO LED be?
According to information provided by The Elec, the largest version has taken the lead – a powerful screen that won't fit in a typical apartment. However, it should be remembered that this is not a classic MicroLED, known for its astronomical prices and self-emitting pixels. Samsung's new model is actually a Mini LED with RGB backlighting – still LCD, but with a more advanced system of diodes. Instead of white LEDs, red, green, and blue ones are used, which allows for cleaner colors and higher brightness without the need for filters or quantum dots (at least in theory).
So it is not yet a competitor to OLEDs or a full-fledged MicroLED, but a definite step towards improving backlighting quality in large LCD televisions. It is no coincidence that this technology can also be found in the upcoming models from Hisense and TCL – these manufacturers are also turning to RGB Mini LED in their top variants, and next year Sony is also expected to join this group.
During the CES 2025 trade show, this model was presented very briefly, but editor HDTVTest, Vincent Teoh, had the opportunity to see it live. The video shows that visually the TV is impressive. However, it is still unknown what the final picture quality will look like. (4:05 in the video)
How much will it cost?
The price remains equally uncertain. Samsung emphasizes that the new RGB MicroLEDs will be cheaper than true MicroLEDs, but it is still difficult to talk about models "for everyone." For comparison: Hisense recently announced that their 116-inch model with similar technology will cost around 12,000 euros in China. That's still a lot, but significantly less than the current 76-inch MicroLEDs from Samsung at 80,000 euros.
Samsung's new direction is an attempt to find a happy medium – to improve quality without inflating costs. The thing is, the line between true innovation and clever rebranding is starting to blur. Will RGB Mini LED gain a new identity as "almost-MicroLED"? We will likely find out in the next few months – hopefully sooner than the prices of real MicroLEDs drop by the projected 90%.
Source: The Elec, HDTVTest
