Samsung’s OLED-beating Micro-LED 4K TVs are farther than we expected
The next big thing in the screen world is micro-LEDs. The technology works like OLED, with each pixel generating its own light, and it made its big TV debut in 2021 in a 110-inch set from Samsung, with smaller sizes to follow.
But these small sizes did not appear. So in 2022, Samsung announced a new series of Shapes, but that didn’t happen – and according to a report by Digitimes (opens in new tab)We should not expect too much till 2024-2025.
According to the report, the original plans to make Micro-LED TVs in 76-, 88-, 96- and 110-inch sizes were delayed due to pandemic-related manufacturing plant closures in Vietnam, so Samsung shifted its production plans to the south. transferred to. Korea for 2022, and planned an 89-inch version, a 101-inch version, and a 114-inch model. But production of the 89-inch version has been pushed to a later year, and reports say no decision has been taken on launching the larger model yet.
In that year, Samsung’s expected price for Micro-LED TVs fell by about 40%, which is great… but it still meant that an 89-inch Micro-LED TV would likely cost around $80,000.
The only size remotely suitable for ‘normal’ sized homes in any of Samsung’s micro-LED plans has been the 76-inch model, but that never happened — and won’t be back anytime soon, it seems. If you watched Samsung’s original announcement of 2021 and expected these models to drop prices quickly enough to become viable options for the best 4K TVs, you still have some time to wait.
Analysis: Why are Micro-LEDs a Big Deal?
What TV nerds like me are so excited about micro-LED is that it offers all the benefits of the best OLED TVs without any of the downsides. You get the same per-pixel dimming as OLED, so you get infinitely deep black levels and accurate contrast, except the Micro-LED screen needs to be able to get much brighter. Today’s top OLED TVs may only hit 1,000 nits of brightness, but Samsung said it expects its first micro-LED TVs to hit about 4,000 nits of brightness, and around 10,000 nits may be possible in the future. That means you’ll get far better HDR from Micro-LED than from OLED it looks to ever be able to offer.
Micro-LED is also made from long-lasting synthetic materials instead of the more delicate organic materials of OLEDs, which means you should get a long-lasting screen without the burn-in issues (which today’s OLED TVs are largely used for). far away, to be fair).
But Micro-LED is still bleeding-edge technology. For example, all of these giant TVs announced by Samsung are 4K only, while Samsung’s flagship large mini-LED TVs, such as the Samsung QN900B, are 8K — and micro-LED TVs cost about 10%. Time.
Micro-LED is being used in products, but it is almost entirely in advanced digital signage for businesses. In fact, Samsung’s first micro-LED product for the home, called The Wall, is basically a series of micro-LED signage panels that you can arrange into a TV shape at home.
Truly putting the technology into a single panel, a standalone TV screen connected to glass substrates, is really pushing the envelope of current technology. So while Micro-LED is one of my most anticipated things to see on TVs in the next few years, don’t expect it to be among the best 55-inch TVs at affordable prices for a while.