The next big thing in the world of screens is the micro-LED. This technology works like OLED, as each pixel generates its own light and made its big TV debut in a 110-inch device from Samsung in 2021, with smaller sizes set out below.
But those smaller sizes didn’t show up. Then, in 2022, Samsung announced a new size range, but that didn’t happen either – and according to a report in Digitimes (opens in new tab)we shouldn’t wait too long until 2024-2025.
According to the report, the original plan to produce micro-LED TVs in 76, 88, 96, and 110-inch sizes was delayed due to pandemic-related factory closures in Vietnam, so Samsung moved its production plans south. . 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 delayed until later in the year, and the report says that no decision has yet been made on whether to launch the larger models.
That year, Samsung’s expected prices for micro-LED TVs dropped by about 40%, which is great…
The only size remotely suitable for ‘normal’ sized homes in any of Samsung’s micro-LED plans so far has been the 76-inch model, but that’s never happened – and won’t be back anytime soon, it seems. If you saw Samsung’s original 2021 announcement and expected these models to quickly drop in price to become viable alternatives to the best 4K TVs, you still have time to wait.
Analysis: Why is micro-LED so important?
The reason micro-LED gets TV nerds like me so excited is that it offers all the benefits of the best OLED TVs without the downsides. You get the same per-pixel dimming as OLED, so you get infinitely deep black levels and precise contrast, except micro-LED screens should be much brighter. Today’s top OLED TVs can reach nearly 1,000 nits of brightness, but Samsung said it expects its first micro-LED TVs to reach around 4,000 nits of brightness, and that around 10,000 nits could be possible in the future. That means you’d get much, much higher HDR from micro-LED than what OLED seems to be able to deliver.
The micro-LED is also made from more durable artificial materials rather than the more delicate organic material of OLED, which means you should get longer-lasting screens with no burn-in issues (which today’s OLED TVs have largely surpassed, to be fair. ).
But micro-LED is still cutting edge technology. All those huge TVs that Samsung has announced are only 4K, for example, while Samsung’s big mini-LED TVs like the Samsung QN900B are 8K – and they cost about 10% of what the micro-LED TV does at the same time. . Time.
Micro-LED is being used in products, but it’s almost entirely in advanced digital signage for businesses. In fact, Samsung’s first micro-LED product for the home, called The Wall, is basically just a series of micro-LED signage panels that you can arrange like a TV at home.
In fact, putting the technology on a standalone TV screen, connected to glass substrates in a single panel, is really pushing the limits of current technology. So while micro-LED will remain one of the most anticipated things in TVs for years to come, don’t expect it to be among the best affordable 55-inch TVs for quite some time.