MicroLED might be the next big thing in TV tech, but even nearly halving the price won’t make it affordable for most of us
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(Image credit: Samsung)
(Image credit: Samsung)
The next Big Deal in TV technology is microLED: the idea behind this technology is that it works using self-lighting pixels, just like OLED, but instead of being made from somewhat fragile organic components, it uses microscopic versions of traditional LEDs. This should give all the advantages of OLED, including astounding contrast and per-pixel dimming, but at higher brightness levels and a longer lifetime for the panels.
Last year,Samsung introduced the first microLED TV setthat people could buy for the home, but at 110 inches in size and at a cost of around $150,000, it wasn’t exactly mainstream. It was supposed to launch in smaller sizes too, but those never materialised – so that was the cheapest you could pay for this new tech.
Obviously, that’s a big “if” – but you never know with tech. Sometimes things go slower than expected (transparent OLED TVs have been shown off at basically everyCESfor years, but don’t seem to be any closer to actually being sold), and sometimes they go much faster. How many people had even heard of Mini-LED or QD-OLED five years ago, and this year both of these technologies will drive some of thebest Samsung TVs.
It may be that we see microLED appear on a smaller scale first, where the cost of huge panels won’t be so prohibitive. It’s said thatAppleis planning on using the tech to replace OLED in theApple Watchwhenever it’s able, though I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s years away too – certainly not in theApple Watch Series 8.
But still, this price drop on Samsung’s microLED TVs leaves me really optimistic about the technology’s future, even if it means it remains only for the super-rich today. The real danger was that there wouldn’t be any progress from the first version quickly – this kind of price drop makes it seem like Samsung is being as aggressive as it can be with the tech, and we’ll all only benefit from more options to shake up the TV industry.
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