Samsung and TCL Take RGB LED TVs to New Heights

Walk into a room with a Samsung 115-inch Micro RGB TV, and the colors hit you with intensity. Reds glow, greens burst with life, and blues feel tangible. This is the promise of RGB LED televisions, a new wave of LCD-based displays using individual red, green, and blue LEDs to create images with remarkable vibrancy. Unlike standard LED TVs relying on white or blue backlights filtered through color layers, these sets generate pure colors directly. The result? A color range hitting up to 95% of the BT.2020 standard, a benchmark for ultra-high-definition visuals, and brightness levels soaring between 4,000 and 8,000 nits. For comparison, most OLED TVs top out around 2,000 nits. Hisense's 116UX model left reviewers impressed with its high brightness and expansive color palette during tests at IFA Berlin in September 2025.

This leap comes from a simple but powerful idea. By replacing a single backlight with a trio of RGB LEDs, manufacturers like Sony and TCL control light precisely, creating sharper contrasts and richer hues. Watching a nature documentary, a parrot's feathers show lifelike detail; a sci-fi film's neon cityscapes pop off the screen. The technology still relies on an LCD panel to shape the image, lacking the pixel-perfect control of OLED. But with thousands of dimming zones, blooming, that halo around bright objects, drops to nearly imperceptible levels, measuring below 0.02 nits just five millimeters away.

Samsung and TCL offer a fascinating study in how to bring RGB LED TVs to consumers. Samsung's approach defines luxury. Its 115-inch Micro RGB model, launched in August 2025, carries a $30,000 price tag, aimed at affluent buyers wanting a home theater that doubles as a status symbol. The company pairs its 90-micrometer RGB LEDs with custom AI processors to fine-tune every pixel, achieving full 100% BT.2020 color coverage in testing. Samsung bets big on the ultra-premium segment, with plans for 75-inch and 85-inch versions for less extravagant buyers. At IFA Berlin, analyst Avi Greengart noted the color fidelity was striking, making standard TVs look washed out.

TCL plays a different game. In September 2025, it launched a 65-inch RGB Micro LED TV in China for $1,150, a fraction of Samsung's price. TCL's Q9M model targets budget-conscious buyers wanting cutting-edge visuals, while its premium X11L, priced around $4,000 for an 85-inch screen, competes in the high-end space. Leveraging China's robust supply chain, including partnerships with LED suppliers like San'an Optoelectronics, TCL keeps costs low without sacrificing quality. The lesson is clear. Samsung's exclusivity drives innovation but limits reach, while TCL's affordability could make RGB LED mainstream faster.

So why does a Hisense 116UX start at nearly $30,000? The answer lies in the tech's complexity. Building an RGB LED TV requires three times as many LED chips as a standard Mini LED set, each precisely placed in arrays of tens of thousands. Manufacturing costs are steep, with estimates pegging RGB LED components at $660 to $730 per TV, more than double conventional Mini LED setups. Red LEDs lose up to 40% of their brightness as temperatures rise from 25 to 60 degrees Celsius. Advanced thermal management systems help, but they add expense. Then there's the supply chain. Companies like Qianzhao Optoelectronics and Nichia race to scale up production, but tight quality controls mean yields aren't optimized.

Still, there's hope for price drops. Industry forecasts suggest Mini LED costs could fall 15% annually as production ramps up. TCL's low-cost models in China show what's possible when manufacturers prioritize scale. Some analysts warn RGB LED might stay pricey, like MicroLED, costing over $100,000 for consumer setups. The challenge is balancing innovation with accessibility, and currently, only the wealthiest enjoy the full RGB LED experience.

RGB LED TVs aren't entering an empty arena. OLED displays, led by companies like LG, have long been the gold standard for premium TVs, offering perfect blacks and pixel-level control. RGB LED counters with superior brightness, hitting levels OLED can't match, and no risk of burn-in, a nagging issue for OLED with static images. Hisense's 116UX pushes past 5,000 nits, ideal for bright rooms where OLED might struggle. Gamers also benefit, with RGB LED's 144Hz refresh rates and low input lag matching or beating OLED in fast-paced titles.

But OLED isn't standing still. LG's G5, with its Primary RGB Tandem OLED tech, boosts brightness by 40%, narrowing the gap. Plus, OLED production costs drop faster than RGB LED's, potentially making OLED the cheaper premium option by 2026. Another hurdle is content. Most movies and shows are mastered for the narrower DCI-P3 color space, not BT.2020, so RGB LED's full potential often goes untapped. Streaming giants like Netflix could shift this by adopting wider color gamuts, but that's a slow process. For now, RGB LED excels in massive 100-inch-plus screens where OLED manufacturing faces limits.

The future of RGB LED TVs hinges on cost and scale. If manufacturers like TCL bring prices down to mainstream levels, perhaps $2,000 for a 75-inch model, these TVs could dominate living rooms within years. CES 2026 will be key, with Samsung, Hisense, and Sony likely unveiling smaller, more affordable models. Partnerships with LED suppliers like Epistar and panel makers like CSOT streamline production, which could drive costs toward the critical 3-cents-per-lumen threshold for mass adoption.

Beyond homes, RGB LED has potential in commercial spaces. Digital billboards or medical imaging displays benefit from extreme brightness and color accuracy. Challenges remain. Viewing angles lag behind OLED, with contrast fading off-center. And while blooming is reduced, it's not eliminated, which could frustrate viewers of dark films. Still, the technology's ability to push LCD to new heights proves the platform isn't finished. As manufacturers refine their approach, RGB LED TVs could secure a lasting place in the premium display world.