At CES 2026, a new generation of televisions was introduced under eye-catching slogans such as “Experience the revolutionary new Micro RGB technology that takes TV viewing to a whole new level.” The demonstrations promised a breakthrough—previously unseen color reproduction, higher brightness, and more realistic images—clearly positioning these models in the ultra-premium segment.
But what actually lies behind these claims? What does Micro RGB change in real-world use, and are these improvements really significant enough to justify prices reaching tens of thousands of dollars? In this article, we take a closer look at what Micro RGB technology truly offers—and whether it delivers something fundamentally new or simply a more advanced version of solutions we already know.
The terminology varies depending on the TV manufacturer, although the underlying technology is essentially the same. Samsung refers to it as Micro RGB, while LG markets its implementation under the name Micro RGB Evo. TCL uses the terms Mini RGB or RGB Mini-LED, and Hisense also refers to its solution as RGB Mini-LED or RGB Mini LED evo. Sony takes a more restrained approach and simply calls the technology RGB LED.
The emergence of Micro LED backlighting
Micro LED backlighting is the result of the ongoing evolution of TV backlighting technologies and can be considered the fifth stage in this development. The first generation relied on cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL). This was followed by LED Edge backlighting, then Direct LED. Later, Dual LED systems appeared, adding a blue LED to the backlight. Mini LED technology came next, replacing larger LEDs with smaller ones to increase the number of light sources and improve brightness control. Micro LED backlighting represents the next step and uses three separate LEDs—red, green, and blue.
Alongside this technical evolution, the structure of the TV panel industry also changed. Samsung, LG, and Panasonic exited the production of LED TV panels. Panasonic did so mainly due to financial difficulties, while Samsung and LG discontinued the development and manufacture of LED panels after concluding that this direction was no longer profitable. Their LED panel businesses were sold to Chinese companies, and both manufacturers shifted their focus to OLED panel development.
Chinese panel manufacturers, which do not hold a leading position in OLED technology, continued working with LED panels. As a result, companies such as TCL, which acquired parts of Samsung’s former panel business, along with Hisense, focused on further improving LED technology. This ultimately led to the development of solutions such as Micro LED backlighting.
Features of Micro LED technology
An LED display works in a relatively simple way: a backlight illuminates the pixels, and each pixel consists of liquid crystals that rotate when a certain voltage is applied. By changing their position, the liquid crystals control how much light passes through and thus form the image.
Previously, the backlight played only a minor role in color reproduction. The main role belonged to the pixels themselves, and image quality depended on how well they could filter the desired part of the spectrum. High-quality QLED panels, for example, can reproduce around one billion colors with a color depth of 10 bits.
With the development of Micro LED technology, this approach changed. The goal became to reduce the influence of the pixels on final image quality by making the backlight itself colored: red light for red pixels, blue light for blue pixels, and green light for green pixels. This allows higher image quality to be achieved on LED panels and makes it possible to produce LED displays with true 10-bit color depth.
The future of Micro LED technology
In my view, this technology has limited prospects. The manufacturing process for such panels is extremely complex, which directly affects their cost. In 2025, Hisense began selling 115-inch (116-inch) displays, and toward the end of the year both Hisense and Samsung launched Micro LED televisions. However, their prices remain very high, typically in the range of $25,000 to $30,000, which is difficult to justify for most buyers.
For comparison, LG offers a 97-inch OLED TV for around $25,000, while an 83-inch OLED model can be purchased for approximately $5,500. In this context, paying around $20,000 more for a relatively small increase in screen size seems unreasonable.
At the same time, the situation could change if panel manufacturers manage to significantly reduce production costs. At more realistic price levels, such televisions could find their audience. There are also plans to begin producing Micro LED panels starting at 55 inches. These smaller sizes should be noticeably cheaper, since larger screens dramatically increase production complexity and the number of defective panels.