LG challenges Samsung with announcement of its own massive MicroLED TV

Up until now it’s largely been Samsung pushing the MicroLED display technology that many view as the eventual successor to OLED TVs — once the wildly-high prices come down, that is. But now LG is joining the fray. During its CES 2022 press conference, LG announced that its first MicroLED TVs will ship “later this year.”

Just like Samsung, LG says the modular nature of its MicroLED displays will essentially allow for any size or shape that an extremely rich client can dream up. The company didn’t really dive into specifics, but one section of the presentation showed a 136-inch 4K HDR MicroLED TV.

Image: LG
MicroLED displays can be customized to practically any size.

Not to be confused with Mini LED — an evolution of traditional LCD TVs — MicroLED is a true next-generation leap in display tech that preserves the best attributes of OLED without the downsides or organic part. Like OLED, it’s self-emissive. MicroLED uses micrometer-sized LED lights to eliminate the backlight and color filters used in conventional displays. Color reproduction and brightness are also best-in-class.

For 2022, Samsung is adding an 89-inch MicroLED TV to its product lineup and says the displays are now completely bezel-free. But as I said at the top, these things are too expensive for regular people to ever seriously consider. And I’m not talking about dropping $20,000 on some huge 8K TV. No. For reference, Samsung sold its 110-inch MicroLED TV for well north of $150,000. So the prices will need to come down significantly for MicroLED to come within reach for most consumers.

Competition can only help.