Micro RGB TVs are coming: Should you get excited about them in 2026?

Micro RGB for TVs is a thing now, and it promises to be the next major display tech for home entertainment. We've already seen a couple of models from the likes of Samsung and Hisense, and it looks like more brands are getting in on the action next year. Whether it should feature in your checklist while shopping for a TV in 2026 depends largely on whether you're really an early adopter, and if money is no object.

Let's quickly go over what Micro RGB technology is all about first. A conventional backlit LCD TV uses an array of white or blue LEDs to shine through an LCD panel and color filters to illuminate pixels on its screen. That's great, and it's worked for several years now. But this isn't without its compromises on brightness, vibrance, contrast, and color accuracy.

With Micro RGB, you've got microscopic individual LEDs – measuring just tens of microns in size – that each shine in primary colors. They're something like four times smaller than those used in mini-LED TVs, which are today's top-of-the-line category.

These smaller LEDs allow for much more precise backlight control, allowing for greater brightness and color accuracy. Hisense was the first to introduce this tech, calling it RGB-MiniLED in its US$30,000 model that measures 116 inches diagonally.

By August, Samsung also launched a TV with similar tech it had dubbed Micro RGB. This model measures 115 inches and costs the same as the Hisense model. This one is said to be extremely color accurate, covering 100% of the BT2020 color gamut and the UHD spectrum.

Those prices are of course bonkers, but that's to be expected when you're talking about such large displays, as well as all-new stuff under the hood, like a custom processor to drive each individual LED, an AI-powered system for adjusting scenes for better detail and color, and a glare-free screen.

The Micro RGB term might lead to some confusion to folks who have been keeping an eye on display technologies over the years, and remember Micro LED, which was used in Samsung's enormous 292-inch The Wall TV from 2019. That's different from the more common LED-backlit LCDs we see today. Instead of an LED backlight shining through an LCD panel, each pixel on a Micro LED screen was an actual individual LED. That was and remains hard to pull off and commercialize.

So, is Micro RGB something shoppers should keep an eye out for next year?

New TV display technologies typically start at premium prices and can take some 3-5 years to become affordable for mainstream consumers. Several factors help drive costs down over time, like manufacturing scale and efficiency. As production ramps up, factories get better at making the panels with fewer defects and less waste. Competition between brands, panel supply expansion, the optimization of manufacturing processes, and the commoditization of supporting components reduce prices too.

This is still fresh tech, so we're currently only seeing it in projector-screen-sized TVs, which cost as much as a decent car. Now, LG just announced that it's coming out with Micro RGB TVs next year: at the CES trade expo in January, it'll unveil 100-inch, 86-inch and 75-inch models in its LG Micro RGB evo series that will be more practical in a wider range of rooms than Samsung and Hisense's initial offerings.

Earlier this week, Samsung also announced it will expand its Micro RGB lineup for next year to include 55-, 65-, 75-, 85-, and 100-inch models.

We don't yet know what these will cost, but while they'll certainly be a lot less than those $30K behemoths, don't be surprised to see them demand dozens of thousands of dollars at least through 2026.

If you're keen on great picture quality with current-gen display tech, Rtings says this Sony Bravia 9 is the best one it tested through 2025. It measures 75 inches and costs $2,598; there's a smaller 65-incher at just under $2,000 too.

OLEDs are also a great choice and have been getting more reasonably priced over time. This $1,397 65-inch LG C5 and Sony's similarly-sized Bravia 8 II at $2,298 come highly recommended by experts at The Wirecutter, who've put them through their paces, and compared them against several others.

As for Micro RGB – I recommend waiting a little longer until there's more serious competition out there, and more options at different price points. Sony and TCL will have models for you to choose from soon too. That's when it'll make sense to check out detailed reviews, experience a demo for yourself, and make an informed shopping decision rather than plonking down a ton of money right away.

Are you going to be in the market for a new TV next year? Let us know how you're researching your options in the comments.

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