MicroLED is promising but apparently very challenging to bring to the consumer market. Samsung has once again delayed the launch of its smaller microLED TVs, according to a report by The Elec.
World's first LED TVs
Samsung unveiled its 146-inch 'The Wall' in 2018. In 2019 and again in 2020, the company announced a 75-inch model but those plans have been put on ice. In 2021, the company finally launched the world's first microLED TV – the world's first LED TV, in fact – with a $150,000 price tag for 110 inches.
In January 2022, Samsung announced plans to launch 89-inch and 101-inch microLED TVs with 4K resolution this year. Production was scheduled to start in May.
- "But the production timeline for the 89-inch model has been pushed back to the third quarter of this year while Samsung is yet to decide when it will start production for the 101-inch model," sources told Korean newspaper The Elec.
89- to 110-inch Samsung MicroLED TVs. Photo: FlatpanelsHD
It is proving very challenging to produce microLED TVs in any form. The new models use smaller LED chips and an LTPS (low-temperature polycrystalline silicon) backplane whereas Samsung's first model used printed circuit boards (PCB). Samsung may launch a 99-inch model based on the "old" design in the second quarter.
Also read: First look: Samsung's 110" microLED TV
- "The 89-inch model also (uses) smaller LED chips that are 34 micrometers horizontally and 85 micrometers vertically. This is considerably smaller than the LED chips that were 75 micrometers horizontally and 125 micrometers vertically used in the 99-inch and 110-inch versions," the report said.
Earlier this year, a report claimed that the 89-inch model will cost around $80,000.
Advancements in microLED production. Photo: FlatpanelsHD
- Source: The Elec
