Samsung is bringing its first sub-100 inch direct-view LED TV, marketed as 'micro LED', to the market, but with a price tag of $100,000 the technology is still not ready for prime time.
14 years after Samsung attempted to rebrand LCD TVs as "LED TVs", the company is launching the first true LED TV that can fit into a living room. The launch of the 89-inch model (MNA89MS1BACXKR) follows the launch of a 110-inch model in 2021.
- "Starting with the 89-inch model, we will expand the Micro LED lineup to 76, 101, and 114-inch to expand consumers' ultra-premium TV choices and lead the market by maintaining the super-gap in next-generation display technology," said Taehwan Hwang, VP of Samsung Electronics Korea.
Samsung's 89-inch LED TV
For six years straight Samsung has promised to launch direct-view LED TVs. At CES 2023, the company announced a 50-inch model but there has been no update on this size since January.
LED, miniLED, microLED
Like OLED, true LED displays use millions of self-emitting light emitting diodes to create a picture with high contrast, vivid colors, and very fast response time – no LCD panel required.
The 89-inch is part of Samsung's "micro LED" range called CX, but according to the prevalent industry definition these are actually miniLED rather than the more dense microLED. The only problem is that "miniLED" is already used – again – as a marketing term for LCD TVs.
Companies such as LG, Sony and TCL are also developing true LED displays.
Samsung's 89-inch LED TV features 4K resolution, a built-in 6.4.4ch 120W speaker system, HDR support (HDR10+ but not Dolby Vision), and the Tizen operating system with access to apps such as Disney+ and Netflix. It features 6 HDMI ports and WiFi 6.
The 89-inch Samsung CX is available now in South Korea where is costs 130 million won (approximately $100,000). The TV is also available in China but the company has not yet commented on international launch plans.
Also read: MicroLED displays expected to reach mass market by 2026, says report
At $100,000 the 89-inch is cheaper than the 110-inch ($155,000) but it is clear that the new display technology is still nowhere near mainstream territory. The displays are also still assembled from smaller modules with visible seams.
