Samsung's smaller – and larger – microLED TVs are now technically available in the US, but not really, with price tags starting at $110,000 for an 89-inch model.
The South Korean company has been announcing microLED TVs for seven years straight at CES. What has changed since 2018?
Well, Samsung certainly has not managed to bring down production costs in any meaningful way. The expanded line-up for the US includes 89, 101 and 114-inch microLED TVs, priced at $100,000, $130,000 and $150,000, respectively.
For comparison, Samsung's first microLED TV (110 inches) cost $155,000 in 2020, so the price remains essentially unchanged after four more years. In late 2022, actor Dane Cook was told by Samsung's installation team that he was only the third person to have one installed in the US.
Also read: First look: Samsung's 110" microLED TV
The previously announced 50 and 76-inch versions are still nowhere to be found.
Stunning picture quality, no doubt
Samsung's microLED TVs are still assembled from small modules with visible seams. They feature 4K resolution (specifically 3864x2184 pixels) and HDR, although peak brightness is not specified.
Power consumption for the 89-inch is listed at a maximum of 705W, so at least energy efficiency has improved.
Samsung's 89-inch microLED TV. Photo: Samsung
They are powered by Tizen with access to streaming apps and have six HDMI ports, including one HDMI 2.1 port for 4K 120Hz. There is also WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, eARC, and everything else you would expect to find in a modern Samsung TV.
We expect picture quality to be stunning, although our first examination of Samsung's 110-inch microLED revealed that the picture quality cannot quite live up to the hype, as multiple challenges remain.
