Report: Samsung to cut 'QLED' TV production by 80% – may abandon it

Production will be cut from 10 million to 2-3 million units this year, according to Korean media, with Samsung potentially abandoning "QLED" LCD TVs entirely by 2028.

"QLED" was launched in 2017 as a front against OLED TVs, but has failed to catch on, whereas OLED is seeing sales at an all-time high.

"QLED" is not a display technology but a marketing term for LCD TVs with a quantum dot layer to help expand the color gamut. In recent years, marketing has shifted to miniLED – LCD TVs with a miniLED backlight (and quantum dots) – and more recently to LCD TVs with an RGB LED backlight.

 Also read: Guide: What is RGB LED and which TVs have it?


Abandoning QLED TVs
According to Korean newspaper ETNews' sources, Samsung Electronics will slash production of "QLED" LCD TVs by up to 80% this year; from 10 million to 2-3 million units, out of Samsung's total annual TV output of around 40 million units.

The transition has already begun: Samsung has shifted its focus to OLED and 'Micro RGB' (RGB LED LCD) for high-end TV models, and to 'Mini LED' LCD TVs (without quantum dots, and therefore with a reduced color gamut) for the mid-range.

 Also read: TCL sues Samsung, alleging false advertising of 'Mini LED' TVs

For 2026, Samsung has kept its high-end "Neo QLED" line of LCD TVs, which used to sits above the regular "QLED" models, which are now discontinued, but the Neo lineup has also been cut back, with the popular QN90 and QN95 ranges discontinued along with most 8K models (QN900, QN800, QN700).

- "Samsung Electronics' QD TV shipment plan this year has been significantly reduced to less than 30%," an industry source told ETNews (translated). "Neo QLED will also produce only half of this year next year and gradually stop manufacturing."


Gone by 2028?
The "Neo QLED" lineup is expected to be phased out too, potentially as soon as the 2028 model line-up.

- "The higher-end Neo QLED lineup is also reportedly set to be phased out. According to industry sources, Samsung plans to gradually reduce Neo QLED production through next year, with manufacturing potentially ending as early as 2028. This would mean removing QD, previously regarded as a premium technology in the LCD TV market, from Samsung's lineup," wrote ETNews.

The sources explained that Samsung is facing stiff competition from Chinese TV makers, which are undercutting it with cheap "QLED" models.


Quantum dots are not dead
While Samsung appears to be abandoning quantum dots in LCD TVs, the company continues to invest in quantum dots for its QD-OLED panels used in TVs and monitors.

A potential next step is EL-QD, also known as NanoLED. This novel display technology does not rely on OLED or any other type of light-emitting diode, as the quantum dots themselves directly convert electrical energy into light and color. This concept was originally what "QLED" referred to.

- Source: ETNews