Chinese TV makers are locked in a battle to outdo each other in miniLED dimming zones, and Konka now claims to have surpassed both TCL and Hisense.

Recently, TCL set a new benchmark with over 20,000 dimming zones in its commercially available 115-inch X955 (QM891G) miniLED LCD TV, while Hisense passed 40,000 zones in its 110-inch ULED X technology prototype.

Now, Konka, another major Chinese TV maker, has entered the fray with its new 110-inch A8 Ultra, featuring over 230,000 miniLED dimming zones and 10,000 nits peak brightness, according to a report by Chinese newspaper Projection Times.

With 8K resolution, each dimming zone covers an area equivalent to 144 pixels. However, it remains unclear if all dimming zones can be fully independently controlled.


 The fine net of miniLEDs making up the backlight in Konka's 230,000-zone 110-inch A8 Ultra. Photo: Konka

Chinese miniLED innovation
While South Korean and Japanese brands have led TV innovation for many years, Chinese companies have taken the lead in miniLED technology for LCD TVs – but still lag behind in OLED.

Konka highlighted the rapid pace of advancement in miniLED technology, noting that it launched its first 100-level dimming system in April 2022, its first 2,000-zone system in April 2023, and a 20,000-zone model in January 2024.


 Konka's 230,000-zone 110-inch A8 Ultra. Photo: Konka

The price of 230000 dimming zones
The A8 Ultra is set to launch in China for 300,000 yuan ($42,000). The technology is expected to eventually trickle down, but Konka is also launching a much cheaper 110-inch A8 Pro model with 20,000 dimming zones and 5000 nits peak brightness for 80,000 yuan ($11,000).

The rising number of miniLED zones in LCD TVs is a response to OLEDs, which have as many "dimming zones" as pixels since each pixel is its own light source. However, OLED TVs currently do not reach the peak brightness levels that miniLED LCDs can achieve, and the largest OLED models remain prohibitively expensive.

Back in 2020, Konka made an attempt to reenter the US market with affordable Android TVs, but it did not gain significant traction. In China, Konka remains a top-5 TV brand.

- Source: PJtime.com