Throughout my decade-plus of covering the TV industry, I’ve found it useful to periodically adjust my thinking to meet the perspective of my readers. I may not be a fan of a brand or some highly touted new feature, but I’m not everyone, and it helps to keep that in mind.
A good example of this has been the rise of big-screen TVs. These room-dominating sets have been popular for a while, but more are being bought with each passing year. They’re also getting bigger — a lot bigger.
Just when we thought the 115- and 116-inch TVs of last year’s CES were casting a long, expensive shadow across the showroom floor, this year’s event saw the introduction of 130-inch TVs. And, according to a recent report from FlatpanelsHD, these gargantuan screens are set to launch for an even wilder price than their 116-inch predecessors.
The cost of a 130-inch TV
In its report, FlatpanelsHD cites Counterpoint, a technology research firm that conducted an analysis on the manufacturing costs associated with 116- and 130-inch LCD panels. The analysis includes expected costs for these panels in 2026, as well as their forecasted costs for the following two years.
According to Counterpoint, while costs are expected to come down across the board in 2027 and 2028, it's clear that 130-inch panels are currently super expensive to manufacture. As Counterpoint itself puts it, "a 130-inch UHD LCD module would cost nearly 1.5x the cost of a 116-inch UHD LCD module [in 2026]."
If that seems like it must be a dizzyingly high price, your instincts are right. Some back-of-the-napkin math can help us get to a rough estimation of how this would translate for the real-world purchase of one of these 130-inch beasts.
130-inch TVs could go on sale for anywhere between $15,000 to $30,000, depending on the technology behind the panel.
Right now, you can buy the 115-inch TCL QM7K for $9,997 at Amazon. (There are only nine left in stock at the time of publishing, so I guess run, don't walk!)
But this price is down from the 115-inch QM7K's last-recorded price of $13,999. And, for additional context, the 2025 version of the 116-inch Hisense RGB Mini-LED TV is currently listed for $19,999 at Best Buy.
Because Hisense's model taps an all-new display type and TCL's 115-inch TV leverages traditional Mini-LEDs, the difference between their current, respective sale prices makes sense. According to this newly reported analysis, 130-inch TVs could eventually find themselves on sale for anywhere between $15,000 to $30,000, depending on the technology behind the panel.
Will 2026 be the year of 130-inch TVs?
I wouldn't expect these behemoths to be accessible anytime soon.
We've already seen one 130-inch model up close and personal, but there's still plenty of time for more of these extra-large TVs to surprise us in the coming months.
Samsung's eye-catching, modernist 130-inch TV is a souped-up version of its flagship Micro RGB TV, the Samsung R95H. It hangs gracefully inside of a metallic, easel-like frame, produces an incredibly vibrant, bright picture, and in all likelihood will cost well above $20,000 — at least initially.
In the coming years, the handful of 130-inch TVs that exist could theoretically follow the same path that other large-sized, LCD-paneled TVs followed and slowly come down in price. However, I wouldn't expect these behemoths to be accessible anytime soon. Logistically, they're difficult to produce.
The good news, though, is that there's never been a better time to turn your living room into a private theater — you just have to be willing to settle for something a little smaller than Samsung's 130-inch Micro RGB TV.
If you're in the market for something downright cinematic, many of the best 85-inch TVs are priced lower than you might expect if you haven't checked in on that market in a few years. More TVs from popular brands are released in 97- and 98-inch sizes with each passing year, too, which is another sign that more and more people are opening up their homes to giant, spellbinding sets.
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