Samsung's Micro LED sets have been the forbidden fruit of the TV world for some time now. Delivering a frankly mesmerising picture while simultaneously being reserved for those with large living rooms and exceptionally deep pockets, the promise that Micro LED will one day be an accessible TV screen technology is still yet to be fulfilled.
Thankfully, it feels as though we're one step closer now, as Samsung has a section dedicated to Micro LED at its impressive IFA 2024 exhibition. I did get a brief look at this set during a behind-closed-doors session at Samsung's Digital City campus in Suwon, South Korea, but it looks like this smaller Micro LED has been thrust into the spotlight here in Berlin.
While the wall-sized model is still very much a highlight of Samsung's luxury offerings, my eye was instead drawn to the more conventional 65-inch model on display. As someone with a modestly sized living room by London flat standards, I find that 65 inches is my limit. Hence, seeing Samsung acknowledge that people may want the latest screen tech without requiring an expansive living room is a step in the right direction.
Now, I won't claim that this 65-inch model will be a bargain, especially considering the 110-inch Micro LED will set you back £150,000 (around $190,000 / AU$285,000); but it should be cheaper – which is, once again, a step in the right direction. Samsung hasn't shared pricing yet, but when this TV does eventually launch, I expect it to be a fair bit cheaper than that super-sized model.
Micro LED has been touted by some as the successor to OLED, and truthfully this is a sentiment I can somewhat get behind. Micro LED looks nothing like OLED or Mini LED in many regards, as its mix of intense crispness and vivid brightness merge to create a truly next-generation picture experience – or at least that's what I've experienced in the handful of times I've seen one in action with Samsung's demonstration footage.
So does this spell trouble for OLED? Well, yes, it does... and no it doesn't. While that might seem like a cop-out answer, I'd like to clarify that it feels like we're closer than ever to seeing Micro LED TVs going toe-to-toe with OLED, but it still feels like we're a way off yet. A conventionally sized and cheaper model is a very promising sign nonetheless, but with conventional and next-gen OLEDs (such as Micro Lens Array and QD-OLED) still scoring highly in our test rooms and being so popular with the masses, I think OLED still has plenty of life left yet.
That being said, when Micro LED's time to shine eventually comes, OLED should be worried. Without facing the same brightness limitations of OLED while also having the pixel level control of OLED for those deep blacks, Micro LED seems like the next logical step in TV evolution.
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