Ever since I noticed my first RGB-backlit TV at CES 2025, from Samsung (instantly adopted by Hisense and TCL later within the present), I have been actually bullish on the expertise’s potential — even going as far as to name it “an enormous hazard to OLED TVs”.
2026 is admittedly the 12 months of the RGB TV, with main launches coming from practically each large TV maker, and I have been actually excited by the fashions I’ve seen in previews, starting from Samsung’s first-of-its-kind 130-inch RGB TV to Panasonic’s tease of a future RGB mannequin it could launch, to Hisense’s UR9 RGB TV that is distinctive by providing a DisplayPort connection, to Sony’s demonstration of the tech it plans to launch in 2026.
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(Picture credit score: Future)
They are not even right here they usually’re too complicated
A serious a part of the issue is that there are already simply too many variations — or potential variations — and concerns to trace.
You’ll be able to learn our full clarification of RGB-backlit TVs right here. Nonetheless, the gist is that as a result of it makes use of a colourful backlight, meaning it could ship a wider vary of colours than common mini-LED and might have much less mild bloom from vibrant areas to darkish space doubtlessly, as a result of colours do not at all times leak as clearly (as my colleague Jake Krol famous on his newer journey to see Sony exhibit its RGB tech once more).
So, it is a new expertise that is higher than common mini-LED, proper? It is essentially the most premium tech, able to tackle one of the best OLED TVs?
Nicely, not in line with TCL, which is together with two RGB TVs in its new TV vary, and neither of them is its flagship TV. The flagship is the TCL X11L, which makes use of a new-and-improved model of standard mini-LED tech to ship some spectacular outcomes in comparison with different mini-LED fashions in our testing.
This is what’s most complicated: one of many RGB TVs that TCL is launching is its second-fanciest mannequin, sitting just under the X11L, however the different is certainly one of its least-premium fashions, sitting beneath its mid-range 7-series mini-LED TVs, on account of its restricted variety of dimming zones and middling brightness.
This TCL RGB TV makes use of next-gen tech, however sits beneath the previous-gen tech within the product line. Obtained it? (Picture credit score: Future)
LG can be launching RGB TVs, which could come as a shock on condition that it is the standard-bearer for OLED. Nicely, guess what? It is positioning its RGB TVs beneath the LG G6 and LG C6 OLED TVs within the vary, and it actually simply appears to be providing them so it could present an reasonably priced, larger-screen choice than its OLEDs can ship.
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Philips is equally launching an RGB TV mannequin that appears to interchange the mini-LED fashions it is at all times had that sit beneath the OLEDs in its product vary, so it is the identical deal there.
So all three of those corporations suppose that RGB TVs aren’t going to be the flagship. However Hisense disagrees! Its flagship TV this 12 months is an RGB TV, and the TV just under that may also use RGB tech, after which it switches to common mini-LED tech when you get to the mid-range U7-series (which appears to be like nice this 12 months because of a brand new anti-reflective layer).
Hisense’s two new RGB TVs additionally characteristic an anti-reflective layer (Picture credit score: Future)
Samsung can be making RGB TVs the flagship of its LED vary, with mini-LED fashions solely coming in decrease down the vary with the QN80H and beneath (together with some fashions which might be mini-LED with out QLED, which genuinely shocked me).
Besides Samsung has a form of break up flagship TV persona as of late: is the flagship the Samsung R95H RGB TV, or is it the Samsung S95H/S99H elite OLED TV (which has impressed us in our early testing at dwelling)? It is mainly each!
Sony will launch its ‘True RGB’ TV someday this 12 months, however we do not know what the worth shall be, or the way it will examine to the Sony Bravia 8 II OLED TV within the line-up — however I count on it to sit down above it, primarily based on Sony’s pursuit of 4,000 nits reference-quality TVs to match its studio displays.
Sony demoed its RGB tech in comparison with mini-LED tech to us lately (Picture credit score: Future/Jacob Krol)
So to recap, is RGB tech the brand new premium OLED-killer tech? Nicely, LG and Philips appear to suppose it isn’t, and OLED remains to be the highest canine. Samsung hasn’t chosen a aspect. TCL would not like OLED anyway, and but nonetheless says RGB tech would not even beat its personal mini-LED tech.
Solely Hisense is totally dedicated, and is even eradicating its sole OLED TV from sale in 2026.
So what is the common TV purchaser presupposed to suppose? Clearly, the TechRadar TV staff goes to be testing them to work out that are certainly very premium and which needs to be real alternate options to OLED because the premium TV decide… however for somebody who’s simply attempting to grasp the choices accessible to them and stage of high quality you get from a specific kind of expertise, the RGB launch appears to be like like a complete fumble.
And that is earlier than you get to attempting to reckon with what’s within the panels themselves.
Not all RGB tech is created equal, in all probability
(Picture credit score: Future)
Since mini-LED launched round 2021, the expertise has change into… sophisticated. There is not any rule on what might be referred to as “mini-LED,” so a number of the TVs marketed that method in the present day are simply TVs we’d have often called direct-LED TVs up to now. Samsung even launched edge-lit TVs that it markets as mini-LED, which I believe is pushing the definition too far.
But in addition, do you get higher outcomes from one thing with very small LEDs packed in, however horrible management of sunshine bleeding from one space to a different, or from one thing with larger LEDs in fewer zones, however with higher shaping of the sunshine because it passes via the panel?
At first, the expertise was very samey, however it’s developed into one thing complicated over time with 1,000,000 methods to method its easy idea.
RGB TVs are launching with a ton of confusion across the particular implementation already inbuilt, though they provide such a transparent authentic idea (of getting a colourful backlight as a substitute of a single colour).
For instance, do you know that some RGB TVs won’t really use pink, inexperienced, and blue LEDs in every backlight ingredient, as is the entire promise of the expertise? There are variations of the tech that use two LEDs (blue and inexperienced) with a phosphor colour filter to create the total vary of hues. This may be cheaper to make, however it’s going to certainly carry out much less nicely.
Sony has been making a giant fuss about how its upcoming TV could have particular person pink, inexperienced, and blue LEDs for every backlight ingredient, as a result of it is a premium piece of tech. Sony appears to be briefing in opposition to different manufacturers that may be reducing corners, to clarify that its (in all probability high-priced) TV is well worth the money.
Who could be launching a less expensive TV that cuts corners this fashion? Most individuals would in all probability guess the Chinese language manufacturers which have been undercutting the likes of Sony and Samsung on value for years.
However Hisense is doing the very same briefing as Sony in opposition to unnamed rivals who might use the cheaper model. The corporate advised me that its two new RGB TVs use all three LED colours, in contrast to some that may be utilizing the dual-LED system.
Okay, what about TCL? The corporate actually will get some side-eye from TV lovers following the results of a lawsuit saying that it could’t name sure TVs “QLED” anymore. Nicely, TCL advised me explicitly that its higher-end RGB mannequin not solely makes use of all three RGB LEDs, however it really has two of every LED per ingredient to supply higher mild efficiency.
The corporate stated that the pink ingredient even makes use of a person management chip per pink LED, as a result of the pink wavelength wants essentially the most cautious administration. For inexperienced and blue, the 2 LEDs are every managed by one chip.
Now, Sony’s made a giant tune and dance about having one LED per colour, and TCL’s out right here with two LEDs per colour — who’s the extra premium now, eh, Sony? The reply is: I do not know! We would have to check each, however this entire factor leaves me exhausted relatively than excited a couple of new expertise that hasn’t even launched but. A number of corporations are pointing fingers at others for reducing corners, however everybody can be efficiently emphasizing how they’re completely not reducing corners.
The excellent news is that it needs to be very apparent if TVs are utilizing the cheaper system as soon as we get them in our labs, as a result of the spectrum energy distribution of a TV display is sort of a fingerprint for various applied sciences, because it measures the inherent luminance of various wavelengths inside the panel, which will get adjusted for the content material.
This is the Spectral Energy Distribution from the LG G6 OLED TV — the Main RGB Tandem 2.0 panel could have totally different curves and heights throughout the colours to every other TV panel. We report this knowledge utilizing a Jeti 1501 spectroradiometer and Portrait Shows’ Calman software program (Picture credit score: Future)
However the factor is, we’re not even achieved with the expertise being complicated but, as a result of at CES in 2026, Hisense actually did not present its two new RGB TVs in any respect, as a substitute opting to point out the subsequent model of the tech, which is now not RGB anymore. It is RGBC, as a result of the corporate is seemingly including a cyan LED along with the pink, inexperienced, and blue.
Am I enthusiastic about this? I do not know, man, why do not you let me see what I consider the RGB ones first!
And I have never even talked about how RGB TVs will usually “colour zones” as a substitute of the “dimming zones” you get with mini-LED, which means that you must divide the variety of colour zones by three in an effort to get the equal quantity to easy dimming zones, as a result of colour zones depend all three RGB components as independently dimmable (however that is foolish, as a result of we solely care concerning the variety of zones by way of their capability to show issues black).
What do you inform individuals in your individual promoting?
Look, it is clearly nice that the TV world is extra progressive and aggressive than it is ever been proper now. It is going to imply higher outcomes and cheaper TVs for individuals shopping for them, so I am removed from mad about all this.
However I am bemused, as a result of the TV corporations are making it each tougher for themselves and for me by rolling this tech out in such a chaotic method.
Take Hisense, valiantly betting on RGB as being the flagship top-of-the-line TV. It can certainly simply promote that RGB is one of the best you may get — good and simple, proper? Besides TCL will supply an RGB TV that massively undercuts each of Hisense’s TVs, so Hisense’s personal promoting may fit in opposition to it as a result of it makes that TV look extremely tempting compared to its personal — and each corporations have opted to call their variations of the expertise ‘Mini RGB’, in order that they’ll sound extremely just like most individuals.
When somebody asks me whether or not one kind of TV expertise is healthier than the opposite, and even simply whether or not one thing is sweet for a specific goal, I can usually give a succinct reply, even when it begins with ‘relies upon’.
I actually do not know find out how to reply with RGB tech this 12 months. I will in all probability have to inform individuals to disregard the title and simply consider it as mini-LED due to how interspersed it’s with mini-LED tech between totally different producers at related costs.
However that looks like such a waste of a brand new display expertise, would not it? OLED has such a easy dominance of branding as the premium TV tech, and RGB may have challenged it, however collectively, the branding has been diluted earlier than it even launched totally.
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