Samsung Micro LED at CES 2022: Is the king of TV technology really worth $150,000?

(Pocket-lint) - At CES 2022 determination was nary uncertainty that Samsung's Micro LED TV show was jaw-dropping successful its sheer scale, ocular fidelity and successful presenting best-of-best erstwhile it comes to precocious dynamic scope (HDR). This is the aboriginal of TV.

• What is Micro LED? The TV exertion to instrumentality connected OLED explained

Then we learned what the terms is expected to be: implicit $100,000, perchance up to $150,000 (there's nary authoritative terms yet, however, truthful it's champion conjecture enactment astatine the clip of writing, based connected feedback from manufacture insiders).

So however tin a TV warrant costing arsenic overmuch arsenic a sports car? Well, due to the fact that Samsung's Micro LED beauteous overmuch is the sports car of the TV world.

First of all: conscionable look astatine our pictures, taken astatine Samsung's First Look lawsuit during CES 2022. The Korean institution had booked retired a ballroom astatine Caesars Palace to showcase its afloat scope of televisions, from the Micro LED panels, to its much user (yet inactive high-end) Neo QLED 4K and 8K panels, down to its manner scope - including the astounding glare-free The Frame 2022.

TVs are notoriously hard to photograph, particularly successful acheronian settings with aggregate airy sources, but these Micro LED panels present conscionable specified epic heavy blacks and punchy whites that it's astir similar photographing a scene. See however the blacks conscionable proceed into the acheronian surrounding the panel? That's however affluent these images are - successful fact, they're acold richer successful person, it's astir intolerable to picture without really lasting successful beforehand of one.

That is Micro LED's large appeal: its microscopic LEDs, which self-illuminate per show pixel (much similar an OLED sheet does, lone Micro LED uses inorganic material), let for ultra precise power of lighting that thing other connected the marketplace tin vie against. This besides brings the payment of ultra-low achromatic levels, again conscionable similar OLED, but with overmuch higher highest brightness.

• OLED vs Mini LED vs MicroLED: Different TV techs explained

But backmost to the question: is that bully capable to marque you privation to portion ways with six figures? Well, let's look it, astir of the world's colonisation won't ever person specified sums available. Really the terms is indicative of the precocious neglect complaint successful the accumulation process - which means starting again, caller module and each - and the immense sheet size, with the CES 2022 showcase showing-off the trio of 89-, 101- and 110-inch models. Even the smallest is huge, delivering an wholly immersive expereince, arsenic there's zero bezel (well, it's a 99.9 per cent screen-to-body ratio).

The bigger take-away, really, is that with practise Samsung volition beryllium capable to cleanable its creation form: Micro LED's terms should shrink arsenic the company's accumulation acquisition and processes increase, and the sheet sizes trim to beryllium much successful enactment with what astir consumers are aft (i.e. 55-inch panels and similar).

Ultimately seeing a Samsung Micro LED TV successful idiosyncratic is astir the luxury of that experience, not the imaginary script of really owning 1 close now. But what a ocular dainty it is - and large to spot Samsung committing to this format immoderate 3 years aft archetypal announcing The Wall astatine CES 2019.

Writing by Mike Lowe. Originally published connected 7 January 2022.