I've been excited by microLED TVs for some time now – ever since the first ones were shown off by Samsung in 2019, in fact – because it goes way beyond what mini-LED is capable of and beats OLED in several really important areas. So I'm excited to see Samsung's latest microLED TVs for 2023. They're a glimpse of TV's future, although for most of us that future's still a good few years away.
MicroLED is closer to OLED technology than it is to mini-LED. That’s because while mini-LED is still backlit, microLED pixels are self-emissive – just like OLED ones. But the pixels are much, much brighter. This year's panels deliver 4,000 nits of brightness, more than twice that of the latest LG OLED TVs. And Samsung reckons that before long it'll be delivering up to 10,000 nits.
Despite this, I wouldn't put miniLED in the best TVs guide for most people just yet. The tech's amazing, but it's not quite ready for prime time.
What's new in Samsung's 2023 MicroLED TVs?
The spec of the new TVs is extraordinary. The smallest panel is down from the previous 89 inches to 50 inches, and the largest size is 140-inches. That's bigger than my flat. In addition to that very high peak brightness there's a 2-nanosecond response time, a 240Hz refresh rate and the ability to create your own TV from multiple miniLED panels.
According to Samsung, "Thanks to its modular nature, MICRO LED is not bound by shape, ratio and size, making it completely customizable to fit a consumer’s desired set up. In addition, it comes without bezels, so regardless of configuration, the boundary between screen and real life is seamless."
That customisability and configuration it is why they're not ready for prime time just yet. Samsung doesn't yet sell these panels as actual TVs; instead, it sells the panels and you get your friendly neighbourhood AV installer to put them together. It won't be long before you can pick up a microLED Samsung TV in Best Buy or Currys and stick it in the car, but sadly it almost certainly won't be in 2023.
