Samsung’s 2021 TV line, presented during CES 2021, features several state-of-the-art screen technologies, such as mini-LED and MicroLED, as well as updated smart home features and a super convenient change to the company’s remote control.
After Samsung’s First Look event, I sat down with Mike Kadish, director of product marketing at Samsung, and asked him about the major Samsung TV updates to come this year. He talks about switching to NeoQLED for first-rate sets and the insatiable interest in large-screen MicroLED beasts. The Smasung executive also offers an overview of the TV market’s priorities.
Kadish shows us the main trademarks of the Samsung 2021 TV and offers information on how Samsung devices are equipped to meet all your video chat and exercise needs. Watch the interview for the Tom’s Guide scoop or check out the transcript below.
Editor’s note: The interview transcript has been shortened. Watch our entire video interview for more comments from Samsung’s Mike Kadish.
Kate Kozuch, senior editor of Tom’s Guide: This year you made big changes to QLED TVs, now they are being called NeoQLED. What are the big changes in QLED that inspired the brand change, and what does this brand change really imply?
Mike Kadish, Director of Product Marketing at Samsung: We will still have the traditional QLED series as well, but NeoQLED is our evolution, or a radical change in QLED technology. We are adding a new mini LED backlight, which will simply provide a superior viewing experience for consumers. It has a quarter the size of the LED that is inside some TVs today and really allows TVs to offer superior contrast because the light source is much smaller.
Let’s talk about MicroLED. Samsung has just announced the MicroLED TV that you can actually buy, which has been reduced compared to The 146-inch Wall that you have shown at CES for the past two years. Is there any concern that TVs are getting too big now that you can’t even take them home from a store in the case of MicroLEDs? Are you meeting the demand for large TVs or trying to power it?
Kadish: It is a bit of both in relation to demand. Consumers have told us with their wallets and wallets that a big screen is what they want. The 75-inch segment and above is the fastest growing segment in the US market. We are very excited to bring big screen products to the market.
This new product that we are launching in 2021 is bringing MicroLED to the consumer’s home. We have three screen sizes, 88 inches, 99 inches and those huge 110 inches. This is really the future of display technology. These products are for the ultra-premium segment, so it is a relatively small subset of consumers, but we are excited.
With that involving MicroLED technology and QLED mini-LED technology, how does Samsung think TVs will be in the coming years based on what we are seeing now?
Kadish: Larger screen sizes, better image quality with our MicroLED, NeoQLED, these are the two themes we are working on. It’s not just about image quality and format, we’re making a lot of changes to the smart features and functionality we’re bringing to the market.
For example, in 2020, consumers can’t go to the gym as often as they want, so Samsung TVs have Samsung Health and we’re launching a smart trainer in 2021. They can get real-time feedback on their posture and shape, as well progress on all your Samsung Health Dashboard goals.
So, if I use a Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, how is this relationship? Can I pair my watch with my TV?
Kadish: Exactly, it is a complete Samsung Health ecosystem, where you can view or track the progress of your exercises on your wearable, mobile device and TV.
What can you tell me about the Samsung Eco remote control with solar cell power? It is a feature that offers convenience to the user and also an environmentally friendly development.
Kadish: Of all the changes like image quality and smart features, one of the things that excites me most is our sustainability efforts. If you think about Samsung and our scale, we sell millions of TVs a year. Each remote control comes with two triple A batteries, and if we can keep two triple A batteries out of a landfill, multiply that by all the millions of TVs we sell, we’re talking about scale, and that’s a ton of batteries that we can keep away landfills near yours and mine.
I extended my thanks to Mike Kadish for joining Tom’s Guide to talk about Samsung’s 2021 TVs. Make sure to keep it locked on our website for more CES coverage as the biggest technology gathering continues.