With these MicroLED TVs, Samsung is taking a more familiar approach. The thin panels are pre-assembled, so all you have to do is remove the screen from the box (using the installation handles provided) and mount it on the wall. In the interview above, Samsung executives Mike Kadish and Dan Shinasi told us that you will definitely need some extra hands to handle such large screens. These TVs must be mounted on the wall, but you can also buy a stand separately if you prefer to use a console table. Even if they are preconfigured, there is a possibility that MicroLED panels will slide out of alignment over time, executives say. But you should be able to readjust them with a screwdriver, if necessary.
As for the appearance of these sets, Samsung claims that they will have an even more accurate point density than previous versions of The Wall. All are 4K screens, as you would expect, and support HDR10 and Dolby Vision. As the panel itself is thin and delicate, MicroLED TVs have an external breakout box for connectivity, much like Samsung’s recent premium devices. The company has not yet confirmed whether they will support HDMI 2.1 or a 120 Hz refresh rate, but I certainly hope so, since you probably wouldn’t want to update these beasts anytime soon. Likewise, there is still no information on response times or support for varying update rates.
In fact Back to the future 2 fashion, you’ll be able to watch up to four inputs at the same time one of these MicroLED sets with Samsung’s Multi-View mode. A 110-inch screen can be effectively transformed into four 55-inch panels. It is a cool parlor trick, although I wonder how it will be useful in practice. The feature is also limited to displaying individual entries only, you will not be able to play the integrated Netflix or Hulu TV apps in different windows. (Although this is something that Samsung executives say can be added over time.)
If you’re wondering, no, we still don’t know how much these MicroLED TVs will cost. This is not uncommon – most TV companies show their new programming at CES and follow the pricing and availability details on the pring. But in this case, I will be intrigued to see how they compare to large QLED and OLED TVs. LG’s 88-inch OLED Signature ZX 8K TV costs $ 30,000, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Samsung’s prices start there, even though it’s 4K devices. After all, MicroLED is still an incipient display technology, so it’s probably more difficult and more expensive to produce than OLED, which LG has been producing for years.
The real question will be whether any consumer with a lot of money jumps to Samsung’s big MicroLED sets when the big OLEDs have already proven their worth. It’s one thing to be one of the first to adopt something like folding phones or dual-screen PCs, it’s another to spend tens of thousands on first-generation display technology. As impressive as the sound of these MicroLED TVs, I would bet that audiences who want to spend a ton on a big screen can get better with OLED, or alternative options like ultra-short laser projectors.