Samsung had unveiled 99-inch and 110-inch variants of its MicroLED TV—The Wall—earlier this year. The South Korean firm had also announced that it will launch 76-inch and 88-inch variants of the TV by the end of 2021. However, those models are nowhere to be seen, and it was reported that the launch of the 76-inch variant had been put on hold. Now, a new report claims that the company will launch smaller MicroLED TVs next year.
According to a report from TheElec, Samsung Electronics has asked AUO and Samsung Display to make 12.7-inch LTPS (Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Silicon) TFT panels for its MicroLED TVs. The company was using PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards) to make MicroLED TVs, but it is hard to use the technology to make smaller TVs with 4K resolution. With LTPS TFT panels, the process will become simpler, and Samsung can launch smaller-sized, more affordable MicroLED TVs.
LTPS TFTs could pave the way for more affordable MicroLED TVs
Multiple TFTs are used to make a single MicroLED TV. For example, an 89-inch MicroLED TV needs 49 12.7-inch TFT panels arranged in a 7×7 matrix. Similarly, 101-inch and 114-inch MicroLED TVs need 64 (7×7 matrix) and 81 (9×9 matrix) TFT panels, respectively. Samsung is hoping to get each 12.7-inch TFT panel between $70 and $80, but that price may or may not be achieved initially.
TFT-based MicroLED TVs need up to 24 masks for production. In comparison, current-generation OLED TVs need only 12 masks, and each layer of mask increases the production cost. So, MicroLED TVs are currently costlier than OLED TVs, which isn’t an ideal business case for Samsung. So, Samsung needs to bring down the production cost using improved technologies and better processes.
The South Korean firm will reportedly launch 89-inch, 101-inch, and 114-inch MicroLED TVs sometime next year. MicroLED TVs offer the same advantages as OLEDs, including wide viewing angles, infinite contrast ratio, and deep blacks, while also negating OLED’s burn-in issues, making MicroLED TVs better than OLEDs. However, their pricing needs to come down significantly before they can defeat OLED TVs in the market.
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