Will micro-LED ever really replace OLED? The next generation of TV technology takes a hit as Samsung’s TV boss pulls back from investing in making it – it’s a bad sign, but will TCL and Hisense keep the flag flying?

Samsung is reportedly to scale down production of micro-LED TVs
High production costs are an ongoing problem
Facing a double whammy of stagnant demand and rising costs

This time last year we were told that micro-LED would make OLED and LCD redundant as it became affordable in smaller panels – but it seems Samsung didn’t get the memo. A new report says it is scaling back its micro-LED business.

The report, by ETNews via DigiTimes, says Samsung is reducing its production of micro-LED TVs after previously making the TVs on an order-to-order basis. That production has apparently stopped, and Samsung has also outsourced processes such as panel manufacturing and gluing, which was previously done in-house.

Apparently it’s all about the numbers, and Samsung is having a hard time selling TVs that cost that much. According to ETNews’ sources, Samsung only sells “around 100 units” per year.

Is Samsung exiting the micro-LED TV business?

Not yet: the report says Samsung is still handling assembly of the final product. But industry watchers believe it is the first step towards what could be a retreat from this part of the TV market unless things turn around.

Within the last year, Samsung introduced its Micro RGB LED TVs, which are sort of halfway between micro-LED and mini-LED. These don’t have the same self-emitting pixels as a true micro-LED TV, but use the same kind of RGB LED arrangement to replace a single-color mini-LED backlight behind an LCD panel.

The idea is to provide visual improvements without the very high cost of true micro-LED, and according to DigiTimes, it was seen as a way to increase awareness and adoption of micro-LED technology.

Demand for new TVs has been relatively low for the past few years and production costs are rising, making TV a tough business to be in right now – and Samsung is also dealing with very intense competition from rivals like TCL and Hisense, as well as the upcoming Bravia TV partnership between TCL and Sony.

So what does this mean for micro-LED TV? It helps that TCL and Hisense are both getting aggressive in this area as well. Samsung and Hisense have both shown some very impressive TVs as recently as CES 2026, where Samsung showed off a smart 140-inch TV where the bezel was also a screen, while Hisense showed off micro-LED technology with extra colors built into each pixel (which will be released later in 2026).

But the technology is still a long way from being mass market; earlier this year we reported that TV companies are telling us it’s five years away from being mainstream, and even that is among the more optimistic possibilities.

If you’re longing for a new TV, the technology in the current best TVs won’t be usurped anytime soon, except by a more refined version of the same technology. Micro-LED TVs may still have their day, but if Samsung isn’t holding its breath internally, you probably won’t either.

Are you considering buying a new TV?

Try our TV size and model finder! You tell it how far you sit from your TV, we’ll tell you what size to buy based on viewing angle advice from picture quality experts, and we’ll recommend our top three TVs in that size at different prices.

Google logo on black background next to text reading 'Click to follow TechRadar'