Samsung unveils new ultra-large, color-rich TVs with even more AI

[NEW YORK] Samsung Electronics has announced its 2026 home theater lineup, aiming to solidify its position as a leading TV maker amid what is described as increasing competition and a shift to giant TVs.

The company's latest LCD-based 4K TVs utilize new display backlight technology to reproduce a wider range of colors than previous models were able to manage, the company announced on Sunday (January 4). Samsung is also debuting its next series of high-end OLED TVs, as it continues to chip away at LG Electronics' position as the sector's top global brand, offering deeper blacks and punchier contrast than LCDs.

Some of Samsung's new TVs are larger than what was once considered standard, with some around 100 inches or more. “Extra-large screens continue to be the fastest growing TV segment, with the market expected to double by 2026,” the company told reporters last month ahead of Sunday's announcement.

Samsung announced its lineup at the CES technology conference event in Las Vegas, but most major TV manufacturers will also be showing off their next-generation products this week. The South Korean company already revealed some of its CES lineup late last month, including a new Wi-Fi-enabled speaker with a bold design that puts the brand in more direct competition with Sonos.

Micro RGB

In a trend that's sure to catch on at CES, Samsung is touting a technology known as Micro RGB that recalibrates LCD TV backlight systems to improve color accuracy. “Typical LCDs rely on white or blue backlighting, which limits the purity and realism of color,” the company said in a media briefing.

“Samsung Micro RGB features an all-new structure with separate red, green, and blue backlights that are smaller in size,” it added, claiming that this adjustment significantly improved color reproduction.

Samsung launched a 115-inch Micro RGB TV in September, priced at $30,000, well beyond most consumers' budgets. The company plans to bring the same display technology to smaller sizes from 55 inches to a gigantic 130 inches by 2026, but hasn't announced pricing yet. All of these are destined to be significantly more expensive than Samsung's more mainstream OLED sets or the “Neo QLED” models, which use traditional Mini LED backlighting.

OLED

For many home theater enthusiasts, OLED TVs remain unrivaled when it comes to black levels and contrast, due to their ability to turn off individual pixels in dark scenes. Samsung returned to the OLED segment in 2022 after focusing solely on LCD sets for many years. This has intensified competition with LG, which has been the leader in the OLED category for many years.

Samsung has sought to differentiate itself from its South Korean rivals with so-called “glare-free” displays that significantly reduce reflections, and “quantum dot” OLED panels made by Samsung Display that can keep colors vibrant even at maximum brightness.

For 2026, Samsung has made some exterior design changes to its latest flagship OLED model, the S95H OLED. The brightness has also been improved by 35% compared to the previous generation. This is an area that TV manufacturers have been focusing on recently. Even a few years ago, high-end OLED TVs were generally not bright enough for sunny rooms.

Meanwhile, Samsung says its step-down S90H series features a low-gloss screen with 15% increased brightness.

A.I.

Artificial intelligence (AI) will continue to play a key role across Samsung-branded TVs. Like last year's model, the new set is compatible with multiple AI agents. It's an assistant that helps users find what they want to watch, summarize past episodes, plan a weekend getaway, and answer random questions. This includes Samsung's own Bixby assistant, as well as competing products from Microsoft and Perplexity AI.

Samsung also continues to expand its software capabilities to automatically adjust picture and sound settings without forcing consumers to dig deep into advanced menus. For example, a new AI Sound Controller tool will allow users to independently adjust the volume of dialogue, music, and sound effects on this year's TVs.

lifestyle tv

Samsung also announced several tweaks to The Frame, a wall art-style TV, and the more expensive Frame Pro, which first debuted at CES last year. Even though the company currently faces increased competition, including LG, neither has introduced any noticeable image quality upgrades this year.

Instead, Samsung is significantly increasing the size of The Frame with a new 98-inch version. The standard frame will now have an HDMI input and other hardware built directly into the TV set. Previously, Samsung included something called the One Connect Box to hide these wires, with one thin cable running all the way to the screen. bloomberg