MINNEAPOLIS – A new type of television is now on sale in the U.S., and industry experts say it represents the most significant picture quality advance since OLED TVs hit the market more than a decade ago.
RGB LED TVs produce a wider range of colors and higher brightness than most TVs available today. Manufacturers say these screens “produce 76% of colors the human eye can see, unlocking richer, more accurate and lifelike images customers don’t experience on current TVs.”
What makes RGB LED different from what you already own
If you have a TV at home, chances are it uses a single white light that shines through color filters to produce the image on screen. RGB LED TVs work differently.
“The traditional LED TV that most likely you have in your home today uses a single white flashlight that shines through the screen. What gets the color on that screen is that single white light actually shines through filters that produce the color,” said Blake Hampton, senior vice president of merchandising at Best Buy.
With RGB LED, that single white light is replaced by thousands of individual red, green and blue LEDs. The LEDs create color directly — no filters needed — which results in a wider color spectrum, higher brightness and a broader viewing angle.
How it stacks up against OLED
The most recent turning point in TV technology came in 2013 when OLED TVs hit the market. Both Hampton and Paul Gagnon — vice president of industry analysis for the hardlines sector at Circana, a research firm that tracks TV sales and trends — agree OLED is still considered top-of-the-line for picture quality.
But RGB LED has one major edge: size.
Where OLED typically maxes out at 83 inches, an RGB LED TV can reach 116 inches. And for consumers who want the absolute best picture, the new technology is turning heads in the industry.
“I’ve been an analyst and I’ve covered the TV industry for a couple of decades, so I’ve seen a lot of technology transitions. [RGB LED] is a pretty important one,” Gagnon said. “Some people will trade off ultimate screen size just to get that better picture quality. This is a meaningful technology for those kinds of people who are really after the best of the best.”
Do you actually need one?
Not necessarily — and experts are upfront about that.
“Any TV at all price points, if you compare what you bought in 2020 to today, is going to be really, really good. And you’re going to notice a difference,” Hampton said.
His advice? See the screens in person before deciding. Comparing picture quality alongside price is the best way to find what works for you. Best Buy has trained 15,000 staff members on the new technology to help answer questions.
Gagnon noted that premium features have historically struggled to gain traction when customers don’t fully understand what they’re buying.
“There have been times in the past when an advanced feature, a premium feature, came to market that didn’t get that level of education. And therefore, the consumer really didn’t value it properly,” he said. “Online or in unassisted sales floors, that’s difficult to do.”
What it costs
RGB LED TVs are available from Samsung, Sony, LG, TCL and Hisense, exclusively at Best Buy in the U.S. for the next year. Prices start at just over $1,000 for a 50-inch screen and climb to $30,000 for the 116-inch model. Most TVs in the 65–75-inch range run between $3,000 and $4,000, Hampton said.
Best Buy is offering free delivery, installation and mounting with purchase. The company will also haul away an old TV at no cost if the buyer does not plan to move it to another room.
What’s next for TV tech
The television industry is not slowing down. Hampton said the average screen size sold today is 65 inches, and he expects demand for even larger screens to keep growing as prices on 98-inch and 115-inch models come down.
Gagnon said one technology he has seen recently resembles the large LED displays used in arenas and concert venues.
“You see those big, bright LED billboard-type signage displays. There are smaller versions of those that are very good, but they’re mostly used in commercial applications these days and they’re very expensive,” he said. “We might see that migrate to a mainstream price point over the next five to 10 years, but it’s going to take some time.”