OLED has been at the very top of the TV market for several years now and is arguably the most popular of panel technologies. Thanks to its self-emissive pixel design, it generates the most accurate blacks and contrast available, along with vibrant colors and excellent detail.
One area where OLED used to struggle, however, was its brightness. The best OLED TVs used to cap out at roughly 1,000 nits peak brightness a few years ago, making them difficult to view in brighter viewing conditions. This is where mini-LED came in. Even more affordable, mid-range mini-LED TVs were capable of hitting higher peak brightness, making them the top choice for brighter rooms.
So, can RGB LED really de-throne OLED? Let’s take a deeper look.
The RGB mini-LED story so far
The only RGB mini-LED currently available is the Hisense 116-inch UX. I actually got the chance to test it in 2025 and I was impressed by its striking, vibrant colors, staggering brightness and impeccable detail. Textures were given a real 3D-effect while still looking natural. With some of my testing discs, it also showed solid blacks and contrast.
However, I noticed a clouding effect in some really dark scenes in movies such as The Batman and Alien: Romulus that reminded me of cheap mini-LED TVs I’d tested before. And in some instances, blacks took on a gray tone, especially when viewed from an angle. It wasn’t quite the OLED killer I thought it would be but it was definitely a step in the right direction.
Cut to 2026 and RGB mini-LED has been seemingly embraced by most major TV brands. Referred to as Micro RGB by LG and Samsung and RGB mini-LED by Hisense and TCL, all these brands have plans to release sets in 2026. The good news is that it’s not going to be reserved for super-sized screens either, as Hisense is set to introduce models starting from 55-inch with its UR9 and UR8 series. Samsung is also set to release Micro RGB sets starting from 55-inch as well.
So, RGB mini-LED/Micro RGB has definitely captured the attention of some of the biggest TV manufacturers, even those who make OLEDs. But what do these RGB TVs need to do to de-throne OLED?
What RGB needs to do
As you may have noted above in my summary of the Hisense 116UX, while I was impressed by its overall picture, its clouding effect in dark scenes and its blacks with a gray hue held it back from toppling OLED. This is where the battle is hardest fought: contrast and screen uniformity.
As OLED uses self-emissive pixels, it can generate ‘true’ blacks. This is where its biggest strength lies, as LED TVs can only rely on their backlight’s dimming capabilities. While mini-LED does improve this over standard LED, it will always be a limitation compared to OLED. Screen uniformity, the ability to display a single color such as black evenly over a whole screen, can be a real issue for LED TVs. If RGB mini-LED really can improve its local dimming and blacks to a rate where it stands toe-to-toe with OLED, then RGB mini-LED has a shot at rivalling, if not beating it.
Mini-LED already has brightness won. I talked about OLED’s general brightness above, but how do RGB mini-LED and OLED compare? We measured the 116UX RGB at 6,014 nits peak HDR brightness (in Vivid mode), meaning there’s scope for the smaller screens to hit big numbers too. Even if the newer generation of OLED realistically hits closer to 3,00 nits peak HDR brightness, RGB mini-LED has still won.
The 116UX also clocked over 1,000 nits fullscreen brightness, which OLED won’t hit anytime soon. The highest we’ve measured is 390 nits on the Samsung S95F. Standard mini-LED hits over 600 nits fullscreen brightness now. So what will the smaller RGB sets hit?
RGB mini-LED could create stronger perceived contrast if it really can get the blacks right, as it already has the brightness part of the contrast nailed. From what I’ve seen and tested of RGB mini-LED so far, its colors and textures are already rich enough to rival OLED. Contrast and blacks are the missing piece of the puzzle.
What about the price?
Pricing is another area where things will be interesting. The LG G5, LG’s flagship 2025 OLED, cost $2,499 / £2,399 / AU$4,199 for the 55-inch model. We don’t have any confirmed pricing for the 55-inch RGB mini-LED/Micro RGB TVs from Hisense or Samsung set to launch in 2026 yet, but if it can get close to OLED numbers, it’ll be a big win.
I suspect that RGB mini-LED, as it’s a new panel technology, will be pricier to begin with. OLED was a real premium on its debut and prices have now seemed to hit a steady pace, only really rising or falling with inflation each year. If RGB TVs can drop their prices fast however and sort its screen uniformity and contrast, OLED may need to take notice.
TechRadar will be extensively covering this year’s CES, and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2026 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from wireless TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI. You can also ask us a question about the show in our CES 2026 live Q&A and we’ll do our best to answer it.
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james.davidson@futurenet.com (James Davidson)
