Samsung's Micro RGB TVs blast colours like nothing else right now. Look, they're loud.

What Micro RGB actually is

Samsung's new Micro RGB sets use tiny clusters of red, green and blue LEDs behind an LCD panel rather than the usual white backlight plus colour filters. Basically, each tiny light produces its own color instead of filtering white light into red, green, or blue. That change means richer native colour reproduction on paper and gives the screens a shot at much wider gamuts than conventional LCDs.

Thing is, Micro RGB isn't a pure self-emissive panel like OLED or full microLED. The screens still rely on zoned backlighting, so you'll still see some blooming around very bright subjects against dark backgrounds. But because the dots emit red, green and blue light directly, they can hit extremely wide colour spaces — Samsung says some models reach 100% of BT.2020.

The line-up for 2026 is split into two ranges. The premium R95H gets the top-end features: Samsung's Glare Free anti-reflective treatment, a higher-tier Micro RGB AI Engine Pro processor, and a variable refresh rate up to 165Hz. This cheaper R85H offers many of the same tricks but with the lower-powered Micro RGB AI Engine and a 144Hz variable refresh rate.

Sizes, prices and practical features

Samsung is selling these sets in sizes from 55 inches up to 85 inches now, with a 100-inch model promised later in the year. The R85H range starts at about US$1,600 for a 55-inch model and climbs to around US$4,000 for an 85-inch panel.

The R95H line begins at roughly US$3,200 for a 65-inch set and tops out near US$6,500 for an 85-inch.

All models support HDR10+ Advanced, Samsung's enhanced HDR format, and ship with Dolby Atmos audio and Q-Symphony pairing for up to five Samsung sound devices. Connectivity is sensible: four HDMI ports, Wi‑Fi 6E, AirPlay and Google Cast support, plus the usual One UI smart platform. The R95H can also work with Samsung's Wireless One Connect box for tidier installs.

The sets include gamer-friendly features too. Both ranges have dedicated gaming modes and the high-end model's 165Hz refresh rate and low-latency modes are aimed at fast-paced play. Samsung also supplies a slim wall mount that hinges to let you access ports after installation, which is a practical detail some manufacturers forget.

Why the colours feel different — and why that doesn't automatically win

The colors really jump out when you watch footage on these TVs. Reviewers who saw the range early reported striking saturation and a palette that makes images feel vivid and three-dimensional. IGN's Jacqueline Thomas, who previewed the sets at a Samsung briefing, described the colours as "incredible" — especially on cinematic material where blacks were deep enough to let hues stand out.

Mastheads

But wider gamut numbers aren’t the whole story. Several outlets that have measured ultra-wide-gamut screens in the past found those sets sometimes lose accuracy while chasing saturation. In other words, a TV can show billions of colours — and then pick the wrong one for a given scene. The result is very colourful pictures that don't always match the creator's intent. It's also common for those peak numbers to be achieved in Vivid or boost modes that aren't colour-accurate for normal viewing.

While 100% BT.2020 coverage looks great in demos, most viewers care more about accurate colors that match the director's intent. That's why Samsung pairs Micro RGB with an AI processor that auto-calibrates images and a suite of picture modes — it's trying to square wide gamut capability with trustworthy colour output.

Brightness, glare control and the OLED question

Micro RGB can get brighter than OLED and doesn't have the burn-in risk. In practice, early impressions are mixed. IGN's hands-on noted excellent colour but also said the screens felt a bit dim compared with the eye-popping brightness some LED TVs deliver. Samsung's Glare Free technology on the R95H helps a lot in bright rooms by cutting reflections, and that makes perceived contrast better than a glossy screen in daylight.

OLED still has advantages. Its self-emissive pixels give perfect blacks and near-instant response, and high-end OLED models continue to be the reference for pure contrast and tone-mapping. Micro RGB narrows that gap on colour and adds the potential for higher sustained brightness, but it doesn't remove the haloing and blooming that zoned backlights can produce.

So for viewers who prioritise absolute black-levels and the silky shadow detail that comes with OLED, the new Samsung sets aren't an automatic upgrade. For people who want ultra-vivid colour, strong HDR highlights and anti-reflective glass for bright rooms, Micro RGB is suddenly a very tempting option.

Smart features, AI modes and content support

Samsung packed a bunch of AI features into the new models. Onboard processors handle calibration, motion smoothing and audio separation — the company demoed tricks like AI Soccer Mode Pro, which adjusts frame and motion processing to make sports look punchier, and AI Sound Controller Pro, which can lift dialogue or dial back effects.

There are also built-in chat assistants from Microsoft Copilot and Perplexity, and Samsung is leaning into on-device AI for picture and audio tailoring. How useful those modes are depends on the viewer. For some folks they're handy shortcuts; for others they're gimmicks you switch off after a while.

A remaining question is HDR10+ Advanced's content support. Samsung pushes the format as its answer to Dolby Vision 2, but until streaming services and disc producers adopt the spec, the technical gains are theoretical for many buyers.

Where Micro RGB fits in home suites and living rooms

These TVs are clearly aimed at people who care about colour impact and want a premium-looking picture without paying the astronomical sums Samsung asked for when Micro RGB first appeared in massive showroom-only models. Dropping the entry price to around US$1,600 for a 55-inch R85H makes the tech reachable in ways last year's 115‑inch concept never was.

That said, consumers should read reviews and look at calibration data before they buy. Colour volume numbers, HDR formats and refresh rates are useful, but a balanced measurement of brightness, tone-mapping and colour accuracy in real content will tell you if a panel will satisfy your viewing habits.

And if you're an OLED owner wondering whether to swap — it's not time to rush. OLED still delivers the deepest blacks and the most natural shadow detail on many films. Micro RGB makes an impressive case on colour, and its glare mitigation is a real advantage in bright rooms. The two technologies now offer different trade-offs rather than a single clear winner.

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Jacqueline Thomas, IGN, said the sets offered "incredible" colours but were "a bit dim".

This article was created with AI assistance.