Hisense, Sony, Samsung & TCL Line Up OLED Rivals
Every September, Berlin’s IFA expo sets the stage for the next big thing in consumer tech. In 2025, one display innovation dominated the conversation: RGB Mini-LED.
If OLED has long been the gold standard for cinematic blacks and colour fidelity, RGB Mini-LED is shaping up as the technology that might rival it.
Four of the world’s biggest TV brands, Hisense, Sony, Samsung, and TCL, all unveiled RGB-powered TVs at IFA this year.
So what exactly is RGB Mini-LED, how does it compare to OLED, and which brands are furthest ahead? Let’s break it down.
What is RGB Mini-LED?
To understand the buzz, you need to know what’s different. At Smart Home Sounds, we’re not about drowning you in tech jargon. In simple terms:
RGB Mini-LED takes what Mini-LED and OLED already do well, and gives them a serious upgrade. Traditional Mini-LED TVs use blue LEDs with a filter to create colour. RGB Mini-LED replaces that system with separate red, green, and blue LEDs in the backlight itself.
That change might sound subtle, but it unlocks three big advantages:
- Richer colour volume
- Higher peak brightness
- Better black levels and blooming control
In short, RGB Mini-LED promises the best of both worlds: OLED-like blacks with the punch of Mini-LED brightness.
Read More: Mini LED vs OLED vs Micro LED: Pick Your Perfect TV Panel
Hisense at IFA 2025: RGB Mini-LED Moves Closer To Home
Back at CES earlier this year, Hisense impressed us with the announcement of their 116-inch 116UX RGB Mini-LED TV.
Boasting 8,000 nits of peak brightness, it was a serious statement of what the tech could do. However, with a price tag of around £29,999, it was clearly built more as a showcase than something destined for most homes
Since then, Hisense has also shown a 100-inch version with a slightly friendlier price of about £19,999, but even that size and cost keeps it firmly in the luxury bracket.
At IFA 2025, however, Hisense shifted the conversation. On the show floor sat an 85-inch RGB Mini-LED, and the difference is that this time it isn’t just a concept. It’s a real product, scheduled for release in 2026.
No pricing has been confirmed yet, but given the £10,000 gap between the 116- and 100-inch models, there’s every chance the 85-inch could come in around £10,000–15,000.
Of course, it’s still massive, and it’ll still be premium, but compared to what we saw at CES, this feels like the first time RGB Mini-LED has started edging closer to the living room.
Sony's IFA 2025 Demo: Quietly Developing RGB Mini-LED
Another brand we were keen to keep an eye on at this year's show was Sony. As we know, the Bravia 9 still leads their 2025 TV range, and with the Bravia 8 II skipping the “Bravia 10” name, it does leave room for speculation about what might be next in the line-up.
Unlike Hisense, Sony played their cards much closer to their chest. At IFA 2025, the brand didn’t show off a huge RGB Mini-LED on the main floor. Instead, they offered a behind-closed-doors demo, giving a small glimpse of how this new panel technology might shape future Bravia TVs.
According to reports, the prototype was shown alongside a Mini-LED, as well as QD-OLED and Primary RGB OLED set for comparison. While plenty of details remain a mystery, the demonstration highlighted key strengths like colour vibrancy, black depth, and blooming control, all of which are common themes we’ve noticed across RGB tech this year.
There’s no official word yet on product names or release dates, and Sony looks to be finalising aspects of performance before anything is confirmed. What’s clear, though, is that Sony is taking a measured approach, focusing on refinement rather than rushing to be first.
Read More: Sony's 2025 TV Lineup: Bravia 3, Bravia 5, Bravia 8 II & More
Samsung: Showing Off Its RGB Micro LED Ambitions
Never one to be outdone, Samsung also brought a 115-inch RGB Micro LED to IFA but once again this was presented at a behind closed doors demo.
We haven’t seen it ourselves yet, but early impressions from What Hi-Fi suggest it was classic Samsung: a huge, punchy display designed to wow.
The name might cause a bit of confusion, so let’s clear it up. Despite the Micro label, this isn’t the same as the ultra-premium Micro LED TVs we’ve seen teased for years. Instead, it’s essentially the same RGB Mini LED technology that other brands like Sony, Hisense and TCL are showing off, Samsung has just gone with a different badge.
What sets it apart is the way the backlight works. Instead of relying on a traditional QLED layer, the panel uses countless tiny red, green and blue LEDs, each acting as its own pixel. The benefit? Finer dimming control, deeper blacks, less blooming and even more saturated colour.
We haven’t had the chance to see it in person yet, but early reports suggest it’s classic Samsung: bold, bright and designed to impress. Sure, it’s a statement piece that's unapologetically premium but it's a clear sign that Samsung sees RGB as a big part of its TV future and we can't wait to see how this develops.
TCL: Low-Key but Still in the Game
Rounding things off, it seems like TCL also had an RGB Mini-LED TV on display too, but you wouldn’t have known it was the headline.
Rather than making a big song and dance about RGB, the brand chose to put more emphasis on its current Mini-LED line-up including the well-reviewed C8K, C7K, and C6K models.
That more low-key approach could suggest TCL is happy to let the RGB story develop a little further before throwing its full weight behind it.
Even so, it’s clear the brand is keeping a foot in the door, signalling that it’s very much part of the conversation while it refines its strategy.
RGB Mini-LED: What's Next?
Whichever brand you prefer, one thing’s clear: this new backlighting tech is about to make a serious impact on the TV world. With Hisense, Sony, Samsung, and TCL all now in the game, it’s not a question of if RGB Mini-LED will hit the mainstream, but when.
Right now, the story is still all about huge screens and high prices. These are early-adopter sets designed to showcase what the technology can do rather than fit neatly into most living rooms. But from what we’ve seen from IFA 2025, the signs are encouraging.
If you’re tempted to be among the first to jump in, you’ll need both space and budget to match. For everyone else, the smart move is to watch closely. Just like OLED and Mini-LED before it, we expect RGB Mini-LED to filter down into smaller, more affordable models over the next couple of years.
For now, it’s exciting to see the first real steps towards what could be the next big leap in home cinema display technology.
Stay Connected: The Future of TV with Smart Home Sounds
RGB Mini-LED is only just getting started, and the next couple of years are going to be huge for home cinema fans.
At Smart Home Sounds, we’ll be keeping a close eye on every development, from first launches to hands-on reviews, across the biggest names in the business, including Sony, Samsung, LG, and Panasonic.
Want to know when these new models hit the UK, how they compare to today’s best TVs, and whether they’re worth the upgrade? We’ve got you covered.
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