First, Samsung dazzled attendees of its First Look event with its transparent MicroLED TV, showcasing vibrant images dancing across a slab of thin, glowing glass. Samsung has been teasing MicroLED tech for years now, which promises the same contrast and perfect black levels as OLED thanks to pixel-level image control, but in a brighter and potentially modular form factor. Unfortunately, as before, Samsung’s latest MicroLED display shows no signs of coming to market anytime soon.
Photograph: Alex Welsh
Not so with LG’s transparent marvel, a 77-inch rollable OLED TV dubbed the OLED T. Not only did LG claim its see-through screen will be available for purchase, but the brand also accounted for potential drawbacks of the tech with a separate, rollable contrast screen that can stand as a backdrop when you want to watch a movie or TV show. The TV will also receive wireless video and audio transmission via the company’s Zero Connect Box. LG said the idea behind its creation is to allow you to place it virtually anywhere, including in front of a window, without creating an eyesore. It doesn’t hurt that it also looks cool as hell. No pricing as of yet.
Shockingly Bright Lights
Photograph: Alex Welsh
The evolution of increasingly brighter TVs has been growing of late, with 2023 showcasing significant advancements across display types to make HDR video pop like never before. At CES 2024, Chinese electronics makers Hisense and TCL blew the doors off the brightening, with two searingly powerful TVs that promise to change the game significantly.
TCL’s flagship QM8 display led the way, claiming an astonishing 5,000 nits of peak brightness to go along with excellent color coverage and up to 5,000 dimming zones from its miniLED backlight power plant. That number more than doubles most of the brightest TVs we tested last year, with TCL going so far as to call its latest model—which includes a 115-inch monster-sized version—“the best TV” of 2024 before the year even gets up to brush its teeth.
Not to be outdone, Hisense showed off its previously teased 110UX TV, a 110-inch behemoth packing a claimed 10,000 nits peak brightness. The TV promises other impressive attributes, including a claimed 95 percent coverage of the highest color range standard and over 40,000 dimming zones to tamp down all those shiny lights when things get dark. Both TVs are expected to arrive this spring, with exact pricing yet to be disclosed.
Mega Screens for the Masses?
Photograph: Alex Welsh
Hisense’s massive 110UX is far from the only gigantic TV coming our way in 2024. In fact, CES 2024 promises a more equitable division of monster-sized screens. While there will be no shortage of premium displays approaching 100 inches or larger from brands like LG, Samsung, Hisense, and TCL, the latter two TV makers will be bringing big-screen models to income levels below the 1 percent.
At its CES 2024 press conference, TCL announced that its popular midrange QM7 series will add a 98-inch model, alongside 85-inch sizes of its lower-tier S Class TVs. Hisense will compete with a 100-inch version of its U7 series, the U76N. We don’t yet have US pricing on all of these mega models, but based on 2023 costs, you can expect at least some of them to drop below the five-figure mark.
