I really hate how modern society has reinterpreted the meaning of “thirsty.” Yet I can’t deny that within the current context of said word, I’m going wobbly at the knees dreaming of Micro RGB display technology. There are five reasons I could never go back to LED after upgrading to OLED, but now with Micro RGB tech gathering pace, my current LG G3 might be the last OLED TV I ever own.
Micro RGB is a new type of display technology that is quickly gaining momentum. By using incredibly small blue, green, and red self-emitting pixels, these emerging TVs don’t need a backlight. This means they’re capable of delivering black levels far closer to OLEDs than LCDs. As these pixels produce their own light and color, they can get way brighter than OLEDs while also producing more natural hues.
I’ll Only Buy a Mini-LED TV Next, and This Is Why
You really can’t beat a Mini-LED TV.
Here’s why I’m all in on Micro RGB. Sorry, OLED.
The new king of color
This is probably the one area I’m most excited about when it comes to the potential of Micro RGB TVs. The newest television tech on the block handles color production in a way that’s similar to Mini LED displays, yet even more accurate.
Micro RGB TVs separate their colors into three different emitters — blue, green, and red. This is an entirely different way than OLEDs handle colors (especially older “WOLED” panels). Thanks to these exceedingly narrow emitters, the wavelengths generated by Micro RGB sets are capable of producing incredibly accurate colors; more so than any existing display type.
Unless something drastically changes with the production of OLED panels going forward, the self-emissive tech is unlikely to catch up. OLED TVs use a combination of panel light and color filters to generate their hue, and whenever filters are involved, colors are simply going to be less accurate. That’s why with older WOLED panels, colors can appear slightly distorted or washed out when viewed at acute angles.
I wouldn’t go as far as to say that OLEDs have a color problem, but it seems certain that your average Micro RGB screen is going to be able to produce more accurate hues going forward than a garden-variety OLED.
Micro RGB tech is brighter than OLED
Screens that will give your pupils a suntan
Other than OLED burn-in, which I’ll touch on in a little bit, the other historic weakness of OLEDs has been brightness. The TV tech that LG mastered before any other manufacturer uses self-emissive pixels that produce their own light sources. While this leads to perfect black levels (as the pixels can turn themselves off), OLED panels generally can’t get as bright as the most powerful LCD backlights.
LCD backlights obviously have their own issues in terms of light bleed and imperfect screen uniformity, but Micro RGBs crucially don’t use a backlight. Their microscopic LEDs power pixels, negating the need for traditional backlit technology. These teeny LEDs also ensure Micro RGB TVs are able to get substantially brighter than OLEDs, without the negative connotations associated with inconsistently backlit LCD screens.
Basically, the Micro RGB future is bright … and it looks way more uniform than past LCDs.
Micro RGBs have more staying power than OLEDs
Meet the TV type that will last you for a decade
Again, this point is slightly theoretical, as Micro RBGs are still in extremely short supply, being such a new TV technology. Even though this display tech is still in the diapers, looking at how traditional LCDs sets operate, it’s not a total shot in the dark to forecast that Micro RGB TVs will sport substantially longer lifespans than their OLED counterparts.
Why is this? It’s mainly down to how the pixels on the two types of display function. On OLED panels, pixels deploy organic compounds that emit light when a current is applied to them (hence Organic “Light-Emitting” Diode). Due to their makeup, these organic materials wear with use, and the higher the brightness you set your OLED display to, the quicker its overall lifespan will decrease.
On the flip-side, Micro RGB TVs (like Mini LED screens), use inorganic materials for their pixels. These naturally have longer lifespans than the organic pixels of OLED panels, and it means they should ensure a Micro RGB set lasts considerably longer than a traditional OLED. The inorganic compounds of a Micro RGB TV should also ensure they wear down less quickly at max brightness.
OLEDs are great, but they have issues
It’s not just burn-in you have to worry about
OLED is the TV type I dreamed of owning almost 30 years ago when I was playing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on Christmas Day 1998 on a 14-inch, luminous yellow CRT set. What can I say? I had exquisite taste. So I don’t want to overly knock a display tech I’ve fallen head over heels for since 2015. But…
Even the best OLED TVs have their issues. I’d argue these problems are far less serious than LCDs screens, but I can’t deny that they exist. While more modern MLA and QD OLED panels are able to hit over 2,000 nits of peak brightness in HDR, older WOLED screens look downright dim placed next to the finest Mini LED displays, let alone the emerging threat of super-vivid Micro RGBs.
OLED burn-in obviously remains the most infamous issue around the tech, but I’ve generally found it’s quite easy to avoid if you’re diligent when running regular pixel cleaning cycles. For me, OLED banding is worse than burn-in, and most TV shoppers have no idea this screen defect even exists.
Considering LED screens are regularly blighted by “Dirty Screen Effect” — like the Nintendo Switch 2’s subpar display — I can’t guarantee Micro RGB TVs will have better screen uniformity than OLEDs going forward. Still, for older OLEDs, banding can be a real issue in dark scenes, where visible vertical lines can become all too obvious.
Micro RGB TVs could set a new bar for top-tier living room displays
At the time of writing, the (incredibly bright) sky appears to be the limit for Micro RGB TVs. Though there aren’t currently enough models on the market to definitively state this is now the television tech to beat, I’m confident Micro RGBs could surpass OLED tech.
The inherent nature of how these screens function means Micro RGB seems to combine all the eye-illuminating vividness of the best LCDs with the deep blacks and alluring contrast levels of OLED. Promising more accurate colors than ever before, I’m counting the days until I pick up my first Micro RGB set.
