Micro LED TVs cost more than a Cybertruck, but that could change soon

Smarts TVs of the past were all about LED screens. The present, meanwhile, features OLED models with their perfect contrast ratio and incredible detail. The future of smart TVs, however, is setting up to champion micro LED screens that combine the best of all that’s been and is now.

This type of TV technology has been around for a while, but it has gotten a lot more attention in the last year because it’s now actually available, albeit with a massive price tag. Micro LEDs TVs are sort of a marriage of LED and OLED technology, creating a screen with impressive brightness, contrast, and longevity. They use self-emissive pixels in lieu of a backlight, but are able to reproduce color more accurately and vibrantly than OLED models. They are purported to be more energy-efficient without any risk of burn-in that’s associated with OLED TVs.

However, micro LED TVs are wildly expensive, and are not really accessible by most people. Will that price ever drop? Here’s what you need to know.

How much do Micro LED TVs cost?

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Samsung

Micro-LED TVs are not widely available; they take a lot of money and effort to make in order to produce a TV that surpasses the best OLED and mini-LED TVs available right now. The ones being manufactured now are also quite large. All of that is reflected in their current price tag, which puts them out of reach for many curious consumers. Samsung and LG are among the few companies pushing forward with this technology, but seem to be doing so cautiously.

As of this writing, Samsung lists three micro LED TVs on its US website. They are 89-inches, 101-inches, and 114-inches in size, and all are currently listed as out of stock. The cheapest retails for $110,000 while the largest will set you back $150,000. These TVs are not cheap. That’s pretty much all that’s available at the moment, but more seem to be on the way.

For reference, LG’s G4 evo OLED TV retails for around $3,400 for a 65-inch model. It’s currently on sale at a $1,000-discount following a recent announcement of the G5. Meanwhile, for those simply seeking size, you can buy a 98-inch Samsung 4K TV from Best Buy right now for $2,500. It’s going to be hard for micro-LED to catch when one of the best TVs available and one of the largest are expensive but still significantly cheaper.

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When will the price of micro LED TVs drop?

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Samsung

There is a bit of optimism for those seeking this new technology that seems to offer a stunning visual experience. Both Samsung and Hisense said this year that they are making progress with micro LED models, so much so that they will be more readily available for consumers later this year.

Hisense announced its 136-inch micro LED TV will be ready for purchase later in 2025 and at a more competitive price point than others currently available. What that price is exactly is still to be revealed. You can have a price that’s less than $100K that is still unreasonable for a lot of consumers. Samsung, meanwhile, announced a 98-inch 8K version that will also be available later this year, again with a price to be determined. These TVs won’t be cheap, but it sounds like they will at least be cheaper this year. And that likely means that in a few years they might be significantly cheaper.

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History shows micro-LED cost could come down soon

It is worth looking at how expensive models of the past have dropped in price over time due to the prevalence of cheaper materials and more efficient manufacturing costs. The recent surge in popularity of giant TVs — those sized 80-inches and up — is due in large part to their price tags. There are a lot of big TVs with rather simple screens that are well under $1,000 due to better manufacturing processes and cheaper materials.

OLED TVs, similarly once prohibitively expensive, are more affordable as more companies offer different models and consumers continue to seek fidelity. The tech took a while to catch on and become more accessible, but viewers loved it and companies, even Samsung that vowed never to make such TVs, saw its popularity and started to produce them as well. Competition and demand helped to lower prices.

Micro LED TVs certainly sound like they will be the future of screen technology, and while perhaps some fortunate individuals may get their hands on them in the next couple of years, it’s likely going to be a bit longer for that price tag to really come down.

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FAQ

Q: Why are micro LED TVs so exciting?

Micro LED TVs feature self-lighting, inorganic pixels that will allow the screen to feature perfect contrast, improved color accuracy, and a wider color gamut. Because the pixels are not organic like those used in OLED screens, the TV stands to last long without risk of burn in. These TVs are also able to support 8K resolution, and look to include popular features such as high native refresh rates, HDR formats, and Filmmaker Mode to allow consumers to enjoy all kinds of media to their fullest potential.