[THE INVESTOR] Samsung Electronics will introduce a new TV model based on micro LEDs at the CES electronics trade show in Las Vegas in January, according to news reports on Nov. 24.

Micro LED, whose red, green and blue sub-pixels produce their own light, is deemed to be the next-generation display technology as it is expected to compete with existing high-end OLED and LCD displays. The emerging display technology boasts high contrast ratios and deep blacks and it needs a simpler manufacturing process unlike OLED.

Micro LED TVs have not been widely commercialized so far due to high manufacturing costs and technical difficulties to make a panel with LEDs measuring less than 100 micrometers, which is slimmer than the width of a human hair.

The micro LED TV that Samsung intends to showcase at the CES trade show is said to measure 150 inches in size.

Samsung utilized the micro LED tech for a cinema screen, which was first showcased in Las Vegas in March.

“Samsung will likely push for the micro LED TV in the premium TV segment after releasing them next year,” an industry official was quoted as saying by ZDNet Korea.

It was widely expected that the Korean firm would diversify the portfolio of its premium TV brands next year. Samsung’s QLED TV, which has an LED backlight applied with a sheet of quantum dots, is its top-of-the-line TV brand.

Although it looks promising, micro LED technology will only be deployed for large-size screens as it is difficult to configure the tiny sensors and chips on a smaller panel while meeting high resolution standards. It is expected to be used for mobile devices, such as smartphones, by 2020.

Global tech giants, including Apple, and Sony, have been pouring resources in the tech to take the lead.

Apple acquired micro LED developer LuxVue Technology while Samsung took over Yesco Electronics, an LED signage firm, in 2015. According to market rumors, the Korean firm plans to take over Taiwanese micro LED firm PlayNtride.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)