It has been known for some time that Samsung is working on alternate TV technologies to compete with OLED TVs from rivals. At CES 2018, Samsung offered first glimpses of it when it announced, ‘The Wall’, its first 146-inch modular MicroLED TV.
Samsung recently announced MicroLED
Samsung’s MicroLED technology does share some traits with OLED. Just like OLED panels, Samsung MicroLED panels are also self-emitting which means each sub-pixel produces its own light and doesn’t need a dedicated backlight. Because of the similarities, Samsung’s MicroLED technology is seen as a worthy rival to the OLED TVs in the market.
Interestingly, even before the MicroLED TVs are released and reviewed, Samsung has filed for a “Micro QLED” trademark in South Korea. On January 11, 2018, Samsung filed two trademark applications with the Korean Intellectual Property Office. While one of them is for the 8K QLED TV which was shown at CES 2018, the other application is for Micro QLED which hasn’t been announced or showcased anywhere so far. The MicroLED tech announced by Samsung at CES 2018 is not part of these applications.
Unsurprisingly, the Micro QLED trademark has resulted in speculation about Samsung developing a new line-up of self-emitting QLED TVs. Of course, a trademark application alone doesn’t guarantee the development or existence of Micro QLED technology as Samsung, like many other companies, occasionally trademarks names to be on the safer side.
When asked to comment, a Samsung official told The Investor “I have never heard about Micro QLED. As you know, filing a trademark doesn’t necessarily mean a product will be launched anytime soon. We’ll see.”
