Samsung's 2021 TV lineup announced at CES 2021 presents several next-generation display technologies like mini-LED and MicroLED, plus updated smart home features and super convenient changes to the company's remote controls.
After Samsung's First Look event, I sat down with Mike Kadish, Samsung's Director of Product Marketing, and asked him about the major upgrades to Samsung TVs coming this year. He talked about the switch to NeoQLED in top-of-the-line sets and the insatiable interest in large-screen MicroLED. He also shared his outlook on TV market priorities.
Kadish also introduces us to the outstanding Samsung 2021 TV trademark and provides information on how Samsung's set is equipped for video chat and fitness needs For the scoop on Tom's Guide, see Interview See.
Editor's note: The interview transcript has been shortened for length. For comments by Mike Kadish of Samsung, please see the entire video interview.
Kate Kozuch, senior writer for Tom's Guide: this year you made a major change to QLED TVs, now called NeoQLED. What were the major changes to QLED that led to the rebranding? And what does the rebranding actually mean?
Mike Kadish, Director of Product Marketing, Samsung: We still have the traditional QLED series, but NeoQLED is an evolution, or step change, in QLED technology. The addition of a new backlight with mini-LEDs provides consumers with a superior viewing experience. At a quarter the size of the LEDs currently found in some televisions, the light source is so small that it can provide superior contrast to the television.
Let's talk about MicroLEDs. Samsung just announced a MicroLED TV that you can actually buy, which is a scaled-down version of the 146-inch "The Wall" that you've been showing off at CES for the last few years, and with MicroLED, now that you can't even take it home from the store yourself, the TV is too big Is there any concern that this is the case? Are they responding to the demand for larger TVs, or are they trying to grow them?
Kadish: With regard to demand, it is both. Consumers are saying, with their pocketbooks and their wallets, they want big screens, and the 75-inch and larger segment is the fastest growing segment in the U.S. market. We're really excited to be able to bring a large-screen product to market, and we're looking forward to working with our customers to bring that to market.
This new product, which will be available in 2021, will bring MicroLED into consumers' homes. There are three screen sizes: 88 inches, 99 inches, and that giant 110 inches. This is truly the future of display technology. These products are for the ultra-premium segment, so it's a relatively small subset of consumers, but we're excited.
From what we are seeing now with this MicroLED technology and QLED mini-LED technology, what does Samsung think TVs will look like in the next few years?
Kadish: Larger screen sizes, improved picture quality with MicroLED and NeoQLED, these are all themes we are working on. We are making a lot of changes not only in image quality and form factor, but also in the smart features and functions that we bring to the market.
For example, by 2020, consumers will not be able to go to the gym as much as they would like, so we will be introducing Samsung Health on Samsung TVs and smart trainers in 2021. The Samsung Health dashboard provides real-time feedback on posture, form, and progress on all goals.
So if I were wearing a Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, what would that relationship look like? Can I pair it with my TV?
Kadish: Exactly, this is a complete Samsung Health ecosystem where you can check and track your exercise progress with your wearable, mobile device, and TV.
Tell us about the solar-powered Samsung Eco Remote. It is a feature that combines user convenience and environmentally friendly development.
Kadish Among all the changes in picture quality, smart features, etc., what I am most excited about is the commitment to sustainability. Thinking about Samsung and our scale, we sell millions of TVs a year. Each remote comes with two triple-A batteries, and if we could keep two triple-A batteries out of landfills, multiplied by all the millions of TVs we sell, the scale would be a ton of batteries that we could keep out of the landfills by your house and mine. That means batteries.
Thanks to Mike Kadish for joining Tom's Guide to talk about Samsung's 2021 TV. As the tech industry's biggest summit continues, be sure to keep this site locked for CES coverage.
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