When Hisense revealed its new RGB mini-LED TV at CES 2025, it made a big splash with its staggeringly rich color and high brightness. The 116-inch Hisense 116UX was one of the highlights of the show, where Samsung also announced its new RGB micro LED panel tech, another exciting development in the TV world.
Fast forward to September, and things have progressed at a rapid rate. I’ve since tested the Hisense 116UX, and while I didn’t think it was a match for the best OLED TVs, I was blown away by its magnificent colors and realistic detail. And then at IFA 2025, I saw an 85-inch version of Hisense’s RGB mini-LED TV – a good sign that the new panel tech would be coming to smaller screen sizes in 2026.
IFA held one more surprise: Samsung’s own micro-RGB TV was there in the flesh. TechRadar had previously spent time with the 115-inch TV, but in Samsung’s demo, I got to see it next to Hisense’s RGB mini-LED TV, which allowed me to judge the two side-by-side.
A new world of color
Color was the real highlight of these two RGB TVs. Samsung used clips from various movies and TV shows, starting with a group of hummingbirds surrounding a flower from Planet Earth. Both TVs delivered vibrant greens, but the Samsung micro-RGB’s picture had a bolder punch and greater color depth. The Hisense RGB mini-LED’s colors looked more natural to me, however. For sheer color vibrancy, though, Samsung’s TV had the edge.
A scene from the live-action Aladdin, where Will Smith’s genie, clad in blue, is surrounded by dancers in yellow and orange, once again demonstrated the Samsung micro-RGB tech’s vivid color. The Samsung actually looked a touch oversaturated to me in this scene, while the Hisense was more natural and true-to-life, while still delivering striking colors.
Finally, in a scene from Deadpool & Wolverine, Wolverine’s bright yellow suit and Deadpool’s red costume came across with plenty of vibrancy and detail on the Samsung, although they were once again bordering on being oversaturated. This same scene had a more true-to-life look on the Hisense, although the colors appeared a bit dimmer.
The rest of the tests
Darker scenes were also used for Samsung’s comparison. For one example, a scene from Fear Street, where a character crawls through a field at night, proved to be a real test for both TVs.
The Samsung micro-RGB demonstrated stronger contrast than the Hisense, thanks to its higher brightness and bolder highlights, which gave isolated areas of light in the picture a punchier look. Blacks were also deeper and richer on the Samsung, with the Hisense suffering from black crush in certain shots during the scene.
In a clip from The Sandman, where two characters converse in a dark woodland, the Samsung micro-RGB once again delivered richer blacks than the Hisense RGB mini-LED. The Samsung TV also had better shadow detail, which made details in dark clothing easier to see.
While the Samsung displayed better handling of darker content, the RGB mini-LED still demonstrated excellent brightness, and it also had impressive contrast.
Both TVs also delivered realistic textures, although the Samsung was the sharper of the two. The hummingbird’s feathers from Planet Earth, and various items of clothing in another clip, appeared more refined and detailed on the Samsung.
These TVs also handled bright overhead light conditions well. With the same Glare Free screen featured in TVs like the Samsung S95F OLED and Samsung QN90F mini-LED, however, the Samsung was better at eliminating reflections outright.
Sports clips were also shown in the demo. The first was a golf tee shot, with the camera tracking the ball, and the second was a play in a baseball game, with the ball thrown to the first baseman by a fielder. In both instances, the Samsung, which had its default motion settings active, made motion feel smoother, with no ghosting or clipping of the ball. The same couldn’t be said for the Hisense, where the TV’s frame interpolation made the ball in motion drop in and out.
Final thoughts
Both these new display technologies are in their early stages, and from what I’ve seen so far, I’m excited for what’s next. In the end, however, the Samsung micro-RGB triumphed through the depth and boldness of its colors, along with its excellent motion handling, powerful contrast and crisp detail. But the Hisense RGB mini-LED had more natural color and still delivered with its high brightness, strong contrast and refined detail.
This comparison may sound like a slam-dunk victory for the Samsung micro-RGB, but the Hisense RGB mini-LED also demonstrated excellent picture quality. Both TVs are set to launch at $30,000, so the choice may come down to features – a stronger point for the Samsung.
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