Samsung reveals its cheaper mini-LED TVs for 2026 — and it’s dropping QLED on some of them, I kid you not

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New Neo QLED TVs, and two more affordable mini-LED models with no quantum dots mentioned

A lifestyle image showing a couple with a dog watching football on a Samsung QN80H. The image was in part created with AI
(Image credit: Samsung)
  • Samsung unveils QN80H, QN70H Neo QLED 4K TVs from 43 to 100 inches
  • New M80H and M70H mini-LED TVs in the same size range
  • New mini-LED range starts from just $349.99

Samsung US has announced its more affordable 2026 Neo QLED 4K TVs, and something that surprised us here: a cheap Mini LED TV range. If you're thinking 'Wait, isn't Neo QLED Samsung's name for its mini-LED TVs?', then you're thinking the same thing we did at first. But you know what's notably missing from Samsung's new 'Mini LED' models? QLED.

There will be five models in all: the QN80H and QN70H Neo QLED TVs, and the M90H, M80H and M70H Mini LED models. The M70H is the most affordable line, with the 43-inch coming in at just $349.99 and the 85-inch at $1,799.99.

Both the Neo QLED and Mini LED ranges start at 43 inches and rise to 100 inches, although the 100-inch Mini LED model won't be available until later in the year.

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Lifestyle photo showing a man playing a rendered video game on the Samsung M80H TV in a neutrally decorated room

The M80H (pictured) and M70H models are mini-LED, but without quantum dot color enhancement (Image credit: Samsung)

Samsung's Neo QLED and mini-LED TVs for 2026: key details

The new Neo QLED models feature 'Quantum Mini LEDs', with the higher-end QN80H featuring AI-based picture and audio optimization, SDR to HDR upscaling and an AI Customization Mode that will detect what you're watching and automatically apply your preferences.

The QN80H also features Motion Xcelerator 144Hz support, and a feature that can recognize scenes with lots of background noise and boost dialog to make it clearer. It can also adjust audio based on the size of your room, and there's Dolby Atmos audio with Object Tracking Sound Lite for better audio positioning from its built-in speakers.

There's no mention of quantum dots in the new Mini LED TVs, the M80H and the M70H. Like the QN80H, the Mini LEDs pack the NQ4 AI Gen2 processor and Motion Xcelerator 144Hz, and for PC gamers there's DLG 240Hz, meaning they can refresh at double the speed if they halve the resolution on-screen.

All of the new TVs come with Samsung Vision AI Companion, AI Sound Controller and Bixby, and there's an AI Soccer Mode too. Live Translate has been expanded with 12 languages and the Generative Wallpaper feature now works with voice prompts. And it's all in an updated version of Samsung's One UI Tizen, with seven years of OS updates.

We're assuming that at least some of these TVs will use the same kind of 'edge mini-LED' backlight that we saw in the Samsung QN70F and Samsung The Frame Pro in 2025. And yes, this tech is pushing the definition of mini-LED really — it may well use smaller LEDs, but a key expectation of mini-LED is excellent local dimming, and edge-lit TVs can't really deliver in this department.

But we're very curious to find out more about them, to see what kind of color depth Samsung can deliver in the non-QLED models. Samsung says that with its 'Pure Spectrum Color' tech, they can deliver a billion colors, and that you can optionally enable an AI-based color expander on the M70H called 'Color Booster Pro'.

All of this leaves us with a lot of questions about how they'll perform relative to each other — we've asked Samsung for more information about the particular mini-LED tech used, and we'll update if we hear more.

With the exception of the 100-inch M90H, all the new TVs are available now in the US from Samsung, and rolling out to the usual retailers. The prices of each TV model and size are:

Samsung QN80H

Samsung QN70H

Samsung M90H

  • 100" Class M90H: pricing and availability TBC

Samsung M80H

Samsung M70H

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Carrie Marshall
Carrie Marshall

Contributor

Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than twenty books. Her latest, a love letter to music titled Small Town Joy, is on sale now. She is the singer in spectacularly obscure Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind.

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