Fierce competition for’Samsung vs LG’ on the outlook for premium TV growth

▲ LG QNED TV product image ⓒLG Electronics

With the prolonged Corona 19, the TV market prospects for next year are bright, and Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, which are fiercely competing for the throne in the premium TV market, have already made a move to preoccupy the atmosphere. The TV industry, which ended its start by showing new products and technologies of the year, starting with the IT exhibition’CES’, which is usually held in January, is jumping into the new year’s sales front this year with a faster new product release schedule.

According to related industries on the 30th, Samsung and LG, the two major mountain ranges of global TV makers, are rushing their steps to preoccupy the market by pushing the schedule for revealing new TV products and new technologies next year by about a month.

Contrary to expectations, LG Electronics made a save. LG Electronics held a TV new technology briefing session for next year through online on the 29th and introduced’LG QNED’, which is the peak of LCD TV technology. QNED was born with the addition of proprietary technologies that combine’Quantum Dot’ and’Nano Cell’ to increase color reproduction based on’Mini LED’ technology, which has improved expression power more than 10 times compared to existing LCD TVs.

Above all, the industry paid attention to the fact that LG preoccupied the brand name’QNED’ with this new product. LG Electronics has pointed out several times that Samsung uses the trademark’QLED’ for TVs with quantum dot film added to LCD panels, but it is difficult to avoid evaluating that the QNED released this time actually has a large reason to compete with the brand called QLED. This is because it can be seen as a preemptive attack against Samsung.

A little ahead of LG, Samsung also aimed at the tip of a new micro LED TV product. Samsung’s new micro LED TV is a self-luminous TV like its OLED TV, but it is released in a larger size of 100 inches or more, which does not have a large need for home use, and it is difficult to implement 8K image quality. Explained its competitive advantage.

LG pointed out that this new product QNED is a display suitable for 100-inch or less TVs, and that it can implement both 4K as well as 8K. In addition, it clarified the position that it is possible to provide extra-large QNEDs of 100 inches or more if necessary.

At the same time, it reminded me that the best picture quality in the TV market is still LG’s OLED. Ho-jun Nam, head of LG Electronics’ HE Research Center, said at a TV technology briefing the day before, “The evolution of QLED, which is a TV that uses backlight, is mini LED. He emphasized that the difference from OLED TV that utilizes light emission is dramatic.

▲ Samsung 2021 Micro LED TV ⓒSamsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics is preparing to confront LG Electronics ahead of time. On the 6th of next month,’First Look’, an event that unveils Samsung’s new TV technology and product lineup, will be held. With a time gap of one week, the two major mountains in the TV industry are fighting to prepare a place to show off their technological superiority.

Samsung is also expected to introduce a new mini LED that can compete with QNED at this event. As the previously introduced micro LED TV new product is positioning in the ultra-high-priced premium line of 170 million won, the event next month is expected to be a place to reveal major new premium TV products that Samsung will intensively sell following QLED.

Eventually, LG and Samsung are expected to unveil more intense TV competition next year than ever by unveiling an unusual TV new product strategy nearly a month ahead of the previous one.

In the meantime, Samsung and LG have been preparing a place to unveil and promote new TV products and new technology strategies at’CES’, the biggest event in the home appliance industry held at the beginning of the year. However, as CES 2021 next year will be canceled due to the prolonged COVID-19 outbreak, it seems that it has chosen to switch to holding a single event that can increase the attention rather than releasing new products according to the event date.

As such, it can be said that the second strongest in the TV market entered the competition to target the market next year earlier than before.

In addition, it is a proof that Samsung and LG have high expectations for the global TV market, which will grow bigger next year. This is thanks to the fact that this year has already fully confirmed the possibility. With the spread of Corona 19, which continued from the beginning of the year, demand for home appliances and TVs surged as consumers stayed at home with more time, and demand for premium TVs with larger and better quality also increased significantly.

According to market research firm Omdia, global TV sales this year are expected to reach 23.83 million units this year, surpassing the level last year, and reaching the highest level in five years since 2015. In the next year, growth is particularly noticeable in the premium TV market led by Samsung and LG, and it is predicted that OLED and mini-LED TVs will become the key axis driving the increase in sales volume.