Samsung has a new idea for TVs. It will be better and cheaper

Samsung has resumed work on QNED technologywhich is self-emissive (like OLED). In practice, it is an inorganic combination of blue LEDs with a layer of quantum dots that emit red and green light. This way, there is no need for an LCD panel at all.

It is worth emphasizing that LG had previously released TVs called QNED, but this was not true QNED technology, as these models were just conventional LCD models.

The Korean giant has been developing QNED technology for a long time, but the project was suspended around 2022-23. According to ETNews, work on QNED was resumed in 2025. Earlier there were problems with arranging the LEDs and achieving uniform lighting and color. Apparently these obstacles have already been overcome.

QNED technology is similar to QD-OLED in that quantum dots also convert blue light into red and green light. What distinguishes these technologies is the type of LEDs – in QNED they are inorganic (nanorods), and in QD-OLED they are organic LEDs (OLEDs).

According to industry analyses, QNED may be cheaper and simpler to produce than QD-OLEDbecause both the blue LEDs and the quantum dot layer can be inkjet printed directly on the panel. Moreover, each pixel will contain about ten miniature LEDs, which allows for precise brightness and color control.

Samsung Display develops QNED in parallel with:

• QD‑OLED – already present on the market,
• EL‑QD (NanoLED) — future technology in which quantum dots themselves act as LEDs,
• and microLEDwhich Samsung Electronics is working on (although production costs are still a huge challenge).