Like every year, a slew of new TVs are waiting to be unveiled at CES. Unlike every other year, the big TV brands seem to have quite similar ideas on how to innovate. To sum it up, everyone and their mother is releasing an RGB TV, and CES 2026 is setting the stage for Samsung, LG, Hisense, and more to duke it out in very direct head-to-head comparison.

Typically, there's a decent amount of variety between the new TVs from each brand: In 2025, LG's main thing was an expansion of its best-in-class OLED TVs, TCL went hard on mini-LED, and Samsung's claim to fame was a Neo QLED version of The Frame. Of course, there will be no shortage of new OLEDs and QLEDs in 2026. But the suddenly-crowded RGB TV market is easily the most noteworthy plot point.

The year of RGB TVs and the inevitable OLED x mini-LED collab

For most of the 2020s, new TVs announced at CES have mostly fallen under one of two categories: fancy new OLED or fancy new mini-LED. TV innovation at CES this year finally deviates from those two buzzwords, though they both walked so RGB TVs could run.

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Did you know that the bulbs in most QLED or mini LED TV backlights are only emitting white or blue light? This isn't visible to the viewer, of course. It's actually the layer of quantum dot crystals sandwiched on top that are reflecting white or blue light into all of the colors that appear on the TV screen. RGB TVs do things a little differently on the backend. "RGB" refers to thousands of microscopic red, green, and blue LEDs lighting the TV — these true red, green, and blue light sources are said to cover 100 percent of the color gamut (or the full possible spectrum of visible colors) and greatly expand the TV's color accuracy.

Each of those red, green, and blue LEDs are individually controlled like OLED pixels, offering much more precision than even the most densely-packed mini LED dimming zones can offer. So, micro RGB TVs shouldn't fall victim to mediocre contrast and imperfect black levels like many non-OLED TVs do, while simultaneously achieving higher peak brightness than OLED can provide.

Remember that the main trend here is RGB technology itself — the term "Micro RGB" is merely the marketing name that Samsung and LG are using. So far, Hisense is going with "RGB mini-LED" while Sony is rumored to have coined "True RGB." We expect other top TV brands to reveal their version of RGB at CES 2026 as well (TCL launched two RGB TVs in China in Sept. 2025 that could make their U.S. debut at CES.) Regardless of nomenclature, as long as RGB is involved, just think "the most colorful TV you've ever seen."

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Big TVs are getting bigger, small TVs are getting better

Brands are likely to load the 85- to 100-inch (or bigger) end of the spectrum with their 2026 flagship TVs, whereas TVs near the 100-inch mark were more of an outlier in previous years. Samsung's CES TV lineup, much of which got leaked in early December, shows a new 98-inch version of The Frame. Even wilder, LG's 2026 Micro RGB line is apparently only available in 75, 86, and 100 inches. 

It's hard to fathom a 75-inch TV being the smallest option, considering 65 inches has been a staple size in the TV market forever. Mashable currently recommends 65-inch TVs as the best size for most people, but will that be considered "small" soon?

But you're not being left in the dust if your living room or bedroom requires a smaller TV footprint. We're continuing to see the yassification of small TVs, a trend currently represented with 32-inch and 43-inch versions of Samsung's The Frame or 42-inch and 48-inch versions of LG's flagship C5 OLED TV. So far, Samsung has confirmed that it's extending its premium Micro RGB tech to a 55-inch model in 2026, and it wouldn't be surprising if other brands offered similarly versatile sizing. Ahead of CES, Hisense just released the S5 DécoTV, a 32-inch QLED TV that's much more affordable than the smallest The Frame TV.

The aforementioned Samsung TV leak also alludes to some slightly more affordable OLED TVs on the horizon, including a 55-inch S85H model allegedly priced around $1,000. That'd end up being slightly cheaper than the current sale price on the 42-inch version of Samsung's premium S90F OLED.

That's a prime example of the classic trickle down TV tech that we've seen with QLED and mini-LED over the past few years. Both of those started out as novel high-end TV technologies only to be found in the most expensive bracket. But as QLED and mini-LED panels gradually got easier and cheaper to manufacture, the tech was eventually tweaked over time to come in more budget-friendly forms. 2026 could be the year that OLED TVs get a taste of real accessibility, as Samsung is probably far from the only brand entering a more budget-friendly take on OLED.

New art TVs have the Frame Pro shaking in its boots

It seems like Samsung is taking a break from The Frame at CES 2026 after announcing the Frame Pro at CES a year ago. Naturally, LG is taking the opportunity to slide in with its very first iteration of an art TV (finally). Announced on Dec. 30, the LG Gallery TV will feature the hallmark glare reduction finish that separates art TVs from regular TVs, plus the expected ambient light sensor. It'll feature LG's MiniLED tech and full-array local dimming — a major blow to The Frame Pro's edge-lit mini-LED lighting. The full selection of artwork will require a $5/month LG Gallery+ subscription, matching the monthly price for the Samsung Art Store.

That's not the only Frame Pro competitor we could meet this year. The TCL Nxtvision A400 Pro, another new art TV with local dimming zones instead of edge lighting, is already available in China, and could be officially announced for the U.S. at CES. Will Hisense throw in a new CanvasTV, too?