Televisions are evolving yet again. This time, the new kid on the block is mini RGB, which emits red, green, and blue lights through an LCD panel instead of just white or blue lights. According to Hisense, one of the first brands to debut an RGB LED TV, the technology is an attempt to produce “pure colors directly at the source.”
The intended result is LED TVs with better colors, improved contrast, and much higher brightness—all designed as a proper alternative to OLED. Whether it’s a giant leap forward, though, depends greatly on the kind of movies and shows you watch and your willingness to tweak a few settings. I tested five new models to get a taste of what’s to come and to determine which (if any) you should buy.
For more TV recommendations based on our expert testing, peruse our related guides, including the Best TVs, Best Large TVs, Best OLED TVs, and Best Cheap TVs. Also check out How to Buy the Right TV for you in 2026.
What Are RGB TVs?
The first RGB TVs came out in 2025, but it’s really in 2026 that the technology is getting wider distribution across sizes and prices. As I stated above, an RGB TV has conventional LED backlighting but uses a red, green, and blue backlight module rather than the standard white or blue LEDs. But it’s not quite that simple. Samsung and LG call it “micro RGB,” while TCL and Hisense say “mini RGB.” The tech works roughly the same, even if micro RGB uses smaller LEDs. Sony uses the term “True RGB” and claims there’s no difference between mini RGB and micro RGB.
My goal in testing, though, was to cut through the marketing spin and just put each model through a few benchmarks, watch the same movies, and stay glued to the World Cup no matter which model I was testing. The surprising discovery is that mini RGB (which is the term I’ll use for all of them) is noticeably vivid, has excellent contrast, and looks bright and clear even during the daytime. Mini RGB televisions are also excellent for off-angle watching.
That said, I don’t think you have to put that OLED up on Facebook Marketplace just yet. Mini RGB is an evolution in tech, but it also means manufacturers can keep using LCD panels. OLED was a sea change because individual pixels can emit color or be turned off entirely. In my side-by-side tests, mini RGB is a smart upgrade but isn’t the ultimate display tech. While the costs are comparable for now, I expect mini RGB televisions to come down in price soon.
Why Choose a Mini RGB Over Other Models?
The name mini RGB would imply that it is all about color—specifically red, green, and blue. Yet, the way the technology works by shining those colors through an LCD panel means there is a lot more control over contrast and brightness as well.
In my tests, I found settings for brightness, clarity, contrast, and picture mode had a much more obvious impact than on a normal LED or QLED. I equate this to a sports car. You can drive a BMW M5 on a side street at low speeds, but until you enable track mode, adjust the suspension, and perform other tweaks, you won’t really know what the car can do. Mini RGB is similar in that it’s highly customizable.
How Much Do RGB TVs Actually Cost?
Anything brand-new to the market will likely cost more than we might expect. While the Hisense UR9 RGB Mini-LED was the cheapest by far at only $1,999 for the 65-inch model, every other mini RGB and micro RGB costs closer to $4,000. That’s about $1,300 more than an OLED at the same size. The flagship OLED models from LG and Samsung tend to cost around $2,700 for a 65-inch. LED and QLED models are even cheaper, running as low as $500.
How Easy Are They to Mount?
As with any modern television, mounting one on a wall is fairly easy since there’s so much information online about how to do it. I’ve found YouTube videos that explain exactly what to do, even covering how to install an electrical box. Mainly, you have to use a stud finder and make sure you’re mounting the brackets into a stud and not just sheetrock, but even that process only takes a few minutes.
The one exception is if you go with a larger-size mini RGB model like the TCL RM9L RGB-Mini LED. If the television weighs over 100 pounds, it changes the ball game in terms of using multiple studs and adding extra mounting brackets.
The Best Overall RGB TV
LG makes high-end televisions that tend to be a bit pricey, but they’re often worth the extra expense. The LG Micro RGB Evo is no different. Priced at $4,500 (that’s with a $500 discount right now) for the 75-inch model I tested, this is one brilliantly colorful and impressive television.
Setup and install were simple. It’s just a matter of inserting the legs and screwing them in tight. My only complaint here was the legs were a bit pointy. For connectivity, the LG Micro RGB Evo has four HDMI 2.1 ports, an Ethernet port, one digital optical, a coaxial connection, and two USB 2.0 ports. WebOS is a capable streaming platform, if a bit confusing and bloated with too many apps and advertisements.
Movies and shows looked stunning and vivid on this television, once I got used to tweaking the picture modes. By default, some of the stock settings (e.g., Filmmaker mode) made movies like Awake on Netflix look too dark. Tron: Ares on Disney+ was vivid with deep blacks and reds.
While the LG Micro RGB Evo worked perfectly fine for console gaming, it had some trouble with a gaming laptop. The variable refresh rate setting, which LG calls Motion Booster, did not work correctly when I used an Alienware 16X Aurora laptop. However, at the native 165-Hz refresh rate, this model is a game changer—Crimson Desert looked absolutely stunning.
One major discovery with the LG Micro RGB Evo is that it’s even more customizable than some of the other mini RGB and micro RGB televisions that are new to the market. In my full review, I found I could tweak white balance settings, saturation, and screen clarity almost endlessly.
For unique features, the LG Micro RGB Evo offers the LG Gallery+ artwork subscription for $5 per month and includes about 4,500 museum-curated images. That means, in theory, you can use the Micro RGB as an art television, even if it lacks a matte finish or bezels you can attach. The artwork looked OK but lacked the texture and realism of Samsung’s The Frame Pro 2026.
Because there are so many options of customizing the picture, I ended up preferring the LG Micro RGB Evo to every other mini RGB and micro RGB model I’ve tested. It’s customizable, works great for console gaming, and even lets you view paintings when it’s not in use.
The Best RGB TV for Gaming
While Hisense has often been pigeonholed by people like me for only making midrange televisions or even budget models, the flagship UR9 RGB MiniLED is a major step up in quality. In fact, I was ready to name the Hisense UR9 as the best budget model, since it’s priced at only $2,200. That’s cheaper than the other mini RGB or micro RGB models by far—at least, at this size. Yet it deserves extra credit because the picture quality is outstanding, especially for video games. Even if it’s not quite on par with the LG in that regard, it’s surprisingly close.
For setup and install, I like when a television uses a single stand because it’s so easy to snap into place and works on just about any table. The UR9 uses Google TV, which means the setup is fast if you already have a Google TV account. There are three HDMI 2.1 ports on the back plus a DisplayPort USB-C connection on the side. There’s also an Ethernet port, an optical audio out, coaxial, and two USB ports for connecting a thumb drive or HDD.
The DisplayPort USB-C connection on the side is the most unique feature on the UR9. It can be used for 180-Hz (or 330-Hz VRR) gaming if you connect a high-end gaming computer. That means more realistic-looking graphics at extremely low latency.
I was immediately impressed by the picture quality for movies and shows, so much so that this model competes favorably with the LG Micro RGB Evo. While that TV uses Micro RGB tech with smaller LEDs, there were a few tests on the Hisense UR9 that looked just as impressive. For example, The Last Duel on Disney+ had a vibrancy and realism during an early throne room scene that looked as good or better on the UR9 than on any other mini RGB or micro RGB I tested.
Games also looked incredible, starting with 007: First Light running on an Xbox Series X. During a late segment level involving a speed boat on the ocean, the green and blue colors looked incredibly vivid, almost like you could jump into the water and start swimming.
What makes the Hisense UR9 a little less compelling than my top pick for mini RGB and micro RGB models is that the picture quality settings didn’t quite work as expected. The LG Micro RGB Evo lets you play around with advanced settings for white balance, saturation, and clarity that have a major impact. Some settings on the Hisense UR9 didn’t really improve the picture very much.
The Best RGB TV for Movie Night
Movies look better at a large screen size, pulling you into the action. That’s why it was an interesting decision by TCL to only offer the RM9L RGB-Mini LED in the 85-inch size or larger. (There’s also a 98-inch for $9,000 and a 115-inch for a jaw-dropping $25,000.) I’m sure the intent is to wow the audience in your living room, and it definitely works. The TCL RM9L is my top pick for 4K movies because of the massive size and vivid colors.
You will need a TV stand that measures at least 70 inches long for the 85-inch model, unless you decide to mount it on a wall. It’s a bit tricky attaching the two legs because this TV weighs 114 pounds, so it’s hard to maneuver. Like on many recent TCL televisions, the streaming OS is Google TV, so the setup is straightforward if you already have a Google account. TCL keeps things simple as far as HDMI 2.1 ports, since there are four of them that all support a 144-Hz refresh rate for gaming, and they are quick to access on the right-hand side. There are also ports for USB devices, coaxial, an Ethernet for a wired connection, and a digital optical cable.
What really stands out with the TCL RM9L RGB-Mini LED compared to other mini RGB and micro RGB models from the likes of Samsung and LG is the large size. You can’t even buy a 65-inch or 75-inch, so the buying decision comes down to wanting the latest RGB tech at a large size. You also have to be ready to pay for the privilege. I would have assumed a lower price point since OLED televisions at this size don’t cost quite this much.
It was also a curious finding while testing the TCL RM9L RGB-Mini LED that the larger size revealed some picture quality issues, but only because the TV is so massive. I noticed a few blotches here and there during the movie Awake on Netflix. Fortunately, I selected Vivid picture mode and that made all of the issues go away in one click. I ended up loving the larger size and exceptional color accuracy, which felt like I was in a movie theater and not in my living room. The movie Hoppers on Disney+ showed individual strands of animal hair, something that was not as obvious on a mini RGB or micro RGB at only 65 inches or 75 inches.
The TCL RM9L RGB-Mini LED is also a powerhouse for gaming. That’s because the 144-Hz ports allow you to connect up with a high-end gaming computer for a higher refresh rate, low latency, and more realistic graphics. I played 007: First Light on an Alienware 16X Aurora gaming laptop and, during an ocean scene, the water looked ultra-realistic.
Where things started to break down a little compared to both the LG Micro RGB and Hisense UR9 RGB MiniLED was the price. At $6,000, the TCL RM9L RGB-Mini LED is just too expensive when there are OLED models (like this one from LG) for a much lower price. Hopefully, TCL continues to lower the price so more people will consider this model.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: wired.com
