Samsung's $132,000 microLED TV hits the market in Korea

Models pose with Samsung Electronics' 114-inch microLED TV, which was available for order in Korea on Tuesday with a price starting from 180 million won. [SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS]

Samsung Electronics is going after the ultra-premium TV market by launching a huge 114-inch microLED TV in Korea on Tuesday.

It costs 180 million won ($132,000) per unit, equivalent to the cost of three midsize sedans.

The 114-inch product is the biggest option among the microLED TV lineup available from Samsung in Korea. It has offered 89-inch and 101-inch options, and earlier revealed a 140-inch screen at CES 2024.

Samsung said it started receiving orders for the ultra-premium TV on Tuesday with a real product on display at Hyundai Department Store's Pangyo branch in Bungdang, Gyeonggi.

"MicroLED is the ultimate display that reflects the best traits of other TVs in the market," said an official from the tech giant.

"Samsung Electronics will lead the ultra-premium TV market by widening options for customers that know the value of ultrahigh display quality with top-notch technology."

MicroLED utilizes clusters of microscopic self-emitting LEDs to form pixels, enabling significantly better brightness and contrast compared to organic light-emitting diodes (OLED).

The technology has been at the center of Samsung Electronics' strategy to take the lead in the nascent ultra-premium market in light of LG Electronics' firm dominance in OLED and Chinese companies' stranglehold on the market for cheaper LED TVs.

The 114-inch microLED TV is already available in other markets including the United States, the Middle East and China, according to the TV maker.

BY JIN EUN-SOO [jin.eunsoo@joongang.co.kr]