Every year I write a post about 8K TV, and every year it’s the same thing – and this year is no different. Well, it could be different in one way.
I think it might be done for good.
Sure, that’s said every year, but I think 2026 marks the year of no return for 8K TV. If it does manage to come back from this current low, it’ll be the phoenix from the flames. But I don’t think that will happen.
Over the time 8K has been around, it’s really struggled to establish itself as a viable option for most TV buyers. At first, there were plenty of 8K models to choose, from TV brands who thought that 8K could be the next great whale to ride on.
But 8K has slowly disappeared from view. Not with a bang but with a protracted and petered out whimper.
Too much, too soon
The first issue that 8K encountered was that it came far too soon on the heels of 4K. The TV industry was still in the process of moving to 8K, and launching 8K TVs not long after seemed, in hindsight, a mistake.
Even today, there aren’t many who watch or pay to watch in 4K – a lot of it is mainly upscaled HD films and TV series.
8K TVs were a premium concern for TV brands, a way to make money on top of 4K TVs, but the prices started too high to be anywhere near mass market, the content wasn’t there and hasn’t been made available, and without investment in 8K, prices were never going to come down quick enough for people to be interested.
8K may or may not have been what the TV industry needed, but it was in too much of a rush to bring it to life. Back in 2019, Samsung imagined the 8K trajectory would reach its potential around now in terms of market appeal. That hasn’t happened and isn’t likely to since the TV industry has another whale in its sights.
RGB Mini LED could be the new king
Since 8K withered, the TV industry has been looking for something else that could fill the gap. In 2026, that could be RGB Mini LED.
I’ve already seen a few models in Sony’s contender for 2026, Hisense’s 2025 model and Samsung’s new RGB TVs coming in 2026. LG will have RGB TV, as will TCL and it’s likely others will follow suit in fear of being left behind.
It’s looking more and more likely that RGB TVs are the future going forward, and that will, in effect, leave 8K, at best, on the back burner. At worst, it’ll be eating RGB Mini LED’s dust.
With Samsung the only TV brand with skin in the 8K game, it’s made no real announcement about its 8K models. The focus has been on its new RGB Micro LED TVs, and while there’s likely to be 8K models in its 2026 line-up, I wouldn’t expect there to be as many as there have been in previous years.
The TV industry couldn’t sell the messaging behind 8K, it couldn’t get its ducks in a row, and because of that, 8K has faded.
It’s a shame. I don’t want to be negative about 8K, but at the same time, there’s not much to be positive about.
Imagine a massive TV with the sharpness, detail and clarity that 8K resolution affords and the colour performance that RGB panels could bring, and you could be seeing the apex of TV technology.
Alas, that seems unlikely to happen. 2026 could see 8K join the likes of 3D TVs in the tip yard. And I don’t think many will lament its demise.
