Mini-RGB TVs have an inherent flaw that limits their color saturation — here’s what’s wrong

If you followed our CES 2026 coverage, you probably heard about a new technology coming this year called RGB Mini-LED or MicroRGB. Every company has a different name for it, but they all work by shrinking the size of red-, green- and blue-colored LEDs in the backlight of an LCD TV (hence the name).

The benefit of these shrunk-down LEDs, as it was explained to me at CES, is better color saturation — and early testing results have been promising — but it turns out that the truth is more complicated.

See, instead of using their native colors to boost color volume to its maximum extent in your favorite shows and movies, some TV makers' LEDs mostly default to the same old white backlight that we’ve had on Mini-LED TVs for years. Here’s why that’s a problem.

RGB TVs: Impressive for TV testers, but less so for the everyday viewer

If you search up RGB TV technology, one of the first big claims that you'll see is for 100% Rec.2020 color coverage. It looks good on the box, but as you'll soon learn, it's not the whole truth.

To test color vibrancy, we measure what the TV outputs against one of the three major color spaces: Rec.709, DCI-P3 and Rec.2020. The last one, Rec.2020, has the widest color volume and is physically impossible for an LCD-based TV to cover.

But, interestingly, if you use a software called Calman to grab some data points on how colorful RGB TVs are, you'll actually see that they surpass the Rec.2020 color space. Usually Mini-LED TVs don't come close.

While some the newest Mini-RGB TVs might reach 100% of the Rec.2020 color gamut, they can only do it when you’ve got one of these test patterns pulled up. Turn on real content, like the latest episode of “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”, and the output of these LEDs go from red, green and blue back to pure white (at worst) or some combination of two of the RGB LEDs (at best) then use a color filter to transform it into another color.

Here’s a less technical explanation

Imagine you’ve built a supercar that, thanks to your cutting-edge engineering, can reach blistering speeds. In simulations it’s the fastest car ever made, but on a real-world racetrack, it never gets higher than third gear.

That’s what it feels like is happening with Mini-RGB TVs.

Now, in their defense, both Samsung and LG have shown me a version of the technology that actually uses these Mini-RGB LEDs for their intended purpose, however that was in their flagship MicroRGB TVs, which is just two of about a half-dozen new RGB TVs coming our way in 2026.

What separates 'good' RGB TVs from 'bad' ones?

It all comes down to how the TVs use those RGB LEDs. The bad RGB TVs, due to their low number of zones, will need to default to a white backlight more often than the good ones will.

The good ones will also use less power because they won't be running all three RGB LEDs at all times. They'll just use the one or two LEDs needed to create the color in that particular part of the screen.

The better the processor and the more LED zones on the TV, the more saturated the colors will be.

In lab tests, good and bad TVs might offer similar results, but real-world content will be the ultimate deciding factor.

Real-world testing is going to be key

The good news is that, here at Tom's Guide, we don't rely on lab test data alone — we actually bring each TV into one of our living rooms to test for a few weeks.

We watch regular content, not boring test patterns, to give you a better idea of what you’re going to experience if you buy whatever TV you’re reading about.

For these new Mini-RGB TVs, it’s that part that’s going to be absolutely critical. Our lab tests might say that these TVs cover 90% or more of the Rec.2020 color space, but until I see color saturation in real-world content that justifies the high sticker price, I'm not sold.

Now I just need to find myself some more Rec.2020 test content. (That's a joke, it doesn't exist yet.)

More from Tom's Guide

• I tested TCL’s $8,000 SQD Mini-LED TV — here's my verdict
• RGB LED TVs are flagship killers, but there's one big catch
• The RAM crisis came for computers first and now it's coming for TVs — here's why I recommend upgrading while you still can