LG Electronics is heading into CES 2026 with a clear message: LCD television tech still has room to grow. The company has unveiled plans for its new flagship model, the LG Micro RGB Evo, a premium TV that swaps conventional backlighting for red, green, and blue micro LEDs in a bid to push color performance closer to the limits of human vision.
The announcement comes ahead of the January tech show in Las Vegas, where LG plans to showcase the set as a headline product for its 2026 lineup.
A different approach to LCD backlighting
At the center of the Micro RGB Evo is a rethink of how LCD panels are lit.
Most high-end LCD TVs today rely on blue LEDs combined with color filters or quantum dots to produce red and green hues. LG’s new model takes a more direct route, using separate red, green, and blue micro LEDs in the backlight itself.
The idea is simple on paper. If each primary color is generated at the source, there is less reliance on conversion layers, and color reproduction becomes cleaner and more precise.
LG says the Micro RGB Evo uses more than 1,000 local dimming zones, allowing the TV to control brightness and contrast with greater accuracy. Dark scenes should appear deeper, highlights more controlled, and color transitions smoother, especially in demanding HDR content.
One LG engineer described it as “letting the light do the color work,” rather than forcing the panel to compensate later.
Color claims and third-party certification
LG is making bold claims about color, and it is backing them up with outside verification.
According to the company, the Micro RGB Evo has been certified by Intertek for 100% color gamut coverage under the BT.2020 standard. BT.2020 is considered a next-generation color space and goes well beyond what most TVs on the market can currently display.
That matters because content creators are increasingly mastering films and shows with wider color palettes in mind, even if most consumer displays cannot fully show them yet.
In practical terms, this could mean:
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More lifelike reds without oversaturation
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Greens that look natural rather than neon
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Subtle shades in skies, skin tones, and shadows
Whether viewers notice the difference immediately will depend on the content and viewing conditions. Still, hitting full BT.2020 coverage is a technical milestone few LCD TVs can claim.
AI processing plays a bigger role than ever
Hardware is only half the story.
The Micro RGB Evo is powered by LG’s new Dual AI Engine-based Alpha 11 AI Processor Gen 3. The processor manages backlight behavior, analyzes scenes in real time, and handles 4K upscaling for lower-resolution content.
LG says the processor adjusts dimming zones dynamically, reacting to on-screen changes frame by frame. Fast-moving scenes, like sports or action films, are meant to benefit from tighter control, reducing halo effects and washed-out highlights.
There is also an emphasis on smarter upscaling. With much of today’s content still delivered in HD rather than native 4K, LG wants the Micro RGB Evo to make older material look cleaner without smoothing it into something artificial.
AI-driven image processing has become a buzzword across the TV industry. The difference here, LG argues, is that the processor has more precise light sources to work with.
webOS evolves with personalization and chat features
On the software side, the Micro RGB Evo will debut the next version of LG’s webOS platform.
The updated interface focuses heavily on personalization. LG says it will adapt recommendations based on viewing habits and user profiles, adjusting everything from content suggestions to picture presets.
An integrated AI chatbot is also part of the package. LG has not shared full details yet, but the chatbot is expected to help users adjust settings, search for content, and troubleshoot issues using natural language commands.
For many buyers, software experience now weighs almost as heavily as picture quality. LG seems keenly aware of that shift.
Where this fits in the TV market
The timing of LG’s announcement is notable.
OLED remains the company’s flagship display technology, widely praised for perfect blacks and pixel-level control. The Micro RGB Evo does not replace OLED. Instead, it targets buyers who want top-tier performance but prefer the brightness and size flexibility of LCD.
Micro LED TVs, which use self-emissive LEDs for each pixel, are often described as the future. They are also extremely expensive and remain niche products. By contrast, the Micro RGB Evo uses micro LEDs only in the backlight, keeping costs more manageable.
That positions the TV in a competitive space, especially as manufacturers look for ways to extend the life of LCD technology.
A quick comparison highlights the strategy:
| Technology | Key Strength | Typical Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| OLED | Perfect blacks, contrast | Peak brightness, burn-in concerns |
| Standard LCD | High brightness, affordability | Color accuracy, light control |
| Micro RGB LCD | Improved color, better dimming | Complexity, likely higher price |
| Micro LED | Self-emissive, premium quality | Extremely high cost |
LG appears to be betting that Micro RGB backlighting can narrow the gap between LCD and OLED without crossing into ultra-luxury pricing.
CES rivalry and industry context
LG will not be alone at CES in talking up RGB backlighting.
Samsung has also been teasing its own RGB Micro LED backlight technology, signaling a broader industry interest in this approach. The rivalry between the two South Korean giants is likely to play out loudly on the CES show floor.
Both companies are under pressure to differentiate their premium LCD offerings as consumers become more selective and replacement cycles lengthen. Incremental improvements are no longer enough.
By emphasizing color science and certification, LG is appealing to enthusiasts and professionals who care deeply about accuracy, not just brightness or screen size.
What remains unknown
For all the technical detail, several key questions remain unanswered.
LG has not announced pricing, screen sizes, or exact availability dates beyond the CES debut. Those details will heavily influence how disruptive the Micro RGB Evo turns out to be.
There is also the matter of content. While the TV may be capable of full BT.2020 color, much of today’s streaming material still targets narrower standards. The benefits may be most visible with future content, high-end gaming, or professionally mastered films.
Still, early adopters tend to buy potential as much as performance.
A signal about the future of LCD
The Micro RGB Evo feels less like a single product and more like a statement.
LG is signaling that LCD is far from finished, even as OLED and micro LED grab headlines. By reworking the fundamentals of backlighting, the company is trying to extract more realism from a familiar display type.
Whether this approach becomes mainstream will depend on cost, execution, and how clearly viewers can see the difference from their couches at home.
CES 2026 will provide the first real look. After that, the market will decide if Micro RGB is a bold step forward or a niche experiment.
