Samsung Files Micro QLED, 8K QLED Trademarks: Report

At last week’s CES 2018, Samsung showcased new and advanced televisions while also announcing that there’s more to come from its QLED TV lineup this year. Now it appears Samsung is working to keep its word as it was just found out that the South Korean tech giant has filed trademarks for “Micro QLED” and “8K QLED.”

On Wednesday, Dutch website LetsGoDigital disclosed that it has found two trademarks for “Micro QLED” and “8K QLED” that were filed by Samsung on Jan. 11. The existence of the documents suggests that Samsung could be introducing brand new TV’s that utilize self-emitting quantum dots soon.

When South Korean news outlet The Investor reached out to Samsung, an official downplayed the newly discovered trademarks saying, “I have never heard about Micro QLED. As you know, filing a trademark doesn’t necessarily mean a product will be launched anytime soon. We’ll see.”

It would make sense for Samsung to trademark “8K QLED” at this point since it showcased an AI technology that transforms any video content into 8K quality picture at last week’s CES. Samsung also announced an 85-inch 8K QLED TV that utilizes its new AI technology at the annual trade show.

8K is currently the highest resolution available in digital television and digital cinematography, and the television industry is leaning toward making this resolution the standard of new TV releases. Obviously, this is what Samsung is planning to do this year. The company after all confirmed that it is releasing more QLED TVs with screens larger than 65 inches during the second half of 2018.

Meanwhile, it isn’t clear why Samsung is trying to trademark “Micro QLED.” After showing off its 146-inch modular MicroLED TV, called “The Wall,” at CES, one would think that the tech giant is going to focus on this new product and possibly build a new series that makes use of the same MicroLED technology.

MicroLED is a technology that uses tiny light-emitting diodes. It produces brighter colors than LCD and OLED; however, it is more expensive to manufacture than the other two. This explains why MicroLED hasn’t been commercialized yet. If Samsung is indeed pushing for Micro QLED, then it’s safe to assume that the Korean firm wants to put out next-generation TVs that combine the benefits of both MicroLED and quantum dots. Unfortunately, general consumers should not hope for these highly advanced TVs to be targeted at them.