RGB LED was the talk of the town at IFA 2025, and Hisense was at the forefront of that conversation with its expansive new 116-inch UX model, which features the new backlight system.
While this model is priced at a hair-raising £24,999 here in the UK, signs are pointing towards a revised approach to the panel technology next year, with smaller sets and price tags to match slated for 2026.
We spoke to Hisense UK's Head of Strategy and GTM - TV, Rob Andrews, at Hisense's IFA showcase, to get a better understanding of the company's plans for RGB Mini LED.
He shared some promising hints towards what we can expect and directed us towards an 85-inch model, which was being shown at the stand. While that's still on the large side, we were assured there are plans to scale the screen technology down even further.
However, he confirmed that we wouldn't be seeing them in 2025, as Hisense is opting to focus on the big, bold and bright 116-inch UX for the rest of this year.
That's a promising first sign, as the jump from 116 to 85 inches is substantial, meaning that 55- and 65-inch sets could well be on the way. We also expect prices to shrink with the screen sizes, meaning the barrier to entry for this new display technology could be lowered much sooner than anticipated.
A report from French publication AVCesar has backed up Andrews' comments with confirmation coming directly from Hisense regarding a new 2026 U9 model, which is expected to sit between the current U8 and UX models.
It's set to be a more consumer-friendly model, with screen sizes ranging from 55 to 100 inches. It's therefore likely that the 85-inch model we saw was an early prototype of this TV, although the design and feature set have yet to be finalised.
What we do know is that it will support the newly announced Dolby Vision 2 HDR format and feature a 165Hz panel, along with Hisense's latest HiView AI Engine X processor. Hisense even reportedly shared European pricing for the U9 series, which you can find below:
- 55 inches: €1499
- 65 inches: €1,799
- 75 inches: €2499
- 85 inches: €2999
- 100 inches: €4999
There are still plenty of questions surrounding the upcoming U9, such as UK pricing and availability, as well as its design and, most importantly, panel capabilities. We expect to find out more at CES 2026, in which Hisense is predicted to launch its full 2026 TV lineup.
We've reached out to Hisense for more information regarding UK availability and pricing, and will update this story with any developments.
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