New HDR formats and the possible end of OLED dominance – why 2026 could be a transformative year for TVs

I started reviewing TVs way back in 2007, and I genuinely think that next year could be one of the most interesting for televisions in a really long time.

Why? There are three main reasons: the controversial introduction of two new HDR formats; a new, compelling challenger for OLED's top TV tech crown; and, on the other hand, the arrival (finally) of more affordable OLED TVs.

Let's look at those in turn...

Dolby Vision 2 vs HDR10+ Advanced: the battle nobody asked for

Back in September, Dolby announced that it was working on a new version of Dolby Vision, called, predictably, Dolby Vision 2.

The news was met with a… sceptical reaction.

We asked our own readers for their opinions and checked out some of our regular Reddit haunts, and while some people did respond positively, many seemed downright annoyed about the Dolby Vision news.

There were people arguing (fairly, in my opinion) that most TVs can't take full advantage of Dolby Vision as it is; others posited that the new format is just a ruse to force them to buy a new TV; and a few suggested that Dolby Vision 2's AI processing will actually make picture quality less true to what the director intended.

I understand all of those takes, and I continue to feel a little wary of Dolby Vision 2 myself, but the more I've read about it, the more I have come around to the idea.

The important thing for me is that it's all tied into the studios mastering the movies and TV shows we're going to be watching in the years to come. Dolby Vision 2 is, according to Dolby, all about empowering studios to tailor their content to the TVs we have at home, and enabling us to get a more accurate picture.

There's still a lot that needs answering. Are the studios actually on board with all of this? Are the enhancements genuinely intended to improve accuracy? Which manufacturers are getting on board?

Here's hoping we get a lot of answers at CES 2026 in January, because I've been shocked by how little the people I've been speaking to in the TV industry know about Dolby Vision 2. Frankly, they seem to be as much in the dark as you and I are.

If Dolby Vision 2 has an uphill struggle to convince us of its merits, Samsung's rival HDR10+ Advanced has a mountain to climb.

On paper, it's designed to do much of the same stuff – improve motion, contrast and colours with the help of AI, and take advantage of new, brighter display technologies – but Samsung doesn't have the links to movie studios that Dolby does, so the idea that these improvements are in the service of more accurate picture quality is even harder to swallow.

Of course, I'm not going to judge either of these new technologies before I've seen them in action (neither has been demonstrated in anything other than 'simulations' so far), and it will be genuinely fascinating to test and compare them.

Perhaps one or both of them will defy the cynics and usher in a new dawn of at-home picture quality. Here's hoping.

The RGB Mini LED onslaught

2026 is going to be the year of RGB Mini LED, of that there can be little doubt – but what does it mean for OLED?

Honestly, that's hard to tell. While some manufacturers have already officially unveiled RGB Mini LED TVs, most have not, and even those that have are rumoured to be keeping further models behind the curtain until CES at least.

It seems to me that different manufacturers have different plans for the new panel tech, with some pitching it as the new, all-conquering flagship TV technology and others seeing it as a step-down from OLED.

My take? I think the range of quality will be absolutely huge, much as it is now with 'normal' Mini LED TVs.

Let's not forget that RGB Mini LED TVs are still backlit, so elements such as the number of dimming zones and the processing that controls them will be incredibly important to the final picture quality.

Some TVs will have more LEDs and dimming zones, others will have better processing, and it's probably only those that combine both that will mount any sort of challenge to the best OLED TVs.

Even those that do will have their work cut out for them if the goal is actually to beat OLED.

I'm inclined to believe that no amount of tiny, coloured LEDs in a backlight will match the pixel-level contrast control of OLED, but I live to be surprised; I was certainly very impressed indeed when I saw Sony's prototype RGB LED TV way back in March of this year, and I expect the final version of that set to launch in 2026.

Ultimately, I do think RGB Mini LED will be a game-changer – I just don't know whether it's the mid-range TV game it will change, or whether it's the flagship TV game that OLED is currently winning. I'm sure excited to find out, though.

Cheaper OLEDs, finally?

In 2026, we saw, for the first time, a 55-inch OLED TV launch for less than £1000.

Said TV is the Toshiba XF9F, and while it's unfortunately not particularly good, what it represents is very exciting indeed.

We have long pined for and predicted the arrival of more affordable OLED TVs – and we might even have got them by now were it not for several significant global events that I won't mention here – but it feels as though they might, finally, be right around the corner.

If it were just the Toshiba XF9F, I wouldn't be so sure, but Philips also launched its 55-inch OLED760 model for £1199 this year – and, at the risk of spoiling our upcoming review, that's a genuinely great TV for the money.

In 2026, I can imagine Toshiba having another crack at the budget OLED and it being more polished. I can also imagine Philips going even more aggressive on the pricing of its affordable model.

My imagination even stretches as far as seeing the likes of LG and Samsung looking at these new, affordable OLEDs and deciding that they need to go cheaper with their entry-level models.

I'm not saying that there will be lots of sub-£1000 55-inch TV launches, but I do think that base-spec OLEDs will launch for less than ever before in 2026, and thanks to discounting, those people with a £1000 budget who want a large OLED TV will be almost spoiled for choice.

Won't that be a fine thing?

MORE:

Here are the best TVs and best OLED TVs you can buy right now

This is everything you need to know about Dolby Vision 2

Confused about the new panel tech? You won't be once you've read our RGB Mini LED explainer