It may be something or it may be nothing but Samsung has in recent weeks trademarked 'Dual LED', 'Zero Bezel' and 'Infinity Screen' ahead of the launch of its 2020 models, according to reports by LetsGoDigital.
What is Samsung planning?
Samsung Display has announced a $11b investment to convert current LCD factories into production lines for QD-OLED displays. However, mass production will not be ready until 2021 and will initially be reserved for high-end TVs.
So what is Samsung planning for its 2020 TV line-up? Recent trademark filings may provide a few hints. The Korean company has submitted applications for 'Dual LED', 'Zero Bezel' and 'Infinity Screen' in EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office) via partner companies.
'Zero Bezel' was listed under both television and monitor while 'Dual LED' and 'Infinity Screen' were listed only under television. Zero Bezel and Infinity Screen are most likely design related while Dual LED may indicate that Samsung is planning to use dual-layer LCD technology in its "QLED" LCD TVs. Of course, Dual LED would be a misnomer since it is actually dual LCD but that would be in line with Samsung's marketing practices.
As you may recall, Hisense and Panasonic have both been showing off dual-layer LCD TVs where two LCD panels are sandwiched on top of each other. One is monochrome and modulates light from the LED backlight, while the other controls color. FlatpanelsHD saw both at IFA in Berlin and while Hisense's U9E consumer model was disappointing, Panasonic's MegaCon was more convincing, although it seemed unfeasible as a consumer product.
Of course, it could be something else entirely. It could even be nothing. Last year, Samsung trademarked 'The Window', which turned out to be irrelevant. The company is also pursuing microLED display technology.
So what can we expect to see from Samsung at CES in January 2020? We can only speculate but our guess would be more QLED-branded LCD TVs, more 8K, and hopefully a few surprises.
- Source: LetsGoDigital