Hisense Reveals the 2026 TV Range: RGB MiniLED from 55 to 116 Inches

Hisense brings the new 2026 TV range featuring RGB MiniLED backlighting architecture, which generates color directly at the light source instead of through a filter in front of the LCD panel. The technology debuts across three series: the entry-level R8, available from 55 to 100 inches, the R9 in medium to large sizes of 65, 75, and 85 inches, and the flagship X series available in 100 and 116 inches, backed by FIFA sponsorship for the 2026 World Cup.

What Changes Compared to Traditional MiniLED

To understand why RGB MiniLED technology represents a breakthrough, it's helpful to recap what happens behind a modern LCD panel. The part that generates the image is the liquid crystal panel, which modulates light by filtering it through a matrix of red, green, and blue pixels. However, the light comes from behind: from backlighting, historically composed of white LEDs (essentially blue LEDs with phosphors that convert part of the spectrum into yellow, resulting in perceived white). Color is therefore obtained downstream by filtering light that originates neutrally or is made so, and a significant amount of luminous energy is wasted in the process.

Traditional MiniLED technology, which has hit the consumer market in recent years, follows this logic: the source remains white but is divided into thousands of small areas (the local dimming zones) that are turned on and off independently. The result is better contrast and more convincing HDR, because dark areas can actually turn off. The nature of the light, however, doesn't change: color remains the job of the front filter.

The Shift to RGB MiniLED

RGB MiniLED flips this schema. The light source is no longer white: each point of backlighting consists of tiny independent red, green, and blue LEDs, controllable separately. Color thus emerges directly from the source, not extracted from the downstream filter, with three practical implications.

Gamut: With pure monochromatic sources for the three primaries, the reproducible color space reaches up to 100% of BT.2020, the reference standard for UHD/HDR content. In the comparison posed by Hisense, a traditional QLED panel stops around 75% of BT.2020.
Efficiency: In a traditional panel, the color filter works by subtraction: to achieve pure red, it must absorb and discard the green and blue parts of white light passing through it, and the same applies to other colors. Much of the generated light is wasted before it even reaches the eye. The color filter of the LCD panel does not disappear even with RGB MiniLED, and remains necessary to define the color at the single pixel level, but starts from light already oriented toward the required hue, needing much less correction. Waste is reduced, and the same electrical power translates into more effective brightness on the screen. The peak brightness reaches up to 8,000 nits in the maximum variant of the X series. The same mechanism reflects on consumption: the 75 and 85 inch R9 models achieve energy class C, while the 100 inch R8 moves into class B, in a segment where most TVs on the market are in classes D and C.
Eye Health: Not all blue light is the same: the shorter portion of the spectrum, below 455 nm, is the one targeted by visual comfort certifications, and it's precisely the range where the emission peak of traditional white LEDs falls, built on a short blue diode coated with phosphors. The blue LEDs used in RGB backlighting emit instead in a longer band, between 455 and 500 nm, moving luminous energy away from the most aggressive zone. This characteristic carries the TÜV Rheinland certification.

108-Bit Control, Zones and Image Processor

Supporting the backlighting module is a processing chain based on two chips developed in-house by Hisense: the image processing engine (the AI Hi-View Engine X on the flagship series) and the RGB backlight controller. Based on this, Hisense claims 108-bit spatial color control.

The number of local dimming zones varies from model to model and measures the granularity with which backlighting can be modulated. The R8 starts at 704 zones on the 55 inch and grows with the diagonal: 936 on the 65, 1,296 on the 75, 1,728 on the 85, and 2,520 on the 100 inch. The R9 features 1,056 zones on the 65-inch, 980 on the 75, and 1,320 on the 85. The X series reaches 3,456 zones on the 100 inch variant and 3,584 on the 116 inch. On the R9 there’s a second relevant parameter, the Color Control Units, which are the individual independent RGB units, declared at 12,672 units on the 65 inch, 17,640 on the 75, and 23,760 on the 85.

The Three Series in Summary

Aside from zone count and peak brightness (3,800 nits on the R8, 4,000 on the R9, 8,000 nits on the X series), the differentiation among the three series mirrors the usual high-end TV range. The flagship X series combines a 165 Hz panel, AI Hi-View Engine X processor, audio signed by Devialet in a 6.2.2 channels configuration with a total power of 110 W, Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+ Adaptive, HLG, and a setup of three HDMI 2.1 plus one multifunction USB-C. The R9 retains most features of the top-end model, with a native 180 Hz panel, quad-core MT9655 processor, and Devialet audio in 4.1.2 channels at 90 W. The R8 shares processor and refresh rate with the R9, adopts a 2.1.2 channels audio configuration at 50 W, and expands the setup to four full HDMI 2.1 ports (ALLM, VRR at 180 Hz, eARC). The R8 and R9 series also support Dolby Vision 2 Max.

Gaming, USB-C, and VIDAA

Across the entire range is a package of additional features. On the gaming front, the Native 180Hz Game Mode (165 Hz on the X series) combines a high-frequency panel, VRR, and low-latency pipeline, with motion processing handled by AI algorithms. The panel adopts an Anti-Reflection and Glare-Free treatment to reduce reflections and gloss in well-lit environments.

The introduction of the USB-C port on the R9 models and the X series is one of the most visible innovations: data transfer, video input up to 4K 165 Hz, and charging of compatible devices up to 10 W, using only one cable. The HDMI 2.1 ports support the full set of the latest specifications, from VRR to ALLM to eARC.

The operating system is VIDAA, with AI-based personalization of recommendations, native Alexa support, VIDAA Voice, and AirPlay 2 integration. Among the accessories is the new solar-powered remote control with backup USB-C, backlit buttons, and a Find my remote function via integrated beeper.

Thus, the 2026 range extends RGB MiniLED from the ultra-large sizes of the X series down to the most common diagonals of the R8, starting from 55 inches.