I saw Sony’s True RGB TV tech in action, and it’s a serious step forward for TV picture quality | Tech Radar

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I saw Sony’s True RGB TV tech in action, and it’s a serious step forward for TV picture quality

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We’ve known for some time that Sony has been developing its own take on RGB TV tech, one that would sit alongside its mini-LED and OLED offerings.

Now, after a trip to Sony’s headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, I’ve seen the latest version of it in person — and the company confirmed that later in 2026, Sony’s 'True RGB' tech will debut in consumer TVs.

At its core, Sony’s approach — like other RGB-backlit TV offerings — rethinks one of the most fundamental parts of an LED TV: the backlight.

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Traditional LED and mini-LED TVs rely on a blue (or white) backlight that passes through filters to create other colors. RGB LED uses independently controlled red, green, and blue LED in the backlight itself to generate color directly.

That means less reliance on filtering and, in theory, more precise control over both brightness and color.

Sony’s implementation uses three individual diodes — one red, one green, one blue — paired with a new backlight driver and its processing tech. The goal is simple on paper: control light and color at a far more granular level than traditional LED systems allow.

And as we’ve seen in previous reporting, that combination can also unlock high brightness — with Sony targeting up to 4,000 nits — alongside wider color volume.

What stood out most in Sony’s demos, though, wasn’t just brightness or color — it was restraint.

Sony continues to lean heavily into its 'creator’s intent' philosophy, and that carries through here. Instead of pushing oversaturated reds or hyper-vivid greens, the image aims to stay true to the source, just with a richer palette to pull from. The result is a picture that doesn’t feel artificially boosted, but rather well-controlled.

Skin tones were a particularly strong example. In scenes that can often look overly warm or exaggerated on other displays, Sony’s rendering stayed grounded and more in line with what you’d expect from a professional monitor.

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That’s not always the flashiest approach, but it’s deliberate — and it helps True RGB stand out from other early RGB implementations I’ve seen.

That being said, Sony isn’t the first to RGB TVs, but that’s clearly intentional. This is a technology that’s been in development for years, and the company’s approach reflects that patience. Rather than simply adopting RGB LEDs, Sony is focusing heavily on how they’re controlled — particularly in terms of density and processing.

Because while RGB LED is fundamentally about switching from a single backlight to a colorful one, performance ultimately comes down to how tightly packed those LEDs are and how intelligently they’re driven.

From what I saw, Sony is pushing a very dense backlight design with minimal spacing between LEDs, combined with precise control from its processing. That allows it to manage light output — and, crucially, color — at a very fine level.

If I had one takeaway from the demo, it’s that control is a key differentiator here. Sony’s system can adjust brightness and color at a granular level across the screen, and importantly, maintain color integrity even in smaller highlights — an area where RGB backlighting can struggle.

Instead of the typical white halo effect, blooming on Sony’s prototype more closely matched the color of the object itself. A bright red highlight, for example, produced a red-tinted spread rather than a washed-out glow.

It’s a subtle improvement, but one that makes bright scenes feel more natural and less distracting.

Brightness is another clear advantage, making this tech particularly appealing in brighter rooms — spaces with lots of windows or less control over ambient light — where the best OLED TVs can sometimes struggle to compete.

And based on what I saw, that brightness doesn’t come at the expense of color accuracy, which can be a trade-off at times.

Based on this early look, True RGB doesn’t feel like it’s trying to replace OLED or even necessarily mini-LED. Instead, it feels like Sony is carving out a third option that’ll likely be quite premium.

You’re getting the brightness advantages of LED, combined with a level of color control that approaches OLED — something we’ve previously noted as a key goal for RGB backlighting.

It’s still early, and these were controlled demos, so questions remain around real-world performance — including viewing angles, uniformity, and how it handles everyday content. But the direction is clear.

Sony’s True RGB looks like a meaningful step beyond mini-LED in color performance and control — not a definitive leap just yet, but a strong indication of where high-end LED TVs could be headed next.

And if Sony can deliver this at scale, it won’t replace OLED — but it might become a compelling alternative alongside it.

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Jacob Krol is the US Managing Editor, News for Tech Radar. He’s been writing about technology since he was 14 when he started his own tech blog. Since then Jacob has worked for a plethora of publications including CNN Underscored, The Street, Parade, Men’s Journal, Mashable, CNET, and CNBC among others.

He specializes in covering companies like Apple, Samsung, and Google and going hands-on with mobile devices, smart home gadgets, TVs, and wearables. In his spare time, you can find Jacob listening to Bruce Springsteen, building a Lego set, or binge-watching the latest from Disney, Marvel, or Star Wars.

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• I saw Sony’s True RGB TV tech in action, and it’s a serious step forward for TV picture quality