In a nutshell, Mini LED is a more efficient and more effective way of backlighting an LCD screen. Without getting too technical, any diode, which is the ‘D’ in LED (Light Emitting Diode) that’s no bigger than 0.2mm can be classed as ‘mini’. And the smaller the LEDs, the more LEDs can be fitted into any given space, which makes a significant difference. Up until now, many premium TVs have come equipped with local dimming, which breaks up the ‘lighting matrix’ into separate zones. These zones can be brightened or dimmed independently, with brightness mapped to match either the brighter or more shadowy parts of the screen for a better overall picture. The result has been deeper shadows, brighter highlights and more vivid colour. Mini LED takes another significant leap forward because it can create many more dimming zones. Due to their tiny size, Mini LEDs illuminate a smaller portion of the screen. They can be clustered more closely together, allowing for zones that are limited to just a handful of pixels rather than sections of the screen which might measure several inches square.
Fitting more, and smaller, LEDs behind the LCD pixels means images can be brighter. It also means backlighting control can be more targeted and precise. Which in turn should allow for better control, resulting in less backlight bleed and stronger contrasts. You’ll notice it especially with HDR shows, movies and games. Mini LED gives you better blacks, better contrast and less halo around bright objects on a black background. The smaller physical dimensions of these individual LEDs will also allow LCD TVs to be thinner than ever before. And yet, also more affordable than some other forms of TV technology on the market. Mini LED TVs offer a simple, yet effective refinement of the TV designs you already love, giving you better picture and performance without major price increases.
We think you will most definitely be able to see quite a difference in picture quality. As mentioned earlier, you should notice improved contrasts and brighter images tend to stand out more also. When used correctly, Mini LED backlighting allows LCD panels to get much closer to OLED levels of performance than has been possible before.
There are a number of factors to weigh up when deciding whether or not a Mini LED TV is right for you. Most of the major players such as Samsung, LG, Sony, Hisense and TCL have already developed some exciting models using this technology so you should definitely head instore and get one of our TV experts to show you the Mini LED TVs available.
