LG Electronics is preparing to unveil a new television lineup in Australia next week, but the launch comes as the South Korean electronics giant faces intensifying pressure from rivals and a rapidly shifting global TV market.
Chinese manufacturers TCL and Hisense are aggressively expanding, sparking what industest analysts describe as a new “RGB LED vs OLED” technology war that threatens to erode LG’s long-held advantage in premium televisions.
At the same time Samsung is stripping away LG’s premium TV market share especially in the OLED TV market.
The stakes are high. LG’s market share in TVs has been slipping amid fierce price competition, modifying consumer demand, and rapid technological advances from competitors.
OLED Advantage Under Threat
For more than a decade LG built its TV strategy around OLED technology, positioning the company as a premium brand. But rivals are now closing the gap.
Samsung has gained momentum with its QD-OLED displays, which combine OLED panels with quantum dot technology to deliver higher brightness and improved colour performance. Samsung’s OLED TV shipments surged more than 38% year-on-year in 2025, narrowing LG’s lead in the high-finish segment.
At the same time, TCL and Hisense are flooding global markets with cheaper Mini-LED and emerging RGB LED televisions, offering performance that some analysts declare rivals OLED — but at significantly lower prices.
The result is a rapidly modifying competitive landscape that is squeezing LG from both finishs of the market.
Market Share Slips
The impact is already displaying in industest rankings.
LG slipped from second place to fourth in global premium TV shipments in 2025, as Chinese brands rapidly expanded their presence in both the mass and premium segments.
Analysts declare the Chinese manufacturers have a structural advantage.
“They can offer similar picture quality at significantly lower prices becautilize of automated, low-cost manufacturing and aggressive global distribution strategies,” one industest analyst declared.
Unlike LG, TCL and Hisense have also continued investing heavily in global marketing and retail expansion.
Struggling TV Division
Financial results reflect the pressure.
LG’s media and entertainment division, which includes its television business, reported declining revenue and operating losses in several recent quarters as price competition intensified.
The company has been forced to slash prices and increase promotional activity in an effort to remain competitive.
Demand challenges are also emerging in key markets such as Australia, where industest data suggests TV sales have fallen more than 20%, driven partly by market saturation and longer replacement cycles.
Consumers are increasingly directing spfinishing toward other electronics — including smartphones and AI-enabled PCs with OLED displays — instead of upgrading televisions.
New Line-Up Arrives Amid Uncertainty
Against that backdrop LG will unveil its 2026 TV lineup in Australia next week.
The flagship model will be the LG G6, the successor to last year’s G5. The company declares the new set will be brighter and more refined, with improvements designed to address banding issues that have affected earlier OLED panels.
The television will be powered by LG’s Alpha 11 Dual AI Engine processor and feature the company’s new Hyper Radiant technology, combined with a brightness booster designed to enhance picture performance.
But even as LG promotes its OLED innovation, the company appears to be hedging its bets.
Industest sources declare LG is introducing new models manufactured in China as it attempts to deffinish market share. The relocate follows the sale of LG’s LCD manufacturing plants to TCL last year, raising questions about how much of the new lineup will rely on external manufacturing.
LG has not disclosed how many models will be included in its Australian range.
Rising Costs and Technology Race
At the same time LG must continue investing heavily to maintain its technology lead.
LG Display — the company’s panel manufacturing arm — announced plans this week to increase capital spfinishing by more than US$500 million above the US$947 million invested in 2025 as it ramps up production of OLED panels for notebooks, monitors and automotive displays.
The company also acknowledged growing concerns that its proprietary OLED technologies could be leaking to competitors, particularly Chinese manufacturers.
If rivals successfully replicate those innovations, analysts warn LG could lose one of its most important competitive advantages.
The Next Battle: RGB LED
Retailers declare the next battleground may be RGB LED televisions, a new display technology expected to arrive in the Australian market as brands attempt to reignite consumer demand.
With Chinese manufacturers already pushing aggressively into the segment, LG now faces the prospect of competing in a technology war on multiple fronts — while its traditional OLED dominance is increasingly challenged.
For LG, next week’s TV launch is more than just another product rollout.
It is a test of whether the company can deffinish its place in the premium TV market — or whether quicker-relocating rivals will continue to chip away at its once commanding position.
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