Expect to see a lot of talk about mini LED TVs in the coming year, but LG isn't wasting any time, as the company plans to unveil its first QNED Mini LED TV at CES in two weeks.

According to LG, the QNED Mini LED TV will offer significant improvements in brightness and contrast over traditional LCD sets; LG's new model will use mini LEDs as the light source, along with quantum dot technology and nanocell technology.

Mini LED technology uses small, bright LED lights 100-200 micrometers wide to backlight the LED panel. Mini LEDs are not only smaller than conventional LEDs, but also more energy efficient, allowing TV manufacturers to create slimmer displays with brighter backlights that consume less power.

Given these advantages, LG will not be the only TV maker focusing on Mini LED-based TVs in 2021; TCL has been ahead of its competitors in recent years with sets such as the 8-series QLED Roku TV and the 6-series Roku TV; reports in November suggested that Samsung also indicated that it plans to include mini-LED backlighting in many of its QLED 4K and 8K sets. The first batch is likely to appear in early 2021 and could join LG's latest announcement at the CES virtual trade show event.

LG plans to unveil an 86-inch 8K QNED TV at CES, which will be held starting January 11. The electronics giant plans to unveil 10 new 4K and 8K models across a wide range of sizes in its 2021 lineup.

According to LG, the latest TVs will feature a new panel structure enhanced by Mini LED backlighting. This is expected to provide better contrast and deeper blacks than recent LCD screens.

With Mini LED backlighting, LG uses up to nearly 30,000 tiny LEDs, combined with up to 2,500 dimming zones, to achieve a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1. This should result in first-rate HDR images and a wide color gamut, in addition to improved contrast and rich blacks.

At the same time, LG is using quantum dot and nanocell technology, which LG says is the first time these technologies have been combined in a TV. The TVs also boast a 120 Hz refresh rate for smooth, natural motion rendering.

"These TVs offer an experience that sets them apart from other LCD TVs and speaks to LG's commitment to pushing innovation and standards," Nam Ho-jun, senior vice president of R&D for LG's home entertainment division, said in a

These new products will be available at CES.

It is unclear how much these new TVs will cost compared to LG's existing models and comparable sets from other top TV manufacturers; more details will be revealed at CES 2021 in less than two weeks.