Samsung has been teasing TV shoppers for several years with its giant "The Wall" TV display, which stretches up to 150 inches and uses groundbreaking microLED technology. But Samsung's recent setback in manufacturing may mean that this impressive floor-to-ceiling TV may not be launched this year.

Korean news site TheElec recently reported that Samsung Electronics is facing an uphill battle in early microLED manufacturing, in addition to various disruptions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Additional reporting by SamMobile.com points to low yields on assembly lines, difficulties in producing consistent quality, and millions of components that have yet to be produced, even though assembly is scheduled for the spring.

The consumer version of the Wall was originally scheduled to debut in late 2020. While no change to that schedule has been announced, these manufacturing setbacks suggest that the launch may not occur as planned. Alternatively, lower-than-expected yields on the assembly line could hold up supply, making the 2020 version of The Wall more limited and more expensive than Samsung (and consumers) had originally hoped.

MicroLEDs use individual LED lights as pixels, much like the low-resolution Jumbotron screens seen at sporting events and on electronic billboards. However, by reducing the size of individual LEDs to pinpricks of light only 100-200 micrometers wide, this new technology can be used at much higher resolutions, such as 4K and 8K.

Micro-LED technology has many possibilities, offering new forms of self-emitting displays with brighter brightness and more vivid colors, providing the same contrast and perfect black levels that OLEDs offer. They also have the potential to provide displays that are sharper, thinner, and less expensive to manufacture because they lack the organic compounds used in OLEDs

. [Apple is moving several of its products to microLEDs, starting with the microLED display rumored to be in the Apple Watch 6, and both LG and Sony have shown off microLED displays at recent trade shows.

No matter when they appear, from a purely technical standpoint, we are excited about the new microLED TVs. microLED technology development has the potential to enable better displays not only in TVs, but also in smartphones and smartwatches, this technology, potential to offer better energy efficiency for longer battery life as well as better capabilities than OLEDs. However, as with any first-generation technology, the first stages of manufacturing are usually the most expensive and difficult as new processes are developed and new limitations are discovered.