After unveiling its new MicroLED TV technology at CES 2018, Samsung is set to release the first commercial sets in the third quarter of the year.

"As planned, Samsung Electronics will release TV sets in the latter half of the year. These will be TVs using MicroLED technology. We are aiming to debut them, commercially, in the third quarter at the earliest," a Samsung senior executive said Monday.

The executive, who is directly involved with Samsung's TV business strategies, said the company would also be able to work "flexibly" with key customers on screen size, which will vary, because of the cost-effective and stylish modular design of its MicroLED panels.

One type of the TV due out later this year will have an 88-inch display with Samsung Display and Samsung Electro-Mechanics supplying parts.

MicroLED TVs are modular, with screens being made up of conjoined smaller panels. As LEDs used in MicroLED TVs are below 1 millimeter in size, Samsung officials say its in-house technology is good enough to manufacture "larger-than-expected" screens.

MicoLED displays don't need bulky backlights and to rely on color filters as they use elements which can emit red, green and blue light _ the core and base colors. MicroLED displays are believed to have an advantage in brightness, contrast ratio and wider viewing angles than others.

However, manufacturing a MicoLED with one subpixel produced at a time is very challenging.

Samsung hopes that the release of the new high-end TVs using the next-generation display technology will help the company continue its lead over rivals in the premium TV segment.

The South Korean company plans to market them as a premium products in the United States and the Middle East, and as a "potential replacement" for computer projectors.

Apple is also said to have begun developing its own MicroLED displays.