Samsung’s Next Big TV Feature Is HDR10+ Advanced, Coming In 2026

by Abhinav Anand | Nov 4, 2025 | News, TV

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Samsung is taking another shot at Dolby’s dominance in the HDR space with a new format called HDR10+ Advanced. The company says this upgraded version of HDR10+ will deliver brighter highlights, richer colors, and smoother motion. It will be coming to Samsung’s 2026 TVs.

So, what is this HDR10+ Advanced from Samsung?

HDR10+ Advanced builds on the HDR10+ standard that first arrived back in 2017. It adds six new features designed to take full advantage of the latest display tech, like Mini LED and Micro LED panels that can reach up to 5,000 nits of brightness. As Forbes helpfully explains, the new tools include HDR10+ Bright, Genre Optimization, Intelligent Motion Smoothing (FRC), Intelligent Gaming, Local Tone-Mapping, and Advanced Color Control. Now, let’s understand each of them.

Credits: HDTVTest on YouTube

The idea is to give content creators and TVs more flexibility to fine-tune how HDR content looks. For example, HDR10+ Bright uses smarter metadata to help TVs display more realistic brightness and tonal detail. Genre Optimization lets creators tag content by type (say, action, drama, or sports) so the TV knows how best to handle tone mapping for that specific category. Intelligent Motion Smoothing aims to reduce judder and motion blur.

Gamers, meanwhile, get the Intelligent Gaming feature, which automatically adjusts tone mapping based on room lighting to keep visuals consistent. Local Tone-Mapping improves contrast by dividing the image into smaller zones for more precise backlight control. Advanced Color Control gives TVs a richer understanding of color data, and that helps in better accuracy and lifelike shades.

Samsung hasn’t shown a working version yet, only a simulated demo that hinted at noticeably brighter, punchier visuals with improved shadow detail. The new format will debut on high-end Samsung TVs in 2026, and Prime Video is already onboard as the first streaming service to support it. We can expect the company to talk more at CES in January.