Samsung has officially announced HDR10+ Advanced, a new version of its HDR10+ format that will first appear on the company’s higher-end 2026 TVs. The announcement follows Dolby’s recent reveal of Dolby Vision 2, setting up a new round in the HDR format battle for future TVs. The company says HDR10+ Advanced is built to match the capabilities of newer high-brightness displays and rising streaming consumption. Here are the details:
The headline upgrade is HDR10+ Bright, a new picture mode that uses extended metadata and AI processing to boost brightness, expand colour volume and refine contrast control. Samsung says this mode will shine on displays capable of 4,000-5,000 nits peak brightness and up to 100% BT.2020 coverage, something its upcoming Mini-LED and Micro RGB TVs are built to support.
HDR10+ Advanced uses AI-based content recognition, or creator-embedded metadata, to automatically tune tone mapping and colour based on the type of content. The idea is to make dramas look more natural, sports more vivid and animation more vibrant without manual settings.
Content creators can specify how much frame interpolation should be applied in each scene, and TVs will be able to adjust based on content type, room lighting or user preference.
The format is said to introduce a much finer zone-based tone-mapping system to improve shadow detail and highlight control without increasing blooming.
It will ensure there is more detailed colour metadata for TVs to deliver smoother and more accurate colour gradation.
HDR10+ Advanced will apply real-time tone mapping for cloud-based HDR gaming, adapting brightness to the room’s lighting.
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So, HDR10+ Advanced is effectively Samsung’s counter to Dolby Vision 2, giving it a spec sheet that matches or beats Dolby’s latest claims on brightness handling, metadata use and creator control.
Dolby’s second-gen format is already confirmed for several 2026 OLED and Mini-LED models from rival brands, and Samsung still refuses to support Dolby Vision on its TVs.
Samsung has not shown a working demo to the public yet. Some reporters were shown a simulated side-by-side comparison on the new 115-inch Micro RGB TV, with the company claiming improvements in shadow detail, highlight control and colour depth. A proper technical demo is expected at CES 2026.
The 2025 Samsung TV models launched in May, and so, we suppose, we will get the first TVs from its 2026 lineup around the same time next year.
Amazon Prime Video has confirmed its support for HDR10+ Advanced.
Since Netflix and Disney+ have either enabled or are enabling the standard HDR10 playback, they could also extend their support.
The remaining question is whether studios and streamers will encode content with the new metadata layers required for HDR10+ Advanced features to work.
So, if you’re planning to buy a flagship Samsung TV in 2026, HDR10+ Advanced will be standard, and the biggest gains will be seen on high-brightness Mini-LED and Micro RGB models. If you own a 2025 Samsung flagship, there is a chance of firmware support, but not a guarantee.
Expect full technical details, confirmed TV models, and a working demo at CES 2026 in January. We will keep you posted about its arrival. Keep reading Digit.in for it.
