Samsung launches its first QD-OLED TV

Sony made a surprise at CES 2022 with the introduction of the world’s first QD-Oled TV, the Sony Bravia XR A95K equipped with Samsung Display’s Quantum Box OLED panel. This more than surprising announcement left Samsung untouched, although the rumors caused an Oled TV to appear in its range. Alas, the South Korean manufacturer was content to introduce its new line of Neo Qled TVs without a major revolution.

At the time, we thought Samsung’s strategy was to let Sony clear the ground. However, the latter remains a limited high-end market with sales volumes far below those of Samsung. Thus, the launch of QD-Oled at Sony allowed Samsung Display to start production of QD-Oled panels seamlessly. In addition, according to South Korean media reports, Samsung was in talks with LG Display to acquire conventional Oled panels, which are available from all Oled TV manufacturers, but the company wanted to pay them as cheaply as possible. The goal was to offer a full range of Oled TVs with regular entry-level models and high-end QD-Oled models, but Samsung has clearly changed its stance.

Samsung S95B: Samsung’s first QD-OLED TV

A little unexpectedly, the South Korean company is now selling its first QD-Oled TV. Thus, Samsung QN55S95B and QN65S95B with respective sizes of 55 inches (140 cm) and 65 inches (165 cm) have the famous panel. Please note that Samsung does not mention QD-Oled technology in its press release, but simply mentions Oled technology related to the Quantum Dot filter, resulting in a QD-Oled panel. These models feature their own Tizen operating system and the new Samsung Neural Quantum processor. There’s also an Object Tracking Sound (OTS) audio system that features multiple speakers to enhance immersion. This TV is also compatible with Dolby Atmos. Finally, Samsung highlights a very thin design called Laser Slim which features a QD-Oled panel seen on other Oled TVs on the market.

In terms of connectivity, the TV has four HDMI 2.1 inputs compatible with 4K 120Hz, ALLM and VRR, two USB ports, an Ethernet port, SPDIF digital audio output, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

The Samsung QN55S95B is already available in the United States for around $2,300 and should therefore sell for around €2,300, barely more than the official price of a 55-inch Oled TV. 1990 €. The same observation for the 65-inch Samsung QN65S95B, which costs $3,000 in the US and should therefore be billed at €3,000 (tax included) in France. The price isn’t that far off the price of the LG 65C2, which sold for €2,700 at launch.

It remains to be seen how the QD-Oled panel will behave. We were able to see the Sony model in action and were only moderately convinced. This is not a declared revolution; on the other hand, this QD-Oled panel seems perfectly equipped to compete with LG Display’s new Oled EX panel and Panasonic’s Oled Professional Edition panel. Knowing that LG G2 TVs equipped with the new LG Display Oled EX panel are priced at €2,490 for the 55G2 and €3,299 for the 65G2, the Samsung QD-Oled models seem like a great deal. Let’s not forget last year’s Panasonic JZ2000/JZ1500 models equipped with an Oled Professional Edition panel, which are now good value for money: the Panasonic 55JZ1500 sells for around 1500 euros and the 65JZ1500 for less than 2000 euros.