Samsung’s new, cheaper OLED TVs are now available for purchase
Samsung has announced the US availability of its Samsung S85D OLED TVs, a new, lower-priced OLED TV series sold in screen sizes from 55 to 77 inches.
The Samsung S85D series sits below the flagship Samsung S95D and mid-range Samsung S90D OLED TVs. We selected the S90D’s predecessor, the Samsung S90C, as our best TV of 2023 for its compelling combination of performance and value, and expect the new S85D series to follow in its footsteps.
The prices for the S85D series OLED TVs are as follows:
- 55-inch: $1,699.99 (about Β£1,350 / AU$2,560)
- 65-inch: $2,099.99 (about Β£1,670 / AU$3,165)
- 77-inch: $3,399.99 (about Β£2,700 / AU$5,120)
According to Samsung, the new OLED TVs feature the same NQ4 AI Gen2 processor and 4K AI Upscaling as the company’s other 2024 OLED TVs, including the flagship S95D series. They also support Pantone Validated Colors and come with the free TV portal Samsung TV Plus and Samsung Gaming Hub.
Samsung S85D TVs offer four HDMI 2.1 ports with 120Hz and ALLM support. For audio, they have built-in 2 x 20 watt speakers, Samsung’s Object Tracking Sound Lite and a Q Symphony feature that allows the TV’s speakers to work with a Samsung soundbar for enhanced presentation.
Along with the S85D OLED TVs, Samsung also announced US pricing and availability for its new 42-, 48-, and 83-inch S90D OLED TV models. Prices for other sizes were previously announced.
- 42-inch: $1,399.99 (coming soon)
- 48-inch: $1,599.99 (about Β£1,270 / AU$2,400)
- 83-inch: $5,399.99 (about Β£4,290 / AU$8,140)
With their smaller screen sizes, a 144Hz refresh rate with FreeSync Premium VRR, plus the cloud-based gaming portal Samsung Gaming Hub found in the company’s other TVs, Samsung is positioning the S90D series as the perfect option for gamers.
Advice: the more OLED TVs, the better β if this keeps prices down
The best OLED TVs are getting brighter and, now that 83-inch models are common, bigger. But OLED TVs generally remain a pricey option compared to regular QLED and even mini-LED TVs. That’s why it’s encouraging to see Samsung releasing a third, cheaper OLED TV series in the new S85D models, and adding smaller, more affordable screen sizes to the S90D series.
That’s not to say Samsung’s new S85D OLED TVs are cheap. They exactly match the launch prices of last year’s S90C range, which replaces the more expensive models in the new S90D range. So while Samsung OLED TV prices are rising overall (the new S95D series flagship OLEDs start at $2,599 for the 55-inch screen size), the company is at least giving us a cheaper option.
An important thing to consider with the new TVs is the type of display used. While the new S95D series TVs use QD-OLED panels manufactured by Samsung, the 42-, 48-, and 83-inch S90D series models use regular W-OLED panels sourced from LG displays. Even more confusing is that Samsung has not confirmed that the other screen sizes in the S90D series will use a QD-OLED instead of a W-OLED panel, a situation characterized as a OLED TV βscreen lottery.β
Samsung hasn’t specifically stated whether the new S85D series will use QD-OLED or W-OLED panels, although given the cheaper prices it’s possible Samsung has gone for W-OLED. That’s not to say the new S85D TVs won’t look good. We had the chance to have one practical test of a 48-inch Samsung S90D OLEDa model that uses a W-OLED panel, and found the picture quality to be generally very good.
QD-OLED or W-OLED, the new Samsung S85D series TVs are the company’s entry-level OLED models for 2024, and while we won’t know for sure about their performance until we get an S85D in for testing, we hope it will offer the same value for money as last year’s Samsung S90C series.