The year so far in OLED TVs: The 4 best launches and what’s next
It’s been a rollercoaster ride in the world of OLED TVs in 2024, and we’re only just halfway through the year. We’ve seen major releases from LG, Samsung and Sony, some of which are already taking their place among the best TVs. But there’s also surprising and unfortunately unwelcome news about what we expected from the best OLED TVs.
It can be difficult to keep up with the latest OLED TV news. That’s why we’ve put together a list of all the major releases and reviews from the past six months. That list follows, along with our thoughts on OLED technology, as it looks to maintain its place as perhaps the most popular TV option.
The biggest OLED TV launches of 2024
The Samsung S95D is one of the most important OLED TVs of 2024. Samsung’s flagship QD-OLED (combining brightness-enhancing QLED technology with a high-contrast OLED panel) inherits what made its predecessor, the Samsung S95C, great: stunning visuals. unbeatable gaming performance – but adds the company’s new OLED Glare Free technology to eliminate reflections. This worked incredibly well in our testing, and the S95D earned all five-star reviews from us.
Next up is the LG C4. The C4’s predecessor, the LG C3, was a bit of a disappointment in 2023, as it didn’t improve much on the fantastic LG C2, apart from a modest brightness improvement. The C4 has thankfully changed this by achieving over 1,000 nits of brightness, improving HDR processing and introducing a 144Hz refresh rate, making the 42-inch model ideal for PC gaming. It is one of the strongest OLED TVs of 2024 so far and will provide stiff competition in the mid-range segment.
The LG B3 was my personal outsider OLED TV in 2023, so when LG unveiled its 2024 OLED TV range, several key specs of the new LG B4 range caught my attention: a new 48-inch model, four HDMI 2.1 ports And LG’s new Alpha 8 AI processor, which LG said would match the performance of the LG C3. That ticks almost all the boxes, and while we haven’t fully tested it yet, the B4 is my most anticipated OLED TV of 2024.
We haven’t forgotten the LG G4, one of LG’s flagship OLEDs for 2024. From what we saw at CES 2024, it delivered a significant brightness improvement over its predecessor, the LG G3, and features a 144Hz refresh rate and a new Dolby Vision Filmmaker Mode (available on a large portion of 2024 LG TVs). It certainly looked as impressive as expected and we’re keen to test it, although it doesn’t capture our imagination as much as the C4 and B4.
One of the biggest TV stories of 2024 is Sony’s decision to move away from OLED as the panel technology of choice for its flagship 2024 TV, the Bravia 9, in favor of mini-LED. One of the main reasons for this is the company’s new BVM-HX3110 professional monitor, which can be used to master movies at up to 4,000 nits of brightness – something Sony believes only mini-LED is capable of. It’s a decision that’s paid off, as in our review of the Bravia 9 we were suitably impressed with its brightness, refined local dimming, and OLED-quality black levels and contrast. Sony OLED fans needn’t worry, however, as the 2024 TV line-up includes the new Bravia 8 OLED (successor to the Sony A80L), with the Sony A95L QD OLED also remaining available.
Unfortunately, it’s not all good news for OLED in 2024. The Samsung S90D, the long-awaited successor to the Samsung S90C, Ny Breaking’s 2023 TV of the Year, has been met with controversy amid reports of a ‘panel lottery’, something Samsung hasn’t denied. What the panel lottery means is that you can pay QD-OLED-level prices, but end up with a TV with either a QD-OLED or a standard ‘W-OLED’ panel. To add insult to injury, Samsung has confirmed that the 42- and 48-inch models of the S90D will only come with a W-OLED panel.
More OLED TVs to look forward to in 2024
While every major OLED brand has revealed its TV lineups for the year, models from Panasonic, Philips, and Loewe, which aren’t available in the U.S., have yet to be released to the public. We haven’t had a chance to fully test any of these TVs yet, but have seen a few in action.
Panasonic’s stacked 2024 TV lineup includes a total of five OLED models. The new flagship Panasonic Z95A follows the phenomenal 2023 Panasonic MZ2000, one of the best TVs for sound. It still comes with an MLA panel, but promises even higher brightness plus a 144Hz refresh rate for gaming. Panasonic’s OLEDs (and all its TVs) come with Amazon’s Fire TV smart TV platform, replacing the somewhat slow my Screen8.0, which I found to be the MZ2000’s biggest drawback when I reviewed it. The Z90A, one of my three most anticipated Panasonic TVs of 2024, will also have an external ‘soundbar’ on its smaller 42-inch model. Could that finally be a 42-inch OLED rival to the LG C4?
Philips’ popular range of Ambilight TVs for 2023 – including the brilliant Philips OLED808 and Philips OLED908, which made me feel like a kid at Christmas when I tested them – are hard to beat. But when Philips announced its 2024 TV line-up, it made headlines by claiming that its flagship OLED+959 and OLED+909 would be the first OLED TVs to hit 3,000 nits – a brightness level to rival mini-LED TVs. They will also feature 144Hz gaming and 5.1.2ch and 3.1ch speaker systems in the OLED+959 and OLED+90 respectively, in an attempt to match the built-in audio performance of Panasonic and Sony TVs.
Finally, Loewe, whose TVs are as much about design as performance, will release its dr+ range of OLEDs (some of which are available now). These are equipped with panels that Loewe built itself with glass supplied by LG. Loewe will also release its Stellar range of OLEDs, which will cost significantly more than LG’s G4 OLED TV, but have a concrete back and a mighty 200W sound system.