The year so far in OLED TVs: the 4 best launches and what’s coming next
It’s been both a strong and shocking year…
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It’s been a rollercoaster ride in the world ofOLEDTVs in 2024, and we’ve only just reached the year’s midway point. We’ve seen major releases fromLG,SamsungandSony, with a number already taking their place amongst thebest TVs. But there has also been some surprising and, unfortunately, unwelcome news concerning what we expected to be some of thebest OLED TVs.
Keeping up with the latest OLED TV news can be difficult, so we’ve compiled a list of all the major releases and reviews over the past six months. That list follows, along with our thoughts on OLED tech as it aims to maintain its place as arguably the most popular TV option.
The biggest OLED TV launches of 2024
The Samsung S95Dis one of the headline OLED TVs of 2024. Samsung’s flagship QD-OLED (a combination of brightness-enhancing QLED tech with a contrast-rich OLED panel) has taken what made its predecessor, theSamsung S95C, great – stunning picture, unbeatable gaming performance – but adds the company’s new OLED Glare Free tech to eliminate reflections. This worked incredibly well during our testing and the S95D earned every bit of its five-star review from us.
Next up is theLG C4. The C4’s predecessor, theLG C3, was a bit of a let-down in 2023, as it didn’t greatly improve on the fantasticLG C2other than a modest brightness boost. The C4 thankfully changed this, exceeding 1,000 nits in brightness, improvingHDRhandling, and introducing a 144Hz refresh rate, making its 42-inch model ideal for PC gaming. It’s one of the strongest OLED TVs of 2024 so far and will provide tough competition in the mid-range.
TheLG B3was mypersonal dark horse OLED TV in 2023, so when LG unveiled its 2024 OLED TV lineup, several key specs for the new LG B4 series caught my eye: a new 48-inch model, four HDMI 2.1 portsandLG’s new Alpha 8 AI processor, which LG said would mimic the performance of the LG C3. That pretty much ticks all the boxes, and although we haven’t fully tested it yet, theB4 is my most anticipated OLED TV of 2024.
We haven’t forgotten about theLG G4, one of LG’s flagship OLEDs for 2024. From what we saw at CES 2024, it provided a significant brightness boost over its predecessor, the LG G3, and it features a 144Hz refresh rate and a new Dolby Vision Filmmaker Mode (available on a large portion of LG’s 2024 TVs). It certainly looked as impressive as anticipated and we’re eager to test it out, though it doesn’t quite capture our imagination as much as the C4 and B4.
One of the biggest TV stories of 2024 has beenSony’s decision to move away from OLEDas the panel technology of choice for its flagship 2024 TV, theBravia 9, and instead opt for 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 with up to 4,000 nits in brightness – something Sony believes only mini-LED can accommodate. Its decision 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 need not worry, however, as its 2024 TV lineup features the new Bravia 8 OLED (successor to theSony A80L). Also, theSony A95LQD-OLED will continue to be available.
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Unfortunately, it’s not all been good news for OLED in 2024. TheSamsung S90D, the eagerly anticipated successor to theSamsung S90C,TechRadar’s 2023 TV of the Year, has proved controversial due toreports of a ‘panel lottery’, something Samsung hasn’t denied. What the panel lottery means is you could pay QD-OLED-level prices but end up with a TV featuring either a QD-OLED or a standard ‘W-OLED’ panel. Furthering the blow, Samsung has confirmed that the S90D’s 42 and 48-inch models only come with a W-OLED panel.
More OLED TVs to look forward to in 2024
Although every major OLED brand has revealed their TV lineups for the year, models fromPanasonic, Philips and Loewe, which are not available in the US, have yet to be released to the public. We haven’t had a chance to fully test any of these TVs, but have already seen some of them in action.
Panasonic’s stacked 2024 TV lineupfeatures five OLED models in total. The new flagshipPanasonic Z95Afollows from 2023’s phenomenalPanasonic MZ2000, one of thebest TVs for sound. It will still come with an MLA panel, but promises even higher brightness plus a 144Hz refresh rate for gaming. Panasonic’s OLEDs (and all of its TVs) will come withAmazon’s Fire TV smart TV platform, replacing the somewhat sluggish my Screen8.0, whichI 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 feature 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 in 2023, including the brilliantPhilips OLED808andPhilips OLED908,which made me feel like a kid at Christmas when I tested them, are hard acts to follow. But whenPhilips announced its 2024 TV lineup, it made headlines by claiming its flagship OLED+959 and OLED+909 would be the first OLED TVs to hit 3,000 nits – a brightness level rivaling 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 rival the built-in audio prowess of Panasonic and Sony TVs.
Lastly, Loewe, whose TVs are as much about design as performance, is set to release its dr+ range of OLEDs (some of which are now available).These feature panels built in-house by Loewe with glass supplied by LG. Loewe will also release itsStellar range of OLEDs, which will cost significantly more than LG’s G4 OLED TV, but come with a concrete back and a mighty 200W sound system.
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James is the TV Hardware Staff Writer at TechRadar. Before joining the team, he worked at a major UK based AV retailer selling TV and audio equipment, where he was either telling customers the difference between OLED and QLED or being wowed by watching a PS5 run on the LG 65G2. When not writing about the latest TV tech, James can be found gaming, reading, watching rugby or coming up with another idea for a novel.
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