We were sure that CES 2024 would bring us the presentation of the Samsung S90D, the successor to the Samsung S90C QD-OLED, which was our TV of the year in 2023. That made it our most anticipated TV announcement of the show, and sure enough, Samsung announced new OLED with a promised 20% increase in brightness.
We expected this to be the case, but what we didn’t expect were two new TV sizes as well, because we had already heard that there would be no new QD-OLED TV screen sizes in 2023. .
But Samsung showed us 42- and 48-inch versions of the TV, and these aren’t QD-OLED: they’re regular OLED (aka W-OLED), and they mean the S90D’s size range is totally chaotic now, in a way. which is annoying to explain, and will mean that any recommendations from them will have to come with important caveats.
Some background for those who don’t know: W-OLED displays are what all of the best OLED TVs used to use in the recent past, and they are all manufactured by LG, even when used by companies like Sony or Panasonic. Samsung then developed QD-OLED, which is a very different way of manufacturing OLED panels and which promises stronger brightness and a wider color gamut than W-OLED.
The first QD-OLED displays were a false start, but last year’s were a triumph and Samsung’s S90C was able to offer richer images than the LG C3 OLED TV for the same price.
However, QD-OLED displays are only available in 55-, 65-, and 77-inch sizes, so in its quest to offer larger TVs, Samsung began using LG’s W-OLED panels to create a version of 83 inches. S90C. The problem? That panel works differently! Different colors, different brightness: We had to make it clear that our glowing recommendation of the Samsung S90C didn’t apply to its 83-inch size.
And now we have a new situation where the Samsung S90D adds two more W-OLED displays to that already confusing situation. This is what the lineup looks like:
| Size | Panel type |
|---|---|
| 42 inches | OLED |
| 48 inches | OLED |
| 55 inches | QD-OLED 2nd generation |
| 65 inches | QD-OLED 2nd generation |
| 77 inches | QD-OLED 2nd generation |
| 83 inches | OLED |
Remember, this is not an academic difference; Last year, the QD-OLED S90C models were more than 30% brighter than the equivalent LG C3 W-OLED models. And now Samsung has increased the brightness of the S90D by another 20%!
We don’t know if Samsung has done anything to increase the brightness of the W-OLED models compared to last year (LG has done it on the C4 this year and the results are very impressive), but it means there could be a huge gulf of performance on the S90D depending on the model you buy.
Obviously, I’m personally not a fan of this because it makes my job more difficult, but I generally don’t like anything that makes the already confusing world of televisions even stranger.
I suppose the reason Samsung is doing this is to make the S90D an even stronger competitor to the LG C4 than last year’s model; This means that Samsung has matched all the sizes that the LG TV comes in.
But I really think I should have called them something else. Samsung is making a model called S85D, which is a W-OLED display the same size as QD-OLED displays; Why not include the 42, 48 and 83 inch models in this range?
It looks like availability of these new S90D sizes may vary by country (for example, only the 48-inch has been confirmed for the UK), and there’s no word on price or exact release date yet, although I’d bet They will arrive around March or April, depending on Samsung’s launch schedule in previous years.
Take a look at our CES 2024 hub for the latest show news as it happens. We’ll cover everything from 8K TVs and foldable screens to new phones, laptops, smart home devices and the latest in artificial intelligence, so stay with us for the big stories.
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