Samsung’s announced pre-order availability for the 2023 Samsung 77” OLED S95C TV for $4,449.99. Samsung Display‘s QD displays at CES 2023 were already raising eyebrows. The pre-order through Samsung.com, or participating retailers, will get $250 worth of professional installation for free as long as you order by February 20th, the anticipated time for shipping to begin later this month.
The new TVs are touted as having a more efficient power profile, 25% less consumption than 2022 models, and Samsung is pushing its Gaming Hub, the slim, clutter-free design (it calls it Infinity One Design), as well as its in-built processor that runs the AI for image upscaling to 4K. And it has a solar cell remote, that’s right, no more fishing for batteries with your Doritos-smeared fingers when the remote batteries die on you or, that could be just a selling point for me.
Video
Screen Size: 76.8 Measured Diagonally
Resolution: 3,840 x 2,160
Color: Perceptional Color Mapping
HDR (High-Dynamic Range): Quantum HDR OLED+
HDR10+: Yes(ADAPTIVE/GAMING)
HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma): Yes
Picture Engine: Neural Quantum Processor 4K
Motion Technology: Motion Xcelerator Turbo Pro
Anti-Reflection: Yes
Refresh Rate: 120Hz (Up to 144Hz)
Audio
Dolby Atmos
Sound Output (RMS): 70W
Woofer: Yes
Speaker Type: 4.2.2CH
Multiroom Link: Yes
Q-Symphony: Yes
Bluetooth Audio: Yes
Dual Audio support (Bluetooth): Yes
Dolby Decoder: MS12 5.1ch
Active Voice Amplifier: Yes
It’s a heck of a TV but it is also a heck of a price. More importantly, it is a measure of Samsung’s determination to show that its QD manufacturing is getting to where it needs to be to deliver on the promise of the technology for the mass market. If anything, this is a harbinger of what we might see more of in 2024 than in 2023 because, we have yet to see mass testing of Samsung’s tech in the consumer wilderness and we really don’t have a good handle on longevity. Not that any of that matters to the early adopters who will jump on the opportunity to own one.
How well the perceived brightness, wider color gamut, and resultant quality of image compares to existing technologies, and whether the bang for buck makes it worthwhile, remains to be seen. However, there is enough anecdotal evidence to suggest that this is going to be the TV to beat this year in pure qualitative terms.
