In
its
quest
to
carve
out
a
chunk
of
the
OLED
TV
market,
Samsung
has,
until
now,
focused
on
the
premium
end
with
impressive
QD-OLED
models.
But
today,
Samsung
announced
the
entry-level
S85D
series
of
OLED
TVs,
bringing
the
fight
to
LG
Electronics
at
lower
price
points
as
well.
And
here’s
the
interesting
thing:
these
sets
almost
certainly
include
OLED
panels
manufactured
by
LG
Display.
Samsung
placed
a
big
order
for
them
last
year
to
help
meet
its
production
needs,
establishing
a
business
alliance
that
would’ve
been
unthinkable
in
the
not-too-distant
past.
The
S85D
comes
in
55-inch
($1,699.99),
65-inch
($2,099.99),
and
77-inch
($3,399.99)
sizes
—
and
inevitably,
you’ll
be
able
to
nab
them
for
less
once
retailers
start
discounting
the
lineup.
Digital
Trends
asked
Samsung
about
the
source
of
the
panels
in
its
entry-level
OLED
TVs,
and
the
company
responded
with
a
total
nonanswer,
saying,
“Samsung
OLED
TVs
consistently
offer
a
premium
experience
while
delivering
excellent
viewing
performance
powered
by
our
NQ4
AI
Gen2
processor,
regardless
of
the
specific
panels
that
are
integrated
into
the
product.”
So
Samsung
is
suggesting
that
it
doesn’t
matter
who’s
making
the
panels
since
you’ll
be
getting
all
the
same
upscaling
and
image
processing
benefits
available
from
its
higher-end
QD-OLEDs.
That
also
means
that,
per
usual,
these
TVs
lack
Dolby
Vision
support
—
unlike
LG’s
OLED
family.
But
hey,
you
do
at
least
get
a
native
Xbox
cloud
gaming
app
on
Samsung’s
Tizen
OS
platform,
which
LG
can’t
(yet)
say
it
does.
And
all
four
HDMI
ports
can
hit
120Hz;
I’m
glad
that’s
finally
becoming
table
stakes
for
TVs
in
this
price
range.
But
there’s
no
mention
of
quantum
dot
color
with
these
models;
Samsung
is
instead
highlighting
that
they
offer
“Pantone-validated
colors”
plus
“pure
blacks
and
bright
whites.”
That
sure
makes
it
sound
like
the
company
is
using
traditional
WOLED
panels
for
the
S85D
to
hit
its
desired
price
points.
Original author: Chris Welch
Comments