Sansui, a consumer electronics brand that very few readers aged under 50 are likely to have heard of, is promising to shake up the OLED TV market with the launch of its first such model, which is going on sale in the U.S. for the incredibly low price of less than $800 (around £609).
That price makes it a good couple of hundred dollars cheaper than any rival OLED television on the market. Nonetheless, it’s a high-end OLED panel made by LG Display, with 4K resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate that should ensure excellent image quality, so long as the internal chipset is capable enough. The company is offering a single size option of 55-inches.
Given the price, it’s highly unlikely that the Sansui S55VOUG OLED TV is featuring LG Display’s latest 2nd-gen Micro Lens Array panel, so it won’t be able to match the brightness of high-end models like the LG G4 OLED and the new Philips OLED+959. The company also made no mention of HDMI 2.1 ports, which suggests it may have cut a few corners in terms of specifications to be able to reduce the selling price so much.
Nonetheless, the panel is still OLED and the TV will support Dolby Vision HDR, as well as Dolby Atmos audio, so it’s sure to be an intriguing option for anyone who’s in the market for an affordable OLED television.
It will also compete with the more affordble QLED and Mini-LED TVs on the market, such as Samsung’s Neo QLED TVs.
The Sansui S55VOUG OLED TV will go on sale via a number of top U.S. retailers, including Amazon, Walmart, BJ’s Wholesale Club, BrandsMart and Micro Center, the company said, with prices starting at $799.
While the full list of specifications is not yet available, Sansui highlighted some interesting features, including an integrated 2.1-channel subwoofer that combines with two, 10-watt speakers for a total sound output of 40-watts. There’s also a novel “AI-powered karaoke” feature, which removes the vocals from YouTube videos in real-time, so viewers can enjoy a true karaoke experience in the comfort of their living rooms.
Older readers may remember that Sansui was once considered to be a high-end retailer of electronic audio and video equipment. It made some of the best amplifiers on the market in the 1970s, and later expanded to launch speakers and cassette players, among other products.
Towards the end of the 1980s, the company began to lose visibility in the U.S. and Europe and switched its focus to its home market Japan, where it began making video players and higher-end television sets. However, the company ceased exporting its products in the early 1990s, and ultimately went out of business. It has since been resurrected by EliteLux Technologies, the U.S. subsidiary of another Japanese firm, Orion Electric, which explains its surprise return to the U.S. market with its first OLED TV.
The resurrected Sansui is clearly no longer a maker of premium-grade products, but the concept of a cheap and cheerful OLED TV may well resonate with the mass-market.
Jackey Li, CEO of Sansui’s parent company EliteLux, said he’s excited to launch what he calls a “groundbreaking product” at such a disruptive price point.
“With the Sansui OLED TV, consumers no longer have to compromise on quality to stay within their budget,” he promised. “This launch represents our commitment to making high-end technology accessible to everyone.”
