Samsung intends to double down on big-screen OLED TVs, and they will likely constitute its flagship TV models for the foreseeable future.
That’s according to comments from Samsung’s most recent earnings report, where it revealed that it’s expecting to see increased demand for OLED, QLED and larger TVs in the coming months.
“The Visual Display business will capitalise on peak season demand by implementing sales programs centred around premium and large-size TVs,” the company said in a statement on its plans for the second half of the year.
The decision to focus on OLED makes sense, as Samsung reported seeing encouraging growth in that market in the first six months of the year. Samsung didn’t mention any specific models, but the report suggests that its premium S95D, S90D and S85D OLED TVs have been selling well thus far.
HDTVTest got its hands on the Samsung S95D OLED, which is the company’s flagship TV this year, in June, and it earned a rave review from our reviewer Vincent Teoh, who highlighted both its impressive brightness and its innovative anti-reflective coating marketed as "OLED glare-free". With its improvements relating to colour accuracy, motion handling and more, the S95D represents Samsung’s best OLED TV thus far.
We haven’t yet had a chance to review Samsung’s Neo QLED TVs, which feature Mini-LED displays instead of OLED, but they are traditionally always among the best LCD-based televisions that money can buy. However, it has become increasingly clear that OLED is the superior display technology in the eyes of most television enthusiasts, hence Samsung appears to be stepping up its focus on that segment of the market.
While Mini-LED is far superior to traditional LCD, the technology cannot quite match the deep black levels of OLED, and the fact Samsung’s top end Neo QLED TVs cost almost as much as its OLED models will likely impact on their appeal to many buyers.
In a conference call with analysts to discuss its latest earnings, Samsung officials highlighted a series of sports events this summer that have helped to drive growth in its TV business. Those events include the European football championship, multiple Formula One races and the 2024 Olympics in Paris, which is ongoing now.
It’s interesting to note that Samsung barely mentioned 8K in its report, despite its insistence that the technology remains a “key priority” for the company and a possible source of future growth.
Samsung doesn’t have an 8K OLED model, so its flagship offering in that segment is the Samsung QN900D Neo QLED TV, but its high price tag seems prohibitive considering that 8K resolution content remains hard to come by.
The company did not discuss its plans in the more affordable TV segment, where it faces considerable competition from rival brands.
