Add Category
The TV cycle is seasonal. The new TVs announced at CES start hitting store shelves in late winter and spring, and prices for those models are at their highest. As usual, Samsung has opened the 2023 bidding by setting the initial prices for its high-end Neo QLED TVs. As you might expect, they're pretty expensive.
Samsung announced Tuesday's prices range from the 43-inch QN90C at $1,200 to the 85-inch 8K QN800C for a cool $6,000. Neo QLED is the name Samsung uses to denote TVs with mini-LED backlights, which deliver improved picture quality in CNET's tests -- although not as good as OLED, a technology Samsung also sells. The 2023 New QLED lineup includes two series with 8K resolution and three with 4K.
The company says the new models deliver brighter highlights, an essential aspect of image quality. High-end Samsung QLED TVs are generally very bright, but the top-of-the-line 8K QN900C takes it to a new level. Samsung boasts up to 4,000 nits of peak brightness, which, if true, would make it the brightest TV I've ever measured. According to my tests, Samsung's peak brightness claims come with a big catch: They dim after a few seconds. Even so, I expect that TV to be exceedingly bright.
Samsung's 8K QLED TV now comes in a gigantic 98 inches.
James Martin/CNETSamsung currently sells 98-inch TVs in 4K resolution, but the 98-inch QN900C would be its first in 8K. Samsung hasn't announced pricing on any of these models yet but for reference, the current 4K 98-incher costs a cool $15,000, so the 8K version will likely be significantly more. And I still don't think 8K resolution is worthwhile in any size.
More intriguing to me is the 4K QN90C, the successor to the excellent QN90B I reviewed last year. Samsung says it has improved dimming, 14-bit processing and AI upscaling as well as new Auto HDR remastering. While I don't expect any of that enhancement to allow this QLED TV to beat OLED models, the QN90B was my favorite non-OLED TV of 2022.
Beyond improving image quality, Samsung touted some new features related to its optional camera. Samsung sells its own "easily detachable, privacy-focused videoconferencing and workout-assisting camera" for $100, or you can attach a third-party camera. Either way, the camera can monitor your health -- including heart rate, oxygen saturation and stress -- by detecting changes in facial skin color. You can use it to connect to and communicate with your doctor. The camera can also be used for video calls with a new app, to check in on pets or others in the living room or to assist in workouts.
Read more: Samsung's New Telemedicine App, Camera Aims to Give Your TV Telehealth Powers
Samsung is branching out into remote medical care on its TVs and other devices.
David Katzmaier/CNETSamsung's QLED TVs like the QN90B have great design and features, including built-in cloud gaming, which I like but hardly consider a must-have. On the other hand, they generally cost more than other sets with similar image quality, so I don't consider them as good a value as models like the TCL 6-Series or Hisense U8H. I got the chance to check out some of the new QLED TVs in person at CES and while they look great, the real question will be how they compare to other 2023 TVs for the money. I won't know that until I can review them for real, which I expect to happen this spring.
In the meantime here's the pricing and availability information Samsung announced (note that "TBD" means Samsung hasn't set a price yet). The company says all of the series below, except the QN95C, "will be part of the phased rollout at authorized retailers nationwide this week, with additional sizes and lines to be announced at a later date."
I asked for more details on how the TVs differ, but the company has yet to respond. Samsung's website seems to indicate the 900C has a slimmer bezel than the 800C, and the likely 800C isn't as bright, but otherwise, the two seem similar. The only 2023 4K model currently listed on the site is the Q90C, so the differences between it and the other two 4K series are also unclear.
| Model | Series | Resolution | Size (inches) | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QN98QN900C | QN900C | 8K | 98 | TBD |
| QN85QN900C | QN900C | 8K | 85 | TBD |
| QN75QN900C | QN900C | 8K | 75 | $6,300 |
| QN65QN900C | QN900C | 8K | 65 | $5,000 |
| QN85QN800C | QN800C | 8K | 85 | $6,000 |
| QN75QN800C | QN800C | 8K | 75 | TBD |
| QN65QN800C | QN800C | 8K | 65 | $3,500 |
| QN85QN95C | QN95C | 4K | 85 | $5,800 |
| QN75QN95C | QN95C | 4K | 75 | $4,200 |
| QN65QN95C | QN95C | 4K | 65 | $3,200 |
| QN85QN90C | QN90C | 4K | 85 | $4,800 |
| QN75QN90C | QN90C | 4K | 75 | $3,300 |
| QN65QN90C | QN90C | 4K | 65 | $2,800 |
| QN55QN90C | QN90C | 4K | 55 | $2,000 |
| QN50QN90C | QN90C | 4K | 50 | $1,600 |
| QN43QN90C | QN90C | 4K |
View More
|