SONY & SAMSUNG DEBUT QD-OLED TVs

At CES 2022 in Las Vegas both Sony and Samsung brought the screen technology considered the major new competitor to OLED. Sony (pictured above) calls it QD-OLED, while Samsung, which has hitherto had a commercial stance competitive to OLED, is therefore understandably labelling the new panel technology as

QD-Display. The new technology was developed by Samsung Display.

The key difference from LG’s OLED panels, as used by all current OLED models, is the use of quantum dots to deliver true RGB without LG’s additional white pixel. That in turn allows a less aggressive colour filter.

Samsung’s news broke early via a CES Innovation Award, which revealed the 65-inch QD-Display as “the world’s first true RGB self-emitting Quantum Dot OLED display... combining the contrast levels of RGB OLED with the colour and brightness of quantum dots for ultimate visuals.” The new model will have Samsung’s 2022 Neo Quantum Processor with 144Hz refresh rate. The company later confirmed that there will also be a 55-inch TV and a 23-inch monitor; nothing larger has yet been confirmed.

Dell will also market a 23-inch QD-Display computer monitor.

Sony’s QD-OLED TV (pictured above) is the Master Series A95K, also available in 65-inch and 55-inch sizes, since it is using the same panels developed by Samsung, though Sony is including a “heat diffusion sheet” (other manufacturers have previously ‘souped up’ OLED performance by improving heat distribution), along with Sony’s well-regarded XR processor, and Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology which creates sound by actuating the screen itself.

Among the claimed benefits of QD-OLED/QD-Display is an improved colour gamut to 90% of BT2020 and 123% of DCI.P3 over conventional OLED’s 76%/94% (Samsung’s figures), a higher peak luminance (though this year’s new OLEDs seem likely to match this), and finally a wider viewing angle, which is curious, since viewing angle has always been a standout feature of OLED. No QD-OLED prices have been announced, but let’s just say we don’t expect to see them in Aldi.

Sony’s 2022 LCD TV range is headed by the Master Series Z9K, which replaces the Z9J as Sony’s only 8K model. The big news here is the shift to Mini LED backlighting.

Samsung also used CES 2022 to launch new models of The Frame TV series, along with a neat new smart spotlight-style lifestyle 1080p projector (pictured right) called The Freestyle, rated for 550 lumens and serving screen sizes up to 100 inches diagonal.