Samsung's most affordable S85D OLED TV now on sale

MW
Mike Wheatley

Samsung Electronics’ new, entry-level OLED TV has finally gone on sale in the U.S. and parts of Europe. The Samsung S85D OLED was first unveiled at CES 2024 and represents the company’s latest bld gambit in the OLED TV space, as the first of its models that exclusively uses panels supplied by its rival LG Display.

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The company was able to create the Samsung S85D after signing a multi-million dollar deal last year to procure millions of OLED TV panels from LG Display over the next five years. Unlike the S95D and S90D, the S85D will exclusively be fitted with LG’s WRGB OLED panels, as opposed to the QD-OLED displays used in the company’s flagship range and existing OLED lineup.

With that in mind, the S85D OLED TV looks set to rival LG’s entry-level B4 OLED TV, or perhaps even the higher-end LG C4 OLED, which uses a superior WRGB OLED panel. The ambiguity stems from the fact that it’s not clear exactly what panel Samsung has procured.

Rather than focus on the particular type of OLED panel used, Samsung simply brands its all of its OLED TVs as, well, “OLED TVs”, placing an emphasis on the shared characteristics of both panel types, such as their “pure blacks and bright whites” and Pantone-validated colour.

Although the Samsung S85D is undoubtedly a lower-end model than the S95D and S90D TVs, it does come with a number of nifty features that are also found in those more expensive alternatives. For instance, it runs the latest NQ4 AI Gen 2 processor found Samsung’s flagship Neo QLED TV (a Mini-LED TV) and an ultra-slim “contour” design.

Samsung says the design is both “flowing” and “elegant”, with a smooth, curved rear panel and stylish vertical linework patterns. It also comes with a pair of feet that sit at either end, as opposed to the central pedestal design of the upper-end models.

Other specifications include four HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K at 120Hz gaming, with VRR and ALLM also onboard. There’s support for HDR10+ but no Dolby Vision, and the Tizen OS platform provides additional content beyond the usual streaming services with its Samsung TV Plus streaming service, which provides access to dozens of free TV channels. The TV also supports Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Dolby Atmos sound.

The Samsung S85D is on sale in the U.S. now, priced at $1,700, $2,100 and $3,400 respectively, for the 55-, 65- and 77-inch models. It’s not yet available in the U.K. but it will arrive soon, and we know it will cost £1,699, £2,499 and £3,499 respectively, for the same sizes.

Lots to choose from

The S85D is going on sale alongside the aforementioned S95D and S90D TVs, which are also available now in the U.S. and parts of Europe. The S95D TV will exclusively feature Samsung Display’s QD-OLED technology, while the S90D is subject to a kind of “panel lottery”, with the type of display likely to be determined by the size of the TV. You can learn more about that here.

Samsung said the smaller 42-inch and 48-inch versions of the S90D, as well as the largest 83-inch model will go on sale in May or June, depending on the region.

Samsung’s OLED TVs will compete against various models from LG Electronics, whose lineup includes the flagship LG G4, as well as the aforementioned C4 and B4 models. Other OLED offerings this year include no less than four from Philips, which are expected to launch in the second half of the year, and a couple from Sony, which is launching one new model (based on an LG WRGB panel) and carrying over last year’s premium QD-OLED model to this year.

Finally, there’s also Panasonic, which has already announced its flagship OLED model based on an LG-supplied panel and is expected to announce more, step-down models next week.

Hisense’s latest Mini-LED TVs launch in U.K.

Also this week, Hisense announced that its 2024 range of Mini-LED TVs will go on sale in the U.K. in the next few days. These include the flagship Hisense Mini-LED U8N, plus the step-down U7N and U6N models, as well as the E7N Pro, which is a dedicated gaming TV.

The flagship Hisense U8N offering is available in two sizes – 65-inches and 75-inches – with prices starting at just £1,799. According to the Chinese brand, the 65-inch model maxes out at 1,600 full-array local dimming zones, while the 75-inch model will come with 2,000 zones. Also onboard is Hisense’s latest Hi-View Engine Pro technology, which relies on real-time frame-level analysis to optimise each scene and generate a more visually impressive picture. There’s also a Dynamic Tone Mapping Pro feature that automatically adjusts the contrast and brightness depending on the ambient light level in the room.

Hisense’s TVs are believed to be the first in the U.K. to come with that country’s new free streaming service Freely TV, which we discussed in more depth here.