Panasonic’s 2026 TV lineup was easily the most underwhelming out of all of the big TV brands this year, with the company neglecting to launch a new flagship OLED model in any market except for Japan.
Even worse, the company didn’t even launch an RGB LED TV this year, unlike every other major brand, which meant its best new TVs this year were a couple of run-of-the-mill (by today's standards) Mini-LED models, namely the Panasonic W97C and W95C. While they came with 144Hz panels, 1,000 local dimming zones and 1,500 nits of brightness, those specifications fall well short of the best OLED and RGB LED models featured in HDTVTest’s 2026 TV Shootout.
Panasonic did launch one new OLED model this year, but alas, it was only the Z85C featuring LG Display’s low-cost OLED SE panel, aimed at the entry-level market segment. Considering Panasonic’s top 2025 TV, the Panasonic Z95B, was rated by HDTVTest's Vincent Teoh as one of the best TVs that year, the lack of a successor was a huge disappointment for aficionados of the iconic Japanese brand.
Fortunately then, Panasonic has some good news – it has big plans for a major comeback starting next year.
In an interview with FlatPanelsHD that took place on the sidelines of IFA 2026 last month, Panasonic executives said that the lack of action this year was primarily due to the company finalising the details of its strategic partnership with Skyworth. That partnership was announced in February, and will see Skyworth handle the manufacturing, sales, marketing and logistics operations, and Panasonic’s experts strictly focused on the design and development of its new TVs. The partnership should ensure that Panasonic’s future TVs continue to be some of the best that money can buy.
Going forward, Panasonic’s Japan-based engineers will continue to take charge of video and audio development, Panasonic Corp.’s Toshihiro Takagi told FlatPanelsHD. This means they’ll maintain strict control over the picture processing, fine-tuning, calibration, picture menus and so on that the brand is best known for, he confirmed.
Even better, Skyworth Europe CEO Paul Darch chimed in to say that “the reference stays the reference,” meaning that the company will continue to use OLED displays for its most premium TV models. This is hugely reassuring, because the lack of a new OLED flagship this year (the Panasonic Z95C is only available in Japan) led to some talk that Panasonic might stop making OLED TVs altogether.
Fans of Sony TVs have similar concerns going forward. Rather than a straightforward partnership, Sony’s TV business was moved into a joint venture that’s majority-owned by TCL, a brand that’s notorious for shunning OLED technology altogether. The joint venture, called Bravia Inc., is expected to lean on TCL’s vertically integrated manufacturing and supply chain, meaning its display-making subsidiary, TCL CSOT. That’s concerning, because TCL CSOT only manufactures large-sized LCD panels, and TCL has always refused to buy expensive OLED panels from LG Display or Samsung Display for its own TV lineup.
While Bravia Inc.’s long-term plans for OLED remain unclear, Panasonic has more flexibility, given that Skyworth has never been shy about purchasing OLED panels. In fact, Skyworth procures tens of thousands of them every year and is one of the best-selling OLED TV brands in its home country, China. It’s likely that Panasonic will source its LCD panels from Skyworth, of course, but it will also be allowed to buy OLED for its flagship TV models.
Panasonic’s executives remained tight-lipped about their exact plans for next year, but they did confirm that the TV division will make an appearance at CES 2027 in Las Vegas in January. That’s something to get excited about, considering the company declined to appear at this year’s event.
At CES, Panasonic plans to unveil a new “D-series” lineup, the executives said. Fingers crossed, a new flagship OLED TV will be included in that lineup as a successor to the Panasonic Z95B.
We can also expect to see some much larger TVs compared to what the company has previously launched, given that Skyworth is very big on manufacturing 98-inch and 100-inch LCD panels. Skyworth itself has already launched a couple of RGB LED models in China and so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the first Panasonic dabbling in that area, too. It did, after all, showcase an RGB LED prototype at IFA 2026.
The company also said most of its 2027 lineup will come with glare-free screens, which is something Skyworth has been focusing on for a while. In addition, Panasonic plans to maintain its flexible smart TV operating system strategy, and will continue to offer TVs with the Google TV, Fire TV and TiVo OS platforms, depending on the region.
There’s still a lot we don’t know about Panasonic’s plans going forward, but with its newfound manufacturing scale and its continued commitment to OLED displays, it’s clear that it intends to continue challenging the likes of Samsung, Sony and LG Electronics in the premium TV segment.
