Tuesday, 21 February 2023

Samsung's new best OLED TV will be pricier than last year's model

Samsung has revealed the launch prices of its 2023 OLED TVs in Europe and there’s bad news – its top-of-the-line TVs are set to get a little pricier than they were last year.

In 2022 Samsung launched its first ever commercially available QD-OLED TV (though it dropped QD from the official name) with the Samsung S95B OLED TV. In our review, we called its picture “sensational” – thanks to its tech that combines the best parts of QLED and OLED displays – and awarded it a five-star review because of its high quality. It was one of the best TVs of last year at the premium end. The 55-inch model set you back $1,799 / £1,999 / €2,099 at launch, and the 65-inch model cost $2,799 / £2,999 / €2,999.

Because of how well the 2022 model performed, but with some drawbacks, we’ve been eagerly awaiting details about this year’s Samsung S95C and Samsung S90C and finally, Samsung has revealed the price of its new screens – at least in Europe.

The Samsung S95C OLED TV will cost you:

  • 55-inch – €2,500 (around $2,650 / £2,200)
  • 65-inch – €3,300 (around $3,500 / £2,900)
  • 77-inch – €4,800 (around $5,100 / £4,200)

While the Samsung S90C will set you back: 

  • 55-inch – €2,000 (around $2,100 / £1,750)
  • 65-inch – €2,800 (around $3,000 / £2,450
  • 77-inch – €4,000 (around $4,250 / £3,500)

The dollar and pound prices are estimates based on current exchange rates – Samsung's pricing typically doesn’t follow exchange rates exactly so we’ll have to wait for the official figures to be revealed. However, by comparing the European prices for its 2022 model with its 2023 TVs, we can see that the top-of-the-line S95C will be a little pricier, while the less technically impressive S90C will be a tad cheaper than what’s come before.

Samsung S95C OLED with colorful abstract image onscren

The new Samsung S95C OLED is set to be pricier than the previous version. (Image credit: Samsung)

Analysis: What's new with the Samsung S95C OLED?

For that higher cost, the S95C will deliver some upgrades over its predecessor. Samsung boasts the new TV is 30% brighter than its previous iteration, and with better anti-reflection performance in bright rooms, which was an issue with the previous model. The audio is getting a boost too, with the S95C using a 4.2.2 channel speaker system. 

For comparison, the S95B only had a 2.2.2 setup while the upcoming LG C3 OLED makes do with a 3.1.2 system. The S95C’s setup includes upfiring speakers which will allow the TV to make proper use of its Dolby Atmos support without needing you to buy one of the best soundbars – though you might wnat to consider picking one up if you’re looking to make the best home theater you can. The S95C isn’t perfect however: it still lacks DTS:X support and continues to snub Dolby Vision HDR.

As for the S90C, it looks to offer many of the same features as the S95C but has a simpler speaker setup and a pared-back version of Samsung’s Object Tracking Sound System (named Object Tracking Sound Lite). It will also be thicker, because the connections will be on the display, rather than in a separate One Connect box (which the S95C will have).

We’ll have to wait and see what prices Samsung settles on outside of Europe – as well as test these TVs out to know if they’re as good as Samsung promises – and whether the price rise stops te S95C from being in contention with the best OLED TVs available today.

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