Jordan O'BrienSamsung has confirmed when its latest range of QLED TVs will be made available for purchase, with the sets set to hit retail stores on March 27.
Having announced the 2019 QLED range at the Samsung Europe Forum back in February, Samsung is finally ready to get the sets into the hands of consumers and installers. The new range is led by the Q950, which is a successor to Samsung’s first 8K TV, the Q900R, that debuted in late 2018. Unlike the Q900R, however, the Q950 will ship with HDMI 2.1 ports as standard, allowing both users and installers to take advantage of 8K content from external sources, as well as the myriad of other benefits provided by the HDMI 2.1 standard.
In addition to the 8K Q950, Samsung is making its 4K range available on March 27. This includes the Q90, Q85, Q80, Q70 and Q60. All of the sets will benefit from the inclusion of the Bixby and Google Assistant AI, an app for Apple’s iTunes movies and TV shows, AirPlay 2 as well as improved image quality.
What’s New In Samsung’s 2019 QLED Range
Samsung claims that image quality has been drastically improved in the 2019 QLED range when compared to last year’s models. That’s largely thanks to a brand-new processor called the 7nm Quantum 4K; which Samsung says offers more effective upscaling, deeper blacks and a more immersive image.
Key to the launch of the Q950 is the improved upscaling technology; largely due to the fact that there’s a significant lack of native 8K content currently available. Samsung says it uses machine learning to ensure that its upscaling technology is the best in the industry, and it processes characteristics separately – such as texture and the edges of an image. Samsung believes that this makes the 8K image more realistic, rather than simply adding more pixels.
It’s not just about the image processing technology hidden within the 2019 range, as Samsung has equally made improvements to the construction of the sets themselves. For the 2019 models, Samsung made a change to the panel structure by adding a light concentration layer to reduce light leakage. According to Samsung, the result of this layer is drastically improved viewing angles when compared to last year’s model.
Pricing For Samsung’s 2019 QLED Range
We’re currently waiting to hear the confirmed pricing for Samsung’s 2019 QLED range, but the models will go on pre-order from March 13. What’s more consumers who purchase the Q950, Q90, Q85 or Q80 prior to their official launch date will receive both free delivery and free installation along with their TV.