Samsung prices its 2023 QD OLEDs (Finally, mostly…)

Samsung has finally announced the prices for five of the six new quantum-dot OLED TVs it announced at CES in January.

Now, a cynical person might think that announcing new products at CES, and then waiting a month or two to announce how much those new products will cost–and then doing that in dribs and drabs, instead of revealing the whole kit and caboodle at the show–is designed to garner more attention from the press than would be earned otherwise.

As this is TechHive’s third article discussing Samsung’s 2023 television lineup without having laid hands on one, such cynicism just might be warranted.

In any event, we now know how much a new Samsung QD OLED will set you back in the coming year. Unless you want to know about the 65-inch S90C series, that is.

Samsung S95C and S90C quantum dot OLED TV series prices

Samsung has divided its 2023 QD OLED lineup into two tiers: the S95C series and the S90C series. The former is pricier and delivers such goodies as HDR OLED+ (to achieve higher peak brightness), Dolby Atmos, more powerful image processing, the One Connect breakout box, and 4.2.2 rather than 2.1 surround. The latter TV is, well, more affordable if not quite as satisfying to videophiles.

The S95C series will ship in 77- ($4,499), 65- ($3,299), and 55-inch ($2,499) flavors. Those are MSRPs (manufacturer suggested retail prices), so you might be able to find them for less once they’re in plentiful supply.

The S90C series, meanwhile, will arrive in the same screen sizes, with the 77-inch costing $900 less ($3,599) and the 55-inch priced at $1,899. The 65-inch S90C is described in Samsung’s press release as “coming soon,” but without an MSRP. Really, Samsung? If I had to guess, I’d say it will be in the mid-$2,000 range. I’ll update this story as soon as I get pricing information for that model.

If you’re not familiar with the differences between Samsung’s and LG’s OLED technologies, keep reading.

What’s the difference between QD OLED and WOLED?

QD OLED is a display technology developed by Samsung Display (not Samsung’s TV division) in 2022. It uses blue OLED elements to create light, and quantum dots to turn that light into purer colors. QD OLEDs are RGB; i.e., they use red, green, and blue sub-pixels to form other colors, including white.

LG’s competing OLED TVs are WRGB, aka WOLED. They add a fourth white sub-pixel that handles white all on its own; that white sub-pixel also adds brightness where needed. To sum up the difference in terms of picture, QD OLED will have more saturated highlights, while LG can deliver peak brightness without overdriving the RGB sub-pixels, albeit at the expense of color acuity at those higher levels.

Both flavors offer fantastically rich images, but our top-rated OLED TV, the Sony A95K, is based on a QD OLED panel. Stay tuned for a more in-depth article exploring both technologies, including the possible differences in lifespan.