Guide

Luca's Epic TV Reviews: A Year in Review

27.12.2022

Translation: machine translated

This year I tested five televisions for processor heart and chip kidneys. Time to draw a résumé - and choose a winner.

Not every TV year has been as exciting as 2022. Most of the time, I even know at the beginning of the year who will be in the race for the top position - an OLED TV, most likely one from the South Korean house of LG. Even if no manufacturer would admit it: It is an open secret that Sony, Philips and Panasonic buy their OLED panels from LG Display, a subsidiary of LG. So it is not surprising that the South Korean tech company has the greatest know-how and builds good, cost-effective TVs accordingly. . But this year was different. For the first time ever, the other South Korean tech giant entered the OLED ring: Samsung. And that's not all - Samsung even celebrated its debut with a further development of the proven OLED technology, called QD OLED. The Japanese manufacturer Sony was so impressed that it joined in and bought QD OLED panels from Samsung for this year's flagship model.

In addition, new OLED technology was added.

In addition, new pressure came from the LCD division in the form of a no longer new but improved backlight technology: Mini LED. With this technology, the Chinese manufacturer TCL in particular is trying to win over the European market. This year's review will show whether the signs are good. I tested five TVs with professional tools from Portrait Displays. Time to rank them and pick the test winner. .

Place 5: TCL Mini LED C93

Panel technology: LCD with Mini LED .- Features: supports HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision .- Especially good in: bright rooms
Input lag (4K60Hz, for gaming): 12 milliseconds .- Strength: the Game Mode
Weakness: the processor

TCL may not be too well known in this country. Nevertheless, I follow the goings-on of the Chinese tech company with much curiosity. China is already dominating it. In North America, TCL is also one of the biggest manufacturers. This has made the company one of the largest TV manufacturers in the world. At the same time, it is one of the world's biggest drivers of innovation when it comes to researching new production processes for image technologies. For example, an OLED layer that is printed on a wafer-thin layer of glass - like ink on paper in an inkjet printer. This makes TCL one of the most exciting players in the TV game.

However, TCL has yet to catch up with the leaders. This year's flagship model, the C93, would need a much more powerful processor to do so. But I also like its direct mini-LED competitor, Samsung's QN95B, better in terms of picture quality. On the other hand, TCL's C93 scores with an excellent game mode and a very fair price of CHF 1799 for a 65-inch screen diagonal at the time of publication of this guide. Still, it's not enough for more than 5th place.

Product test
A lot of power comes from China: TCL's new mini LED TV in the test
by Luca Fontana

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Place 4: Samsung Neo QLED QN95A

Panel technology: LCD with Mini LED
Features: Supports HDR10 and HDR10+
Especially good in: bright rooms
Input lag (4K60Hz, for gaming): 11 milliseconds .- Strength: rich colours and blacks at near OLED level .- Weakness: does not support Dolby Vision

Samsung's QN95B is something like my secret favourite. Secretly, because I've outed myself a dozen times as a steadfast OLED acolyte. But with the QN95A, an LCD TV by the way, my almost fanatical belief was put to the test for the first time.

Firstly, because it is perfectly suited for most purposes: Movies, series and gaming. Even upscaling works excellently. And secondly, because thanks to its high peak brightness of over 2100 nit and its excellent colour fidelity, it shows its strengths especially during the day and in bright rooms - also thanks to mini-LED backlighting, which ensures good contrasts and unusually deep black levels for LCD TVs. Only in the evening, or at least in darkened rooms, does the QN95B not quite match OLED picture quality.

Product test
Neo QLED: Samsung's QN95B in a detailed test
by Luca Fontana

Zum Fernseher: Klick!

Place 3: Sony QD-OLED A95K

Panel technology: QD-OLED (OLED with Quantum Dots)
Features: supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision .- Particularly good in: darkened rooms
Input lag (4K60Hz, for gaming): 15.8 milliseconds
Strength: rich colours, perfect black, less risk of burn-in than OLED .- Weakness: the price

In July, the time had come: I was finally allowed to see the QD OLED panel, which had been showered with much praise, with my own eyes. Not in a Samsung TV, of course. But at least in a TV from a Samsung customer: Sony. I was not disappointed, because QD OLED, as I quickly discovered in the test, is actually better than OLED. This was shown to me by the measurements and direct comparisons with the competition. The colour fidelity, for example - it is inherently ingenious. And no other TV had ever covered colour spaces as well as Sony's A95K.

Why does the TV nevertheless land "only" in third place? Because of its price. Sony argued that the integrated sound system "Acoustic Surface+" easily replaces a mid-range sound bar, which in turn saves buyers money. But those who already have a sound system have nothing to gain and easily pay 20 per cent or more than the competition. The A95K is no exception. I also find Sony's products too expensive across the entire product range. Third place is my way of punishing this pricing policy.

Product test
The future is here! Sony's QD OLED TV in the test
by Luca Fontana

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Place 2: LG OLED Evo G2

Panel technology: OLED (OLED Evo, also called OLED.EX by competitors)
Features: supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision .- Particularly good in: darkened rooms
Input lag (4K60Hz, for gaming): 10.4 milliseconds .- Strength: rich colours, perfect black, very good processor .- Weakness: no weaknesses worth mentioning .

When I first reported on Samsung's upcoming QD OLED panels earlier this year, I feared the worst for LG: the Quantum Dots-powered organic LEDs seemed to do everything LG's conventional OLEDs could do even better. Especially in terms of brightness and colour saturation.

I was not wrong in this assessment. But Samsung's lead is not quite as big as I initially thought: with its second-generation OLED Evo panel, LG once again gets everything out of a technology that has produced the best picture quality on the market for a good six years. This is due to the further optimised chemical composition of the Evo panel and the additional heat sink, which LG only grants to the G series. In one category, LG even trumps its QD OLED competition in the measurements, the white balance, and in the other measurements it is only narrowly defeated. I consider that a great success.

Product test
LG's best OLED TV in the test: Is it still enough for the top position?
by Luca Fontana

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Place 1: Samsung QD-OLED S95B

Panel technology: QD-OLED (OLED with Quantum Dots)
Features: supports HDR10 and HDR10+
Especially good in: darkened rooms
Input lag (4K60Hz, for gaming): 9.7 milliseconds
Strength: rich colours, perfect black, less risk of burn-in than OLED .- Weakness: does not support Dolby Vision .

Samsung has achieved a fantastic feat with the S95B - and an OLED comeback made to measure. After all, it was the South Korean tech giant itself that announced its at least temporary OLED withdrawal in 2014 after a series of failed prototypes and left the field to arch-competitor LG. With the S95B, however, Samsung has managed to strike back.

As with Sony, it is above all the measurements that confirm this for me. The colour fidelity is inherently brilliant. No other TV has ever covered colour spaces as well as Samsung's QD-OLED. No LG OLED panel shines as brightly as the QD OLED panel from Samsung's factories. And in direct comparisons with video, the QD OLEDs beat their competitors in almost every discipline, albeit only just. And although QD-OLED is a completely new technology, it costs - at least for Samsung - almost the same as LG's G2. That's not only a fighting chance, but also first place for me.

Product test
QD OLED: Samsung's TV of the future is fantastic
by Luca Fontana

Zum Fernseher: Klick!

Question to the community: how do you like the new tests?

So that was it, the first year with Portrait Displays and Leo Bodnar's new professional tool, which is clearly more objective than my only tool so far: my eyes. Of course, I could only show filmed or photographed displays and point out strengths and weaknesses without the additional equipment. Ultimately, however, I would only be reflecting my subjective perception. How bright, natural and accurate a TV actually is can only be expressed objectively in figures.

To find out and analyse these numbers, however, takes time. That has pushed the quantitative test output down a bit compared to the past. Nevertheless, next year I will try to test even more TVs than this year, especially from unsung heroes up here like Philips or Panasonic. But before I do that, I'd like to know if you like the new test format at all. Write it in the comments.

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Luca Fontana

Senior Editor

Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.ch

I write about technology as if it were cinema, and about films as if they were real life. Between bits and blockbusters, I’m after stories that move people, not just generate clicks. And yes – sometimes I listen to film scores louder than I probably should.

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