Samsung will likely release dozens of TVs throughout 2024, but kicking things off in March is this year’s ‘S’ range, led by the gigantic 77-inch S95D screen, with what the company calls the “world’s first anti-glare technology”.
Samsung’s running victory laps with this TV. It has been certified ‘glare-free’ by Underwriters Laboratories, based on tests from the International Committee on Illumination (I’m sure they refer to themselves as the Illuminati). It’s been announced the same week that LG dropped its 2024 range, which is funny, but I digress.
“We know Australians take great pride in their living and entertainment areas, with the TV often the centrepiece of not just the room, but Australians’ homes. With that in mind, as we unveil our latest innovation, we’re thrilled to introduce a new era of television viewing that promises to redefine entertainment standards,” Vice president, consumer electronics at Samsung Electronics Australia Jeremy Senior said.
“Our insights show that Anti-Glare technology is a top priority for consumers when purchasing a TV, and at Samsung, we’re proud to play a part in redefining the landscape by bringing this world-first feature to our OLED range. With many Australians living in bright or light-filled rooms, this new technology helps to ensure Australians can enjoy a low interruption viewing experience, regardless of their TV preference.”
While I haven’t had the opportunity (yet) to go hands-on with Samsung’s anti-glare TV technology, I will say that I can believe the Korean tech giant when it makes a bold claim with a tagline like ‘Anti-Glare’. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, for example, features an extremely impressive panel that is quite glare, light, and grime-resistant. The TV was first shown at CES 2024, and at the time, Digital Trends called the glare-resistant panel “where light goes to die”. There appears to be some glare in the video, as explained, but the glare itself doesn’t have any definition.
It’s something Samsung has been working on for a while now. In November, Gizmodo Australia reviewed the predecessor to the S95D, the S95C, and while there was definitely some glare present it was still extremely impressive in cutting down on glare. “While no TV can completely eliminate the glare Aussie sun produces, the Samsung S95C OLED does a decent job,” we wrote last year.
Adding to this, of course, is Samsung’s experimenting with The Frame, the art and home deco-focused panel, with its matte display that cuts down on glare. Samsung’s been focusing on anti-glare tech for a while now, so for the S95D, and its smaller counterparts, it’s worth getting excited for.
Not to disregard the fact that it’s an OLED panel, making most scenes pop much better than on a non-OLED display. Samsung really impresses when it comes to these screens. It’s also extremely thin, and lacks thick bezels on the sides. It has a single base on the middle of the screen’s bottom, but can be mounted to a wall.
Anyway, now the bad news: these aren’t cheap. Obviously. These are the flagship devices from Samsung’s TV range, they want you to pay the big bucks for it. They’ll likely release cheaper variants later this year with some of the technology stripped off (including the anti-glare tech).
The 55-inch model starts at $4,640. The 65-inch model starts at $5,800. Finally, the 77-inch model starts at $9,281.
Each model will be available from March 18 from all major retailers and Samsung online.
Image: Samsung