If 2023 was the year of ultra-bright TVs, then 2024 is shaping up to be the year we see AI features burrow their way into them more than ever. Today at CES 2024 in Las Vegas, Samsung let loose some of the details on its much-anticipated lineup of its Neo QLED and OLED TVs for the year, and we’ll have to wait for pricing and availability, but we can confirm that it’s doubled down on AI to help make things look better, sound clearer, and get more customized to what you’re watching.
Samsung Neo QLED 8K lineup
8K TVs still suffer from not having much content out there to watch on them, but that hasn’t stopped the big TV brands from pushing the tech forward in anticipation. This year’s 8K lineup of Neo QLED mini-LEDs from Samsung includes two models, the QN800D and QN900D, both of which will be available in 65- to 85-inch models.
Again, details were a bit sparse at the time of this writing, but in a press release from Samsung, the company outlined improved sound and enhanced design, calling the QN900D Neo QLED the slimmest 8K TV ever to hit the market. That, and both new QLED 8K models are getting a processor upgrade to something called the NQA AI Gen3 that Samsung says features an on-device AI engine that is twice as fast as its predecessor and with eight times the neural networks.
This new AI brain is driving some new smart features built into the 8K Neo QLEDS, but the Samsung CES 2024 press release only outlines the following new features specifically with regards to the QN900D, but it’s possible they will apply to both it and the QN800D and we’ll update as we learn.
For now, the QN900D features something called AI Upscaling Pro that can upscale SD and HD content to 4K resolution as well as take 4K content to 8K. AI is also taking the lead in making gaming, sports, and fast-paced action movies clearer and smoother with AI Motion Enhancer Pro. For sports, for example, Samsung says the feature can even track a specific kind of ball depending on the sport you’re watching — no more blurry pucks or footballs whizzing across the screen. Samsung has also improved its Real Depth Enhancer to Real Depth Enhancer Pro, which focuses on the clarity and contrast of objects on screen while also maintaining the background.
Gamers will also take particular interest in the QN900D’s ability to support 240Hz VRR (variable refresh rate) for smoother, faster gaming without having to cut resolution, which is huge.
Samsung’s One Connect Box has gotten a redesign, too, opting for a new U-shaped layout that’s more compact than its predecessor. For those who don’t know, the One Connect Box lets you connect all your devices, such as streaming boxes, DVD players, and gaming consoles, so you can more easily keep all the cables hidden while one cable connects cleanly to your TV. We’re curious to see the new box in the flesh at the show.
Other features to look out for with the QN900D include a new, slimmer “Infinity Air Stand” and the Now+ feature that lets you utilize the TV when it’s off as an information hub for things like weather, notes to the family, widgets, and more.
Samsung Neo QLED 4K lineup
On the 4K front for Samsung’s Neo QLED lineup, we have two new contenders. First is the Neo QLED QN90D, the 2024 version of last year’s excellent QN90C, but this year it’s being offered in a huge 98-inch size. The QN85C has also gotten a letter bump to the QN85D, but it’s kept the same size lineup at 55- to 85-inches, which is also nothing to sneeze at. Again, details were a little sparse at press time, and we’ll obviously have more, but for now, all we know is that the new Neo QLED 4K mini-LED TVs feature an updated Neural Quantum Processor, 4K upscaling, and they also get the upgraded Real Depth Enhancer Pro feature.
Samsung OLED lineup
Samsung’s quantum-dot OLEDs have gained a lot of praise and attention in the last couple of years, and for good reason — they have excellently inky black levels like traditional OLEDs but are also great in bright rooms with some stunning contrast. Last year’s Samsung S95C topped our list of best TVs for much of the year and is still one to beat, as far as we’re concerned. For 2024, the Samsung OLEDs have moved up the alphabet with the S95D (available in 55 to 77 inches) and the S90D, which, curiously, has dropped the 83-inch version that it added to the S90C model last summer, to now just offering it in 55- to 77-inch models, as well.
With that all out of the way, we can likely expect Samsung’s OLEDs to build on last year’s primo specs, but new on tap for this year, Samsung says, is a first for OLEDs — a Glare-Free technology in the S95D (perhaps in the S90D, too, but we don’t know yet) that builds on Samsung’s already stellar anti-glare but is said to go even further. We’ll wait to see it for ourselves, but Samsung claims that it will be great in both low light and brighter rooms, won’t be affected by viewing angles, and won’t mess with contrast or colors either.
The S95D maintains its thin, 11-mm, flat-back profile, support for 144Hz VRR for gamers, and is also available with the One Connect Box, although the release doesn’t specifically say whether it’s the redesigned u-shape version; we’ll have to see. And while the S95C’s sound didn’t blow us away, this year, Samsung says it’s made enhancements to the S95D’s built-in speaker distribution that it says will reward you with “True Channel Dolby Atmos for even more cinematic
surround sound,” which is just marketing speak, meaning that its side, bottom, and top speaker placements, the Atmos effect should be better than with TVs that only have bottom/top speakers.
Active Voice Amplifier Pro and other TV features
In 2024, Samsung, like many of its competitors, is reacting to a widespread complaint that dialogue on our TV and movies at home has been getting harder and harder to hear. Samsung is adding some new features to its 2024 TVs to combat that, including Active Voice Amplifier Pro, which will be available in its Neo QLED 4K, Neo QLED 8K, and OLED TVs. The feature boosts dialogue and sound effects so you can hear them better.
Samsung is also touting its new Audio Subtitles feature that it says is the world’s first on-device TV service that reads subtitles aloud in real-time. This could be a game changer for the visually impaired, as the system uses a Samsung-created module and text-to-speech software to constantly scan and identify the text on-screen and then read it out loud with what Samsung says is more than 95% accurate. The feature currently supports Korean and English and can be customized for speed and volume.
What about Samsung microLED?
One of the big TV technologies that could give OLED a run for its money is microLED, but so far they’ve either been in enormous sizes or come with enormous price tags. Samsung made a big splash at CES 2023 last year announcing its 76-inch microLED TV CX, the smallest in the range announced so far. At CES 2024, the company is showing off the 76-inch model and the 114-inch model fir the first time (as well as the 89-, 101-, 114-, and monster 140-inch models). “MicroLED stands at the pinnacle of display tech, with a variety of models in its lineup spanning 76 to 140 inches,” Samsung told us, while also sharing that new info and availability on its microLED TVs is coming later this year.
Follow all of our coverage of CES 2024 on Digital Trends.
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