Within the world of TVs, there's been plenty of recent debate over whether you should go for an OLED or QLED display, and therefore which ones offer up higher quality, and more vivid images.
There are definitely merits for both options. For instance, QLEDs offer up much brighter overall images, but OLED, with its higher contrast, can provide sharper picture quality.
Well, fear not viewers, as it looks like one manufacturer could be gearing up to put an end to this debate once and for all.
Samsung QD-OLED TV Release Date
Samsung look to be leading the charge in this intriguing fusion, with the South Korean brand set to unveil this exciting new development at CES 2022, in Las Vegas, next year.
Otherwise, there's been little word on a concrete release date for these televisions, but according to a report from IT Chosun, they could be available as early as Q1 2022, or in other words, a few short weeks after CES in January.
Samsung QD-OLED TV Price
At this early stage, it is rather difficult to provide any form of pricing for Samsung's upcoming QD-OLED TVs.
We would anticipate that given QD-OLED will be brand new tech upon release that these TVs will probably be rather expensive, in a similar vein to 8K TVs and Mini LED TVs at the moment, for instance.
What Is A QD-OLED TV?
In short, a QD-OLED TV is touted to be the next generation of TVs, and it looks to combine the power of both QLED and OLED panels.
QD stands for Quantum Dot, which may be a term that sounds familiar, given it also features in the QLED acronym - 'quantum dot LED TV'.
The idea in principle here is that by fusing the two pieces of tech together, you'll end up with the best of both worlds - the brilliant contrast offered up by OLEDs combined with the powerful brightness of QLED tech.
In terms of resolution, it looks like these will only be available in a 4K, or a 3840x2160 resolution, so if you want to experience a higher quality of visual fidelity than that, then checking out some of the best 8K TVs would be a good starting point.
Opinion - Is Another TV Revolution Upon Us?
Samsung finally stating they'll unveil their QD-OLED TVs at CES 2022 finally feels like we've reached a new point in the saga of powerful displays for TVs, and yet, we aren't fully acquainted with the current offerings yet.
It's become quite the acronymic alphabet soup for televisions over the last decade or so - HD, FHD, 4K, 8K, OLED, QLED, Mini LED, and now QD-OLED. Even then, those last handful have only come into the popular conscience within the last couple of years, so adding another may not be the best idea.
On another note though, there is also the argument that whilst QD-OLED tech sounds fantastic and it's sure to make the visual quality even better that no-one has really bedded in their OLED or QLED sets at the moment, so releasing another iteration so soon does could be seen to be a little bit pointless at the moment.
Of course, CES has traditionally been the proving grounds of new and exciting tech. Take the Atari 800, or the NES for instance back in the seventies and eighties - both were seen as major leaps forward for gaming and paved the way for what's come around with the latest generation of consoles.
It's hoped that the QD-OLED panels that Samsung will unveil in a matter of months could have the same effect for TVs as previous developments in the tech world, and that the new tech may well become the future of TVs.
There is always the point of early adopter tax to consider, though. In other words, if you went out and bought a QD-OLED TV when they launch initially, how much are you paying just to have that tech immediately, and more integrally, how useful, in reality, is it for content at launch?
Such questions are flying around concerning whether it's worth buying an 8K TV at the moment, and considering very little content supports the high resolution currently, picking an 8K TV up is more for an investment for the not-too-distant future.
For example, if you're using your TV for gaming, then knowing whether the PS5 will support 8K if you've got the console is likely to be a key question, and it's probably going to be a few years before we see 8K hit the mainstream, so most people may hold off until prices drop.
It will take a few years for prices to come down to acceptable levels for most consumers, and we may be waiting a good while for that domino to fall, for QD-OLEDs and other TVs, too.
The fall in pricing has started for OLED TVs, but isn't expected to plummet until 2023, and therefore, it can be expected that QD-OLEDs may take a fair bit longer for their price to come down.
If the QD-OLED experience is what a lot of people hope it's going to be, then Samsung should definitely be on to a winner here. Initial adoption is likely to be slow, as with most new technology, but as and when it becomes available to the masses, then everyone can experience its power.
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