Samsung is desperate to drag 8K into the mainstream, and it’s hoping its smallest 8K TV to date will help it do just that. Granted, with a 55-inch screen, it’s far from small, but it’s no giant when compared to the 65, 75, 82, 85, and 95-inch models that tower above it in the firm’s QLED 8K TV range.
Announced at IFA 2019, the 55-inch 8K TV is near-identical to the rest of the televisions in the line-up, with the same Quantum AI processor running the show. It also comes with support for HDR10+ (Dolby Vision is once again missing from the list) and an 8K Upscaler for spinning 4K material into 8K.
Just because the 55-inch Q900 8K TV is smaller, doesn’t mean it’s dirt cheap. The model is listed (and available for purchase, we should add) on Samsung’s website for $3,500. Although, if you head over right now with your credit card in tow, you can score it for just $2,500 — that’s $1,000 off.
If you’re thinking this sounds all too familiar, it’s because it is. The 55-inch Q900 8K TV has actually been on sale for a short while now, as part of a “soft launch”. The announcement at IFA 2019 marks Samsung’s intentions to cast it further into the wild with a worldwide release, spanning 50 countries.
It’s probably not a good investment
However, we can’t help but think that investing in an 8K TV right now is a bit risky. 4K has just about become the new standard and there’s a lot of work to be done before 8K replaces it. Chances are, some new 8K-based features will come out between now and then that’ll render current models obsolete.
As such, if you have $3,500 to splash on a new television, we recommend taking your budget and pouring it into the best 4K TV you can find — it’ll serve you better in the long run, and you won’t run the risk of owning an 8K TV that could become antiquated before 8K even hits the mainstream.
Still, the addition of a smaller model is important; it marks the initial steps Samsung is taking to try to force 8K TVs into the hands of consumers, by providing them with an in at a cheaper price. It’s exactly what it did with 4K TVs and now they’re everywhere, and history will repeat itself with 8K.
So, if you’ve been itching to sample the finest resolution the market has to offer, but didn’t have $5,000 to blow on a 65-inch model, now’s your chance to buy into the experience. But for the rest of us who just need something to binge-watch Friends on the weekend, a 4K TV will do the trick.
