CES 2020 has arrived, and some of the biggest and best TVs are being shown off on the showroom floor. We’re looking at a total of four new Samsung TVs: The much-anticipated, bezel-free Q950TS 8K TV, a motorized, rotating 4K TV called The Sero, an updated version of its minimalist Frame TV, and advancements with its modular The Wall 8K TV.
Though TVs are always huge at CES, we’ve also found some of the very best soundbars to accompany these glorious screens.
Q950TS 8K TV
While the Samsung Q950TS doesn’t have a name that’s quite as striking as Frame TV and The Sero, it’s the star of the show. This is for two reasons: 1) It’s an 8K TV, and 2) It has a bezel-free Infinity Screen. So mounted on the wall, it looks like a portal into an entertainment dimension — there’s no sizable bar running around the side. In fact, Samsung told our own Caleb Denison that it is 99% image and 1% border. Take that in for a second. 1%.
Under the hood, there’s a new, more advanced 8K Upscale Engine fueled by artificial intelligence. In a nutshell, this means it teaches itself how to improve the way it transforms both Full HD and 4K Ultra HD material into a higher 8K Ultra HD resolution — so the more you watch, the smarter and more precise it will become. Seeing as there’s virtually no 8K Ultra HD content around at the moment, it’s going to have a lot of time to practice.
Samsung has also taken backlighting to a whole new level, introducing a local power distribution method that delivers higher peak brightness without introducing more blooming. Or as Denison puts it, “the Q950TS should be able to display some impressive HDR images without a bunch of light leakage taking away from black levels.” Of course, we’ll have to wait until he sets his eyes on it to see whether that’s the case. We have nothing but hope.
On the sound front, Samsung has lined every side of the television (even though it’s bezel-free, there’s still a frame that runs around the screen — it’s just microscopic) with speakers, anchored by several drivers at the back. Pair this with the built-in Tracking Sound+ software, which matches the movement of sound with its location on the screen, and it should make a more immersive viewing experience right out of the box. The TV also has adaptive sound, which allows it to detect noise in the room and ramp up dialogue to counteract it — one of the coolest unsung features in its entire suite.
The Sero
In an interesting move, Samsung showcased The Sero, which it released in Korea back in April 2019 — hinting at a worldwide release. Designed with mobile content in mind, it touts an integrated motor that rotates the screen to match the orientation of the material on a smartphone, be it vertical or horizontal. For instance, watching a video on Instagram will send the Sero into an upright position, while Netflix will keep it level — no human interaction needed.
Frame TV
Also announced at CES 2020 was a refreshed model of the Frame TV, Samsung’s QLED 4K TV that looks like — and doubles as — an art frame. This latest model introduces two new sizes: 32 and 75 inches. It also sees the addition of a beige and burgundy bezel and new accessories, including a No-Gap Wall Mount and a slot for the manufacturer’s trademark One Invisible Connector, which sees all power and inputs fed through a single cable.
The Wall
Finally, Samsung revealed that advancements in manufacturing have allowed it to introduce five new sizes of its modular MicroLED (8K Ultra HD) screens — 88, 93, 110, 150, and 292 inches — which come together to form The Wall. These will join the 75, 146, and 219-inch configurations. It’s not lacking on the software front, either: The Wall supports HDR10+ and can be set to display curated artwork, such as paintings and still photography, when it’s not in use.
Samsung is yet to reveal pricing and availability for the Q950TS 8K TV, The Sero, The Frame, and the new MicroLED modules. We’ll update this post when we know more.
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