Samsung Display has just unveiled the world's first ever 77-inch QD-OLED panel TV, thus increasing your future QD-OLED TV screen size options by a substantial 12 inches.
Right now, your QD-OLED display choices are limited to 55- and a 65-inch versions of the TV, made by Samsung and Sony, although the 65-inch Samsung S95B is truly excellent, gaining a rare five-star review from this publication.
Samsung Display revealed the new 77-inch screen, the first ever expansion of its QD-OLED TV size options, at the International Meeting on Information Display (IMID 2022), which is an industry show in Busan, South Korea – although only a panel has been shown so far. No actual TV was shown at Samsung Electronics' event at the recent IFA 2022 tech show, so availability probably won't happen until 2023.
This QD-OLED is not to be confused with LG's largest OLED TV, a 97-inch stunner which did make an appearance at IFA – no, this is almost certainly part of the hoped-for expansion of Samsung's cheaper QD-OLED TVs resulting from the South Korean tech giant's investment in improving the efficiency and scale of making the next-gen QD-OLED panels.
QD-OLED mixes the Quantum Dot color technology that Samsung's QLEDs are famed for with the pixel-precise contrast of OLED, to give you the best of both – but it's expensive to make, currently. Hopefully, this new size is a sign than the boosts the tech needs to be able to start dropping its prices and being more flexible with screen sizes are in progress.
Analysis: cheaper QD-OLEDs in 2023 are highly likely, and it's very good news
In order to compete directly with the regular (and cheaper) OLED panels used in the best OLED TVs currently on the market, Samsung did need to work on shrinking its cost prices, and it seems to have delivered – most likely through reported improvements in the efficiency of making the screens (meaning much less wasted material to make each working panel).
More efficient production means cheaper production, and with QD-OLED TVs currently ranking right at the very top of 4K TV prices, a price drop is exactly what they needed to take them towards the mainstream, though it's TechRadar's understanding that QD-OLED panels are still much more expensive than regular OLED panels.
So far, 2022 has given us the first 55- and 65-inch QD-OLED TVs from Samsung and Sony, plus the inaugural 34-inch QD-OLED monitor from Dell.
Remember, QD-OLED panels are solely produced by Samsung Display, so with a 77-inch panel now a reality, expect QD-OLED TVs to grow in size in the near future.
Concrete details (official pricing, availability, resolution) are thin on the ground, but the panel most likely features 4K resolution and the same kind of 1,000-nit brightness in the real world that current QD-OLED screens hit.
The first 77-inch QD-OLED TV probably won't appear until 2023 (CES, January 2023, we're looking at you) but if you need something now, check out the best OLED deals live this month – and note that Samsung Display is also rumored to be working on a 49-inch QD-OLED panel, allegedly intended for monitors.
