With CES just around the corner, Samsung today hosted its First Look presentation focused on its lineup of premium and lifestyle TVs for 2021. This year"s lineup sees the debut of Samsung"s first Micro LED TVs, as well as improved Neo QLED models.
One thing Samsung made sure to point out is that its new TVs present a renewed focus on sustainability. The company is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and improving the energy efficiency of its TVs, and it"s also using sustainable packaging for its lifestyle TVs and most of the Neo QLED lineup for 2021. The company reduced the amount of text and imagery on the boxes to remove the need for oil-based ink printing.
On top of that, the company is reducing battery waste by providing its 2021 TVs with a rechargeable remote, which not only charges via USB, but also using solar panels that can charge the battery using sunlight or indoor light. Samsung expects this to prevent the waste of 99 million AAA batteries over the next seven years. The remote also uses 24% recyclable plastics for its build.
Samsung"s 2021 TVs also have new accessibility features like caption moving, sign language zoom, and multi-output audio, making it easier for those with hearing or vision impairments the ability to better enjoy content. Next year, Samsung also hopes to expand its Voice Guide feature.
Focusing on the TVs themselves, the Micro LED family is arguably the most notable of the additions. Samsung announced the first standalone Micro LED TV in Korea late last year and now, it"s announcing it for international markets and in new sizes. The Samsung Micro LED TV will come in either 110- or 99-inch sizes, and smaller sizes will be launched before the end of the year, featuring 24 million individually controlled LEDs for backlight. It also has a 99% screen-to-body ratio.
There are also feature like 4Vue, which let users view four different sources at the same time, and Majestic Sound, offering 5.1 channel sound.
The Neo QLED TVs will come in 8K and 4K models, and they use Quantum Mini LEDs that are 1/40 the height of a conventional LED, offering a 12-bit luminance scale with 4096 steps. There"s also a new Neo Quantum Processor that provides upscaling for 4K and 8K content, powered by 16 different neural network models.
The 8K model also features a new nearly bezel-less design, which Samsung calls Infinity One Design, as well as a new Slim One Connect box that has a single output connected directly to the TV to make cable management easier. The TV also supports features like Object Tracking Sound and SpaceFit sound.
The Neo QLED TVs also have some interesting software features, like Super Ultrawide GameView, which lets users play in 21:9 or 32:9 aspect ratios, with black bars above and below the image. It also has a Game Bar with settings such as testing input lag or connecting a headset. The TVs also support Google Duo for calling, and there"s an Easy Connection app that makes it easier to use the TV as a screen for your PC.
Finally, Samsung"s Lifestyle TVs are getting refreshed for 2021, specifically The Frame. The 2021 iteration of the TV now comes in a package that"s 46% thinner than the previous model, so it should fit better into your room.
Samsung didn"t say when the new TVs will be available, or how much they will cost, but we should hear more about them soon.