In what can only be characterized as an epic play of one-upmanship, Samsung has just announced a new addition to its 2022 4K TV lineup, and it is massive.
Unveiled in Dallas, Texas at the 2022 CEDIA Expo, the new 98-inch Neo QLED 4K TV uses mini-LED backlight technology and is equipped to be Samsung’s highest-performing 4K TV to date. Previously, Samsung’s 4K TV lineup was headlined by the QN95B and QN90B. The new 98-inch model uses the same processing and panel technology but has a more powerful backlight system.
The 98-inch set is the only available size in a newly minted QN100B series — model number QN98100B — and is likely to be its most expensive 4K set by far. Still, even given one very impressive performance specification, there is some hope it may not be much more expensive than some of Samsung’s pricey 8K televisions.
Thus far, details on the new TV are about as slim as the display’s profile. Samsung says that despite the screen reaching almost 98 diagonal inches, the TV’s total depth is just 19.9 mm thick. There’s still plenty of internal volume to host an impressive audio system, though, as the QN98100B is outfitted with a 120-watt, 6.4.4-channel Dolby Atmos speaker array.
Perhaps the most impressive spec is the 98-inch monster’s claimed peak brightness of 5,000 nits. Though it is doubtful the TV will live up to that claim, it is likely to put out significantly higher brightness than the 2,100 nits we measured when we tested Samsung’s highest performance 8K TV, the QN900B.
Samsung’s announcement comes shortly after its chief competitor, LG, began shipping its previously announced 97-inch G2 Gallery Series OLED TV. Though LG’s large OLED and Samsung’s huge Neo QLED each use very different display technologies, it’s hard not to hone in on that one-inch difference.
I mean, it’s one larger, isn’t it?
Obscure references to Spinal Tap aside, it has become clear that large-format TVs are pressing firmly into screen sizes that were once the exclusive purview of projectors. Even the increasingly popular ultra short throw (UST) projectors made by Samsung, LG, Hisense, and others can’t hold a candle to the brightness of an OLED or mini-LED TV.
We’ll be going eyes-on with the new Samsung 98-inch Neo QLED TV at the 2022 CEDIA Expo and will update this article with more images and details as they become available.
