Samsung unveils its plan to include both QD-OLED and WOLED panels in its 2024 OLED TV lineup. This move comes as a surprise since the company had previously emphasized the advantages of QD-OLED panels over WOLED. The decision to incorporate both technologies in their latest TVs aims to provide a wider range of options for consumers. Let’s dive into the details of Samsung’s remarkable strategy.

Introduced two years ago, Samsung’s QD-OLED panels infused with quantum dots promised to deliver richer color representations than LG Display’s WOLED panels, which had been the only available option for OLED TVs. Various manufacturers, including Samsung Electronics and Sony, praised the supposed advantages of QD-OLED over WOLED panels. However, Samsung’s stance has shifted with their latest OLED TV lineup.

The inclusion of QD-OLED and WOLED panels was first witnessed last year in the 83-inch S90C. This year, Samsung plans to make it even more ambiguous to distinguish between QD-OLED and WOLED panels among their OLED TV models.

During their initial announcement of the S85D, S90D, and the flagship S95D, Samsung refrained from explicitly specifying the OLED panel technology used. Nevertheless, it was evident that the S90D offered WOLED panel options, given its availability in the sizes of 42, 48, 55, 65, 77, and 83 inches. QD-OLED panels are not manufactured in all these sizes.

In a striking report by Korean news outlet The Elec, it was indicated that the S90D may feature a mix of WOLED and QD-OLED panels, except for the sizes of 42, 48, and 83 inches. Renowned display expert Vincent Teoh, known for his contributions to the HDTVTest YouTube channel, also confirmed in a video that a 55-inch S90D displayed at a recent Samsung showcase in Frankfurt was undoubtedly a QD-OLED panel.

According to The Elec’s report, Samsung’s decision to utilize both WOLED and QD-OLED panels in the S90D series stems from a request by LG Display to avoid positioning WOLED panels as inferior to QD-OLED. It’s important to note that Samsung’s most expensive OLED TV for 2024, the S95C, is expected to feature QD-OLED panels across all available sizes.

In the past, Samsung was hesitant to offer OLED TVs and instead promoted LCD panels with quantum dot technology as a premium TV option. However, due to escalating LCD prices from Chinese manufacturing partners, increasing consumer interest in OLED, and reported pressure from the South Korean government, Samsung decided to enter the OLED market by partnering with its competitor, LG.

The Elec’s report also mentioned that Samsung is contemplating making the S85D, its most affordable OLED TV option, exclusively available with WOLED panels. However, a final decision on this matter has yet to be made. During a closer examination of a unit on display at CES 2024, Vincent Teoh validated that the specific unit indeed incorporated WOLED panels.