We finally have pricing and release dates for the first 4K and 8K TVs to be announced by Samsung in 2021, and it appears that the starting price of these Neo QLED sets is going to sit pretty close to their predecessors.
At the top end, the Samsung QN900 8K QLED is starting at $4,999 for a 65-inch model (around £3,600 / $AU6,500), which is exactly what last year's Q900TS started at when it launched. The step-down QN800 model, meanwhile, is starting at $3,499 (around £2,500 / AU$4,500) for the same size, a small increase over the $3,199 starting price of last year's Q800TS.
Both the QN900 and QN800 will be shipping to US customers by March 13. We're yet to find out pricing or release info for outside of the US, though the conversions above should give a good sense of what you'll be paying in the UK and Australia.
- Best Samsung TV: amazing flatscreen TVs worth buying
- What are the best 8K TVs to buy?
- Best 120Hz 4K TVs: the best TVs for your Xbox Series X and PS5
On the 4K side, the QN90 will cost $1,799 (£1,300 / AU$2,300) for a 55-inch size, going up to $2,599 (£1,900 / AU$3,400) for a 65-inch size, $3,499 (£2,500 / AU$4,500) for a 75-inch size, and $4,999 (£3,600 / AU$6,500) for a 85-inch size.
That’s at the upper end of Samsung’s 4K range, and you will find cheaper QLED sets this year (QN80, QN70, etc), but it is a step up from last year’s Q90T, which retailed at $1,499 for its smallest 55-inch size, and topped out at $4,499 for the 85-inch model.
The QN90 will be shipping a little earlier to US customers, by March 6, while the QN85 follows on March 20 – and you can expect release dates to be pretty similar for other countries.
Not so neo?
It's telling, too, that Samsung decided not to release a successor for its 2020 flagship, the Q950TS, which cost a far larger amount: in the US, shoppers had the option of a single 85-inch model, priced at $12,999, while UK shoppers saw that drop to £7,999 and £5,999 for 75-inch and 65-inch models respectively.
It seems Samsung is keener to simplify things this time around, and the 85-inch versions for its 2021 8K TVs will likely scratch the itch for those after a truly high-end, high-cost screen. But it looks like price variety across the range is being sacrificed in order to create a tighter and more consistent lineup.
The price matching is definitely consistent for Samsung, and suggests than any reduction in manufacturing costs for 8K technologies is being counteracted by the advancements in this year’s ‘Neo’ QLED range, such as the addition of Mini LED backlights – a technology also being put to use in LG’s new QNED TV range.
We’re yet to get pricing for the entry-level QN700, but expect it to be on par with the Q700T we saw last year, which was limited to shoppers in the UK and Europe and cost £1,999 (around $2,700 / AU$3,600) for a 55-inch size. Sizes for the QN700 are yet to be confirmed though.
- Check out every new Samsung TV coming this year
