CES has always been about showcasing the latest and greatest in technology. Inside the hallowed halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center and nearby hotels you’ll find super-charged laptops, sporty new smartwatches and, most importantly, dozens of big-screen TVs that will be available to buy in the next 12 months.
For TV lovers, CES is the show to watch. It’s the place where Samsung, Sony and LG show off all their wares for the next year and in just the last few years it’s been the launch platform for Samsung’s monstrous MicroLED TV “The Wall”, LG’s rollable OLED TV and the first commercially available QD-OLED TV — the Sony A95K OLED.
So what can we expect to see on the show floor this year? Well, there haven’t been any specific models announced so far, but based on some press releases ahead of the show — as well as some historical trends we can extrapolate — we have a decent idea of what to expect. Want to know what TVs are going to look like in 2023 after CES? Here are our best guesses.
New LG OLED TVs? It’s almost a definite
We aren't a betting website but, if we were, we’d put our money on there being new LG OLED TVs at CES. Given that LG has announced new OLED TVs at CES for the better part of a decade, it would surprise no one if the South Korean company came out with new models at this year’s big electronics event. Following the LG C2 OLED and LG G2 OLED that came out this year and the naming convention LG’s used for the last few years, we’ll likely be seeing the LG C3 OLED and LG G3 OLED as well as a potential sequel to the higher-end LG Z2 OLED.
We’ll likely be seeing the LG C3 OLED and LG G3 OLED as well as a potential sequel to the higher-end LG Z2 OLED.
What would be new about these TVs is a huge question mark (a new processor, maybe?) but the names of these models are easy enough to guess. We’re hoping that the TVs might be brighter than last year’s models — yes, LG’s OLED evo technology has upped the brightness of OLED to its highest levels yet, but we’d love to see that brightness go even higher.
Beyond new OLED models, it’s likely that we’ll see more QNED TVs — the replacement of Nano Cell TVs that LG launched a few years back. The QNED TVs are essentially quantum dot models with full array local dimming backlights. They never get quite as much attention as LG’s new OLED TVs, but maybe this is the year where QNED TVs get their chance to shine.
Samsung might have new Mini-LED TVs … and a new QD-OLED?
Samsung’s always got a surprise at CES — that’s what makes the company so fun to cover at the show. Some years it will turn up with a new version of its massive MicroLED TV — appropriately dubbed The Wall — while others it opts to unveil a new QLED Mini-LED TV. Either way, you’re going to see something exciting.
Last year's CES was a particularly interesting show because there were so many rumors about Samsung announcing a new QD-OLED TV. That didn’t end up materializing at CES (Sony, weirdly, beat Samsung to the punch) and instead Samsung played it cool by simply unveiling the next generation of QLED TVs that included the Samsung QN95B and Samsung QN900B 8K QLED TV.
There have also been rumors about a larger 77-inch QD-OLED being announced at the show, so be sure to keep your eyes open for that.
So what should TV lovers expect to see this year? Well, I’d say that several new QLED series that include the Samsung QN90C, Samsung Q80C, Samsung Q70C and Samsung Q60C are in the cards. There have also been rumors floating around about a larger 77-inch QD-OLED being announced at the show, so be sure to keep your eyes open for that.
Sony OLED TVs? Likely yes, and maybe more
If Sony does unveil new OLED TVs this year, we’ll be expecting them to include a new version of the XR Cognitive Processor in addition to some increases in brightness and color saturation.
Of course, LG Electronics isn’t the only maker of OLED TVs — Sony usually comes out with a swath of new OLED TVs at CES, too. In past years, those models have included the A80 and A90 lineups, which often come with the latest X1 processor. However, last year, Sony made the switch to the new XR Cognitive Processor that divided up the screen into hundreds of small parts, looking for patterns or objects that it could recognize. That led to more realistic looking objects and better separation between objects in the foreground of the screen and the background in addition to usual upticks to clarity, contrast and color.
If Sony does unveil new OLED TVs this year, we’ll be expecting them to include a new version of the XR Cognitive Processor in addition to some increases in brightness and color saturation.
Speaking of brightness and color saturation, there’s a very good chance that Sony will also announce some new Mini-LED models at this year’s CES event as well. This year Sony made its first official foray into Mini-LED technology with the Sony X95K — one of Sony’s most impressive models from 2022 — so a new model in 2023 would make sense. How this TV would be different from the X95K is anyone’s guess (a new processor, maybe?) so all we can do now is wait for Sony to show us its hand.
