Not to be outdone by LG Electronics and Sony, Samsung presented its own army of TVs this week during IFA 2013 in Berlin, the largest consumer electronic trade show in Europe. Among these are the world's first Curved UHD TV, and probably the world's largest 4K TVs thus far. Clearly, Samsung is trying to make a big, bold statement.
The company introduced on Thursday the world's first Curved UHD LCD-based LED TV in 55 inch and 65 inch models. Samsung hasn't provided any specs, but Sony said something similar when it launched its own 65 inch Curved LCD-based LED TV this week. The difference is that Sony's solution only provides a Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080), whereas these new Samsung models have an Ultra HD resolution (4096 × 2160). Obviously, the Samsung models will be more expensive.
MORE: Sony Launches 4K Ultra HD Video Service, New TVs
"Realizing curved UHD TV is more difficult to produce than curved OLED TV due to the panel characteristics," the company said. "The world’s first curved UHD TV proved Samsung’s unbeatable position in TV technology once again. Given that UHD TV market is still at its initial stage, Samsung's will release the Curved UHD TV to market based on consumer response and market demands."
Samsung didn't provide any release dates or prices, so stay tuned for more info. Meanwhile, the company also introduced the 98 inch S9 UHD TV and an even larger 110 inch version for customers who just love living it Big Time, Peter Gabriel style (that's 80s talk). The 85 inch alternative already on the market retails for around $40,000 USD, so expect a significantly higher pricetag.
The company also showcased its 55 inch Curved and Flat UHD OLED TVs, and announced the European pricing for its 55 inch and 65 inch F9000 UHD TVs, costing 4,000 and 6,000 euros, respectively (around $5,270 and $7,912). These latter two UHD TVs are now on sale.
"Samsung has retained its No. 1 position in the global TV market for eight consecutive years by pioneering a new innovation each year, including cutting-edge displays, 3D and Smart TVs," said Hyun-Suk Kim, EVP, Visual Display Business, Samsung Electronics. "This year we are showcasing our vision for the industry, which will undoubtedly be centered around the detail and the brilliance that only our UHD and OLED technologies can offer."
Given this is just a sample of what's to come, expect to see additional details regarding pricing and availability soon.
