This story is part of CESHere our editors bring you the latest news and the hottest gadgets of the fully virtual CES 2021.
TVs are pretty awesome already. 2020 models like the LG CX OLED, which gives the best picture quality I've ever tested, and the TCL 6 seriesthat has the best performance for the money will keep even the pickiest picture snob happy for years. TV from Sony and Samsung and Vizio All of them got great reviews too, and the television industry as a whole had record sales while everyone huddled at home.
So what remains for these manufacturers to improve and specify CES 2021? In a word: brightness.
At CES 2021, four major TV manufacturers announced models claiming to drop them more light than ever before. Raw brightness in which I measure Nits and comparing in every review is one of the most important ingredients of a good picture. That is what matters HDR video, from TV shows to movies to video games, outperforms standard dynamic range videos. It helps televisions look great in bright rooms. And more than any single aspect of picture quality, it sets cheap televisions apart from high-end models.
The LG CX OLED was superb, but I bet it was lighter LG G1 that uses a new Evo panellooks much better. Sony will also sell a brighter OLED TV in 2021 as part of his Masters series. No television is likely to sacrifice the superb black levels, contrast, viewing angles, and colors that allowed it OLED televisions for LCD models in my reviews for years.
Best TVs of CES 2021: Brighter OLED, Mini-LED QLED, 8K and HDMI 2.1
New LCD televisions also promise higher brightness. In my measurements, the current versions were two or three times as bright as OLED-based TVs and new LCD-based devices like that Samsung Neo QLED, LGs unfortunately called QNED and The best models from TCL use Mini LED backlight. In my tests, mini-LEDs deliver improved brightness while maintaining black levels and precision local dimming with full array (sounds familiar)?
We'll have to wait until later in 2021 to actually check the new TVs to see which one is ahead. Until then, here are a few more trends that emerged from the first virtual CES.
85 inches is the new 75 inches
Sales of 70-inch TVs and over grew 82% in 2020, and TV manufacturers are responding bigger and bigger sizes at affordable prices.
LG and Sony are set to sell a new 83-inch jumbo OLED TV - the largest 4K OLED to date, though not quite as massive as the 88-inch 8K version, which is currently selling for $ 30,000. TCL, the world's second largest TV maker after Samsung, announced its first televisions in the 85-inch class it calls XL collectionand what could be the cheapest set of this size to date in the 4 Series ($ 1,600).
Not big enough for you Sony, no stranger to big screens, will sell a 100-inch TV in its X90J series at a mainstream level. In WAAAAY outside of the mainstream, the latest Samsung MicroLED models are available, which go up to 110 inches for a cool $ 156,000.
8K: Always cheaper, but still unnecessary
Samsung and Sony have announced new models with 8K resolution. Pricing wasn't announced, but Sony's will be very expensive, and I'll be surprised if Samsung's 8K TVs are significantly cheaper than current models - the cheapest of which is $ 2,700, at least until the end of this year.
But then there is TCL. The company announces that it will launch an 8K version of its 6-series at mainstream price this year. No price was given, but I'm willing to bet it will cost a lot less than $ 2,700. If I had to guess, I'd say $ 2,000 for the 65-inch model and drop to $ 1,500 for the 2021 Holidays.
Does that mean I can finally start telling high-end TV buyers to consider an 8K TV? It all depends on how cheap (and how good) these TVs get, but if I had to guess I wouldn't say this year. your Additional pixels do not improve the image quality much In my experience, there are no TV shows or movies available in 8K anyway, and that won't change much (if at all) in 2021.
Choice of players: HDMI 2.1 is becoming (more) the standard
Look out for new TV for PS5 or Xbox Series X.? You should have more choices this year than you did in 2020. HDMI 2.1-friendly extras like variable refresh rate and 4K / 120 input are more common, with Sony, Samsung and LG confirming support for many of their new TVs. In the meantime, LG and Samsung have announced new game-specific features that will allow gamers more improvements and allow them to check which features are actually active.
Google TV is making progress
Not much has changed this year when it comes to smart TV extras, but best-selling Roku could face increasing competition in the form of Google TV. The search giant's latest smart TV system is the replacement for Android TV and Sony and TCL Both announced support for 2021 models. I wouldn't be surprised if Hisense, and maybe even Vizio, announced support for Google TV. Neither brand announced new TVs during this year's CES, but both will likely do so later in the year.
Cameras are coming back (don't worry, they're optional!)
TV manufacturers built cameras into televisions a few years ago but eventually stopped, citing privacy concerns in part. At least one TV manufacturer, Samsung, is trying again. The 2021 TVs are using optional webcams to enable two new features: video chat and guided workouts. Users can enable Google Duo for chatting with multiple people and on their large screens Track your yoga, jumping jacks and squats with the help of the AI and fitness gurus like Jillian Michaels.
So far, no other major TV manufacturer has announced webcam compatibility of their TVs for 2021, but Samsung is usually a trendsetter. And since people continue to spend more time at home because of the pandemic, it makes a lot of sense to make a television more versatile.
That's a wrap for the biggest trends at this year's CES. Stay tuned to CNET for more news as TVs get closer to launches this spring.
