On March 22, Samsung hosted an Unbox & Discover event in New York City, where the manufacturer revealed four new flagship TVs and a Frame smart speaker. All of the new products are available for pre-order now at the Samsung website, and Samsung is offering some attractive incentives to encourage customers to place pre-orders.
The new products include a new Frame art TV and accompanying Music Frame smart speaker, as well as new QLED and OLED models. Thanks to a speedy new processor, the AI-powered smart TVs will be able to upscale older content and deliver improved picture quality, according to Samsung.
The new products include:
The new TV models range in size from 43 inches all the way up to a massive 98-inch version of the 4K QN90D Neo QLED TV, with a nosebleed-inducing price tag of $14,999.99. For mere mortals, Samsung will also offer slightly more affordable versions of these TVs, the Neo QLED 4K QN85D, the Neo QLED 8K QN900D, and the OLED 4K S90D.
Mashable previewed the new TVs at the launch event, where Samsung also debuted a cheesy 90s sitcom parody starring former Saturday Night Live cast members Molly Shannon and Tim Meadows. We’ve got all the details, plus a look inside the event.
Samsung shows off its new 8K Neo QLED TV.
Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable
We didn’t mess with the saturation on these photos one bit.
Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable
New Frame TV and speaker coming soon
Samsung’s ultra-thin Frame art TV özgü proven to be extremely popular, and Samsung releases a new iteration every year. For the 2024 The Frame TV, Samsung worked with Pantone to validate the color fidelity of the display, ensuring that video and artworks render accurately in all light conditions. The Frame TV (2024) will also come with an art preview feature, letting users who don’t subscribe to Samsung’s art collection preview new works each month. None of these features are game-changing, and we’d class them under iterative improvements.
Samsung previews the newest product in the Frame lineup.
Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable
Close-up with the new picture frame-like Music Frame.
Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable
However, Samsung did reveal a new product in the Frame lineup — the new Music Frame smart speaker. The Music Frame looks like a square picture frame, and can thus blend in with your home decor. The Music Frame can stand up, be mounted on the wall, or move around as needed.
Samsung introduces new chip for smarter TVs with AI upscaling
At the Unbox & Discover event, Samsung leaders were keen to showcase the TV’s AI upscaling. The new Samsung 2024 TVs are powered by a new chip, the NQ4 AI Gen2 Processor processor. Samsung promises that this chip delivers double the performance (and eight times as many neural networks) as its predecessor. The new chip will allow the AI TVs to automatically upscale grainy or low-quality video from years gone by. That might sound like sacrilege to lovers of lo-fi retro content, or an exciting new way to experience beloved content from the 90s and beyond—pick your poison.
Samsung leaders made the announcement with an assist from former SNL cast members Shannon and Meadows, who starred in a spoof video meant to highlight the new AI upscaling. To demonstrate this effect, Meadows and Shannon appeared in a 90s sitcom parody titled, “Best in the House.”
The parody started with the lo-fi video quality you’d expect from a 90s sitcom, before switching to the “upscaled” version. (Presumably, the video was shot with çağdaş cameras, so it’s unclear why upscaling would be necessary.) Beyond upscaling, the new chip will also allow improved picture quality, clarity, and contrast. For instance, the AI TVs will be able to isolate fast-moving objects to make them more visible to the users. This would be ideal for sports content, as a blurry soccer ball or football flying across the screen could become easier to see.
The 90s sitcom parody at the Samsung Unbox & Discover event.
Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable
Shannon and Meadows at the event.
Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable
Pre-order the new TVs and get a free 65-inch TV
To promote the launch of the new Samsung TVs, the company announced a new promotion: Customers who pre-order one of the new TVs will receive a free 65-inch TV. Specifically, when you pre-order a new 2024 Samsung TV, you’ll receive a free 65-inch UHD Samsung TV (total value of $529.99). Likewise, users who pre-order the new Frame smart speaker will receive a $50 credit to use at Samsung’s online store.
Mashable was able to check out the new TVs at the Unbox & Discover event, and pre-orders are live at the Samsung website. Samsung didn’t announce an official release date, but we expect the TVs to start arriving by the end of March.