It feels like 4K is barely starting and 8K is already increasing it.
At the virtual version of CES this year, most of the biggest names in TV manufacturing like Sony and LG came up with their upcoming genres. While most of the TVs shown had a maximum 4K resolution (which is still beautiful and supported by more movies and video games than 8K), there were a few sets that went beyond that. Companies like Samsung and TCL have proven that 8K is real and that it’s here – just go along with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X in time, both of which will support it once 8K games start to exist.
If you do not know the difference between 4K and 8K, you can do so with our clarifier, but the most important thing you need to know is that it 16 times the number of pixels as a 1080p screen. If this sounds appealing to you, here are some of the coolest 8K TVs on display at CES this year.
Sony Z9J Bravia XR
Sony’s Bravia XR series includes 8K support.
First up is the latest 8K entry into Sony’s long-running Bravia TV line, the Z9J. Listed at 75 and 85 centimeters on Sony’s website, it promises an 8K LED screen with HDR, 120Hz support and a smart TV interface powered by Google. The nice thing about it is that it will not be the old Android TV UI; instead, it’s the newer Google TV user interface introduced in last year’s excellent Chromecast with Google TV.
Sony also offers a “cognitive intelligence” processor within the Z9J line. It will apparently use AI to analyze individual elements on the screen and make them look “just like our eyes perceive the world”, according to Sony. We will have to wait to see if the promise is kept. And the same goes for pricing and availability, which Sony did not specify at CES.
Samsung Q900A Neo QLED
No ring here
If for some reason you absolutely dislike any kind of ring around your TV screen, Samsung’s Q900A 8K TV showing it off at CES may be for you. It has all the bells and whistles you would expect from a high-end TV, such as HDR, 120Hz support and variable refresh rates, with the latter two being particularly appealing to those with next-generation consoles. As you can see, it has virtually no edge around the screen.
Samsung says new Q900A uses ‘Neo QLED’, a new display technology used extremely small LEDs to give the image more nuance. They are apparently 1/40 as big as normal LEDs, to give you an idea of how small they are. Unfortunately, we do not know exactly in what sizes it will come, nor do we know how much each model will still cost. Samsung’s previous QLED 8K sets are all at least $ 2,000, so don’t expect them to be cheap.
LG QNED Mini-LED 8K
Those LEDs are so small.
Speaking of small LEDs, the QNED Mini-LED 8K set from LG was announced at the end of December and displayed at CES. Like Samsung’s model, it uses a large number of small lights to theoretically produce more lifelike images with richer colors and deeper blacks than you would find on older TVs. It comes in 75- and 86-inch models, and includes Google Assistant and Alexa support.
Stop us if you’ve already heard: we do not know exactly how much it will cost or when it will come out. It is probably safe to assume that the price will not be small.
TCL 6 Series 8K
TCL can make 8K affordable.
Finally, TCL jumped on the 8K bandwagon this year by announcing that its 6 Series would get 8K models in 2021. For those who do not know, the 6 Series is where TCL premium features like 4K, Mini-LED, 120Hz and VRR in TVs that somehow cost less than $ 1,000.
Unfortunately, TCL’s announcement did not say much about sizes, prices or availability for the 8K 6 Series models beyond ‘later this year’. An 8K TV worth less than $ 1000 is unlikely to happen in 2021, but don’t be surprised if TCL’s entry into the 8K world is more affordable than most.