Panasonic has unveiled a trio of new OLED TVs, launching its Z90A, Z85A and Z80 sets at a press launch in Dusseldorf Germany.
The Z90A and Z85A are the step-down models in the brand's 2024 line, sitting below the flagship Panasonic Z95A and Z93A we saw at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January.
Here’s what you need to know about them.
Panasonic Z90A
The Panasonic Z90A looks set to replace the Panasonic MZ1500B we tested last year.
We await full specifications and pricing, but what we do know suggests a direct rival to the LG C4, which we awarded five stars mere weeks ago, and Sony's Bravia 8, which is set to arrive later this year.
The Z90A will be available in 65, 55, 48 and 42-inch sizes. Sadly, like its LG counterpart, the new TV doesn’t feature the brightness boosting Micro Lens Array (MLA) tech seen on the Z95A and other flagship sets, such as the LG G4 and Philips OLED+959.
Each will run using a regular OLED panel featuring the brand’s Master OLED Pro branding however, and run using the company’s latest HCX Pro AI MKII CPU. Panasonic claims the new chipset and advanced Master OLED Pro tuning helps the set further boost the sets maximum brightness, HDR performance and accuracy.
Panasonic has also complemented it with a Dynamic Theatre Surround sound system which features a built-in subwoofer and front-firing speakers. We didn’t get a detailed breakdown of the exact configuration, but there was no word of up firing speakers being included, so Atmos support will probably be limited to the Z95A – as was was the case with these sets' MZ1500 and MZ2000 forebears.
Unlike last year’s model, the newer Z90A will be powered by Amazon Fire OS. We haven’t had a chance to give the OS a proper test drive on the new Panasonic sets, but its applications support and content library has been significantly more developed than the My Home Screen software used on previous Panasonic OLEDs.
For gamers, unlike the LG C4, the set is still limited to featuring only two HDMI 2.1 inputs, one of which doubles as an eARC input. So if you have more than one next-generation games console, modern gaming PC and a Dolby Atmos sound system, you will find yourself having to deal with a fair amount of cable swapping.
The set will feature the same 144Hz maximum refresh rate with VRR and Dolby Vision Gaming and True Game Mode, as the Z95A.
Panasonic Z85A and Z80A
The Panasonic Z85A and Z80A are more stripped down than the Z90A and Z95A. The Z85A will be available only in 65 and 55-inch sizes. It also doesn’t feature Panasonic’s Master OLED Pro tuning/branding and has a lower 120HZ refresh rate. The same is true of the Z80A which also runs using an older HCX processor. The Z80A will be available in 65, 55 and 48-inch sizes. This makes the two look like rivals to the cheaper LG B4 and A-series OLEDs.
We will update this page when we get final pricing on the sets and all three OLEDs' release date.
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