Panasonic returned to the US TV market final 12 months, and solely a matter of months later, I’ve satisfied myself that its newest flagship OLED is the very best TV of CES 2025. It’s a powerful resurgence for a model that many residence theater fans keep in mind for producing very good plasma units again when these represented the crème de la crème of show expertise for the lounge. After an extended hiatus, Panasonic is again within the recreation and squaring off with Sony, LG, and Samsung within the very premium (and really dear) TV class.
The firm’s new OLED, the Z95B, will are available in three sizes: 55 inches, 65 inches, and 77 inches. It makes use of the most recent and best OLED panel from LG Display, which is a brand new four-layer tandem construction that beats out the brightness of final 12 months’s LG G4 even with out the micro-lens array expertise that squeezed as a lot brightness as potential out of that TV. Last 12 months’s Z95A from Panasonic additionally used MLA, however the brand new method will get higher outcomes and is cheaper to provide.
So the panel is high tier and needs to be a formidable various to the QD-OLED show utilized in Samsung’s respective 2025 flagship, the S95F. OLED TVs simply preserve getting brighter, extra vivid, and dazzling — and customers actually can’t go fallacious with any of them. The Panasonic stopped me in my tracks on the present ground and seemed phenomenal. I couldn’t assist however stare at it for a number of minutes. The Z95B additionally presents help for gaming at as much as 144Hz, so it’s a robust contender there as effectively, although each LG and Samsung stepped it as much as 165Hz this 12 months.
Another factor that units the Panasonic aside is its built-in Dolby Atmos speaker array. The drivers and sound efficiency have been tuned by Technics, with a badge that advertises as a lot. I actually dig the material sides of this TV; it’s a cultured approach of concealing the side-firing and upward-firing audio system.
Yes, that audio {hardware} outcomes on this being a thick set by 2025 requirements — particularly for an OLED. Panasonic didn’t maintain again in making the Z95B a hulking beast of a TV. But the excellent news is that many individuals gained’t have to hassle with a separate soundbar since this technique will (doubtless) sound so good. As famous by the superb Caleb Denison at Digital Trends, the corporate has additionally reworked the TV’s cooling system with a brand new warmth dissipation approach that ought to assist preserve that four-layer OLED panel in tip-top form over the long run.
But there’s one obtrusive dilemma with Panasonic TVs: they run Amazon’s Fire TV OS. That’s fairly unlucky. It’s my least favourite TV platform among the many pack, and I’d argue Amazon has crossed the road with regards to pushing adverts on prospects — even when probably the most egregious examples could be disabled in settings. Fire TV has some good concepts right here and there; the ambient mode widgets are one thing Google has taken observe of. But I actually hope that Panos Panay and the Fire TV crew take a sledgehammer to this software program and are available again with one thing a lot sleeker, extra intuitive, and worthy of a TV that’s sure to be very costly if the Z95A is something to go by.
Even so, I do know loads of individuals who largely ignore their TV’s default software program and use an Apple TV, Nvidia Shield, or another streaming participant as their most well-liked leisure interface. With Samsung and LG each being very aggressive with the AI gimmicks this 12 months, I anticipate seeing much more of that. The LG G5 will characteristic an LLM-powered chatbot, has an AI button on its distant, and even ships with Microsoft Copilot inbuilt. It’s attending to be a bit a lot, no?
To me, the “greatest TV” of CES comes all the way down to what sort of residence theater expertise it can present. And Panasonic is already doing a powerful job conserving tempo with Sony with regards to delivering a front room centerpiece that nails each image and sound. I want the Z95B (and the corporate’s 2025 Mini LED TVs) ran, effectively, some other TV working system. But I don’t suppose Fire TV OS is unhealthy sufficient to sink this high-end set. If you disagree, not less than it’s comparatively straightforward to simply use one thing else more often than not.
I can’t wait to spend extra time with the Z95B when it begins delivery later this 12 months. More competitors advantages everybody who’s looking out for a brand new TV. Companies like TCL and Hisense have finished a fantastic job setting new expectations of what you may get for beneath $1,500. And now Panasonic’s return is displaying us what’s potential for these with the means to splurge on their subsequent massive improve.
Photography by Chris Welch / The Verge
