If you somehow have room in your house and the budget for a 98-inch TV, congrats. Samsung, the world’s bestselling TV brand, just introduced its newest almost-100-inch TV, the 98Q80C, for a cool $8,000.
The 98-inch size — that’s more than 8 feet of diagonal screen — is the largest mass-market TV offered by any manufacturer. Some companies like Hisense offer larger projection-based screens marketed as “TVs” however, and Samsung itself sells massive Micro-LED TVs for much higher prices, such as a 110-inch model for $150,000.
I haven’t tested the Q80C, but it uses Samsung’s QLED technology that, in my experience, can’t beat the image quality of OLED models. If you want an OLED TV in this size range, you’ll have to pay a lot more: The only example, LG’s 97-inch OLED G2, costs $25,000.
My advice? If you want an image this big and you’re not rich, just get a good projector.
Based on its specifications, I also don’t expect the Q80C to perform as well as the QN90B I reviewed last year or other models in Samsung’s Neo QLED lineup. That’s because those TVs, unlike the Q80C, use mini-LED backlights, which in my tests deliver even brighter images and more precise high-dynamic range performance. Samsung did show a 98-inch Neo QLED 8K TV at CES (see the video below) but has yet to announce when it will ship or how much it will cost. The Q80C does offer full-array local dimming, however, which should help its picture quality compared to TVs that lack that feature.
Watch this: Samsung Goes Bigger With 77-Inch QD-OLED, 98-Inch QLED TVs
The Q80C will be the most affordable Samsung 98-inch TV (relatively speaking, of course). If you want this screen size for a bit less, the 98-inch TCL 98R754 costs $5,000. There’s also a 98-inch version in TCL’s QM8 series that does have a mini-LED backlight and, based on its specifications, should outperform this Samsung. It’s $10,000 and “coming soon.”
The Samsung 98Q80C is available for early order now with a variety of incentives.
Or you can check out CNET’s expert-tested list of best home theater projectors. Just sayin’.
