MicroLED and AI for televisions, 5K for screens, dual video projectors and sound bars capable of automatically improving voices… Samsung is stocking up on new things in Las Vegas. Numerama visited the Korean’s huge stand.
At CES 2023 in Las Vegas, Samsung is rather conservative. None of the new features presented to the press on January 3 are really new, since they are more improvements than true technological revolutions. Is it enough to get bored? Strangely, no. Most of the products displayed by Samsung are so impressive that they still manage to dazzle passers-by, even to make them want to use them. The Korean manufacturer, world number 1 in many categories, will not be dethroned tomorrow.
A 5K screen to respond to Apple
Chosen by Apple for its professional screens (including the Studio Display tested by Numerama), the 5K definition is making its first appearance at Samsung, which had until then favored Full HD and 4K. 5K, which appeals to image purists a lot for the pixel density it offers, will allow Samsung to extend its offer to professionals (especially developers, who need this definition to replicate the resolution of a smartphone). It is of course a connected screen, with access to all Samsung applications.
To seduce professionals, Samsung relies on an application to calibrate the screen. By using your mobile’s camera and scanning a pattern on the ViewFinity S9’s 27-inch screen, you can get perfect colorimetry. In short, the target of this screen is not the general public.
Samsung is increasingly embracing OLED
After the first QD-OLED televisions last year, Samsung continues to develop screens with the technology that it has long avoided (not to give reason to its rival LG, absolute king of OLED). At CES 2023, Samsung is showcasing ultra-bright 55-, 65-, and 77-inch OLED TVs.
But that’s not all. Among the new gaming monitors announced by Samsung is an impressive 49-inch curved screen (32:9 ratio). The latter also uses OLED technology.
Samsung, which reigns over OLED on small screens, is finally seriously adopting it for the big ones. After forcing lovers of this technology to turn to the competition for several years, Samsung is finally becoming credible.
A lot of new software for TVs
Without a major hardware revolution, Samsung needs to innovate on the software side. Several new features are on the program for this 2023 edition, here are a few:
- Samsung’s new Neo QLED TVs automatically convert SDR content to HDR content, thanks to new algorithms capable of recognizing faces and shapes.
- A new mode allows people with visual impairments to watch TV with a filter that focuses on shapes.
- Chat Together allows you to watch an event, such as a match, with several people. You can chat with friends or strangers while watching TV.
- A new mode allows you to make video calls from your smartphone, but to display a replica of the screen on the TV.
- The TV Plus application, which provides access to live TV, now allows you to search for programs rather than a channel. A sort of Netflixation of television.
- Connected home enthusiasts can model their home in 3D and control it from their TV.
- In video games, Samsung can detect the game map and display it on another screen, such as your smartphone or tablet. The idea is to offer a second screen to the players.
Smart soundbars
On the audio side, Samsung says it has invented a co-processor capable of improving sound in a similar way to the video upscaling present on its 4K and 8K TVs. The Neural AI Quantum Processor notably improves voices and sounds to create a much more realistic cinematic effect.
Two video projectors to watch a movie in 21:9
How to watch a movie at home like in the cinema? By buying two video projectors of course. Two Freestyles can now be paired to display a 21:9 aspect ratio image, with intelligent synchronization. It’s cool, but necessarily expensive.
Frame TV’s matte screens eliminate glare
You may be familiar with The Frame and Serif TVs, which are known for blending in with the ambience of a room. Capable of replicating the appearance of a painting thanks to a so-called “ambient” mode, these televisions are very popular with people who do not like the look of classic models. In 2023, Samsung improves them.
To achieve this, Samsung is betting on a new so-called matte coating. The result is impressive, there is almost no reflection in the TV. On or off, we don’t see ourselves on the screen. What make these products even more attractive for people who do not like TVs (Samsung also allows you to customize the frame of your TV, to imitate a painting).
8K and MicroLED to impress everyone
Finally, Samsung is once again relying on exceptional technologies to show its superiority. There’s 8K all over its booth in Las Vegas, though content is still scarce. All the new models on display naturally have the new software features mentioned above.
If 8K is relatively “adordable”, microLED technology is still far from it. While waiting to be able to slash the prices of what promises to be the killer of OLED and QLED, Samsung is showing that it is advancing in its research with products of all sizes, with breathtaking contrast ratio and brightness. . The result is truly incredible and makes you want to jump 5 years into the future.
What about more zany products, like the tablet capable of folding and unrolling presented earlier? Samsung says this is a product developed by Samsung Display, not its consumer division.
All the products announced at CES will arrive in stores in the coming weeks, at prices still unknown, but no doubt in line with the previous ones. That’s the advantage when you settle for improvements.