LG’s leaving Samsung unchallenged in a key next-gen TV category

South Korean tech giant LG is bowing out of the 8K TV market, leaving its Samsung rival on its own to develop the technology.

As reported by FlatpanelsHD, LG Display has confirmed that development of 8K OLED panels has been put on hold. It did add that this could restart if market conditions changed but, for now, LG will no longer be producing OLED 8K models. That includes the LG Z3, which scored an impressive four stars after being put through its paces in our test room.

This development follows on from Sony’s own cessation of 8K TV production in April last year with the Z9K.

8K has had a troubled lifespan, mainly due to the lack of native content available in the resolution at the moment and competition from 4K.

On top of that, 8K TVs are bloomin’ expensive and are simply not affordable for the average customer. The 77-inch LG Z3, for instance, would have set you back an absolutely eye-watering £14,999 / AU$15,999 (around $20,660).

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It’s not all doom and gloom, as Samsung is still producing its own line of 8K models. The pick of the litter comes in the form of the five-star Samsung QN900D, which scored a What Hi-Fi? Award in 2024. With its £6650 / $6299 / AU$8999 price tag at launch, however, that’s still quite the commitment for your wallet.

The brand launched new models last year as well, namely the Samsung QN990F and the QN900F TVs. We are yet to get these in for testing, but during our hands-on session of the former, we were impressed by its rich colours and brilliant upscaling capabilities. Perhaps there’s still hope for the technology yet.

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Here’s our hands-on review of the Samsung QN990F

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