It may be hard to relive the Obama era, but back in 2013, Panasonic plasma TVs were hugely popular in the US market. At a time when OLED was just a pipe dream for most people, plasma TVs far outperformed LED/LCD TVs. Then LED panels got cheaper and cheaper, and Panasonic suddenly stopped making plasma TVs altogether. By 2016, the company had completely withdrawn from the US TV market. Now, more than a decade after its plasma models dominated the US, Panasonic TVs are back.
Outside the US, Panasonic continues to be a global leader in the OLED era. Rumors of a US return have been circulating for almost as long as the brand has been there, but a global partnership with Amazon announced at CES 2024 has really kicked things up a notch. Panasonic today officially announced that it will be launching three premium TVs in the US featuring Amazon’s Fire TV smart interface: the flagship Z95A and “core” Z85A OLED TVs, and the flagship mini-LED TV W95A.
Panasonic is slowly starting to get back into the mix to compete with LG, Samsung, and Sony, with all three models now available in limited sizes. Here’s what you need to know.
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Panasonic Z95A OLED
Photo: Panasonic
The Z95A is the brand’s top-end OLED model, which was launched globally earlier this year and has garnered praise for its impressive performance. The TV comes with advanced features like a dedicated game bar, up to 144Hz refresh rate (albeit only on two of the four inputs, one of which is an eARC port), support for both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision/Dolby Vision IQ HDR, and AI-powered picture modes. It uses an OLED panel from LG Display (Panasonic has not officially commented on this) and is enhanced by Panasonic’s in-house processing and proprietary technologies.
