Samsung used CES 2026 to announce a major OLED panel upgrade, but the real twist is that the same technology might already be running quietly inside living rooms. The company says its newest QD-OLED enhancement brings a sizeable brightness jump and better control over reflections, while keeping prices aggressively low against its main rival, LG. On stage, Samsung paired its statement with a vivid side-by-side demo that showed the upgraded panel punching through harsh studio lighting without washing out color.
The OLED Upgrade Explained
Samsung describes the new panel as an evolution of its QD-OLED tech, built to boost brightness and improve perceived contrast without sacrificing color accuracy. According to Samsung’s own briefing, the upgrade focuses on a refined light control layer and updated driving algorithms that allow the OLED material to run brighter in highlights while keeping dark scenes stable. As Samsung outlined to reviewers, the goal is to close the gap to the brightest premium sets while still leaning on QD-OLED’s wide color gamut.
In practical terms, Samsung is pitching a clear step up in peak brightness compared with its earlier QD-OLED panels, especially in HDR specular highlights such as sun glints on water or neon signs. The company framed this as the kind of change that becomes obvious in side-by-side comparisons, particularly in rooms with some ambient light where older OLEDs can look slightly muted. By tying the improvement to both panel hardware and new processing, Samsung is also positioning the upgrade as a platform that can keep evolving through software.
Why Your TV Might Already Have It
The surprise twist is that this upgrade is not limited to brand-new models. Samsung has confirmed that some existing QD-OLED sets, including S95 series TVs, are already benefiting from the refined panel package and updated tuning. According to Samsung’s own explanation, the company began rolling the enhanced panel into production before formally announcing it, which means certain S95 owners may already be watching on the new hardware without realizing it.
Owners have started comparing notes in Samsung community threads, where some S95 users report noticeable changes after recent firmware updates and speculate that they are seeing the effects of the upgraded panel and processing. Samsung has responded by pointing customers to an online eligibility checker that lets buyers confirm whether their serial number corresponds to the refreshed QD-OLED hardware. That tool, highlighted in the same official announcement, is Samsung’s main way of sorting which existing sets qualify for the full set of enhancements.
Pricing That Undercuts LG
Alongside the panel news, Samsung used its CES stage to talk pricing, and the message was aimed squarely at LG. In the United States, Samsung’s own pricing sheet lists the new 65-inch OLED model at 2,000 dollars, which is set up as a direct comparison point to LG’s equivalent size. According to Samsung’s published US price list, that 65-inch figure comes in below the LG alternative that the company is targeting, giving Samsung a headline-friendly way to claim an advantage on value.
Samsung’s pricing strategy extends across the lineup, but the 65-inch tier is the clearest example because it is a popular size for living rooms and a common reference point in reviews. By setting the 65-inch model at 2,000 dollars, Samsung is signaling that the upgraded panel and feature set do not require a premium over LG, at least at launch. As the pricing breakdown makes clear, that undercutting is central to Samsung’s pitch that buyers can get a brighter QD-OLED experience without paying more than they would for LG’s mainstream OLED option.
Surprise Features in the S90H
The S90H OLED TV was Samsung’s showpiece at CES 2026, and it arrived with two features that caught even seasoned reviewers off guard. The first is an AI upscaling system that Samsung says has been trained to recognize fine detail and texture, with the goal of making lower resolution content look sharper on the 4K panel. In early hands-on time, one reviewer from Tom’s Guide described the S90H’s AI upscaling as surprisingly effective on challenging material such as older HD sports broadcasts, where uniforms, grass and crowd shots can easily turn into a blur.
The second standout feature is a new anti-glare coating that targets one of OLED’s lingering weaknesses: reflections in bright rooms. Samsung’s demo set up the S90H under harsh show-floor lighting and played dark, contrasty scenes to highlight how much less the screen acted like a mirror compared with older OLEDs. The same hands-on report noted that the coating cut down on distracting reflections without introducing a milky haze, which has been a trade-off in some anti-glare designs. Samsung executives framed both the AI upscaling and the anti-glare treatment as examples of how the company wants to improve day-to-day viewing rather than chasing specs alone.
How This Changes the TV Market
Samsung’s move is aimed squarely at LG’s long-running influence over the OLED category. For years, LG’s WRGB OLED panels set the baseline for what consumers expected in black levels and color, while Samsung leaned on QLED LCD sets for brightness and value. With the upgraded QD-OLED panel, lower US prices and a halo product like the S90H, Samsung is trying to reposition itself as the company that can match or exceed LG on picture quality while also beating it on price. Analysts quoted in coverage of the announcement described the strategy as a direct attempt to erode LG’s advantage at the top end of the market.
For buyers, that rivalry translates into more aggressive feature sets and lower prices in the sizes that matter most. The 2,000 dollar sticker on Samsung’s 65-inch OLED, combined with a brighter panel and features like AI upscaling and anti-glare tech, puts pressure on LG to respond with its own improvements or discounts. Industry watchers cited by Samsung’s pricing coverage suggest that this kind of leapfrogging could compress the premium that OLED sets have traditionally commanded over high-end LCDs, especially as QD-OLED narrows the brightness gap.
What Owners Should Do Next
For anyone who already owns a recent Samsung OLED, the first step is to check whether the TV is part of the quiet panel refresh. Samsung directs customers to its eligibility checker, which is linked from the same official announcement page that detailed the QD-OLED upgrade. Entering the serial number confirms whether the set shipped with the newer panel and tuning, which can help explain why some S95 owners are seeing different performance than others.
Keeping firmware up to date is also important because Samsung is tying part of the upgrade to revised processing and algorithms. The company’s support pages, which are referenced in its US pricing coverage, walk through how to trigger a manual update if automatic updates are disabled. At the same time, Samsung has been clear that not every older OLED will gain full parity with the latest models, since some of the brightness headroom and anti-glare behavior depends on physical panel changes that software alone cannot replicate.
Uncertainties and Future Outlook
Despite the confident CES rollout, Samsung still has unanswered questions around timing and availability. Reporting on the panel upgrade notes that Samsung has not fully detailed how quickly all production lines will switch to the enhanced QD-OLED hardware, which leaves some uncertainty for buyers trying to time a purchase. Coverage of the announcement on What Hi-Fi also points out that Samsung has not confirmed matching pricing or configurations for every global region, so the 2,000 dollar US figure for the 65-inch model may not translate directly into other currencies or markets.
Analysts quoted in early reactions suggest that 2026 could be a year when QD-OLED gains share if Samsung can maintain its pricing edge and roll the upgraded panel into more sizes and models. At the same time, those same voices caution that LG is unlikely to stand still, and that supply constraints or slower-than-expected panel transitions could blunt Samsung’s momentum. For now, the most tangible change is that some buyers already have the upgraded panel in their living rooms, even if they only learned about it when Samsung finally decided to make the surprise official.
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*This article was researched with the help of AI, with human editors creating the final content.
