Panasonic’s Stateside Return: New OLED and miniLED TVs Hit US Soil

You might have a hard time stretching your memory to the Obama era, but back in 2013, Panasonic’s plasma TVs were the critical darlings of the US market. They far outperformed their LED/LCD counterparts at a time when OLED was little more than a pipe dream for most. Then suddenly, under enormous pressure from ever-cheaper LED panels, Panasonic halted all plasma TV production. By 2016, the company had left the US TV space entirely. Now, over 10 years after its plasma models reigned supreme in the US, Panasonic TVs are back, baby.

Outside the US, Panasonic has remained a global leader in the OLED era. Rumors about a stateside return have been swirling for nearly as long as the brand has been away, but a global partnership with Amazon announced at CES 2024 kicked things into high gear. Today, Panasonic officially revealed the US launch of three premium TVs powered by Amazon’s Fire TV smart interface: the flagship Z95A and “core” Z85A OLED TVs, and the W95A flagship mini LED TV.

All three models are available now in limited sizes, as Panasonic begins its slow walk back to competing against LG, Samsung, and Sony. Here’s what you need to know.

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Panasonic Z95A OLED

The Z95A is the brand’s top OLED model, launched earlier this year globally to general critical acclaim for its excellent performance. The TV offers advanced features like a dedicated gaming bar and a max 144-Hz refresh rate (though only across two of the four inputs, one of which is the eARC port), support for both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision/Dolby Vision IQ HDR, and AI-powered picture modes. It utilizes an OLED panel from LG Display (Panasonic won’t officially comment on this), enhanced by Panasonic’s in-house processing and proprietary technology.

The hardware includes Panasonic’s version of microlens array (MLA) technology, which LG uses in its latest G-series TVs to produce stunning brightness. Panasonic claims its proprietary MLA modules provide special heat management to optimize performance. The brains behind the Z95A is the HCX Pro AI Mark II processor, designed to improve clarity and color processing. The company says the TV has been “fine-tuned by Hollywood’s most expert colorists” in Panasonic’s Hollywood labs for a picture that gets closer to creators’ intents.

Just as intriguing from a performance standpoint is the Z95A’s sound system, a weak point for most competitors. The TV leverages Panasonic’s hi-fi audio brand, Technics, for multiple embedded TV speakers, including a front-facing array that employs special algorithms designed to focus sound for intelligibility and to mitigate sound bleed.