Panasonic reveals its full 4K OLED and LED TV lineup for 2021
The Japanese giant uncovers SIX more 4K TV models during its Audio Visual Event
Two months on from Panasonic’s showcase of its flagship JZ200 4K OLED television at CES 2021, the electronics giant has finally uncovered the remaining models making up its TV lineup this year. During Panasonic’s Audio Visual Event, which took place today, March 25, we saw three new 4K OLED models – the JZ1500, JZ1000, JZ980 – and three 4K LED sets – JZ940, JX850, JX800 – alongside a number of audio product reveals. Unlike rival manufacturers, Samsung in particular, Panasonic will not be launching any 8K TVs in 2021.
Prices and release dates have not been announced but Panasonic has at least provided some information regarding panel sizes and specifications. The JZ1500, JZ1000 and JZ980 4K OLED models will be available in 65in, 55in and (new for 2021) 48in variants and will all feature dual HDMI 2.1 inputs that will support 4K at 120Hz signals and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) in the form of Freesync Premium. G-Sync support will not be present, but Panasonic states that PCs using HDMI 2.1-complaint NVIDIA graphics cards “will be recognized as HDMI2.1 devices”.
All Panasonic’s 2021 OLEDs (as well as the JX940 LED) will be powered by the new, top-end HCX Pro AI processor. Happily, the JZ1500 will also use the same Master Pro OLED panel seen on the flagship JZ2000, though it will miss out on the JZ2000’s premium speaker system. Meanwhile, the JX940 4K LED will be available in 75in, 65in, 55in and 49in panel sizes. As for the JX850 and JX800, they will both come in 65in, 58in, 50in and 40in variants.
Of these, the JX940 will be of most interest to gamers and visual fidelity enthusiasts thanks to its HCX Pro AI Processor, 120Hz HDR Cinema Display Pro panel and HDMI 2.1 features including VRR and High Frame Rate (HFR). The JX850 and JX800 will be powered by the HCX Pro chipset seen in last year’s models, and they are not expected to support any HDMI 2.1 features.
All the key HDR formats will be supported by every Panasonic 2021 OLED and LED model. That means Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+ and Hybrid Log-Gamma will be on board from the JZ2000 right down to the JX800. Additionally, Dolby Vision IQ will appear on the JZ200, JZ1500, JZ1000 and JX940. Film Maker Mode with Intelligent Sensing, first introduced in Panasonic’s 2020 TVs, will also feature on every new Panasonic 4K set this year.
Finally, the new 2021 Panasonic TVs include a redesigned premium remote control built with improved ergonomics. With the apparent exception of the JX800, every Panasonic 2021 model will run the latest version of Panasonic’s OS, My Home Screen 6.0.
As mentioned, release dates and prices have not been announced but we will be reporting on this information as soon we get it. From there, we’ll be aiming to test as many 2021 Panasonic TVs as we can to help you decide which one is right for you, so stay tuned.