Philips launches OLED+ 935 TVs with Bowers & Wilkins sound and anti-burn-in technology

For obvious reasons, many large tech companies have this year declined to host their conferences at the annual IFA trade show in Berlin. Instead, industry titans are announcing their latest products through the medium of virtual – and in some cases interactive – conferences.

Philips is one such company. By means of a livestreamed press event, Kostas Vouzas of TP Vision showcased the latest flagship Philips TV, the Philips OLED+ 935, alongside a multitude of new audio products.

Available in 55in (55OLED935) and 65in (65OLED935) sizes this September, as well as a 48in (48OLED935) size coming in October, the OLED 935+ is the 2020 sequel to the OLED+ 934 from 2019.

Intriguingly, that 48in OLED model is the first of its kind ever sold by Philips. Once it launches, it’ll have to compete with rival 2020 OLED TVs such as the 48in LG CX and 48in Sony A9 Master Series.

P5 AI picture processor

The OLED+ 934 benefits from the latest iteration of Philips’ P5 picture processor, now in its fourth generation. This chipset features an AI Intelligent Dual Picture Engine with a dedicated AI chip that introduces what Philips calls an “enhanced AI PQ performance” to create more realistic and natural-looking images than seen on previous Philips TVs.

Philips’ fourth-gen P5 processor, also known as the P5 AI, brings with it a number of other AI-based improvements. AI Smart Bit Enhancement 2.0 is aimed at “eliminating banding”, while AI Machine Learn Sharpness tries to enhance image sharpness by analysing images and breaking them down into categories; faces will get a different type of sharpening to trees in the background, for example.

Meanwhile, Improved Perfect Natural Reality adds “30% more natural sharpness” to content. The 935 will feature a live demo tool so that viewers can compare images before and after the P5 AI’s processing treatment. This demo includes a breakdown of the different components of the image, from colour to motion, showing how each is optimised by the P5.

An answer to OLED burn-in

Along with the AI improvements brought about by the P5 AI, the new chipset has the ability to predict and protect against OLED burn-in.

The anti-burn-in technology monitors a grid of 32,400 zones on the OLED+ 935’s panel to detect static content (logos, game HUDs etc.) and then reduce the local light output accordingly. Philips states that this system “removes the burn-in problem for 95% of static images”.

Improved Bowers & Wilkins sound

As on the Philips OLED+ 934, the OLED+ 935 features a premium built-in sound system courtesy of British hi-fi specialist Bowers & Wilkins. The audio setup has been overhauled for the OLED+ 935 and is made up of ten drivers in a 3.2.1 specification: a central tweeter-on-top, three 19mm fully decoupled tweeters, four mid-range 50mm cones, a 100 x 65mm subwoofer and two Dolby Atmos firing elevation drivers. The central tweeter-on-top assembly is mounted in a chrome metal enclosure and creates a dedicated centre-channel array alongside its partnering mid-range driver.

The discrete upwards-firing Atmos drivers are new to the 935, and Atmos upmixing is available on this TV, allowing you to add Atmos effects to non-Atmos audio material. The 48in, 55in, and 65in models all use the same B&W soundbar but Phillps states that the “state of tune” will vary depending on the size of the panel. And for those with larger rooms, there is an RCA output on the subwoofer. As on the 934’s soundbars, the B&W bars on the 935 will be upholstered in Kvadrat cloth for a premium look and feel.

Next-gen gaming?

Gaming is less of a focus for Philips this year, as the 935 has no HDMI 2.1 ports, nor any of the gaming-focused features made possible by HDMI 2.1. That means that the 935 won’t support Variable Refresh Rate for reduced screen-tearing, ALLM for engaging a low-latency Game Mode or 4K at 120Hz playback. Philips states that HDMI 2.1 “sources are lacking”, so it felt HDMI 2.1 ports weren’t a priority. Next year, you “can expect all of the HDMI 2.1 features” you’ll need for next-gen consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X.

How much will it cost?

The Philips OLED+ 935 runs Android TV 9.0, supports a wide roster of streaming apps and covers the four mainstream HDR formats; HDR10, HDR10+, HLG and Dolby Vision are all accounted for. Finally, as expected, the Philips OLED+ 935 TVs will benefit from Philips’ Ambilight ambient light technology. This time, the Ambilight is four-sided, rather than the usual three-sided.

Prices for the OLED+ 935 models start at £1,800 for the 48in OLED+ 935, moving up to £2,000 for the 55in OLED+ 935 and £2,700 for the 65in OLED+ 935. Those are competitive prices, especially for the 48in model that has launched at the same price as the 48in Sony A9 OLED. There are cheaper OLEDs on the market, however, such as the 48in LG CX, which you can buy for £1,500.