I upgraded from a 2021 OLED TV to a 2024 model, and here are 6 things you need to know
because I'm a huge fan of Philips' amazing Ambilight technology. (US readers: don't get your hopes up, Philips' OLED TVs aren't available in the US.)
In 2021, I anticipate that many people will be thinking about making the same type of transition. It's been a few years, TV technology has improved significantly and functions at a very fast pace - it's likely that there are some great upgrades available, right?
This statement is accurate, and I'm happy with my new TV – but it's not clear cut to assume that everyone else will feel the same about the upgrade. Some of the changes are not noticeable enough that people might not consider them worth an upgrade, and some features haven't been changed at all. So here are six conclusions that stood out to me when I compared my old TV to my new one.
I experienced no burn-in issues.
My old TV from 2021 reached 3,700 hours of use without showing any signs of image ghosting, pixel problems, or any other issues.
These include activities like playing video games and watching sports on TV, which involve long screen displays and increase the risk of burn-in occurring.
The TV that didn't have any burn-in issues, and it's even less likely to happen in newer models.
2. The brightness improvement is genuine, but it's more subdued than you might have anticipated
The Philips OLED806 was able to reach around 750 nits of peak HDR brightness (in a 10% window), whereas we've measured the Philips OLED809 to be around 930-1090 nits, depending on the specific mode chosen.
Even at the lower end of the OLED809's brightness range, that's over a 20% increase in HDR brightness, which is very noticeable when the TV is right next to one that doesn't have this feature. Not only are white tones a lot brighter, they become more vibrant, and the extra contrast makes dark shades appear even more inky.
When I saw it in a demo room at CES 2024, I'm not one to get impressed easily - for most people, it's not a game-changer in terms of brightness.
You can see this more in the image below, which relies more on full-screen brightness, which still stays relatively low on OLED TVs. The fur on the OLED809 has a slightly richer gold hue from its extra brightness, but otherwise, there's little major difference.
– Then you would notice a clearer jump in the brightness of all kinds.
You'll likely still want to use actual speakers as a serious movie buff
There's a growing emphasis on audio processing in mid-range TVs, particularly when it comes to ensuring clear dialogue and sound that accurately matches the on-screen action. This has seen significant improvements compared to more affordable sets from a few years back, which had relatively poor audio quality.
In our review of the Philips OLED809, we gave it a high score for sound, because the TV provides impressive depth to the bass and clarity to the overall audio mix.
depth.
4. Smart TV software has made significant progress
My previous TV was an Android TV, and although it worked just fine, it didn't have a very smooth interface. My new TV uses Google TV, and it's a big improvement - it's significantly faster, much easier to navigate, and better at suggesting and finding what I'm looking for.
The same is true of TVs from other manufacturers, too – the new software in the LG C4 compared to the LG C1 is a significant leap in terms of usability and responsiveness. Samsung's Tizen platform has also made significant advancements over the past three years and is getting a new look that's being rolled out to TVs now.
It's not just about getting access to the apps, that's basically the same. But it feels a lot less like you're struggling to make TV software work in order to watch what you want.
5. Reflections are still an issue.
The LG G4 and Philips OLED909 have a polarizer that reduces the intensity of reflected light.
Middle-of-the-line OLED TVs don't offer any updates in this regard. They still have their existing shiny screens, which do a great job of displaying vivid colors and truly inky black tones, but aren't as effective at handling reflections. Since mid-range OLEDs currently have relatively low fullscreen brightness, reflections can be quite noticeable in any setup, especially if you're watching in a well-lit room.
This shouldn't be a turning point for people – it doesn't bother me, since my TV is right next to a huge window – but it's definitely a lasting fault.
6. You may not need an identical model or design upgrade.
So, I looked at the key improvements, and my conclusion is that most people who bought a mid-range OLED TV last year - like my Philips OLED806 or the LG C1 - probably don't need to upgrade to a similar 2024 model. While a new model will be improved, it won't be a game-changer, and the cost of OLED TV's remains high, which might make you want to splurge on a more significant upgrade.
It's a bit of a different story if you've got an LG B1 or LG A1, though. Moving to a mid-range OLED TV today would nearly double the brightness of those models, and you'd definitely notice that as a significant improvement.
If you switched from a mid-range 2021 OLED to a high-end 2024 OLED, you'd see almost a complete doubling in brightness for a significant upgrade in visuals (and you'd also get anti-glare features).
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