After a hiatus in the US TV market, Panasonic made its impressive return at CES 2025 with its newest flagship OLED, the Z95B, making many enthusiasts believe this might just be the best TV offering of the year.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
A Comeback Like No Other
Panasonic has always been remembered by home theater enthusiasts for its high-quality plasma sets. Now, it’s set to take on Sony, LG, and Samsung in the very premium TV category, bold and ready to shake things up.
The Z95B OLED: Panasonic’s New Flagship
The Z95B, available in three sizes: 55″, 65″, and 77″, utilizes the most advanced OLED panel from LG Display. With its new four-layer tandem structure, it outshines last year’s LG G4 in brightness, all without the micro-lens array technology that was used to boost brightness in previous models.
Photo by Guillermo Diaz on Unsplash
Dazzling Display Optimized for Gaming
The Z95B not only offers charm in display but also in gaming, supporting up to 144Hz. The Technics brand, another wing of Panasonic, tuned the TV’s sound, promising excellent audio quality. Built-in Dolby Atmos speaker arrays and cleverly concealed side-firing and upward-firing speakers truly make it a beast of a TV.
A Built-in Experience: The Z95B’s Dolby Atmos Speaker Array
While having audio hardware makes it bulkier than the usual, the benefit is that you may forgo the need for a separate soundbar. Panasonic also revamped the Z95B’s cooling system with a new heat dissipation technique to maintain the OLED panel in excellent condition over time.
The Hitch: Panasonic TVs Running Amazon’s Fire TV OS
One critique is that Panasonic TVs run on Amazon’s Fire TV OS, which is considered by some to be the least favorite TV platform due to its invasive ads. Nonetheless, most users bypass this issue by using other streaming devices like Apple TV or Nvidia Shield as their primary interfaces.
The Verdict: A Valuable Addition to the Premium TV Competition
The Z95B promises to offer a superb home theater experience. Despite its Fire TV OS, it doesn’t seem severe enough to overshadow its high-end offerings. If any, you can always opt for secondary interfaces.
Photo by Sarah Dorweiler on Unsplash
It’s quite exciting to think about what the Z95B can offer once it starts shipping. With more competition, everyone benefits, especially those looking for the next significant upgrade. Other companies like TCL and Hisense have redefined expectations for under $1,500 TVs, and now Panasonic is here to show us what’s achievable for those willing to splurge.