This year, I swapped my 2021-era mid-range OLED TV for a new 2024 mid-range model from the same manufacturer – a like-for-like swap. I switched from a Philips OLED806 to a Philips OLED809 because I am a sucker for Philips’ magnificent Ambilight tech. (US readers: sorry, Philips’ OLED TVs aren’t available there.)
Given the popularity of the LG C1 OLED TV in particular, which topped our list of the best OLED TVs in 2021, I expect that there will be a load of people out there thinking about making the same kind of swap. It’s been a few years, the TV technology works especially fast – there must be some nice upgrades, right?
This is true, and I love my new TV – but it’s not quite clear cut to say that everyone else will feel the same about the upgrade. Some of the changes are subtle enough that people might not feel they’re worth the upgrade, and some things haven’t changed at all. So let me tell you six conclusions that stood out to me from comparing my old TV to my new one.
1. I had no burn-in problems
Okay, this isn’t really a comparison of the TVs, but it’s worth mentioning anyway since a lot of people are still under the impression that OLED TVs develop burn-in rapidly. My old TV from 2021 logged 3,700 hours of use and had zero signs of any image ghosting, pixel issues, or anything else like that.
That includes playing a lot of games and watching sports; ie, things that are likely to leave logos on the screen for a long time, and provide the risk of burn-in happening.
Bear in mind that OLED technology and processing have developed another three years since the TV that didn’t have any burn-in problems, and it’s even less likely to happen in new sets.
2. The brightness boost is real, but it’s also more subtle than you might hope
The Philips OLED806 was capable of around 750 nits of peak HDR brightness (in a 10% window), while we’ve measured the Philips OLED809 at between 930-1090 nits, depending on the mode you’re in.
Even at the lower end of the OLED809’s zone, that’s more than a 20% increase in HDR brightness, and it’s extremely obvious for these shiny HDR highlights when the TVs are next to each other. White tones are not only much brighter, they look purer – and the extra contrast makes the dark tones look even inkier.
Would I notice this difference if they weren’t next to each other? Yes, I’m confident I would, but doing so is literally my job. I managed to correctly guess the brightness of the LG C4 when I saw it in a demo room at CES 2024. I am not normal – for most people, it’s not a revelatory step up in brightness.
You can see this more in the image below, which relies more on fullscreen brightness, which continues to be low on OLED TVs. The fur on the OLED809 has a slightly richer golden hue from its extra brightness, but otherwise, there’s little major difference.
If you were to go from a 2021 OLED TV to one of today’s higher-end OLEDs – the Samsung S95D, the LG G4, the Panasonic Z95A, or Philips’ OLED909 – then you would see a clearer jump in brightness of all kinds.
3. You’ll still want real speakers if you’re a serious movie fan
More and more processing is going into the audio of mid-range TVs, especially around making sure that dialogue clarity is clear and sound positions match the movement of things on-screen. And these have improved hugely over the meager audio of affordable sets from a few years ago.
In our review of the Philips OLED809, we gave it a high sound score, because the TV offers surprising weight to the bass and clarity to the overall sound mix.
But that’s a high score compared to other built-in TV speakers. They don’t hold a candle to a good-size soundbar, let alone a full home theater speaker array. Compared to one of the best soundbars with a sub and rear speakers, today’s mid-range TVs will all still come across as thin, constrained to the TV screen, and lacking in real depth.
4. Smart TV software has come a long way
My old TV was an Android TV, and while it worked fine, it was not slick. My new TV is powered by Google TV, and it’s a lot faster, easier to use, and better at helping me find what I want.
The same is true of TVs from other makers, too – the new software in the LG C4 compared to the LG C1 is a major jump in usability, as well as feeling more responsive. Samsung‘s Tizen platform has also developed a lot in three years, and there’s a new look rolling out to TVs now.
It’s not about the access to the apps – that’s essentially the same. But it feels a lot less like you’re battling with TV software to get to what you want.
5. Reflections are still a problem
The highest-end OLED TVs have reflection reduction technologies. The Samsung S95D has a matte ‘OLED Glare Free’ coating to dissipate reflections that’s a revelation, and earned it our ‘TV of the Year’ award; the LG G4 and Philips OLED909 have a polarizer that reduces the intensity of reflected lights.
Mid-range OLED TVs do not get any of this. They have the same glossy screens they’ve had for years, which are great for vibrant colors and super-deep black tones, but not so great for reflections. And since mid-range OLEDs today still don’t have very high fullscreen brightness, reflections can be quite visible in any kind of viewing, if you’re in a bright room.
This shouldn’t necessarily be a dealbreaker for people – it isn’t for me, and my TV is right by a huge window – but it’s definitely an ongoing flaw.
6. You probably don’t need a like-for-like upgrade
So, I’ve run through the core things I’ve noticed, and my conclusion for most people who got a mid-range OLED TV in 2021 – whether that’s a Philips OLED806 like me or an LG C1 – is that you probably don’t need to upgrade to a like-for-like 2024 model. Yes, your TV will be better – but it won’t be mind-blowing better, and OLED still costs prices that will make you want a mind-blowing upgrade.
That’s a little different if you bought the cheaper LG B1 or LG A1; stepping up to today’s mid-range OLED TVs would nearly double the brightness of those sets, and you’d 100% notice that. That would feel like a major change.
And if you swapped from a mid-range 2021 OLED to a high-end 2024 OLED, you’d again see nearly a 100% increase in brightness for a major visual upgrade (plus you’d get anti-reflection tech).
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