We’re fans of the new QLED TVs Samsung has on the way, but the price does kind of stand in our way. Turns out we’re not the only ones, and so the company has a mid-range generation on its way to stores.
Every year, TV manufacturers release their best of models to the world, showcasing the latest and greatest engineering that the annual cycle of television technology can offer, usually starting with an announcement at CES in January, followed up with the release a few months later.
In Australia, that time is between April and May, and what we generally see are the new TVs delivering that “wow” factor, with the previous year’s technology trickling down into lower end models. Sometimes you get a rebadged product, and other times you might see a new generation built from the research of the previous, and for Samsung, that appears to be what’s going on with its “MU” line-up of products.
Previewed earlier in the year during the launch of the QLED, Samsung’s MU range is essentially a mid-range Ultra HD TV, which is what we assume the “M” and “U” effectively translate to.
Built for the customer that may not have over $5K to play with, the MU TVs offer similar technology to what is seen in the QLED models, but also appear to be updates on what last year’s SUHD TVs were like in the Samsung range.
“Samsung strives to deliver the best possible premium TV experience that meets the need of our Australian customers and we are doing this by giving more people access to the latest in Samsung panel innovation, features, and design with the MU Series,” said Carl Rose, Vice President of Consumer Electronics at Samsung in Australia.
More people translates to more price points, and while the QLED range started at $4499 for the least expensive of the bunch — the 55 inch Q7 — the Samsung MU range maxes out at $3299 for a 55 inch TV, with that price tag getting you the 55 inch curved UHD from Samsung with up to 1000 nits of brightness, the “one remote” concept, and a screen technology Samsung calls “Ultra Black” that helps to reduce glare.
Not ever TV in the Samsung MU range sits below the $5K mark, with models over offering sizes above 65 inches, including the flat MU7000 with up to 1000 nits of brightness and pretty much the same technology as the MU9000 outside of the Ultra Black technology, but bigger with a retail price of $7499 for the 75 inch screen.
And the range sort of runs across several variants, with the differences between the MU9000 and MU8000 being whether you want a curved TV with the Ultra Black technology or not, and where you’re happy to pay an extra two- or three-hundred more, with the 55 inch MU8000 costing $3099 while the MU9000 sits at $3299, a similar difference to the MU8000’s $4399 of the 65 inch model and the MU9000’s price tag of $4699.
“In addition to incredible picture quality, our research tells us 38% of Australians are seeking larger TV screens, with the majority of these people (63%) wanting a screen larger than 55 inches,” said Rose. “That is why we continue to invest in offering a great UHD experience in large formats from 55-inch to 82-inch within the MU Series.”
And yes, there is an 82 inch variant coming in the Samsung UHD TVs, specifically in the MU7000, though Samsung wouldn’t say when or for what price. Our guess is around the $10K mark or just below it, potentially offering consumers an option in this massive size that doesn’t cost the proverbial arm or leg they normally do, even if $10K is by no means cheap for as TV.
We’ll keep you updated as to when Samsung plans on releasing this monster of a screen, but for now, you can expect to find the Samsung MU TVs across Australia from your usual assortment of electronics and TV stores.