IFA 2019 was always going to be an exciting time for televisions. Each year, TV makers use the September expo to show off new models, sizes, ranges, or whole new panel technologies to the throng of visitors on the show floor.
Some of the most eye-grabbing sets were still those announced at CES 2019 earlier in the year – like the LG 8K OLED, or rollable LG Signature Series OLED TV R – while the announcement of a Hisense Roku TV range hasn’t yet been followed by any particular models we can eye up.
While there wasn’t anything truly game-changing on the TV front this year, there was still plenty to keep our eyeballs busy, with a number of new sets to tempt us away from our current televisions. So what were the best TVs of IFA 2019? Read on to find out.
1. Samsung 55-inch 8K QLED TV
The 55-inch model of Samsung’s 8K QLED TV won our Best TV of IFA award this year, for offering the high-end 8K display at a smaller and (crucially) cheaper size more likely to fit in the average consumer’s living room (previously released sizes go up to 98 inches). There’s still no Dolby Vision support, but with a starting price of $2,499 (around £2,000 / AU$3,700), you’re getting one of the best Samsung TVs for a lot less than before. See the whole run-down in our hands on Samsung 55-inch 8K QLED TV review.
2. Philips OLED+934 / OLED+984
Philips announced a new pair of OLED TVs, continuing its partnership with Bowers & Wilkins to bring premium built-in audio to the equally premium OLED sets. The Philips OLED+934 will be a 2.1.2 channel television with Dolby Atmos support, while the OLED+984 packs in four-sided Ambilight for some truly spectacular lighting around the television – as well a ‘floating’ soundbar design – set to launch in the UK and Europe in October.
3. Hisense 85U9E 8K TV
Hisense’s first commercially available 8K TV, the U9E, was shown off for the first time at IFA 2019, with 1,694 local dimming zones for precise brightness control. While there’s no pricing so far, you can bet it will offer a lower price point than a lot of the 8K competition.
See what else Hisense has coming in the Hisense 2019 TV range.
4. Panasonic MegaCon 4K Dual Panel LCD TV
Despite sounding something like a Transformer, the Panasonic MegaCon was one of the most intriguing TVs from IFA 2019 – with a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio you’d expect more from an OLED panel than an LCD set like this, as well as an impressive 1,000 nits brightness.
The MegaCon uses a dual-panel system, channeling the backlight’s output through the first panel into individual pixels in the second. An OLED killer? It's only a prototype for now, so we’ll have to wait and see. (Check out the Panasonic Transparent OLED TV too.)
5. JVC Fire TV Edition 4K HDR TV (UK only)
No one announced quite as many TVs as Amazon, with a host of new Fire TV Edition sets (which run the same smart TV platform as the Fire TV streaming stick) due to flood the UK and Europe in the coming months. At only £349 (around $430 / AU$625), this JVC-made LED TV will undoubtedly be one of the best value 4K TVs in the UK market, and should be landing in the coming months.
