It’s that time of year when Trusted Reviews rolls up its sleeves and starts testing TVs. From April onwards, the televisions usually come off the assembly line and go into test rooms to be examined more closely.
Samsung’s flagship models have already been looked at, while I’ve started looking at LG’s G-series OLED (the C-series is coming soon). Sony has announced a few lower-end devices, while I’ve also started testing Hisense’s RGB mini-LED screens, and hopefully TCL’s new models will follow suit later in May.
But there are two brands that I haven’t covered yet. One of them is Panasonic, which I assume will launch later this year after making sweeping changes to its TV and home theater division. The other is Philips, who announced upcoming sets back in February, but all test units were whisper quiet.
Philips tends to release its TVs in batches, but I wonder if that’s out of sync with other launches.
Out of Sync
Every TV brand has its launch cycle. Sony typically has 18-month cycles (sometimes even two years for its premium TVs), LG, Samsung, Hisense, and TCL have annual cycles, and Panasonic seems to be switching to a different, longer cycle.
Philips releases flagship TVs almost every six to eight months.
This can be confusing because once I’ve received a review unit for one TV, it’s almost time for the other one to go on sale. From my perspective, this can be difficult to grasp, especially when it comes to reviewing, as there is always a new model on the horizon; A TV that is probably better equipped and offers better performance.
But the current TV may have come down in price and offer better value for money. How do you rate it? In the end, the TV must be judged on its own merits and now in light of what comes next.
Photo credit (trusted reviews)
I think the Philips OLED+910 is an absolute blast among televisions. The image quality, barring a few issues, is one of the best I’ve seen from an OLED in recent years; The sound quality, on the other hand, surpasses that of LG and Samsung, and at such a great price that is cheaper than most of its competitors.
But do you choose the OLED+910 or would you rather wait for the OLED+911, which is scheduled to hit the market in June? Philips is very consistent when it comes to quality – it’s rare to deliver a top-tier OLED TV – but rolling out these premium TVs on a six-month cycle must be causing them some pain. You can get the OLED+910, but finding out that the OLED+911 is even better (and costs a similar amount) would that cause buyer’s remorse?
The quality of the TVs themselves may make people simply happy with their purchase, but perhaps how often Philips updates its premium models isn’t really the issue; The biggest problem is when they start.
In the Shadow of Other TV Brands
Meanwhile, LG and Samsung TVs will be available in stores, while Sony appears to have made some effort to get most of its TVs in stores around the same time. Hisense and TCL will be available soon if they are not already available online and in stores. This puts Philips at a disadvantage as the company is obviously coming to market later than others.
Some will have already planned and made their purchases. If you’re waiting for reviews, it may take some time for them to be published, as I’ve found that it takes Philips some time to get its ducks in a row and hand out review copies. We may wait for test reports in September. That’s a long time until then if you’re desperate to buy a new TV.
Photo credit (Philips)
It doesn’t help that other manufacturers are lowering their prices (in fact, it doesn’t help them either), but it at least gives them a competitive advantage, because if you’ve been waiting for a price on an LG or Samsung OLED, you’ll probably be more eager to get it once the price comes down. Philip’s approach is to undercut companies like LG, Samsung, and Sony, but in some cases, that undercutting is no longer as strong when prices have fallen across the board.
This also means that Philips isn’t really involved in the discussion when it comes to new developments in TV technology. The innovations it drives are often lost in the marketing campaigns of others. If they were released at the same time, this could potentially still be an issue – but rather than being separate from these announcements, it would be grouped as part of the whole.
At the moment, Philips feels like an island apart, while elsewhere there is a continent full of things happening that cast a shadow over Philips.
An Ace Up Its Sleeve?
Philips is coming to market with a feature that others seem to be skipping, and that is Dolby Vision 2 HDR.
Samsung does not support Dolby Vision and has developed its own competitor, HDR10+ Advanced. LG doesn’t support it and Sony hasn’t announced anything yet, neither has Panasonic, leaving Chinese brands like Hisense and TCL to fend for themselves. Philips is the only European TV brand that has expressed interest in Dolby’s new HDR format.
But what kind of ace would it be if there was nothing to see in Dolby Vision 2? Dolby has stated that it can upscale the original Dolby Vision content to some extent, but some upgrades are tied to Dolby Vision 2.
There’s still no word on when it will launch other than later in 2026 (which might be more in line with Philips’ release dates), but perhaps with the introduction of the HDR format, this is a conversation that Philips can be a part of and take forward.
But who can say whether the addition of Dolby Vision 2 will increase people’s interest and sales? It may take some time for the format to find its groove and appeal.
Philips will probably never change its approach, but one wonders if it should. A new TV season sparks interest and discussion, and it’s positive that Philips is there and not gone. Comparing the brand to others and presenting it in summaries should only strengthen the brand, not weaken it. Its flagship TVs are more than on par with those from Samsung and LG – why not compete against them?
I suspect that Philips would triumph more often than you think. But for that to happen, the release plan needs to be refined a bit.
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