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Samsung ships first OLED TV to Korea, U.S. version to follow

In what will be the third 55-inch OLED TV to make it to market, after two LG models, Samsung's KN55F9500 55-inch OLED TV will arrive in Korea next week for around $9,000.

David Katzmaier Editorial Director -- Personal Tech
David reviews TVs and leads the Personal Tech team at CNET, covering mobile, software, computing, streaming and home entertainment. We provide helpful, expert reviews, advice and videos on what gadget or service to buy and how to get the most out of it.
Expertise A 20-year CNET veteran, David has been reviewing TVs since the days of CRT, rear-projection and plasma. Prior to CNET he worked at Sound & Vision magazine and eTown.com. He is known to two people on Twitter as the Cormac McCarthy of consumer electronics. Credentials
  • Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
David Katzmaier
2 min read

Watch this: Samsung's KN55F9500 OLED TV promises vivid picture quality

Samsung said the OLED-based KN55F9500 55-inch would be available this year, and it's making good on the promise.

A report by Korea's Yonhap News Agency says the television will arrive in Korea next week.

A report at HD Guru says the news agency quoted a price of $8,780 USD (10 million won). A Samsung representative also told Guru that the U.S. version of the TV would arrive in the second half of this year. CNET contacted Samsung and we'll update this post if we get additional confirmation. Update: Samsung got back to us, but didn't provide any additional information.

Rival LG began been shipping two OLED models, one flat and curved, to Korea earlier this year. Buyers in the U.K. can also buy the flat LG now.

Yonhap also reported that Samsung will itself ship a curved version. We fail to see the benefits of the curved screens, but at least they're unique.

The Samsung KN55F9500 OLED TV includes a brace of features and promises "unprecedented picture quality." At CES earlier this year, Samsung differentiated it from LG's products by announcing that it is a "true" RGB design. LG's White OLED system uses color filters to give you the RGB spectrum; in comparison, Samsung uses three OLEDs of red, blue, and green per pixel. We haven't tested either technology yet at CNET, so we can't say which one is better.

One of the unique features is the true Multi-View feature, which lets two people watch entirely different programs with audio on the same screen. It requires each user to don special 3D glasses, complete with headphones, that will offer separate audio.