Ten years after the death of Panasonic's plasma TVs and eight after the company's left the US TV market altogether, the brand has returned, and this time it carries a big stick. And by stick, I mean "expensive OLED TV." The flagship Z95, of which there's only a single, 65 inch size, aims to take on LG, Samsung and Sony by adding a sprinkle Panasonic's own pixie dust.
I've spent the last week or so at CNET's TV lab testing the Panasonic TV-65Z95AP and comparing it directly to other high-end OLED TVs, including the Samsung S95D and the LG G4. I had one burning question: Can this screen live up to the plasma TVs of yesteryear? And is it better than today's best OLEDs? OK, that's two questions, but you get the idea.
Big 'sonic
Before we dive into the comparisons, allow me to set the stage with numbers and specs. The Z95 is a high-end, 4K resolution OLED TV that at $3,200, costs a bit more than those two flagship-level models. For that high price you get support for Dolby Vision IQ and HDR 10 Plus, with Dolby Atmos on the audio side.
The most noticeable difference offered by the Z95 is that big speaker system below. Other fancy TVs use the bezel or even the screen itself, but there's something to be said for old-fashioned woofers. The Z95 has a lot of speakers: a front line array, two sets of side speakers, upfiring speakers and a passive bass radiator.
This OLED TV from Panasonic is pretty thick at 2.7 inches from front to back -- about three times the depth of its competitors. However, unless you're putting the TV in the center of the room (and really, who does that?) nobody is going to see how thin or not-thin a TV is.
The top of the TV features a boxy protrusion that looks like it should be a pop-up camera. And yes, gesture-based control was actually popular around the time Panasonic TVs disappeared. But no amount of prodding caused a camera to appear, because this is actually the upfiring speaker that complements an Amazon Alexa microphone for hands-free commands.
The Panasonic boasts four 4K HDMI ports, one with eARC and two of that support for variable refresh rate, Freesync and G-Sync for gaming. Of potential interest to cord cutters, the TV also comes with a USB port that can be used to record TV from an antenna to an external hard drive.
Alexa, bring back a storied TV brand
The Fire Tv interface on a Panasonic TV
Ty Pendlebury/CNETSmart TV was never Panasonic's strong suit. While its competitors were experimenting with live TV integration, for instance, Panasonic was putting calendar apps on its Blu-ray players! The decision to include a turn-key operating system on the Z95 was indeed "smart" and Fire TV is one of the most common. This brings with it theAmazon Alexa voice assistant as well.
Fire TV users should be quite familiar with the interface, even if it can evoke a love-it-or-hate-it response. The TV's streaming shortcuts unfurl across the screen in a thin ribbon, and pressing the remote's "cog" button brings up a right-hand side menu with easy access to picture and sound settings.
If it wasn't for the Panasonic logo on the bottom, the TV remote could be mistaken for any other cheap Fire TV clicker. It has a voice assistant button and streaming shortcuts, as you'd expect. Sadly, this control wand isn't based on the Fire TV Remote Pro -- which means it isn't backlit -- but if you want that functionality the Pro is only an extra $35.
The remote features Amazon Alexa control but no backlight
Ty Pendlebury/CNETUpgraded audio and hands-free Alexa (with a catch)
That's not a camera, that's an Alexa microphone and contributes to the Z95's bulk
Ty Pendlebury/CNETI watched some action movies -- and in particular, Dune -- using the Panasonic's speakers in comparison to those of to the LG G4. As expected from a "typical" TV, the sound from the LG was embarrassingly thin. I wouldn't call the Panasonic sound system a sound bar, but it's a mighty upgrade on its competition.
Yet, if you can afford a $3,000+ TV, you may already have a decent home theater system or sound bar, which will sound better than the Z95's speakers. The TV has a subwoofer output, which doubles as a headphone socket, so attaching a sub should get even better sound and provide a nice compromise if you don't have a separate audio system.
The TV promises a hands-free Alexa experience, but this comes with one pretty major caveat: the assistant only works when the TV is on. I was able to say "Alexa, turn off the TV, and get the Panasonic to power off." But if you want to turn it on you'll need to use the remote or a separate Alexa device. You COULD use the TV as an ad-hoc speaker and run it 24/7, but a $40 Echo would be much more efficient in terms of both power output and heat.
Picture quality comparisons
I tested each of the individual modes and found that Cinema was the brightest accurate mode, with relatively natural colors and great contrast, while the most accurate overall by a nose was True Cinema. This is unusual as its competitors both champion Filmmaker Mode as their most accurate. The Panasonic TV does have this pre-set, but based on my testing it resulted in overly-green skin tones compared to others.
I pitted the Z95 against its two biggest rivals: the Samsung S95 -- which is currently CNET's best TV -- and the LG G4 65-inch. The two other two TVs were set to Fimmmaker Mode while the Panasonic was in True Cinema. I watched a variety of material, from the spooky It to our own suite of test patterns and demo material. With the exception of the Samsung's anti-glare finish, the three looked quite similar to one another.
As their brands' respective OLED flagships, these are three very impressive TVs with excellent color saturation and deep contrast. The Panasonic was capable of a slightly brighter picture than the other two, while also preserving shadow detail. Watching the opening scene of It, for example, the Z95 showed it was on a par with the Samsung in its ability to peer into shadows. The LG looked ever slightly crushed in comparison. Yet where the other two TVs were able to best the Panasonic in color -- the Samsung had the most brilliant reds, while both LG and Samsung still maintained excellent skin tones.
Even in Panasonic's True Cinema, the very faint green tinge I'd seen in Filmmaker Mode were still there, and this was evident on white backgrounds in my head to head comparisons. Yet, the effect was subtle and you likely wouldn't see this when viewing the Panasonic in isolation.
Early thoughts
As the vanguard of a new TV range, the Panasonic Z95 is indeed very promising. While the design is boxy, in an endearing way to my eye, the TV boasts picture quality which is up there with the competition. The only real concern is the price -- at $3,200 this television is hundreds more than its rivals, even the Samsung S95. That said, its soundbar-like setup may save you a little money in the short term. I will continue testing the Panasonic Z95 in the meantime, so look out for a full review in the coming days.