[Tech Observer] While Chinese brands are rapidly rising in the global color TV market, in the high-end market, Japanese and Korean brands still maintain strong competitiveness. Due to Sharp's decline, the foreign brand trio of 3S (Samsung, Sharp, Sony) is no longer mentioned in the industry, with Samsung and Sony becoming the main players among foreign brands.
Despite Samsung's 18-year dominance in the global market, Sony has seen a slight decline in market share in recent years in the TV business. However, Tech Observer has noticed that both industry giants have been actively adjusting their strategies this year to further consolidate their leading positions in the high-end market.
Source: OVYUN
According to Ding Technology Network's observation, Samsung and Sony's strategies in the high-end market have a sense of "different paths leading to the same destination." Samsung previously focused on the high-end market by combining quantum dot and Mini LED technologies in its Neo QLED TVs. Two years ago, Samsung began entering the OLED TV market, and now it has established a dual development pattern of NeoQLED and OLED in the high-end market. It is worth mentioning that in just over a year, Samsung's OLED TV sales have exceeded one million units, potentially surpassing LG to become the global leader in the OLED TV market.
Sony has always positioned itself in the high-end market. In addition to its focus on picture quality chips, OLED has become a major support for maintaining its high-end positioning. However, with the overall decline of the OLED TV market and the rapid development of the Mini LED TV market, Sony has gradually adjusted its focus by increasing its efforts in the Mini LED TV segment. Ding Technology Network noted that after being absent from AWE2024, Sony recently released new TV products, with the most attention being drawn to the introduction of "disruptive Mini LED products." With the deployment of Mini LED products, Sony, like Samsung, has achieved a situation where both Mini LED and OLED are developing in the high-end market.
Samsung has transitioned from Mini LED to OLED, while Sony has moved from OLED to Mini LED. Although their development paths differ, both have reached the "peak convergence" in the high-end market. So, for fans of foreign high-end TVs, how should they choose between Samsung and Sony?
In fact, these two major brands each have their own strengths and possess research and development capabilities in "cutting-edge technology." Next, Ding Technology Network will briefly introduce the "unique secrets" of Samsung and Sony in the field of Mini LED TVs.
Samsung's Mini LED TVs are enhanced with quantum dot technology, a feature that sets them apart from other brands. In addition to the quantum dot matrix Pro technology that can finely control light, the newly upgraded AI chip is the "ace in the hole" for Samsung's NeoQLED TVs. For example, the Samsung Neo QLED 8K TV QN900D is equipped with the Samsung NQ8 AI Gen3 chip, which is Samsung's most advanced AI-driven 8K chip. The Samsung 8K AI Image Enhancement Pro technology supported by 512 AI neural networks can enhance the picture quality of low-resolution content to nearly 8K resolution level. This capability is a comprehensive reflection of Samsung's computing power, algorithms, and big data strength.
Source: Ding Technology Network
Taking a closer look at Sony, their newly launched 9 series Mini LED flagship product is equipped with Sony's highest specification Mini LED control technology, with the most important being the 22-bit grayscale control technology. This technology claims to bring a level of high-precision grayscale control that other brands cannot match. Unlike other brands, Sony does not emphasize the two industry-standard parameters of backlight zones and peak brightness, but instead focuses on high-precision grayscale control to achieve true image representation.
Ding Technology Network has noticed that Samsung has placed more emphasis on the role of AI this year, with a clear demonstration of the "AI For All" vision in their TV products; while Sony advocates for "bringing the cinema experience home," emphasizing entertainment attributes. One brand emphasizes AI technology, while the other highlights home entertainment, showcasing distinct brand styles.
Source: Sony official website screenshot
In conclusion, after Samsung and Sony's extensive overlap in the high-end market, a more intense competition between the two is inevitable. Samsung's strong development in the OLED TV market, not only replacing LG as the leader but also impacting Sony's position in the OLED TV market. Whether Sony can challenge Samsung's dominant position in this market after launching "disruptive Mini LED products" remains to be seen. Ding Tech Network will continue to follow up on this. (Ding Tech Network original, reproduction must indicate the source)
