Samsung Launches 55-inch Curved OLED for $8,999

We saw this at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, but now it’s officially available (actually, not until tomorrow, August 14th). Samsung announced its 55-inch curved OLED HDTV, and it will sell for $8,999, which is $6 less than the similar product LG released last month.

Related: Are Curved OLEDs a Big Deal?

The Samsung KN55S9C, like the LG OLED, sports a gentle curve to the screen, which Samsung says gives it a stadium-like effect. The 1080p resolution OLED panel uses self-emitting RGB sub-pixels, laid directly on the color display panel without a filter (the LG uses an additional white sub-pixel). Samsung says the technology produces rich colors and unparalleled blacks.

Other features of the KN55S9C include multiview capability in which two viewers can watch separate programs at the same time (by using the included active 3D glasses to separate the images). Earbuds built into the 3D glasses provide separate audio for each program. The same feature can be used by one person to easily switch between two programs (I tried this feature at CES, and it’s really effective.)

The TV is supported/surrounded by a metal frame Samsung calls the “Timeless Arena” frame, which looks similar to the design used on the company’s 85-inch, $40K Ultra HD TV.

The KN55S9C will be compatible with Samsung’s Evolution Kit, which can add new capabilities and features to the TV in subsequent years.

The TV is shipping to specialty retailers now (though Samsung didn’t say which ones) and will also be available on Samsung’s website.