Samsung puts a price on its 85

Samsung’s Ultra HDTV set, with its iconic style revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), will be priced in Korea at the equivalent of AU$36,000.

Samsung’s TV on stage at CES 2013.
(Credit: Nic Healey/CNET Australia)

They say “give an inch, take a mile”. In Samsung’s case, it’s “give an inch, add US$12,000”. The Ultra HD S9 with “gallery design”, which wowed the crowds at CES — even winning a Best of CES award from our US CNET colleagues — has received pricing for its native Korea.

According to a Korean news-wire release, the 85-inch TV is up for pre-order for 40,000,000 won — around US$37,800 or AU$35,800 at the current exchange rate.

While LG had priced its Ultra HDTV quite reasonably in Australia, Sony matched its US pricing of $25,000. This means that the extra inch on the Samsung seems to be worth US$12,000.

We jest, of course — we haven’t seen any pricing for US or Australia, so we’re merely extrapolating, and it’s often a bit oranges and apples. Remember that LG is selling its 84-incher locally for less than its asking price in Korea. Also, there’s a lot more going on in the Samsung offering than just the extra inch — quad-core processing, iconic design, etc.

But if there’s one thing we know, the pricing on Ultra HD is still seen as the biggest barrier to its acceptance as a viable “next” technology (the second being content), and while this is certainly a premium product, it feels like pricing on UHD is going up, not down.

Check Also

The Absolute Best Horror Movies on Hulu

Looking for the perfect chiller to watch around Halloween? Hulu’s got you covered. Below is a list of great horror flicks on the streaming service that will fit right into your binge-watching queue. But before we get into that, let’s cover some worthy alternates.  Hulu is home to M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense (1999), …

Leave a Reply