Last year, it was reported that prices of the LCD panels used in TVs would start a steady decline that was set to last until well into 2022. And we're now well into 2022, but the great news that the price drops aren't set to stop yet – DigiTimes reports that LCD screens will get even cheaper during April.
During 2022 and the start of 2021, LCD prices had risen sharply, and the steady falls over the few months have been welcome because, as we noted last year, it's not just the price of the LCD panels that affects the cost of a TV. The chips involved are more expensive, shipping has become harder, and other costs are rising left right and centre.
But in the end, Samsung was able to drop the prices of its 2022 LCD TVs a little, which compares to LG actually raising the prices of its OLED TVs generally.
The prices of screens falling further this month is especially enticing because TVs made during April and May are likely to get into consumer's hands right around Black Friday and generally the big sales season – and if the TVs are cheaper to make, then the companies may feel they can be even more aggressive with their discounts. The best TV deals later this year could be very tasty as a result.
DigiTimes says that the price drops will probably be larger for big-screen panels, which could apply to the best 8K TVs as well as 4K TVs – 8K TVs tend to be larger, and are almost all 65 inches or bigger. There will be price drops on the smaller panels too, but not by as much, so the best 32-inch TVs and best 43-inch TVs may see less of an impact… but the price of more middling sizes has been falling fast over the last few years anyway, so we'll probably still see some huge discounts there.
I think one of the big winners here will be gamers, because we haven't seen as many cheapest models announced for 2022 with HDMI 2.1 support (for next-gen gaming features) as I'd hoped. The TVs that include are still mostly at mid-range or higher official prices at launch, but more of those mid-range TVs might drop to budget levels late this year if the screens become cheaper to make. That could really shake up our guide to the best gaming TVs and best TVs for PS5.
We already saw Samsung drop the price of its very premium Neo QLED TVs last year, and if there's a chance that likes of the Samsung QN95B could get an even bigger price drop this year… well, a lot of people are going to be in for incredible TV upgrades before too long.
