Samsung and LG unveiled their 2020 TV lineups earlier this year during CES 2020, but they were unable to sell those TVs due to the COVID-19 lockdown. As social distancing restrictions have started to ease in various countries across the globe, the companies have begun preparations to sell their new TV models.
According to reports coming out of South Korea, the usual time frame for the launch of new TVs from Samsung is by the end of March. However, due to COVID-19, the company had to face delays. Now, the company is under the process of replacing older TVs with the newer ones in the stores. It is also planning to carry out offline events, marketing, and promotions over the next few weeks. LG has similar plans as well.
Industry insiders believe that stores will go into normal operations by the end of this month. Best Buy opened 200 stores in the US earlier this month and has plans to open the rest of its retail stores over the next few weeks. Dixon, MediaMarkt, and Media Expert have announced their plans to open their stores soon. We might see a TV war between Samsung and LG as they try to convince consumers to spend on their respective TVs starting next month.
Both LG and Samsung will compete in the premium TV segment with their newly announced high-end products. Both the firms will try to have the upper hand with their OLED and QLED TVs. Samsung expanded its 8K QLED TV lineup this year and unveiled more lifestyle TVs such as The Frame, The Sero, and The Serif. On the other hand, LG unveiled eight new 8K TVs (two OLED TVs and six NanoCell TVs) for 2020.
Samsung and LG will face fierce competition from each other as both firms focus on improved picture quality, higher brightness, faster refresh rate, beefier processors, AI-powered 8K upscaling, faster connectivity, and better software. Both companies have started implementing AirPlay 2, Alexa, Google Assistant, HomeKit, and smart home integration in their TVs.
Samsung is the currently only brand that's offering Apple Music on its TV, and it has announced its plans to provide innovative health and fitness videos via the Samsung Health app for the TV. The South Korean tech giant is also banking on features like No Gap wall mount, simpler remote, One Connection, AI-powered audio technologies, and various eye safety certifications.
