Photography: Ryan Wanyata
With excellent image processing, details stand out from crystal 4K Blu-rays to upscaling to 1080p and even 720p. Only the fuzzier SD images fail to impress, sometimes coming through a little blocky, but that’s pretty much true of any 4K TV.
The only small chinks in the armor I noticed over several days were some minor stuttering or juddering with difficult action scenes and some color banding with compressed video. Other than that, I was able to sit back and enjoy the glow.
The highlight for me were the Z95A’s gorgeous colours, so rich and exciting that they surprised me, even when compared to all the other great flavors in Panasonic’s own sauce. I was hooked from day one, starting with casually watching the classic holiday show miser. From Bill Murray’s deep navy suits to Robert Mitchum’s golden crimson pajamas, I found myself captivated — and I wasn’t alone.
Fantasy It is one of my wife’s most-watched films, yet we were impressed by the artistry. Sapphire blue, flashing silver, pastel violet, and deep yellow gold all burned beautifully. Even something as simple as a target fish Assassin’s Creed Valhalla It draws attention, and burns like magma. I stream, but a TV this good will do that to you. There are only a few TVs on the market that keep up with this.
Photography: Ryan Wanyata
LG G4 It is one, and offers similar delights (and four HDMI 2.1 inputs), but I’ve had no luck with review samples so far. The Sony A95L QD-OLED (9/10, WIRED recommends) is my favorite competitor. It’s not quite as bright, but it’s similarly impressive and has slightly better image detail. The Samsung S95D (8/10, WIRED recommends) isn’t eye-catching — it skips Dolby Vision — but its matte screen offers interesting anti-glare skills. Finally, Sony’s ultra-bright Bravia 9 mini LED TV (9/10, WIRED recommends) is a wild card for those looking for next-generation brightness, although its backlight display isn’t as bright or balanced as OLED.
All of these competitors offer larger model sizes than the Z95A’s sole 65-inch size, which can make a difference. However, there is something about the Z95A that impressed me. Aside from its Fire TV system, it’s the best performer in every category and is easily one of the best TVs you can buy. Welcome back, Panasonic. It’s been too long.