LG's 2015 4K OLEDs start at $5K, according to retailer leak
In advance of official pricing information from LG, two vendors are showing identical online pricing for the company's highly anticipated 2015 OLED TVs. As expected they're extremely expensive.
- Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
Update February 24: As of this morning B&H has removed all of the 2015 OLED TVs, and Adorama has removed all but the two EF9500 models, from the search results linked below. The prices listed were current yesterday, however, so we're keeping this article otherwise unchanged for now in lieu of official word from LG.
LG's new 4K resolution OLED TVs were expected to cost a mint, and according to early pricing listed leaked by vendor sites, they do.
New York area vendors B&H and Adorama have listed a number of the company's 2015 OLED TVs on their websites in advance of official pricing information from LG. The least expensive is a 55-inch flat model, the 55EF9500, for $4,999.
The curved version is listed for $500 more at $5,499, and "expected availability" at B&H is listed as March 9. No other availability information is listed at either site.
CNET reached out to LG and was told by Tim Alessi, the Director of New Product Development for LG Electronics, that LG couldn't confirm the prices at this time. I expect official word from the company soon.
In the meantime, here's the breakdown of the vendor price listings:
LG 2015 4K OLED TV leaked prices
| Model | Size | Screen | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77EG9700 | 77-inch | Curved | $24,999 |
| 55EG9600 | 55-inch | Curved | $5,499 |
| 65EF9800 | 65-inch | Flat | $9,999 |
| 65EF9500 | 65-inch | Flat | $7,999 |
| 55EF9600 | 55-inch | Flat | $4,999 |
The prices listed on the two sites are identical for the models shown, although the sound-bar-equipped 65EF9800 appears only on Adorama's site, not that of B&H.
CNET called both vendors and spoke to salespeople in the TV department. The Adorama rep said availability was expected "in 3-4 weeks" for all of the models (which we find hard to believe for the flat and 77-inch sets), while the B&H rep only confirmed what was listed on the site, namely that the 55-inch curved 55EG9600 was coming around March 9.
Interestingly neither site yet lists the 65-inch curved 65EG9600 announced at CES. When we asked the B&H rep about it, he said it was not in his system. We also checked Best Buy and Amazon, and neither vendor showed the new LG OLED TVs yet.
This isn't the first leak of LG's 2015 OLED pricing we know of. A Danish site pegged pricing as quite a bit lower, around $6,500 and $3,800 for the 65- and 55-inch flat OLED TVs respectively.
While both examples of early pricing are subject to change once LG makes its official announcement, they make sense when compared with current pricing ($2,999 and $9,999 for 55-inch 1080p and 65-inch 4K models respectively) and our expectations. If I had to guess, I'd say the leaked vendor prices are closer to the mark than the Danish site's.
If that's the case, OLED TVs will remain a plaything of the rich this year. You'll be paying a $2,000 premium for 4K resolution between the current 55-inch 1080p set ($2,999) and the cheapest new model ($4,999).
Prices could well fall throughout the year, but without competition -- LG is the only TV maker that has announced an OLED TV for 2015 -- I doubt they'll fall too far. Hey, at least that single 1080p 55-incher will remain on sale throughout 2015. Too bad LG says it's unlikely to make larger (or flat) 1080p OLED TVs.
Despite their high prices I'm looking forward to checking out the new 4K models. If these preliminary vendor listings are in any way accurate, we won't have to wait long.
Thanks to CNET commenter @VelcrowX for the heads-up!