Samsung Unveils A Bodacious 98-Inch QLED 4K TV With A Sweet Reservation Offer
Samsung is on an apparent mission to supersize home theater setups, and that's just fine by this author, who splurged on an 85-inch TV a couple of years ago. While still big, it's not as massive as Samsung's newest offering, an absolutely monstrous 98-inch QLED 4K TV (model 98Q80C). Yes, it's expensive as you might expect. But a reservation offer and some nifty early order bonuses cut into the cost quite a bit.
Let's just go ahead and deal with the elephant in the room right off the bat—Samsung has set the MSRP at a wallet-busting $7,999.99. If you have that kind of disposable income to drop on a TV, then more power to you. Don't forget to invite us over for the Super Bowl.
To take some of the sting out of the cost, Samsung is offering a $500 discount for anyone who places a reservation within the next 12 days. What that really boils down to is providing your name and email address (phone number is optional) to be notified when preorder availability opens up, and in return Samsung will send you a $500 voucher at that time. You're not actually committing to buy the TV or placing any money down.
So that brings the cost down to $7,499.99. However, Samsung is also kicking in a $1,000 instant discount, which brings the tally down to $6,499.99. And on top of that, Samsung is including its HW-Q800C soundbar (5.1.2-channel) with Dolby Atmos support, which it advertises as a $999.99 value (you can find it on Amazon for $747.99). In-home installation (worth $120) is part of the package, too.
Subtract all that, carry the one and, well, it's still an expensive piece of electronics. But at least it's not north of 10 grand. Those do exist, like Samsung's own 98-inch QN980A with mini-LED lighting, which goes for $11,947.99 on Amazon, or LG's 97-inch OLED TV for $24,996.99.
The 98Q80C avoids going into those same stratospheric pricing tiers by forgoing OLED and mini-LED technologies. Nevertheless, Samsung is promising a "vivid" picture on an obscenely large display, with a 4K resolution and Quantum HDR+ technology, along with slim bezels. It also boasts the Samsung Gaming Hub to access platforms like GeForce NOW.
Other details, such as the rated brightness and number of HDMI 2.1 ports, will have to wait until preorders open up. Stay tuned—that begins on July 3, with the extra bonuses valid until July 23. In the meantime, anyone interested can place a reservation to secure a $500 discount.
