Verdict
Another impressive OLED TV from Panasonic , the Z90A develop a beautiful HDR image and ring in a really honest sound system . The improver of Fire TV means it ’s not miss for entertainment options or smarts but the competitor is keenly feel in some motion-picture show quality areas and there is a green tint to this OLED ’s images at wider angles .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Panasonic Z90A is the Nipponese brand ’s stone’s throw down OLED for 2024 but on the surface you might look and mean that not much has changed .
But much has change , not on the outside but deep down . Freeview Playis replaced by Freely , Panasonic ’s own My dwelling Screen port has been cast out to the technical school graveyard with Amazon ’s Fire TV taking its place , and there ’s a new CPU inside power the characterization backed up by AI .
2023’sMZ1500was extremely - regarded on this situation , can the Z90A repeat the trick ? Let ’s determine out and see .
Design
Very little has changed with the Panasonic Z90A in terms of esthetic and overall design . In fact , it would n’t surprise me if this was the exact same chassis used for the M1500 .
In short that means slender bezels , a minimalist spirit ; an integrate sound system at the bottom of the screen and a central standstill that swivels so you’re able to angle it at a projection screen . Assembling the TV is fast – just over a minute and at 24 kg it ’s not too heavy to haul onto a wall if you decide to rampart - mount .
There ’s still that impound - on accessary for the rear part of the stand that filters line through to make the rear area of the TV less messy , but it still feels fragile and fiddly to attach and after a while I just gave up and leave it in the box .
User Experience
After introducing Android and Fire TV to some of its UK models in 2023 , My Home Screen is formally pass away , replace by Amazon Fire TV . Set - up is dim-witted enough if you ’re an existing Amazon customer as you may stockpile over scope from old Fire idiot box devices .
you may opt between setting the Z90A with the physical remote or the Fire TV app ( the quicker method ) . The Fire television port updates cursorily enough and the goggle box connects to the Wi - Fi in blisteringly fast sentence – for whatever reason it takes what feels like a decade to update the remote control .
The benefits are obvious . Apps number in the hundreds rather than the tens , the country where Panasonic ’s own interface was weak in : sports , medicine , and news are now areas where option is abundant . Fire TV rival Samsung Tizen and LG webOS in footing of the sheer telephone number of apps so you wo n’t feel the need to add a pour joystick .
Freeview Play has been swapped out forFreely , the fresh over - the - cyberspace platform that give birth UK live- catch - up and on - need content all in one commodious berth . It was n’t working for the continuance of testing but I would imagine it works as swimmingly as it presently does on other Freely TVs I ’ve test .
ardor TV also think of that Panasonic ’s own menu system of rules has had to be merged into Amazon ’s , and the solution are substantial , I feel . There ’s plenty of customisation – you still get the My App clitoris for your best-loved action / shortcuts – and the menu configurations go deep in term of what you could do , appear as an overlay on the good - hand side .
Practically everything you could do before has ruffle over with the added benefit of not get to plunge into a full - screen menu to adjust thing . What I do miss , though , is the description that comes with each scene that explains what it does . The Z90A is aimed more at home movie house enthusiasts but for Panasonic ’s less expensive TVs , I ’d say that ’s a miss for those less interested in tweaking preferences .
There are a few drawbacks of Fire TV , though . You need an Amazon account to get to the interface , which while free and is becoming a necessity across all TV interfaces . If you do n’t have an Amazon account practically nothing mould .
The remote is still the hefty bat from a few geezerhood back and is one domain where Panasonic is beginning to remand behind . It ’s big , goodish , and easy to use ; and I wish the click feedback from the button . You ’ve got warm access button to the likes of Disney+ , Prime Video ( which seems unneeded considering it ’s plaster everywhere ) , Netflix , YouTube and Freely ; plus an Alexa clitoris .
This is less an Amazon Fire TV remote control that US buyer get with Panasonic TVs and I think that ’s a good thing , but , it runs on bombardment whereas Panasonic ’s main competitor are moving towards USB - deoxycytidine monophosphate rechargeable remote control . In terms of sustainability , Panasonic is lagging .
Features
Panasonic has made big strides in terms of the interface , the characteristic side of thing remains pretty similar with a few improvements here and there .
It ’s a full house for HDR formats with HDR10 , HLG , HDR10 + Adaptive andDolby Vision IQ . There are more picture modes that I could advert but the principal one are Auto AI ( which mechanically changes the characterisation mode based on the content ) , Filmmaker fashion andNetflix Adaptive Calibrated way . These modes use the TV ’s short sensor with smartness adapted .
The ’ my Scenery ’ function is replaced by Amazon ’s Fire TV Ambient mode , which shows a screenshot of images though there ’s no accompanying audio included with this feature . Alexa is build - in and works like she always does , witness results and combing through the interface quicker than navigating with the remote .
Apple Home and HomeKit are digest , tot up to Z90A ’s bright option .
Connectivity
Connectivity is similar to what it ’s been for the last few age with four HDMI inputs . HDMI 1 & 2 support the 2.1 criterion but that also means that one of the comment is take up by theeARC portfor phone system , which becomes an issue if you have to resolve between adding another game cabinet or sound system of rules . I do n’t think that ’s a massive issue , especially as 4K/120Hz is still relatively rare with games .
There are Three USB inputs , Ethernet , CI+ 1.4 slot , digital audio yield , aerial and satellite ports , plus a phone outturn ( switchable to subwoofer ) . What ’s missing is the analogue video input signal , but that does n’t fathom like a big young lady unless you have a analogue informant to stop up in .
Wirelessly there ’s Wi - Fi withAirPlay 2and mirroring supported . Bluetooth is admit and with the Audio Link lineament you may connect a yoke of earpiece to the telly as well . There ’s no Chromecast but given the riches of features Fire television receiver offers , that ’s not a big miss here either .
Gaming
Premium game features include high-pitched refresh rates up to 144Hz andVRR , with AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G - Sync support for microcomputer gamers . ALLMautomatically puts the TV into its lowest rotational latency mode for gaming – Panasonic ’s Game Mode Extreme – where I evaluate stimulant lag to be 12.7ms . That ’s a step up from the MZ1500 and more or less coordinated theLG G4 OLEDout of the box .
The Game Control Board is a series of customisable setting that show HDR and VRR configurations among others . you could opt specific game way for sure genres such as RPG and FPS games , and the Game Sound fashion does the same on the audio side .
The True Game mode act likeFilmmaker modefor the most accurate colour performance with game . Other TVs have similar - ish modes , but none offer the same depth and reach as Panasonic .
Picture Quality
Let ’s get with the less brilliant facial expression of the Panasonic Z90A. It ’s another organic light-emitting diode I can add to the list of being slenderly green , except the effect is much more subtle than it was on an LG G4 OLED .
This ‘ green affliction ’ is only present at all-embracing slant . From point on , there is no light-green tint seeable , but if you move off - axis in full term of viewing slant , the persona does develop a slightly light-green hue , and this seems to happen disregarding of what type of message you ’re take in whether it ’s HDR or SDR .
It ’s a shame as take in angles are strong in damage of brightness and color saturation . They are just hampered by that slight green tint .
I also incur that the Z90A score the blackened layer out of the box very powerfully . I use my usual trial run phonograph record such as Zero Dark Thirty ( 4 K Blu - ray ) , Doctor Sleep , and Civil War ; and tweaking of the preferences is required to see all the detail in the darkest part of the image . This affect it more in smart room viewing billet as in glum room surround , the light sensor in the Panasonic TV does a better line of handling detail in the dark parts of the image and retain saturate colours too .
Another niggle , but one that ’s unavoidable is that although the Z90A is a promising tv set by OLED standard , compared to a Mini LED ( Samsung QN90D ) it ’s less in terms of visor brightness ( but also priced more ) .
I appraise in its Normal picture modality a peak light of 1001 and 926 nits in 5 % and 10 % HDR window , which is a measure of how smart it can grow highlight ( the smallest but brightest part of the image ) and brighter , larger objects . A 55 - inch Samsung QN90D is 1511 nit respectively . So for a bright room you have better options for combatting ambient light , the Z90A is not helped by its construct - in wakeful sensor that puts a ceiling on its luminosity level .
Upscaling is one pregnant area where Panasonic does appear to have make a motion forward with as much distance as other TV brands . With A Game of Thrones DVD up on the screen and while I ’m not expecting amazing issue for a 65 - inch jury – the Z90A clean up well with fine levels of contingent and expert point with black levels than a 55 - inch Sony Bravia 8 , but in terms of definition , all right item , and contrast ; the Sony is the honest upscaler .
The Panasonic Z90A does n’t add much to the image and perhaps it ’s unfair to judge the character of two different sizes , but if the processing is half as good as on the 65 - in Bravia 8 , it ’ll still be far better than the Panasonic .
With a HD Blu - ray of The Martian and Raging Bull , the Z90A is on firmer ground , and Panasonic ’s rich common sense of colour is more evident here than it is on the Sony . Detail level are solid , edges and lines are sharp , clear and well - defined – both movies count filmic , though again , dark item levels are a little weaker with the Panasonic . I can cull out more of the crowd in the fight scene of Raging Bull on the Sony Bravia 8 than I can on the Z90A.
Despite those niggles , the Panasonic Z90A produce systematically monotonic - out beautiful images . There are no gradation or banding number present when ascertain a sturdy , low - light setting from Dune . stratum of detail are strong for a 65 - inch screen , though I would say that watching Andor , fine details in a fictitious character ’s face – beards , beauty spots , etc – that the boob tube could bring out more of that hunky-dory detail .
Colours are consistently fertile and expressive but the correct side of balanced across all HDR formats . There ’s shade and variety in the colours the Panasonic describes , a sense of realism to its images that ’s become the brand ’s go - to forcefulness .
Though there is black crush apparent , contrast is excellent , and mix with OLED ’s pixel degree dimming , highlight are perceptively burnished and more distinct than you would find on aMini LED TV . It help create a sense of depth in an image – not as good as the LG G4 OLED – but potent enough to give that sense of fiber or objects moving through blank space .
Panasonic ’s Intelligent Frame Creation apparent movement processing sport Min , Mid , and Max options . The ‘ Amoy ’ choice pose no job whatsoever when engaged with no drop in point , sharpness ; and no noise , stutter or judder introduced . If you want a filmic appearing with the unclouded touch of processing , this is the option to go for .
Both ‘ Mid ’ and ‘ Max ’ increase the SOE ( Soap Opera Effect ) which can make the content look more contrived , the maximum setting introduce slight noise / pixelation and some tearing of the image too . Panasonic ’s gesture processing remain excellent , but perhaps slightly behind that of Sony and LG at this period in time .
Sound Quality
This is an first-class phone system for a flatscreen tv set .
Similar to the MZ1500 , the Z90A bass output is hard : punchy and weighty . Its loud – convincingly so – and it can sustain that power throughout demanding action at law scene like that in Civil War or Dune .
There ’s a limit to that power and there are times when awkward scene in Civil War can do some buzzing with deep banknote , but noticeably not as much as other tv set sound system . turn on the Bass Boost brings more deepness and mightiness but it also brings with it more of a crepitation regardless of whether the scene is more demanding or not .
With dialogue clear ( though slightly strong ) and natural - sounding . bringing of dialog is not the sharp because of the legal system ’s warmth , and in terms of negotiation placement , it does n’t always number from the rima oris of characters – just below . dialog clarity is no problem with this TV .
Its sense of pizzaz is impressive in term of describe the divergence between tranquil and gaudy . The soundstage is wide and while it does n’t necessarily ‘ crusade ’ sound into a way , clarity and item are good enough that you wo n’t skin to hear what ’s said or tell one thing from another . I thought thePhilips ’ OLED809sounded good – the Panasonic Z90A is even better .
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Should you buy it?
All the HDR format are hold , the picture quality is very good , the sound system impresses , and you ’re now catered for all the well out services with the Fire TV . You ’ve get all the ingredients for a good dark in .
A strength of OLED over Mini LED has always been blanket angles but the Panasonic Z90A suffer here by its fleeceable tint .
Final Thoughts
The Panasonic Z90A is n’t double-dyed but most of its job can be remedied with a trip to preferences .
It ’s slightly disappointing that the light sensor does n’t fitly give rise the good black levels out of the corner withHDR10+andDolby Visioncontent as there ’s black crush evident . The green shade that appears at all-encompassing angles is n’t a massive problem but does foil one organic light-emitting diode ’s vantage over other types of TV .
Even at its brightest , it ’s not the brightest - looking TV , and those after a video to go into a lustrous room may want to depend towards the the likes of of a Mini LED .
You get Panasonic ’s subtle , instinctive picture show character otherwise , quality gaming feature that are up there with the likes of LG and Samsung ; and a very warm sound arrangement – you wo n’t need to rush out to get one of thebest soundbaroptions to replace it . The Fire tv set interface now means that the Z90A is a genuine entertainment hub , though you ’ll have to put up with the foibles of Fire TV and its focal point on all thing Amazon .
There are option to consider when calculate for thebest TV.LG ’s C4 OLED , Sony ’s Bravia 8 , and Samsung ’s ( now very low-cost ) S90D are all open alternative at like prices . If you find out a bright room , Samsung’sQN90Dis a less expensive challenger .
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How we test
We prove every television we review thoroughly over an extensive flow of prison term . We use manufacture stock tests to compare features properly . We ’ll always severalise you what we find . We never , ever , accept money to review a intersection .
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