Review: Panasonic Z95A OLED TV

The search for the perfect TV is a never-ending enterprise, but it’d be hard to dream up a more desirable screen right now than Panasonic’s Z95A OLED. It has insane brightness, black levels, and detail. And the colors: Oh the pretty colors. It all adds up to one of the very best displays I’ve tested. Talk about an impressive return for Panasonic after nearly 10 years away from the US TV market.

The catch (of course, there’s a catch) is that the Z95A’s Amazon Fire TV system is pretty pedestrian. To its credit, it offers good Alexa smart home integration and remarkably easy setup, but Fire TV’s basic operation fails to offer a luxury experience on par with the TV’s performance.

Even so, this screen is just too beautiful to deny. With plenty of goodies and knockout performance, the Z95A is one of the best TVs right now. Considering the stiff competition in TV’s new “golden age” (as Panasonic puts it), this is one helluva homecoming. If you hate Fire TV so much, you can buy a streaming stick.

A Stocky Build

I’ve set up about 2 gillion TVs in my career, and the Z95A is easily the oddest I’ve put together. The hefty frame weighs over 67 pounds with the metal stand. The design matches its relatively stylish front panel with an array of geometric angles protruding from the rear like some Frankenstein creation. This is one chonky hunk of trapezoidal OLED.

Photograph: Ryan Waniata

It didn’t take long for me to warm to Panasonic’s vision. The TV’s stout pedestal stand is easy to attach and lets you rotate the panel for a great view at any angle. The overall design feels more robust than thinner rivals like LG's G4 (which I have mostly evaluated but haven't yet finished due to some apparent bad luck—two of the samples LG sent were broken, and the third has yet to arrive).

The G4 is a particularly relevant comparison since the Z95A uses the same OLED panel inside from LG Display, complete with a version of its MLA (Micro Lens Array) system for enhanced brightness. Panasonic says the Z95A’s MLA system uses 27 billion lenses, translating to one of the brightest OLEDs you can buy. The panel is further enhanced by Panasonic's HCX Pro Processor MK II and tuning by professional filmmakers. The latter may sound like marketing speak, but the proof is in the performance.

Sound and Vision

Odd shape notwithstanding, much of the Z95A’s bulk is in service of its 160-watt sound system, another point that sets this TV apart. The system comprises a dedicated array of speakers up front, side- and up-firing speakers, and built-in woofers, adding up to the best-sounding TV I’ve tested.

Photograph: Ryan Waniata

While that’s not a tough contest, the TV's soundstage is full and clear, Dolby Atmos tracks are expansive, and there's even a Sound Focus feature that helps pinpoint audio to different parts of the room. The overall performance isn’t as good as top-line home theater setups, but it can easily stand in for a solid entry-level soundbar.

That’s all the more handy since, like Sony’s premium TVs, only two of the Z95A’s four HDMI ports support the latest HDMI 2.1 spec for advanced gaming features, one of which is the eARC/ARC input for connecting a soundbar or receiver.

On the bright side, the TV looks as fabulous for gaming as it does for everything else, including support for VRR (variable refresh rate) at up to 144 Hz. There’s a dedicated game bar for making quick adjustments on the fly, which is oddly hidden in the settings but can be assigned to the remote’s programmable quick key.

Most impressive on the feature front, the Z95A is the only premium TV of its ilk to support all major HDR flavors. That includes both “dynamic” HDR formats in Dolby Vision and HDR10+, designed to adapt to each HDR scene or frame.

Set It, Forget It

The Z95A’s Fire TV operating system makes setup simple, but it's not a great daily driver. Apps are oddly organized, with only six available on the main screen at once, and the home screen is constantly barraged by (you guessed it) Amazon ads. Streaming apps and even AirPlay were often slow to load (there is no Chromecast), with some exceptions like Netflix or Amazon services.

Photograph: Ryan Waniata

The system is serviceable and adds some cool features, like an ambient mode with artistic backgrounds and adaptable widgets. Alexa fans will find intuitive smart home integration, including the ability to monitor select Alexa smart cameras from the TV and hands-free voice control, with a mute switch below the front panel for privacy.

The best part is how easy it is to lock in the Z95A’s picture settings. I always advise using a film or cinema picture mode for the most pleasing and accurate picture, and while the Z95A has an almost overwhelming number of choices there, you can’t really go wrong. The Professional 1 mode struck the right balance in my first few minutes with the TV, so I set it there and never looked back. In fact, I didn’t need to change a single setting across modes.

Filmmaker Mode is also a good option, though it’s not quite as bright for SDR video by default, and it engages the TV’s Ambient Sensor automatically. If you notice the brightness changing, this is the likely culprit, though the Z95A’s version is pretty light-handed. Panasonic's engineers seem to want you to use Filmmaker, prompting you to turn it on with some film content. That’s a cool feature for TV novices, but it’s easy to turn off under Option Settings if it bugs you.

Photograph: Ryan Waniata

Paint Me a Picture

Having already tested LG’s G4, I had a good idea of what to expect in the Z95A. Even so, when you see a TV as brilliantly executed as what Panasonic has cooked up here, it hits different. This TV does everything well, using all the spoils of its premium OLED screen, which can turn every pixel on and off independently. The result is an experience that’s not just enjoyable but inspiring.

The Z95A’s black levels are almost startling, even in a bright room, thanks to the TV’s excellent reflection handling. Against that near-perfect backdrop, the display’s eye-popping brightness is all the more striking. Everything seems to glow with a special light, right down to the menus that seem to sear through the glass from obsidian pools. Shadow details are skillfully sketched, adjusting the ambiance of each scene naturally so you can feel the cool of a lavender sunset, the burn of a desert sky, or the oppressive damp of a shadowy cave.

Photograph: Ryan Waniata

Thanks to excellent picture processing, details pop, from crystalline 4K Blu-rays to 1080p and even 720p upscaling. Only the fuzziest SD images fail to impress, sometimes coming through a little blocky, but that’s true of pretty much any 4K TV.

The only minor chinks in the armor I noticed over several days were some small stutters or jerkiness with challenging motions scenes and some color banding with compressed video. Otherwise, I was able to just sit back and enjoy the glow.

The highlight for me is the Z95A’s phenomenal colors, which are so rich and stirring that they caught me off guard, even when compared to all the other great flavors in Panasonic’s special sauce. I was hooked from day one, starting with a casual viewing of the holiday classic Scrooged. From Bill Murray’s deep navy suits to the crimson-gold of Robert Mitchum’s pajamas, I found myself mesmerized—and it wasn’t just me.

Fantasia is one of my wife’s most-viewed movies, yet we were both dazzled by the artistry. Sapphire blues, flashing silvers, pastel purples, and deep yellow golds all burned beautifully. Even something as simple as a targeted fish in Assasin’s Creed Valhalla calls attention, searing like magma. I’m gushing, but a TV this good will do that to you. There are only a few TVs on the market that keep pace.

Photograph: Ryan Waniata

LG’s G4 is one, offering similar delights (and four HDMI 2.1 inputs), but I’ve had bad luck with review samples thus far. Sony’s A95L QD-OLED (9/10, WIRED recommends) is my favorite rival. It's not quite as bright, but it's similarly impressive and has slightly better image detail. Samsung’s S95D (8/10, WIRED Recommends) isn’t as striking—and skips Dolby Vision—but its matte screen provides intriguing anti-glare skills. Finally, Sony’s ultrabright Bravia 9 mini LED TV (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is a wild card for those seeking next-gen brightness, though its backlit display isn’t as poised or balanced as OLED.

All these competitors offer more model sizes than the Z95A’s lone 65-inch size, which could be a difference maker. Still, there’s just something about the Z95A that has me floored. Apart from its Fire TV system, it’s a top performer in every category and easily one of the best TVs you can buy. Welcome back, Panasonic. It’s been too long.