Panasonic announced the Z95B in January 2025, a new flagship TV that’s premium in a way that caught me by surprise. Now officially launched in Europe, the new model builds on the Panasonic Z95A, one of my favourite TVs of 2024.
When I reviewed the Panasonic Z95A, I said it offered one of the best visual experiences, backed-up by one of the best sound experiences, that you’ll get in an OLED TV. For 2025, that TV has got better, but it wasn’t the sound or the picture that impressed me the most.
A masterclass of TV design
I’ve now been into a couple of demos with the new Panasonic Z95B, so I’ve seen first-hand the changes that the new display makes. I’ve also heard a couple of sound demos – but it was the design of this TV that really blew me away.
Most flagship OLED TVs focus on being thin. It’s understandable why: with OLED giving you this flexibility, it’s been a signature part of LG’s design for a number of years. The screen is almost impossibly slim through most of the body, before arriving at all the connections lower down on the back – just look at the LG OLED C5 for example.
Samsung sidesteps this neatly, thanks to the One Connect Box like you’ll find in the Samsung S95F (which I also recently reviewed) the company’s flagship OLED for 2025. The One Connect Box allows Samsung to put its connections elsewhere, so the screen can just be wonderfully slim.
Panasonic is taking a different approach: it packs its flagship TVs with a Technics-tuned sound system, which doesn’t give you the same freedoms for slim design. In fact, when I reviewed the Panasonic Z95A, I said:
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This TV is bulkier than its rivals with much of the formwork on the rear of the TV being plastic and housing the speakers. That the panel itself is only 5mm thick … doesn’t really matter, because most of the TV is 60mm thick.
The Panasonic Z95B doesn’t change this thickness, but it does change the finish. Adding an attractive fabric finish to the TV, you’re not looking at a hunk of plastic, you’re looking at a fabric finish that’s a lot easier on the eye. The TV is still thick – as necessitated by those speakers – but it now looks so much better, fitting better into the décor of your home.
TV design is tricky, because there’s only so much you can do with a large rectangle, but if nothing else, Panasonic has nailed it with the design of the Z95B.
IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT
But what about the Panasonic Z95B performance?
The Panasonic Z95B moves on from the MLA (micro lens array) OLED panel that was used in 2024 to a Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel. This is the same tech that you’ll find in the LG OLED G5, a TV that’s getting rave reviews most notably because of its brightness.
That’s the aim of the changes here too: boost the brightness to better compete with the likes of the Samsung S95F, which offers 2,000 nits brightness. It’s early days for the Panasonic Z95B however: I’ve seen a couple of demos comparing it to the Z95A – in a controlled environment, under Panasonic supervision – and I could see that there were some colour volume improvements, especially in greens.
IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT
But what I haven’t yet seen is how this TV will handle things like reflections and whether it will suit a bright room, or if it’s going to be best in a dark home cinema room. I’ll want to watch a lot more content of my own to reach that conclusion. I’m also intrigued by the Prime Video Calibrated Mode. This is designed to ensure you’re getting “what the creator intended” from that streaming service, but many of these modes are too dark, too yellow and not always smooth enough for my tastes. I’ll look forward to testing that.
As to the sound, I’ve heard some demonstrations of the Z95B’s sound system too. I didn’t find it to be too different, but others in the room found it to be a more immersive sound experience. Of course, we all interpret these things differently and the real proof of the pudding will be when it’s tested in the real world. There’s a new subwoofer which boosts the bass from 20W to 30W, so that could have a real difference when it comes to delivering a big performance.
A nod to the geeks, with Calman calibration
Panasonic talks a lot about its connections to Hollywood, with a couple of studios using Panasonic OLED TVs as monitors, so they know what people will see when they watch these movies at home. I also find that Panasonic TVs tend to be well calibrated out of the box, so they offer a really realistic picture that looks authentic.
For those who love home cinema, calibration is a big deal and Calman is the big name in the business, both for professional and home tuners. Panasonic has now added Calman support to the Fire TV interface that runs on its 2025 TVs (with updates coming for 2024 sets), so you’ll be able to tweak and tune the TV yourself – if you have the kit, that is.
IMAGE CREDIT: THE DISCONNEKT
That gives you a lot of flexibility, so if you’re a little more serious about picture quality and want a lot more control, you’ll be able to do that on the Panasonic Z95B.
The Panasonic Z95B will be available in 55, 65 and 77-inch sizes. What I don’t yet have is the prices or the availability for this impressive new flagship Panasonic TV, although I’d expect it to be priced similarly to the Z95A. That would suggest that you can expect it to launch at £3,899 for the 65-inch model.
