The Panasonic LZ980 OLED TV has a 4K OLED screen equipped with HDR, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos support. What’s more, it boasts some impressive gaming features, including HDMI 2.1, VRR, and 120 hertz refresh rate. Panasonic also introduces its gaming menu, the Game Control Board, which adds to its appeal.
The model featured in this review is the 48-inch version, but it’s also available in 42, 55, and 65 inches. Whether you’re eyeing a 42-inch monitor for your desk setup or a 65-inch TV for the living room, this TV should meet most of your requirements.
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Design and Ports
The design of the Panasonic LZ980 is a typical-looking OLED TV. The base stand is in the middle, made of plastic but with a brushed metal finish. The screen has thin frames and bezels, with a small chin housing the Panasonic logo at the bottom. The stand is raised slightly, allowing space to fit a soundbar underneath if needed. This TV also comes with built-in speakers.
Although I usually prefer external speakers, the TV’s built-in speakers are surprisingly good for its size. They support Dolby Atmos sound processing, enhancing the cinematic experience. I’ve found that setting the volume between 30 and 35 provides a nice balance between voice clarity and bass without distortion.
As for ports, there are four HDMI ports in total at the back. Two are HDMI 2.0, and the other two are HDMI 2.1. With this setup, you can connect two consoles or a console and a soundbar via the eARC port, while still having two ports available for non-120Hz gaming.
Picture Quality
When considering picture quality and performance with various games and movies, I’ve been thoroughly impressed. Animated HDR movies particularly stand out, showcasing vibrant colors beautifully. However, it’s in the handling of dark areas where OLED truly shines. The deep blacks and high contrast levels ensure a nearly flawless picture, free from blooming or washed-out colors.
A significant feature of Panasonic LZ980 OLED is its support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Vision IQ. This means any content optimized or certified for Dolby Vision will work seamlessly, which is my preferred HDR format. It’s excellent to see Panasonic including this feature in their TVs.
The TV handles contrast, highlights, and shadows exceptionally well, especially in HDR. While OLEDs typically don’t reach the same brightness levels as traditional LCD TVs, during my two weeks of use, I’ve found that setting the brightness to around 80 percent has worked perfectly fine.
Moreover, being a 4K screen, any games optimized for 4K will look stunning. Additionally, Panasonic LZ980 OLED supports HDMI 2.1, offering further versatility.
Read Also: Samsung Odyssey Neo G8 32-Inch Gaming Monitor
Gaming Feature
Panasonic has introduced a feature called Gamer Mode Extreme, making their new OLED TVs perfect for gaming on the PS5, Xbox, or PC. This feature enables 120 hertz Alm and VRR (variable refresh rate), ensuring incredibly smooth gameplay without stuttering or screen tearing for games that support 4K and 120 hertz. Checking the Xbox and PS5 screens, it’s satisfying to see all the green ticks indicating the TV’s capability.
The first thing I did was set up the PlayStation 5 and tried out various games like Spider-Man, Gran Turismo 7, Ratchet and Clank, and a few others. I played them both during the day and at night to see how well Panasonic LZ980 OLED performs in different situations.
Spider-Man, being a fast-paced game, was a good test for motion handling. I’m happy to report that the gameplay was incredibly smooth. However, it’s not just fast-paced games that benefit from this smooth motion handling and high frame rate. Games like Gran Turismo 7 also look exceptionally clear, smooth, and vibrant.
Considering Panasonic LZ980 OLED isn’t calibrated yet, I’ve only adjusted the brightness and color temperature, and it looks impressive straight out of the box. Additionally, if you’re planning to connect a gaming PC, it supports AMD FreeSync Premium, ensuring a smooth and tear-free gaming experience.
The Panasonic LZ980 OLED meets all the requirements for both consoles, indicating its capability of delivering a satisfactory gaming experience. Panasonic’s dedication to gamers is evident in their efforts beyond just providing HDMI 2.1. They’ve introduced a gaming menu called the Game Control Board, which you can access by pinning it to your app area or assigning it to the my apps button. Simply press this button to open the app by default.
Within the Game Control Board, you have quick access to useful settings that you can adjust without diving into the main settings menu. This includes enabling VRR, switching picture profiles, or checking if the 120 hertz bypass mode is enabled. Pressing the “I” button on the remote control displays the current frame rate and resolution, allowing you to ensure your games are running optimally. Pressing “More Information” on the Game Control Board provides even more details on the current input and game.
This feature demonstrates Panasonic’s focus on catering to gamers who value convenience and control over their settings. It’s a thoughtful addition that often goes unnoticed but can greatly enhance the gaming experience.
Movies and Viewing Angle
While gaming is the main focus, let’s briefly touch on the movie-related features too. In addition to its gaming capabilities, Panasonic LZ980 OLED TV also supports Dolby Vision, ensuring stunning visuals for Ultra HD discs or streaming services that utilize it. Moreover, it features Filmmaker Mode, allowing content to be displayed and played as intended by the director.
As an OLED TV, the viewing angles are nearly perfect, ensuring consistent picture quality, contrast, and color regardless of where you place it in your room or on your desk. This is one of the major advantages of OLED technology—you don’t need to sit directly in front of it for the best picture. The only drawback is reflections, but this panel has a slight anti-glare coating to mitigate them. While it’s not a matte finish, the glossy surface has a tinted finish that appears darker, reducing mirror-like reflections in your room.
Menus and settings
I understand it might not seem like a battery issue at first glance, but let’s continue exploring. For gaming and watching TV, you might be interested in the menus, UI, and settings. As mentioned in my unboxing video, Panasonic LZ980 has one of the fastest and smoothest user interfaces I’ve ever experienced.
Pressing the home button brings up the app bar at the bottom, which you can customize, and it includes popular apps like Netflix, Prime, and Apple TV. Pressing the My Apps button displays the full app list and access to the app store. Additionally, you can adjust picture and sound settings, such as turning off motion processing, enabling game mode, ALM, and more.
Improvements
Now I’ve talked about a lot of the pros and advantages of this TV, but what about the negatives or missing features? Although it comes with two HDMI 2.1 ports, one of those is reserved for e-arc. So let’s say you had a soundbar, a PlayStation 5, and an Xbox Series X, you wouldn’t be able to use all three devices using the two available ports. One of those consoles would then need to be plugged into the HDMI 2.0 port.
Is it Worth Buying?
It’s worth noting that Panasonic LZ980 OLED TV doesn’t support HGIG or G-Sync, so if those were features you were interested in, you won’t find them in this model. However, despite this limitation, the TV comes with several impressive features, including HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, 120Hz VRR, and a decent gaming menu. If you’re in the market for a 42 or 48-inch OLED for your gaming setup, this TV is an easy recommendation based on its offerings.
Panasonic LZ980 QLED TV Review
The Panasonic LZ980 OLED TV emerges as a compelling option for gaming enthusiasts seeking a high-quality display with impressive features. With its 4K OLED screen, HDR support, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, HDMI 2.1, VRR, and 120Hz refresh rate, it caters well to both gaming and movie viewing needs. Additionally, Panasonic introduces the Game Control Board, enhancing the gaming experience by providing quick access to essential settings.
Pros
- Stunning Picture Quality
- Gamer Mode Extreme
- Sleek design, thin bezels
- Built-in speakers with Dolby Atmos support
- The fast and smooth user interface
- Nearly perfect viewing angles
Cons
- Limited HDMI 2.1 Ports
- The absence of HGIG and G-Sync support
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Design9
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Picture Quality9.5
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Gaming Features9
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Viewing Angles7.5
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User Interface9
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Ports7
