Hands on: Panasonic Z90B review

Panasonic's full 2025 TV range has been unveiled, and I was lucky enough to see the lineup revealed in all its glory in the quaint German city of Wiesbaden. The Japanese AV powerhouse seemed to be exceptionally enthusiastic about the new lineup, claiming that it's the biggest update to the range in about nine years.

I've already seen the crown jewel in this lineup – that being the dazzling Z95B during CES in Las Vegas. However, it's the step-down OLED TV that's caught my eye this time around.

Despite not traditionally carrying the most advanced panel technology (such as the new Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel), Panasonic's mid-range OLEDs have historically scored top-notch reviews. Personally speaking, the Panasonic TX-MZ1500B is one of my favourite OLED TVs of all time, so seeing the latest generation in this series was cause for excitement.

I was lucky enough to see the Z90B in a range of sizes, including 48, 65 and 77 inches. So what do I think so far?

Mandatory disclaimer: these preliminary hands-on reviews are first impressions, not final reviews. That being said, I simply cannot wait to get this TV into the testing room for a full review, as I think it has the potential to join the ranks of the best OLED TVs of 2025.

Price

Panasonic hasn't shared pricing quite yet, so an educated guess is required to determine potential pricing at the time of writing.

This TV's predecessor, the 65-inch Z90A, which we sadly didn't have the opportunity to review, launched at a hair-raising £3099, while the model before that (the sensational MZ1500B) launched at £2900.

With that trend and the current volatile global economic situation in mind, it's tricky to discern if the Z90B will cost the same, more, or less than its predecessor.

While Panasonic did relaunch its TVs in the USA with last year's lineup, the Z90A unfortunately didn't make it Stateside; therefore, we have no frame of reference as to how much it might cost in the US, nor has it been confirmed that the Z90B will even make its US debut.

Build

Generally speaking, the Z90A looks similar to its predecessor, albeit with a few changes. The soundbar below the display is now covered with a grey acoustic fabric similar to the one found on the Z95B flagship, instead of the black speaker bar with the centrally mounted logo found on the outgoing model.

That attached soundbar continues to be controversial for anyone with an external sound system. Placing a soundbar in front of it will look a bit odd, and if you have a surround-sound speaker system, then that bar hanging off the bottom of the screen will simply be dead weight.

Elsewhere, it's a similar affair with the circular base with a pivot function on the 55- and 65-inch versions returning from last year's model, and a fixed square base on the 42-, 48- and 77-inch versions. Side-on, the Z90B looks superbly thin and sleek for its top third, though a box containing the internal components and subwoofer breaks the slender illusion.

Panasonic is also bundling its premium remote with the Z90B, and while it sadly isn't a backlit handset, its metal finish is appreciated, and it features satisfyingly clicky buttons too.

Features

On paper, the Z90B doesn't appear to feature any major surprises in the specs department. This TV features a "standard" WOLED panel with none of the Primary RGB Tandem OLED upgrades found in the step-up Z95B model, nor did Panasonic manage to find any leftover Micro Lens Array panels.

This is understandable, though. Other manufacturers reserve the latest and greatest panel technology for their respective flagship models, while the step-down sets get a regular OLED panel; think the LG C5 and Sony Bravia 8.

Pansonic remained tight-lipped when questioned over exactly which panel this TV uses. However, it did confirm that this TV features a heatsink, meaning we likely have an OLED EX panel on our hands. This panel should provide enhanced brightness, and the heatsink will allow the TV to push the panel harder for better performance, all while reducing the risk of burn-in and panel degradation.

Moving away from the panel technology, the Z90B is being touted as a perfect gaming TV by Panasonic. I saw the TV with an Xbox Series X hooked up to one of the two HDMI 2.1 sockets (only two is disappointing, but not surprising), with Panasonic's Game Optimiser Extreme system in action.

This supports refresh rates up to 144Hz for adequately specced gaming PCs, or 120Hz on the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 (and presumably the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2). It also gives users access to a handy selection of gaming settings, including different picture and sound modes for first-person shooter and role-playing games. There is even an option to allow your gaming source to handle HDR tone mapping for a more "as the creator intended" look to your favourite titles.

The attention to detail for picture settings also appears to be reflected in the movie and TV-oriented picture modes, too. Panasonic's highly regarded picture processing is paired with various picture settings, including Filmmaker Mode, and thanks to a partnership with TV calibration specialists Portrait Displays, this TV can be Calman calibrated with relative ease (providing you have the equipment).

Panasonic has implemented its new HCX Pro AI Processor MKII into the Z90B, the same one found in the Z95B flagship model. It handles Panasonic's finely tuned picture processing, which it maintains is a key factor as to why its OLED TVs continue to be heavily featured in the studios of Hollywood editors and colourists. It also supports Panasonic's 4K Remaster Engine upscaling, alongside the new Amazon Prime Video Calibrated picture setting.

That isn't a totally new feature in the world of TVs, per se – Sony implemented this into its 2024 TV range, for example – but it's nice to have, and also hints towards Panasonic's ongoing partnership with Amazon.

Continuing that theme is the Fire TV OS operating system, which is back as Panasonic's operating system of choice after moving away from its in-house developed My Home Screen platform last year. It has robust app support, and it sounds as though Panasonic and Amazon are working relatively closely to optimise the software to best suit the OLED TVs.

Panasonic has confirmed that Dolby Vision HDR will be supported on the Z90B, and we presume that HDR10+ will also be included, as the Z90A supported both formats. Dolby Atmos is also included, which should work with Panasonic's Dynamic Theatre Sound Pro sound system as well as external devices connected via HDMI eARC.

On the subject of the sound system, we're still awaiting specific details such as power output and driver configurations, though we know it drops the side-firing and upward-firing drivers of the Z95B.

Picture

Unfortunately, I didn't get much of a chance to assess the picture outside of some looping demo footage and a brief clip of Amazon Prime Video's Reacher during Panasonic's hands-on event. The conditions for viewing the TV in its various sizes were also not exactly ideal, as it was a busy demo room with lots of TVs running and loads of ambient light.

The good news is in that admittedly short clip, the Z90B seemed to perform well, with balanced colours and crisp detail levels.

Switching on the Amazon Prime Video Calibrated mode added a slightly grungy look to the image, which is perhaps what the director of that episode of Reacher had in mind (admittedly, I haven't watched it), but I preferred the more natural look with the calibrated setting switched off.

Moving over to Panasonic's poppier demo footage, the Z90B displayed rich, vibrant colours and deep, inky blacks; a staple of OLED panel technology.

There wasn't a Z90A on hand at the event I attended to compare with the Z90B – however, it was placed in between the Z95B flagship and Z80B entry-level OLED TV. As expected, the Z90B seemed like the sweet spot between these two sets; it looked brighter and a bit richer than the Z80B, but not as dazzling as the Primary RGB Tandem OLED-touting Z95B.

Sound

I'll keep this short and sweet; the Z90B's speaker system wasn't shown off to any reasonable extent that I could comment on its sound performance, and a busy room with a lot of background noise is no place to assess sound performance anyway.

As previously mentioned, all that's known about the Z90B's sound specifications is that it features a Dynamic Theatre Sound Pro system with a front-firing soundbar backed by a dedicated rear-facing subwoofer.

For reference, the step-down Z80B does not feature this, and instead has a discreet speaker system; something that prospective buyers who have already invested in an external sound system may indeed prefer.

Early verdict

It's far too early to call a verdict on the Z90B, as we'll need to put this OLED TV through its paces in our dedicated testing room with rival models on hand to compare and contrast.

However, early signs point towards this being a solid all-rounder, with Panasonic's picture processing hard at work to create an "as the director intended" approach.

What will decide its fate is, of course, the price. LG entered 2025 with a bang, putting a strong foot forward with the five star C5, which is a direct rival to the Z90B. Admittedly, it doesn't have a heatsink, however it does have four HDMI 2.1 sockets to entice gamers. Traditionally speaking, Panasonic tends to price its TVs higher than LG, but only time will tell if the Z90B can take the fight to LG.

MORE:

Read our full Panasonic Z95A review

As well as our Panasonic Z95B hands on review

And check out our picks for the best OLED TVs