The 2026 Panasonic overview is up and the thing that jumped out at me was not a panel spec, it was the operating system situation. Depending on which model you buy this year you get Google TV, Fire TV, TiVo OS, or in some markets Roku. Panasonic shut down development of its own platform, the one that started life as Firefox OS, and the replacement is apparently whichever partner is attached to that particular SKU. The practical trap: only the Google TV models have Chromecast built in. Fire TV, TiVo and Roku versions do not. If casting from a phone is how you work around a missing app, you can walk out of a shop with the wrong version of what looks like the same TV.
On the product side, the Skyworth partnership announced back in February is now visible in the lineup. Z95B and Z90B carry over from last year, and the new affordable OLEDs are Z85C on Google TV and Z86C on Fire TV, both using the new OLED SE panel that Panasonic rates at up to 1000 nits. 55 and 65 inch only, no 77. A Z95C flagship with LG Display's second generation Tandem WOLED has already been shown in Japan, but Panasonic Europe would not confirm a worldwide launch when asked, which usually means it is not settled internally either.
LCD side, W95C and W97C are the same set with a different frame color, quoted at more than 1000 miniLED zones and up to 1500 nits. Most of the 2026 LCD range now carries a matte anti-glare coating that cuts reflections at the cost of some punch. From W92C up you get two HDMI 2.1 ports with eARC, ALLM and VRR, but still no QMS. And the whole LCD range stops at 86 inches while half the industry is pushing 98 and 100.
For anyone who has owned a Panasonic through the my Home Screen years, does the OS split change whether you would buy one again?
On the product side, the Skyworth partnership announced back in February is now visible in the lineup. Z95B and Z90B carry over from last year, and the new affordable OLEDs are Z85C on Google TV and Z86C on Fire TV, both using the new OLED SE panel that Panasonic rates at up to 1000 nits. 55 and 65 inch only, no 77. A Z95C flagship with LG Display's second generation Tandem WOLED has already been shown in Japan, but Panasonic Europe would not confirm a worldwide launch when asked, which usually means it is not settled internally either.
LCD side, W95C and W97C are the same set with a different frame color, quoted at more than 1000 miniLED zones and up to 1500 nits. Most of the 2026 LCD range now carries a matte anti-glare coating that cuts reflections at the cost of some punch. From W92C up you get two HDMI 2.1 ports with eARC, ALLM and VRR, but still no QMS. And the whole LCD range stops at 86 inches while half the industry is pushing 98 and 100.
For anyone who has owned a Panasonic through the my Home Screen years, does the OS split change whether you would buy one again?
