The Panasonic W95A is one of three TVs released by Panasonic in the United States in 2024, alongside the Panasonic Z85A OLED and the Panasonic Z95A OLED. Unlike those TVs, the W95A is a Mini-LED model with local dimming. It also has numerous features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, 4k @ 144Hz, VRR, Dolby Vision IQ, and HDR10+. The TV uses Panasonic’s HCX Pro AI Processor MK II, which is designed to provide better overall picture quality and can make automatic adjustments to contrast, colors, clarity, and sound based on the content type it detects. It runs the Fire TV OS, has a built-in 50W 2.1 channel speaker system, and supports Airplay and Alexa. We bought and tested the 65-inch model, but it’s also available in 55, 75, and 85-inch sizes.
Our Verdict
The Panasonic W95A is very good for mixed usage. Thanks to its outstanding contrast, it looks great in a dark room and has the HDR brightness and color vibrancy needed for impactful HDR content. It's also a fully featured gaming TV, although it's held back by the fact that you can't use local dimming and VRR at the same time. Unfortunately, it has a very narrow viewing angle, which limits its usefulness in a group setting.
-
Outstanding contrast for deep blacks.
-
Excellent SDR brightness makes it suitable for brighter rooms.
-
Great response time for minimal blur behind fast motion.
-
Narrow viewing angle means the image is degraded when viewed from the sides of the screen.
-
VRR and local dimming don't work simultaneously.
The Panasonic W95A is decent for watching TV shows. The built-in Fire TV OS has all the popular streaming apps, so finding new shows to watch is simple. The TV's excellent SDR brightness means it overcomes glare in bright rooms. However, it does struggle with handling reflections from direct sources of light, so you don't want to place a lamp in front of the screen. It has great overall image processing, so low-quality and low-resolution streams still look good. Unfortunately, it has a very narrow viewing angle, so you have to be seated centered to the screen to enjoy the best possible image.
-
Excellent SDR brightness makes it suitable for brighter rooms.
-
Great overall image processing.
-
Narrow viewing angle means the image is degraded when viewed from the sides of the screen.
-
Uneven uniformity that's noticeable with certain content.
The Panasonic W95A is good for watching sports. It has the SDR brightness needed to overcome glare, although it does struggle with handling direct reflections, so you don't want to position the TV in front of a window on a sunny day. It has a great response time, so fast-moving players and objects have minimal blur behind them. Unfortunately, its gray uniformity is only decent, so you do notice some dirty screen effect when watching sports like hockey, and its narrow viewing angle makes it a poor choice for watching the big game with a group of friends since the image drastically degrades from the sides of the screen.
-
Excellent SDR brightness makes it suitable for brighter rooms.
-
Great response time for minimal blur behind fast motion.
-
Narrow viewing angle means the image is degraded when viewed from the sides of the screen.
-
Uneven uniformity that's noticeable with certain content.
The Panasonic W95A is great for playing video games. Its great response time means fast motion has minimal blur behind it, and its low input lag delivers snappy gaming with no noticeable delay between your inputs and the action on screen. It's fully compatible with modern consoles and pairs well with gaming PCs due to its HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, VRR, and 4k @ 144Hz. However, you can't use the TV's local dimming feature with VRR enabled, so you have to trade in deep blacks for a tear-free experience, which is a major drawback.
-
HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and 4k @ 144Hz.
-
Excellent SDR brightness makes it suitable for brighter rooms.
-
VRR and local dimming don't work simultaneously.
The Panasonic W95A is impressive for watching movies in a dark room. The TV's outstanding contrast means it displays deep blacks in a dark room, and its wide color gamut delivers vibrant colors. It also has excellent HDR brightness, so HDR content is impactful. Unfortunately, it has subpar SDR pre-calibration, so colors don't look the way they should in SDR content. On the other hand, it has great overall image processing, so low-quality and low-resolution content looks pretty good. It also removes judder from any source, which is great.
-
Outstanding contrast for deep blacks.
-
Removes 24p judder from any source.
-
Dolby Vision support.
-
Great overall image processing.
-
Excellent HDR brightness means highlights stand out.
-
No DTS audio support.
-
Narrow viewing angle means the image is degraded when viewed from the sides of the screen.
-
Subpar pre-calibration accuracy.
The Panasonic W95A is great for gaming in HDR. It has low input lag for a responsive gaming experience, and there's minimal blur behind fast motion due to its fast response time. The TV has modern gaming features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, VRR, and 4k @ 144Hz. However, the TV's local dimming feature is disabled when you use VRR, so you don't get deep blacks while enjoying a tear-free gaming experience.
-
Outstanding contrast for deep blacks.
-
HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and 4k @ 144Hz.
-
Dolby Vision support.
-
Excellent HDR brightness means highlights stand out.
-
VRR and local dimming don't work simultaneously.
The Panasonic W95A is great for use as a PC monitor. Its low input lag delivers a very responsive desktop experience, and its great response time means fast cursor movements aren't too blurry. It has excellent SDR brightness, so it overcomes glare in most bright rooms. However, it does struggle more with direct reflections, so you want to avoid placing a light source in front of the screen. It displays chroma 4:4:4 properly, but it uses a BGR subpixel layout, so there are some readability issues with text that can bother some people. Unfortunately, it has a very narrow viewing angle, so the sides of the screen aren't consistent with the center when you sit up close.
-
Excellent SDR brightness makes it suitable for brighter rooms.
-
Great response time for minimal blur behind fast motion.
-
Narrow viewing angle means the image is degraded when viewed from the sides of the screen.
-
BGR subpixel layout impacts text clarity.
-
Uneven uniformity that's noticeable with certain content.
- 7.9 Mixed Usage
- 7.3 TV Shows
- 7.5 Sports
- 8.3 Video Games
- 8.2 HDR Movies
- 8.4 HDR Gaming
- 8.3 PC Monitor
- Updated Oct 25, 2024: Review published.
- Updated Oct 23, 2024: Early access published.
- Updated Oct 15, 2024: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Oct 11, 2024: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Sep 10, 2024: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We bought and tested the 65-inch Panasonic W95A (65W95AP), and these results are also valid for the 55 (55W95AP), 75 (75W95AP), and 85-inch (85W95AP) models. Costco sells a variant of the 65-inch model known as the 65W95APK. It performs the same but comes with an extended warranty. There are no other known variants of the TV, so our results should be valid for all regions, but the inputs vary depending on regional requirements for tuners.
| Size | Model Code | Costco Variant |
| 55" | TV-55W95AP | - |
| 65" | TV-65W95AP | 65W95APK |
| 75" | TV-75W95AP | - |
| 85" | TV-85W95AP | - |
Our unit was manufactured in August 2024, as seen on our product's label.
Compared To Other TVs
The Panasonic W95 is a very good TV overall. Unfortunately, it's really held back by the fact that you can't use local dimming and VRR simultaneously, so you have to choose between the best possible image quality or a tear-free gaming experience while using its True Game picture mode. This is unusual in 2024, and you can get similar and even better Mini-LED TVs from brands like Samsung, Sony, TCL, Hisense, and LG that don't make you decide between those two options.
For more options, see our recommendations for the best LED TVs, the best gaming TVs, and the best TVs.
The Sony BRAVIA 7 QLED is better than the Panasonic W95A in most ways. The Sony has better contrast and HDR brightness, which leads to a better dark room viewing experience. The Sony also has better image processing, so lower-quality content looks better on it. On top of that, the Sony is the more accurate TV in both SDR and HDR, and you can use its local dimming feature with VRR enabled.
The Hisense U8/U8N is better than the Panasonic W95A. The Hisense has much better contrast, so it displays deeper blacks in a dark room. The Hisense also displays slightly more vibrant colors and gets brighter in HDR, which leads to a more impactful HDR experience. Additionally, the Hisense is better for gaming, since you can use its local dimming and VRR features at the same time.
The TCL QM8/QM851G QLED is superior to the Panasonic W95A. The TCL gets brighter and has better reflection handling, making it more suitable for a bright room. The TCL also looks better in a dark room due to its superior contrast, and it displays brighter highlights and colors in HDR content. Finally, the TCL is better for gamers due to its faster response time, lower input lag, 144Hz refresh rate, and the fact that you can use local dimming with VRR enabled.
The Samsung QN90D/QN90DD QLED is superior to the Panasonic W95A in most ways. The Samsung has better reflection handling and brightness, meaning it overcomes more glare in a bright room, and it displays deeper blacks in a dark room. The Samsung also has better accuracy in SDR and HDR, so it sticks closer to the content creator's intent. Regarding gaming, the Samsung is the better option simply due to its local dimming working with VRR enabled.
Test Results
The Panasonic W95A has a nice overall design, with slim metal bezels and sturdy aluminum feet that make it look premium.
The two feet are made of aluminum and hold the TV in a stable position. The feet lift the TV about 3.5 inches above the table, so almost any soundbar fits underneath.
Footprint of the 65-inch stand: 46.2" x 12.5".
The back of the TV is made of textured plastic. When you touch the back, it leaves chalk-like marks, but these can easily be wiped away with a cloth. All of the inputs except for the optical audio out are located on the right side of the TV when facing the front, and they're easy to access if you have the TV wall-mounted. Unfortunately, there's no form of cable management.
The TV has excellent build quality, and there are no issues with quality control to report.
The Panasonic W95A has outstanding contrast. Its native contrast is great, but with local dimming enabled, the TV displays deep blacks that mostly stay deep when brighter highlights are also on screen.
The TV has good blooming performance, but there is still noticeable blooming around bright objects set on a very dark background.
The TV has decent lighting zone transitions. Unfortunately, the leading edge of bright highlights when they quickly move across the screen is visibly dimmer, and there's very noticeable haloing.
Unfortunately, enabling VRR locks you out of using the TV's local dimming feature, so you can't use VRR and local dimming at the same time. This greatly impacts the deepness of blacks while gaming, which is unfortunate.
The Panasonic W95A has great HDR brightness, making highlights stand out during darker scenes. Combined with its outstanding contrast, this TV provides an impactful HDR viewing experience.
These measurements are after calibrating the HDR white point with the following settings:
- HDR Picture Mode: Professional 1
- Ambient Sensor: Off
- Luminance Level: 100
- Contrast: 100
- Adaptive Backlight Control: Max
- Gamma: 2.2
- EOTF Type: Auto
- HDR Tone Map: Normal
- Color Temperature: Warm 2
The Panasonic W95A is slightly brighter when the TV is set into Game Mode, but it's barely noticeable.
These measurements are after calibrating the HDR white point with the following settings:
- HDR Picture Mode: True Game
- Ambient Sensor: Off
- Luminance Level: 100
- Contrast: 100
- Adaptive Backlight Control: Max
- Gamma: 2.2
- EOTF Type: Auto
- HDR Tone Map: Clipping
- Color Temperature: Warm 2
The TV has great PQ EOTF tracking, but it's not perfect. Blacks are slightly brighter than intended, and dark shadows are a bit darker than intended. Everything else is displayed a bit brighter than it should be. With content mastered at 600 and 1000 nits, there's a sharp cutoff near the TV's peak brightness, but no roll-off is necessary since it's bright enough to fully display content mastered at those brightness levels. However, there's a gradual roll-off with content mastered at 4000 nits to preserve details in very bright specular highlights.
The Panasonic W95A has impressive SDR brightness and overcomes glare in most bright rooms.
These measurements are after calibration with the following settings:
- Picture Mode: Professional 1
- Ambient Sensor: Off
- Luminance Level: 100
- Contrast: 90
- Adaptive Backlight Control: Max
- Gamma: 2.2
- Color Temperature: Warm 2
The TV has an excellent color gamut. It covers almost the entire range of colors in the DCI-P3 color space, but most colors are a bit undersaturated and slightly off the mark. Its coverage of the wider Rec.2020 color space is very good, but all colors are undersaturated and a bit inaccurate, with greens and cyans faring the worst.
The TV has excellent color volume. It displays a wide range of colors at high luminance levels, and dark saturated colors are displayed well due to its outstanding contrast.
It's not perfect, though, as the TV struggles a bit with displaying the full range of colors in the BT.2020 and DCI-P3 color spaces. As colors become brighter, coverage decreases substantially, which can be seen in the lightest rings in the links below. These gamut ring results are an early sneak preview of something we're working on for our next test methodology update. Stay tuned for more!
DCI-P3:
BT.2020
The TV has sub-par pre-calibration SDR accuracy. Reds are overrepresented in all shades of gray, which makes the TV's color temperature much warmer than the 6500K we target. Gamma is close to 2.2, but brighter scenes are displayed a bit too brightly. Its color accuracy is good overall, but there are inaccuracies with whites and most lighter colors.
The TV has exceptional SDR accuracy after calibration. All issues prior to calibration are gone, and the TV's white balance, color temperature, gamma, and color accuracy are close to perfect.
See our full calibration settings.
The TV has decent gray uniformity. There's some noticeable dirty screen effect towards the center of the screen, the corners are darker than the center, and there are particularly bad splotches of uneven brightness on the right side of the screen. On a very dark or near-black screen, the corners and sides of the screen are lighter than the center.
The TV has superb black uniformity. With local dimming disabled, blacks are slightly cloudy and blueish. With local dimming enabled, blacks are deep and uniform across the screen, with only a bit of blooming around bright objects on a dark background.
The Panasonic W95A has an inadequate viewing angle, so it's not suitable for a wide seating arrangement. There's significant gamma shifting, brightness loss, and black levels raise as you move off-center. Additionally, colors shift and look increasingly washed out as you move further away to the sides.
The Panasonic W95A has satisfactory reflection handling. Its glossy screen finish greatly reduces the intensity of indirect reflections, like when glare from a ceiling light isn't directly facing the screen. Unfortunately, the TV's handling of direct reflections is only alright, so reflections caused by something like a lamp placed in front of the screen are distracting.
The TV has good HDR gradient handling. There's noticeable banding in all grays, but other color gradients have minimal banding.
The Panasonic W95A has good low-quality content smoothing. It does an excellent job at preserving details, but it's only decent at actually smoothing out the image, so there is still some noticeable macro-blocking in dark scenes.
The TV does an outstanding job with upscaling low-resolution content like DVDs, standard definition cable channels, and lower-resolution streams. Details are well-defined and clear enough, but very fine details and small hard-coded text are a bit hard to make out.
Sharpness processing was calibrated with no over-sharpening for low-resolution content with the following settings:
- Sharpness: 30
- Resolution Remaster: Max
The TV uses a BGR (Blue-Green-Red) subpixel layout instead of the traditional RGB layout. This doesn't cause any issues for video or gaming content, but it can be a problem for PC monitor use as it impacts the text clarity, although not everyone will notice this.
The TV uses quantum dots to achieve high color peaks with excellent separation between blues, greens, and reds. This gives the TV great color purity and allows it to display a very wide color gamut, which can be seen in the TV's spectral power distribution (SPD) chart.
The Panasonic W95A has a great overall response time, so there's only some blur behind fast-moving objects. However, it's slower when coming out of dark states, so there's some black smearing in dark scene transitions.
The TV uses pulse width modulation (PWM) to dim its backlight. Fortunately, it's flicker-free, with the brightness set from 80-100 in all picture modes. With the brightness set between 42-79, it flickers at 480Hz, and it flickers at a very fast 1,920Hz with the brightness set between 0-41.
The TV supports backlight strobing, more commonly known as black frame insertion (BFI). The feature is designed to improve the appearance of motion by strobing its backlight and reducing the amount of persistence blur. Unfortunately, the BFI feature on the TV doesn't work very well, and there's still some image duplication and blurriness present.
This TV has an optional motion interpolation feature to improve the clarity of motion. It does a good job at smoothing out slower scenes, with only some very minor artifacts present. In faster-moving scenes, it doesn't keep up, leading to noticeable artifacts.
Due to the TV's quick response time, there's some noticeable stutter when watching movies or TV shows, and it's most apparent in slow panning shots.
The Panasonic W95A automatically removes judder from 24Hz sources and the internal apps. To remove judder from 60p and 60i sources, like a cable box, you must enable the Accurate IFC setting.
The Panasonic W95A supports FreeSync, HDMI Forum VRR, and G-SYNC, ensuring a nearly tear-free gaming experience from any VRR-enabled source. It works well across a wide refresh rate range and supports sources with Low-Frame-Compensation (LFC), which ensures your games remain nearly tear-free even when your frame rate drops very low.
Unfortunately, enabling VRR locks you out from using the TV's local dimming feature (Adaptive Backlight Control).
This TV has incredibly low input lag when set into True Game, which ensures a very responsive gaming experience with very little delay between your actions with your controller or mouse and the action on-screen.
The Panasonic W95A supports all common resolutions up to 4k @ 144Hz on two of its four HDMI ports. Chroma 4:4:4 signals are displayed properly with most supported resolutions when the TV's 'HDMI Setting' is set to Pure Direct, which is important for text clarity. Unfortunately, the TV doesn't support 1440p at any refresh rate with chroma 4:4:4.
The Panasonic W95 is fully compatible with everything the PS5 offers, like 1440p @ 120Hz and 4k @ 120Hz, as well as HDMI Forum VRR. It also supports Auto Low Latency Mode, so you don't have to worry about switching to Game Mode to get the lowest input lag. However, local dimming doesn't work when VRR is enabled.
The Panasonic W95 is fully compatible with everything the Xbox Series X|S offers, including 1440p @ 120Hz, 4k @ 120Hz, HDMI Forum VRR, FreeSync Premium Pro, and Dolby Vision gaming. It also supports Auto Low Latency Mode, so you don't have to worry about switching to Game Mode to get the lowest input lag. However, local dimming doesn't work when VRR is enabled.
The Panasonic W95 has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on HDMI ports 1 and 2, with both supporting up to 4k @ 144Hz. Unfortunately, the HDMI 2 port is also the eARC port, so you lose a high bandwidth port when you plug a soundbar into the TV. The TV supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+, but it only has an ATSC 1.0 tuner, so you can't watch 4k content over the air.
The TV supports eARC, which lets you pass high-quality, uncompressed audio to a compatible receiver or soundbar through an HDMI cable. Unfortunately, it doesn't support DTS audio formats commonly used on Blu-rays.
The Panasonic W95 has a mediocre frequency response. It barely produces any bass, but the sound profile is well-balanced at most listening levels, making dialogue easy to understand. However, the sound is very unbalanced at the TV's maximum volume, which is too bad since it doesn't get very loud.
The TV's distortion handling is mediocre. There's some audible distortion at moderate listening levels, and the amount of distortion worsens as you raise the volume.
It runs the Fire TV OS, which is smooth and easy to use. Unfortunately, a bug prevents certain settings, like motion interpolation, from working despite being turned on. To fix this, you must enter the 'Home' menu and then return to the input or internal app you're using.
Unfortunately, like almost all TVs on the market, the smart interface contains ads, and you can't disable them.
The TV has a great selection of apps, so it's easy to find your favorite content. You can also cast content from your phone or play videos from a USB stick.
The remote is almost identical to the ones included with other TVs that use the Fire TV OS, with quick access buttons for the most popular streaming services. You can use the built-in microphone to switch inputs, change apps, search within apps, and ask for the weather and time. Unfortunately, you can't use voice commands to change settings.
There's a single button on the bottom of the TV that can be used to switch inputs, adjust the volume, change channels, and power the TV on/off.
