Summary
- Curved TVs are still available, but only from Samsung, and in very limited numbers.
- They now have outdated specs, and require sitting in a “sweet spot” to get the full effect.
- State-of-the-art flat TVs make more sense. If you’re going to get any curved screen, make it a PC monitor.
The TV industry is prone to going through phases. Some of these are long-lasting — I don’t see color or HDR going out of fashion anytime soon — but others are short-lived. My parents, for example, once owned a portable, battery-powered Sony TV with a tiny black-and-white screen. As fun as it was, the concept was doomed on multiple levels. It was always limited to analog broadcast channels, and it burned through batteries like nothing else. My siblings and I weren’t allowed to use it unless we asked, since it would’ve cost a fortune in alkalines.
Some more recent phase examples include curved screens and native 3D support. 3D vanished relatively quickly — production ended after 2016 — but curved TVs are still available, and may even have a lot of appeal for you. But should you put down any cash for one in 2025?
Related
YouTube is an OK streamer, but I made it better with these 5 hacks
You need to treat it a little differently if it’s going to compete with Netflix.
A brief history of curved TVs
Thank the golden age of cinema
Edward M. Pio Roda / Turner Entertainment Networks
The idea of curved screens has been around for decades. As early as the 1950s, the movie industry was experimenting with curved theater screens and formats, the best known example being Cinerama. Some extremely famous films were projected in Cinerama, such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
The most direct inspiration for curved TVs was probably IMAX. While Cinerama has been dead for a long time (excluding Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, released in 2015), the IMAX format is still going strong, despite theaters with genuine curved screens being rare. When shown as intended, IMAX is extremely immersive — it fills your field-of-view, and its curve mimics the way you perceive the real world. There used to be an even more immersive format called OMNIMAX/IMAX Dome, but that required custom technology to work as intended. If you’ve seen something on an IMAX Dome screen recently, it was probably just presented in regular IMAX.
Commercially, curved TVs were spearheaded by Samsung and LG, but for a time other brands joined the fray.
The first mass-market curved TVs were unveiled at 2013’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. They were an impressive feat at the time, since of course, it’s tougher to manufacture a screen that’s simultaneously flexible and durable — foldable smartphones have only taken off in the past few years. It was easier to achieve a curved panel at the scale of a TV.
Commercially, curved TVs were spearheaded by Samsung and LG. For a time, though, brands like Sony, Philips, and Panasonic joined the fray, and you could even buy curved soundbars if the mismatch bothered you just that much.
Related
Clamshell foldable phones are the wave of the future – here’s why
Book-style foldables might be sexier, but pragmatism is going to win the day.
Why you probably shouldn’t buy a curved TV
Few options, outdated technology
Samsung
For some people, the main issue is going to be availability. Samsung is the only company still manufacturing curved TVs, and there are just a handful of models available, namely in the RU7300 and KU7500F lineups. In fact, you may not be able to find the KU7500F anywhere by the time you read this, since Samsung’s own website doesn’t show any stores with inventory. The only RU7300s you can buy directly from the company ship in 55- and 65-inch sizes.
The very concept of a curved TV is flawed, at least in your living room.
That leads us to the second problem, which is outdated technology. Even the RU7300 dates back to 2019, and needless to say, standards have moved on. You’ll get 4K resolution and even limited HDR, but don’t expect Dolby Vision. It’s also an edge-lit LED TV, whereas most of the industry has upgraded to zoned LED, mini-LED, or OLED. It should still look great under the right conditions, but the only reason to buy it is that you insist on a curved panel.
Even then, though, the very concept of a curved TV is flawed, at least in your living room. The best color, brightness, and viewing angles are going to be limited to a sweet spot in the center of your space. While people sitting in that spot will be fine, anyone outside of it will miss the full effect. At some angles, they might actually miss part of the picture, or get hit with glare from lamps or windows. In general, it makes far more sense to invest in a flat TV — you can scale up the size if you want more immersion. If immersion is everything, and you’re watching solo, it might be better to invest in a VR headset.
Related
Apple Vision Pro vs. Meta Quest 3: What’s the difference?
Apple’s Vision Pro is a natural competitor for the highly touted Meta Quest 3, even if both are wildly different. Here is everything you need to know.
Where curved tech is thriving
Consider a curved monitor instead
MSI
A curved screen makes far more sense for a computer monitor. Monitors are only ever viewed from their sweet spot, and whereas immersion doesn’t matter when you’re watching CNN on the couch, it’s a holy grail or even mandatory for 3D gaming. VR wouldn’t exist otherwise. Curves also enable ultra-wide displays, though you’ll need a pretty powerful video card to handle them at native resolution.
Monitors are only ever viewed from their sweet spot, and immersion is a holy grail for 3D gaming.
In recent years, some curved monitors have begun adopting TV functions. The best-known example is probably the LG OLED Flex, which can switch between monitor and TV modes on the fly, and even adjust its arc. It’s extremely expensive, and probably not worth it for most shoppers — you can fire up Netflix or YouTube on any PC — but it could foreshadow where curved monitors are headed, so long as computer and TV technologies continue to merge.
Related
The world is right, it’s time to make sideloading apps the norm on your phone
Exclusive app stores are increasingly naked cash grabs.
