LG slashes price on 55-inch curved OLED in half, now under $7,000 with rebate

By Caleb Denison February 10, 2014

lg drops price on 55 inch oled to under 7000 55ea9800 curved front 1486x991 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

LG has announced it is cutting the price on its 55EA9800 curved OLED television to $7,999. The company is also offering an instant $1000 rebate to those who are “ready to buy now,” bringing the total price to $6,999. LG did not indicate when or if the rebate is set to expire.

At CES 2014, LG made it clear that it intended to lead the way in bringing OLED TVs to the US. The company scaled up development, bringing five new OLED models to the show, and pointed to significantly ramped-up production, announcing several new OLED manufacturing plants around the world, with one in Mexico aimed at producing the next-gen TVs specifically for the US market.

When LG first debuted the 55-inch EA9800 in July 2013, the television was priced at a lofty $14,999. When its rival, Samsung, introduced its competing KN55S9C model at just under $9,000, LG stuck to its guns, saying, “LG’s curved OLED TV, which has been on sale in the United States since July 22, is a premium product with superior performance and styling that commands a premium price. It sells for $14,999.”

LG says the 55EA9800 will be available through the first half of this year, indicating that we can expect to see some of its new models available at that time. The company’s new curved, 55-inch EB9600 is expected to be the entry level model, and it will likely come in under $7,000 when it begins shipping in the US.

OLED panels, which offer unprecedented picture quality thanks to their near-perfect black levels, superior brightness, and outstanding color, have historically been difficult to produce in large quantities, keeping supplies limited and prices high. LG’s moves toward bringing OLED into the US market are encouraging, though it remains to be seen if its production methods can support large-scale shipments. Either way, with prices still firmly in the above-$5000 category, adoption will likely remain slow. But with plasma technology on its way out, it’s exciting to see its replacement making some significant strides toward widespread availability.

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Digital Trends Editor at Large Caleb Denison is a sought-after writer, speaker, and television correspondent with unmatched…

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Man playing a video game on an LG 97-inch Signature OLED M3 4K TV.

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55 inch lg um7300 uhd 4k tv b9 oled c9 amazon discounts 2 4 768x768

The ongoing Cyber Monday deals present the best opportunities to upgrade to the next level of home theater equipment: an OLED TV. Normally insanely expensive, OLED TVs drop into a reasonable price range this time of year, but today's your last chance to take advantage of this, especially if you missed out on Black Friday. The LG C2 OLED 4K TV is a well-regarded and highly sought-after OLED, and right now the 65-inch model is down to $1,700 from its usual $2,100. That's still not cheap, but it's a good deal on a great TV. Don't let it pass you by, especially since similar offers are all sold out. Cyber Monday is the last major shopping event of the year, but you'll get the OLED TV in time for the holidays if you buy it now.

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LG 97-inch G2 OLED with colorfol paint on screen

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Look, I'm not here trying to convince anyone reading this article that anyone needs a $25,000 TV -- that's LG's job. This is really about me helping to make sense of a world that's really hard to understand for anyone who isn't really wealthy. This is me justifying a somewhat extravagant luxury for a demographic of onlookers who might love to own a 97-inch OLED TV, but who have zero shot of doing so until such a thing doesn't cost as much as a compact car.