Panasonic TV-48Z90B Review

Price

The 48-inch Z90B reviewed here sells for £1,099. With larger OLED TVs available from other manufacturers for less, there’s clearly a price premium attached to its smaller size.

The Z90B is also available in 42-, 55-, 65-, and 77-inch screen sizes, with prices ranging from £999 to £2599. The model is not currently available in North America or Australia. 

Design

• Forward facing sound system
• Central pedestal stand
• Large remote control

It may be small, but this 48-incher makes few compromises when it comes to build and finish. It looks larger than it actually is, thanks in part to the substantial forward facing driver array.

All too often, smaller screens are cursed with speakers that either point to the floor or project backwards. The Z90B doesn’t entertain such foolishness. The only audio kit at the rear is the woofer.

The TV sits on an easy to accommodate rectangular central pedestal. Personally, I would like to have seen a swivel stand at this size, but overall aesthetics are solid.

The remote control is something of a whopper, and includes direct-access buttons for Prime Video, Disney+, Netflix, YouTube, Freely and an apps store. There’s also a dedicated Filmmaker Mode toggle.

Connectivity

• Four HDMI inputs
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
• Only two HDMI inputs support 4K/120Hz

When it comes to HDMI connectivity, there are points to note. Of the four HDMI available, only two support 4K/144Hz, VRR and ALLM, and one of them also serves as the eARC connection. This will be an irritation for owners of more than one next-gen games console, and a soundbar, who will find themselves starved of premium connectivity.

Additional connections include three USBs, an optical digital audio output, 3.5mm headphone/subwoofer output, and Ethernet.

Wireless connectivity includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, and AirPlay with Apple Home support.
In addition to Freely, there’s also dual satellite tuners, and a regular aerial connection.

User Experience

• Fire TV smart OS
• Freely
• Auto AI controls

If you’re after a TV for everyday use, this is it. Panasonic’s menus are sensibly arranged, picture presets are well judged, and the TV rarely requires you to intervene. If you’re not one for tweaking, Auto AI actually does a reasonable job recognising content types, be it sport, movies, or live TV, adjusting sound and vision accordingly.

Auto Brightness and Auto White Balance, controlled by the set’s Ambience Sensor, allow the screen to adjust according to the level of ambient light in your viewing room.

The inclusion of Freely further simplifies life for anyone without an aerial feed, allowing the (slowly growing) bouquet of Freely mainstream channels (BBC, ITV, C4, C5 etc), to stream over Wi-Fi without any external aerial requirement.

Feature

• Fire TV OS
• Universal HDR support
• Nvidia G-Sync Compatible

As befits its near-flagship status, the Z90B is well served when it comes to conveniences.

Fire TV will be familiar to many, and offers access to a huge selection of streaming apps, as well as related Amazon smart home paraphernalia. The OS is battle honed, and thanks to a little bit of integrated Panasonic management, works well.

HDR support is broad and includes both Dolby Vision and HDR10+ Adaptive, ensuring the TV can deliver dynamic metadata HDR from any major streaming service or UHD Blu-ray disc. Select a Dolby Vision title from the likes of Netflix and the set automatically engages Dolby Vision IQ.

And if you don’t like it, there are calibrated picture modes specifically for both Netflix and Prime Video. 

The set’s Filmmaker Mode is also among the best implementations I’ve seen; it doesn’t impose the muddy tonality, and unfocussed look, I often associate with the profile.

On the audio side, there’s Dolby Atmos pass-through via eARC, meaning the Z90B can be partnered with an Atmos capable soundbar.

Gaming

• Dolby Vision Gaming
• Low input lag

Mirroring the rest of Panasonic’s OLED line up is a Game Control Board overlay, and dedicated gaming picture modes (Game / True Game).  

Gamers will appreciate 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM, and support for both Nvidia G-Sync Compatible and AMD FreeSync Premium.

Latency is low, making this a credible gaming display. There are actually two Game modes – Game and True Game – and  input lag was measured at just 12ms (1080/60) across both.

I reckon the screen could double as a dedicated gaming monitor. Its innate responsiveness and that low-latency tuning, feels especially nimble with racing and shooters.

 If only there were more high frame rate capable inputs to play with…

Picture Quality

• Bright peak HDR
• Intelligent Frame Creation
• HCX Pro AI MK II processor

While larger Z90B models use a brighter OLED EX panel, the 48-inch unit reviewed here (along with its 42-inch stablemate) makes do with a standard OLED module – a difference that should be a red flag for anyone weighing up picture performance.

However, while this difference sounds significant on paper, Panasonic’s processing prowess, and the fact that the standard 2025 panel is pretty darn good anyway, bridges much of the gap.

I measured peak HDR brightness at 806 nits, on a 10% window in Dynamic mode, but real-world specular highlights inch closer to 950 nits, lending fireworks, sparks and metallic glints a rewarding intensity. The small panel’s inherent pixel density seems to exaggerate this punch, making its HDR presentation feel lively and visceral.

Picture modes are many and varied. Options include Normal, Dynamic, Auto AI, Sport, Cinema, Filmmaker Mode, True Cinema and a couple of Professional settings. Want to get your hands dirty? Dig around the menus and you’ll discover Color Management and Calman Ready Connect settings.

Not that you need to tweak.

The Normal picture mode borders on revelatory – understated, colour-faithful and wonderfully textured. Skin tones look human, with fine detail and texture, while black levels are traditionally-deep yet nuanced, with shadow detail untarnished. I’ll attribute much of this to the HCX Pro AI MK II processor, previous iterations of which have proved peerless.

Watching Dune: Part Two, the oppressive black of Harkonnen armour shows layers rather than uniform darkness, and desert sands retain their grain. Colour depth and vibrancy is high.

That said, I think motion processing benefits from restraint. Intelligent Frame Creation on its Minimum setting avoids the distracting artefacts seen at Max, while preserving clarity for sports and fast-cut action sequences.

Whatever way you look at it, this set’s picture punches well above its weight.

Upscaling

• Dual Super Resolution
• AI HDR Remastering

When you drop below a 50-inch screen size, HD already looks sharp and textured from a typical viewing distance, so applying finely honed picture processing is largely gilding the lily. But Panasonic embellishes anyway.

This 48-incher does a splendid job with sub 4K content, thanks to a Dual Super Resolution mode that manages upscaling with no overt artefacting, and AI HDR Remastering, which bumps contrast on non-HDR broadcasts and streams.

Sound Quality

• 60W stereo sound system
• Dolby Atmos compatible

The Z90B knows how to make a noise. The 60W sound system, comprising forward-facing drivers (2 x 15W) with a 30W rear woofer and passive radiators, provides an audio performance that’s far more impressive than is reasonable to expect from a telly of this size.

Dialogue is clearly articulated, mid-range detail is expansive, and although bass depth is limited, the set remains entertaining, even at higher volumes.

If you want something more immersive, you can always add a soundbar and uncork that Dolby Atmos bitstream, available from most streaming services.. For everyday viewing, out of the box, this is a robust sonic performer.

Should you buy it?