You can’t just stick any regular TV out on the back porch and expect it to survive; there’s a reason outdoor TVs usually sell for a hefty premium. They’re designed to withstand the elements over an extended time while offering enough brightness to overcome direct sunlight. Samsung has a special line of outdoor TVs called The Terrace that’s part of the company’s “lifestyle” series, which also includes The Frame, The Sero, and The Serif. And today, it’s adding the biggest-sized screen to that lineup yet: a new 85-inch Terrace is now available for preorder. And it costs $19,999. Yep, a buck shy of 20 grand.
It’s worth highlighting that Samsung has made some fresh upgrades for this 85-inch model. It now offers “Neo QLED” picture technology instead of regular QLED; that’s Samsung’s way of saying that you’re getting more precise Mini LED dimming zones for improved contrast and black levels. That’ll prove beneficial whenever you’re watching outside at night.
The 85-inch Terrace is also a little better protected against weather, with a higher IP56 dust and water resistance rating than the IP55 that comes with the previous sizes. If you’re wondering what the difference is, IP55 protects against “low pressure” water jets from any direction, whereas IP56 is durable enough to withstand high-pressure water from any direction. That could be a difference maker if your outdoor TV finds itself in the middle of a thunderstorm or intense downpour.
The Terrace packs enough punch to reach over 1,500 nits of peak brightness (though the picture can occasionally dim to protect itself in hot conditions) and its anti-glare screen should help avoid distracting reflections when the sun’s out. You can also take advantage of Samsung’s software features like Adaptive Picture to automatically adjust the screen’s levels based on ambient conditions. The Terrace supports HDR10 Plus but lacks Dolby Vision like the rest of Samsung’s TVs.
This TV is meant to be an outdoor solution that’ll last years and years, and Samsung has included special hardware to make life easier for custom installers:
Designed for permanent outdoor installation, The Terrace provides an ultra-large and comprehensive solution for high-end backyard theaters. With an HD Base-T™ receiver built-in, custom installers can run a single LAN cable to the Terrace to extend HDMI connected devices.
Another upgrade for this model is the inclusion of Samsung Gaming Hub, providing direct access to cloud gaming services from Xbox, Nvidia, Amazon, and more. And as you might hope for from an outdoor TV, the 85-inch Terrace comes with Samsung’s SolarCell remote, so it’ll keep itself charged without you ever needing to fuss with batteries or plugging it in to recharge.
Are there cheaper outdoor TV solutions? Well, sure: Roku introduced an outdoor TV last year for $1,299, but you’re limited to a measly 55-inch panel size, and it only promises protection against “partial sun.” The Samsung will absolutely decimate that Element-branded TV in terms of picture quality and overall presentation, but it’s also a massive investment.
