Panasonic Z95B vs Samsung OLED S90F (QD-OLED)

The HDR effect quality in the Panasonic Z95B is among the absolute best. Thanks to the latest generation panel, named Primary RGB Tandem OLED by the manufacturer, the television can achieve over 2000 nits of brightness in movie scenes. The effect is impressive and can amaze with its intensity of light, giving a sense of contact with the screen that goes beyond previous experiences. Similar feelings were only experienced during tests of the LG G5, Samsung S95F, or Philips OLED910. Of course, there are moments when the device's algorithms decide to limit luminance – this especially applies to full-screen bright sequences, such as the ending credits in the movie The Meg. Even then, the Z95B maintains a level of around 1500 nits, which is still an extremely impressive result. Thus, it can be said that HDR in this model has been brought to a masterful form. A significant step forward is also visible in the reproduction of the colour palette. The new tandem OLED panel does not yet match the best QD-OLED screens in terms of gamut coverage, but the gap between these solutions has significantly decreased. When watching films, the differences are subtle enough that under normal conditions it's hard to notice them, and the colours remain vibrant and saturated.

The biggest difference between the 65-inch S90F and the other versions is brightness. The QD-OLED panel can reach up to 1700 nits in laboratory tests, which is over 500 nits more than the version with a WOLED matrix. This translates to a significantly stronger and more immersive HDR effect. In most scenes, the bright parts of the image look stunning, and we must admit that we were positively surprised, as we expected results closer to the WOLED version, but what we got is an effect that impresses even in films. As with every OLED, there are moments when the panel must reduce brightness a bit. This mainly concerns full-screen, very demanding scenes – for instance, in the last test scene from the movie “The Meg,” brightness drops to around 800 nits. However, it's hard to consider this a flaw because it's still an excellent result, unprecedented in OLED TVs in this price range. Everything suggests that the 65-inch S90F could be one of the best choices this year for those looking for a strong OLED at a reasonable price. Another advantage of the QD-OLED matrix in HDR content is its colour gamut coverage. Thanks to quantum dots, the television achieves nearly 100% of the DCI-P3 gamut and almost 90% of the BT.2020 gamut. These are values that place it alongside much more expensive models and make it exceptional in its class.

The factory colour reproduction in Filmmaker mode, my dear friends, is a true phenomenon in the case of the Panasonic Z95B. I'm talking about our test sample, but the results were so good that it's hard to believe. The only detail that one could nitpick is a slight lack of blue in the white balance, but apart from that, the television straight out of the box presented an image like we have never seen in factory mode. Colour palette tests, Color Checker – everything indicated values below Delta 2. This is a much lower result than the threshold of human eye perception, which means, to put it simply, that the viewer has no chance of noticing serious deviations. It looks as if Panasonic actually calibrated this model at the factory stage. Of course, we cannot exclude the possibility that we got an exceptionally well-set specimen, but the result still makes a stunning impression. We are very strict when it comes to assessing factory calibration, and here our jaws simply dropped.

Samsung S90F, like most modern televisions, offers several picture modes, but in keeping with our tradition, we checked it in the most important one, which is Filmmaker. This setting makes the picture look much more natural than in the default, often oversaturated modes. It is neither overly vivid nor artificially dimmed – just closer to what you should actually see. However, this doesn’t mean it’s perfect. The S90F had noticeable shortcomings in white balance, particularly in the blue range, which created a slightly yellowish filter effect on most scenes. One might argue that it looks more “cinematic” because it’s warmer, but let’s not kid ourselves – George Lucas didn’t shoot Star Wars in sepia 😉 (you’ll find a comparison with a scene as always below). In HDR materials, there was also an issue with brightness management. The EOTF curve clearly showed that the television brightens the image more than it should, which led to some effects looking too intense and deviating from the reference. Fortunately, many of these flaws can be eliminated through professional calibration – we will discuss the effects of this procedure later in the test.

The colour reproduction after calibration on the Z95B is a topic that’s hard to elaborate on, as there wasn’t much to do here. A slight adjustment of the white balance was enough to eliminate the lack of blue, and at that moment, the picture jumped to an almost reference level. It must be said that we haven’t had such a small range of adjustments in a long time. If any of you are particularly perceptive, you might notice minimal deviations in the EOTF curve, but this is more related to the functioning of the dynamic tone mapping feature we mentioned earlier. In reality, this isn’t a flaw, but a characteristic of this solution, which intentionally alters the brightness profile depending on the scene. In summary, we are extremely impressed. The Panasonic Z95B is a television that looks great right out of the box, and after calibration, it reaches a level where we really struggle to find anything to improve.

Calibration quickly revealed that the S90F has a significant reserve of capabilities. The image in SDR immediately gained a natural quality – classic films no longer looked like someone was applying a yellowish filter, and the colours regained their proper character. It's a return to the atmosphere of the original, without the impression that someone tried to "age" it forcefully. In HDR content, the difference was even more pronounced. The EOTF curve was managed to nearly reference level, and any deviations are so subtle that most viewers wouldn't even notice them. In practice, the S90F shows an image very close to ideal post-calibration. Compared to the WOLED version, it even performs better – mainly due to a wider coverage of the colour palette, which makes the colours look fuller and more vibrant.

Let's start with what works well. The upscaling in the Z95B is at a very high level – the image in lower resolutions is clear and sharp, and the only minor shortcomings are slight banding in some areas of the picture. It's also important that the television doesn't crop the material in any way and maintains its proportions, which is not always an obvious fact even in 2025.

The situation looks worse when it comes to digital processing. Features like "gradation smoothing" or "block noise reduction" essentially do not work – the tested material looked identical regardless of the settings. We might as well say that this feature simply doesn't exist. It's a bit disappointing, especially since Panasonic heavily promotes its HCX Pro AI II processor, boasting the presence of artificial intelligence improving image quality. Meanwhile, in such a basic matter, the television does not deliver a real effect and it looks weaker than one would expect from top-tier equipment.

S90F performs really well here, although there are some points that are common across most Samsung TVs. The noise reduction feature can effectively smooth out unwanted colour transitions in lower-quality materials like television or YouTube, making them look simply better. However, it should be noted that it works quite aggressively and can also soften elements that we wouldn’t want to alter, such as facial details. Therefore, if we want to use it, it’s best to use it in the "medium" setting and be aware of the compromise it brings. The upscaling itself is of a high standard – low-quality materials are pulled towards an image resembling 4K. The only caveat is that the S90F can still have issues with so-called overscan, meaning slight trimming of the edges in very low-quality materials such as 576p and lower.

The OLED panel with very high refresh rates already provides an incredibly sharp image even in dynamic sports scenes, such as football or basketball matches, and the Z95B is no exception. It's also very important that the television is equipped with the proprietary motion smoothing system 'Intelligent Frame Creation'. Among the available sliders, the most crucial one turns out to be the one called 'film smoothness', as it allows for adjusting the motion to personal preferences with 24-frame content, meaning films – from a more 'choppy' appearance to a smooth, almost theatrical effect. It's a bit disappointing that Panasonic didn't opt to push the latest OLED panel to 165 Hz, as Samsung did with the S95F or LG with the G5, because we know that the panel is technically capable of it. On the other hand, it mainly benefits PC gamers, so in everyday viewing, it's not a significant drawback as we are limited to 120Hz.

S90F is an OLED with a refresh rate of 144 Hz, but in practice, what matters most is how it performs at 120 Hz, as this frequency is the most important when watching sports. The QD-OLED panel is no different in this regard from WOLED panels – the pixel response is nearly instantaneous, so motion is rendered with surgical precision. The effect is easy to predict. The image is practically free of motion blur, making gaming on consoles, matches, or other sports broadcasts a tremendous pleasure on the S90F.

Fans of movies and series have not been forgotten either. Like every Samsung television with a refresh rate of 120 Hz and above, the S90F is equipped with a proprietary motion smoother called “Picture Clarity.” Here, we find two sliders – blur reduction and judder reduction – which allow you to improve the smoothness of content recorded at 24 frames and tailor the effect to your own preferences.

The Panasonic Z95B is fully equipped for gaming. Two HDMI 2.1 ports with a full bandwidth of 48 Gb/s guarantee support for everything you can expect from a modern screen. It features VRR frame syncing, an automatic game mode (ALLM), and full compatibility with HDR formats used in gaming. The TV supports both Dolby Vision for Xbox and the popular HGiG, which in this case has been implemented correctly, so it actually works as it should.

Although the brand is mainly associated with home cinema and equipment for filmmakers, there’s also space for gamer conveniences here. Onboard is the Game Bar (or rather Game Circles) – it looks a bit unusual visually, but it does its job and allows you to quickly check the most important image parameters. The only thing missing for complete satisfaction is actually having four HDMI 2.1 ports instead of two. It’s a minor detail, but with a TV of this class, one could expect a full set.

The S90F is a television that genuinely brings a lot of joy when gaming. To start with, we get four proper HDMI 2.1 ports, which means you can connect all consoles and PCs without having to figure out which device takes priority. This is a convenient and practical solution, which is not at all a given with other manufacturers. Additionally, there are key features such as: automatic game mode (ALLM), which automatically switches the screen to low latency settings, and VRR frame synchronization that operates over a wide range from 48 to 144 Hz. This ensures the picture remains smooth, whether we're playing fast-paced online shooters or more relaxed narrative titles. The Game Bar also deserves attention – a panel that allows quick access to several handy extras. For example, you can turn on an extra crosshair in the middle of the screen, enlarge the minimap, or, in the case of PC, change the aspect ratio. Finally, there's also Samsung's unique Game Motion Plus mode. Its task is to smooth out older or poorly optimized titles, and it actually works quite well. With this mode, even less polished games can look better and provide more enjoyment than on other televisions that theoretically offer the same technical parameters.