Samsung OLED S90D / S94D (WRGB OLED) vs Panasonic W95B

In the tested film scenes, the Samsung S90D television achieves impressive brightness results, exceeding the 1000 nit barrier in the first four shots, which can be considered a remarkable outcome. In the case of the last shot, where a full-screen flash of sunlight is visible, the brightness drops to around 500 nit, but it still remains at a very good level. Additionally, the television impresses with a DCI-P3 colour space coverage value of 98%, which guarantees extraordinarily rich and realistic colour reproduction, further enhancing the image quality. This result makes the Samsung S90D an ideal choice for those expecting high-quality images in a variety of lighting conditions.

The Panasonic W95B is truly a bright screen, capable of achieving peak luminance levels of around 1400 nits. In brighter, well-lit movie scenes, this value translates into spectacular HDR effects that can leave a big impression. However, knowing our test setup, you probably see that in very demanding shots – such as the moon in the distance or the lights of a helicopter in a scene from Sicario 2 – the television doesn’t impress. In such situations, brightness drops to around 200 nits, making the HDR effect much less noticeable. This happens because Panasonic focuses on maintaining deep blacks, not illuminating the background – which shouldn’t be a concern for many users. However, it’s important to remember that in such moments, the picture starts to resemble SDR content. The coverage of the colour palette also deserves praise, as it reaches around 93% of the DCI-P3 space thanks to the use of the PFS filter (also known from QLED technology). This means that most films look very good in terms of saturation and colours, maintaining a cinematic quality to the image.

The S90D television has been tested in Filmmaker mode, which offers good colour reproduction, although with some imperfections that may be noticeable to more discerning users. This mode may seem too warm, and users who have switched from Standard mode might experience a slight shock. It’s worth noting that this state of affairs is caused by poor settings, such as in the white balance, rather than the Filmmaker mode itself. In both SDR and HDR content, the device shows drops in blue, causing colours to appear warmer than they should. In practice, this means that certain shades, such as sky blue or skin tones, may appear less natural and more tinged with pink or yellow. The Colour Checker test confirms these deviations, showing shifts towards warmer tones. In SDR content, the gamma chart indicates slight fluctuations, which may result in the image being minimally darker, especially in the shadows. This can affect the clarity of details in darker scenes. Meanwhile, in 4K HDR materials, the EOTF curve is located above the recommended line, leading to some parts of the image being displayed too brightly, which can cause clipping in the brightest areas. Overall, Samsung S90D delivers a solid picture straight out of the box, but for the best results, especially with more demanding content, additional calibration is recommended.

In Filmmaker mode, the Panasonic W95B offers an image with quite accurate colour reproduction, although it is not without minor imperfections. The white balance slightly leans towards red, which can cause a subtle warm tint to the image, and the gamma curve is slightly elevated, making the screen appear a bit brighter. It's good that the manufacturer has included this mode – even in its factory configuration, it provides a fairly natural look for films. However, knowing how susceptible Panasonic televisions are to calibration, we decided to check how much the image could be improved after professional tuning.

After calibration, the Samsung S90D TV in movie mode looks even better than one might expect. The white balance for both HD and 4K HDR content has been improved almost to perfection. Although minor errors can still be noticed, they are so minimal that they do not significantly affect the picture quality. Colours are more balanced, leading to a natural reproduction of details, especially in scenes that require a precise colour palette. It is worth noting that this model in this size is equipped with a WOLED panel, which has less coverage of a wide colour gamut and does not offer as rich colours as, for example, the 65-inch version, which is equipped with a QD-OLED panel.

The contrast has also seen a significant improvement. The gamma graph after calibration is much closer to the expected line, providing a better balance between bright and dark areas of the image. The EOTF curve, which showed problems with overexposed scenes before calibration, now demonstrates better results. This effect allows for greater detail to be preserved in the bright parts of the image, especially in HDR materials.

After professional calibration, the Panasonic W95B shows what it’s really capable of. Colour errors have mostly dropped below values of 2–3, making them practically invisible to the human eye. The excess red in the white balance has also been corrected, which means the image is no longer slightly tinted pink, and details in dark areas no longer get lost due to excessive dimming in the gamma. The improvement in HDR content is also noticeable – colour saturation is now more stable and doesn’t lean towards blue as distinctly as it did before. It’s truly a fantastic television for watching movies and series in the highest possible quality. While we know that Mini LED screens are not always perfectly suited for this, the W95B is a prime example that with proper tuning, a result close to OLEDs can be achieved.

Television S90D handles tonal transitions very well. Thanks to the technology used, transitions between colours are smoother and more natural. You can also use the noise reduction feature, which further smooths out tonal transitions, which can be useful in certain situations. However, it's worth remembering that turning on noise reduction can also lead to the smoothing out of desirable film grain, thereby reducing the cinematic feel of the image. For this reason, caution is advised when using this feature, as it’s better to leave the natural grain that adds character and authenticity to the content being viewed.

Samsung, as always, does not disappoint and excels in scaling images from lower resolutions. The S90D Samsung TV effectively processes lower resolutions, as seen in the visible image. The outline of the model is clear and accurate and, as a result, looks natural and detailed. Moreover, the branches of the trees are well-represented, showing no significant jaggedness that could degrade image quality. With effective scaling, even materials in lower resolution present attractively on the screen, satisfying users who prefer various sources of content such as regular antenna/cable television.

In terms of image processing, the Panasonic W95B performs exceptionally well. The proprietary processor responsible for digital image processing effectively upscales lower resolution content to 4K, maintaining a high level of detail and a natural look to contours. The end result is impressive – the upscaling is truly top-notch, and Full HD content can look surprisingly good. Also noteworthy is how the TV smooths tonal transitions in low-quality materials. The algorithm doesn’t operate as aggressively as in some competing models, which helps avoid the loss of detail or the blurring of film grain.

Samsung S90D TV is equipped with a 120 Hz panel, with the ability to overclock to 144 Hz with the right PC configuration, providing exceptional motion smoothness. For years, Samsung has offered a variety of ten-point settings for image clarity, allowing users to adjust the display to their preferences. In the UFO test, thanks to the use of an OLED panel, there is no sign of any motion blur. The pixel response is instantaneous and perfectly captures dynamic movements. In this aspect, OLED technology is considered one of the best on the market. The image is incredibly sharp and detailed, even during fast action, making the S90D an ideal choice for gamers and sports enthusiasts.

The 144 Hz panel used in the Panasonic W95B offers excellent smoothness, although in practice, given how television content looks or how new-generation consoles are limited, it’s worth looking at its performance when refreshing at 120 Hz. In this mode, the television performs exceptionally well – despite being a VA panel, which is not known for the fastest pixel response times, motion blur is minimal and difficult to detect with the naked eye.

The Samsung S90D television is perfectly adapted to the needs of gamers, offering four HDMI 2.1 ports that support key features such as Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), and HDR Gaming Interest Group (HGIG). With these technologies, gamers can enjoy smoother and more responsive gameplay, significantly enhancing comfort and performance during intense gaming sessions. An additional advantage of the television is the special Game Bar, which allows for easy management of game settings. This functionality enables quick adjustments of parameters, such as changing the aspect ratio of the television screen, which can be useful in various games and types of gameplay. Users can easily customise their preferences, making the use of the television while gaming even more convenient and enjoyable. As for PC users, the television pleasantly surprises. When connecting a computer, the panel is able to achieve a refresh rate of 144Hz, and users of Nvidia or AMD graphics cards can enjoy features such as G-Sync and FreeSync. However, it should be noted that the television does not support Dolby Vision, which may be a downside – although it is worth considering that Dolby Vision is not as popular in the context of games as it is in films. Nevertheless, the S90D television still offers excellent features for gamers, making it a great choice for gaming enthusiasts looking for outstanding picture quality and modern technological solutions.

Aside from the previously mentioned issue related to VRR mode, where local dimming does not work, the Panasonic W95B is a true gaming beast. The TV offers practically everything that gamers could expect – perhaps apart from four HDMI 2.1 ports, as there are only two available. On board, we find automatic low latency mode (ALLM), correctly implemented HDR modes for gamers, including HGiG, as well as support for Dolby Vision in games. The whole package is complemented by an interestingly designed Game Bar, presented in the form of circles. It may not be the most visually attractive, but it fulfills its purpose – allowing quick access to key game parameters and adjusting settings without diving into the system menu.