Samsung OLED S95D vs Samsung S85F (WOLED)

Samsung S95D offers excellent HDR performance, delivering consistent effects across all scenes exceeding 1500 nits, except for the fifth, where brightness drops to 800 nits. Despite this, the TV maintains a high level of picture quality. A significant advantage of QD-OLED technology is the ability to maintain high brightness even in the smallest elements on a black background, which is rare in LCD and mini LED TVs. As a result, every scene impresses with strong lighting effects, regardless of the size of the illuminated surface. Only in the brightest scenes with a large light area does brightness drop slightly, which is typical even for standard LG OLEDs. Additionally, the quantum dot coating has allowed for an unprecedented high coverage of the BT.2020 colour palette at 88%.

For most of the time, let's say in 90% of film scenes, viewers will hardly see any difference between the S85F versions. When small but very bright light points appear on screen – a lantern in a dark alley, a gunshot, the sun breaking through the clouds – this WOLED panel (just like the smaller S85F) performs exceptionally well. Our measurements showed a peak brightness of around 750 nits. We can confidently state: this is a great result that guarantees fantastic HDR effects. The problem arises in a very specific, uncomfortable situation for any OLED. We're talking about the moment when the entire screen has to shine at full brightness clearly. Examples include a white background screen, a skiing scene, or our test sequences (5) from the film The Meg. And here, unfortunately, the results diverge quite significantly against the WOLED panel variant. Our measurement equipment was able to measure a maximum of around 250 to 300 nits of brightness under such conditions. To be clear: the same model on a QD-OLED panel in the same test is almost twice as bright. The second issue: colours. And here we also have to be honest – QD-OLED has a structural advantage. Why? It’s simple. QD-OLED creates colours from three components (red, green, and blue) and doesn’t need an additional white subpixel. The WOLED panel we’re testing here uses that white subpixel, mainly to boost overall brightness. The effect is that QD-OLED is able to display a slightly wider colour palette, and the colours are a bit "cleaner." But let’s be clear: it’s not that the colours on this WOLED panel are bad! Quite the opposite, they are really very good. Coverage of the DCI-P3 film colour gamut at 97% and 71% for the wider BT.2020 palette is still high-end. We just have to honestly admit that those few percentage points of coverage advantage lie with QD-OLED technology and may be noticeable in very specific moments.

On the Samsung S95D, the best colour reproduction mode is the Filmmaker mode. We conduct all our tests in this mode. Although initially, the image in this mode may seem a bit warmer to the viewer, it provides significantly more detail compared to the standard or dynamic modes, which are always oversaturated and artificial. Therefore, Filmmaker is the most closely aligned with the vision of filmmakers and ideal for watching high-quality content. It is worth noting, however, that the factory settings are not perfect, despite dealing with premium segment equipment. The image may contain certain issues that affect the overall quality of the displayed scenes. An example is the drops in red colour in the white balance, both in HD and HDR content. Colour Checker tests showed that the colours lean towards cooler tones. The image is dominated by blue hues, and the overall colour spectrum is distorted. As can be seen in the picture below, the boy from the film appears in cooler tones, making him look less natural. When it comes to brightness characteristics for HD content, it is quite accurate, although there are minor errors. The biggest issue arises when displaying 4K HDR content. The EOTF curve, which seems appropriate at first glance in test patterns, in actual film scenes shows that the TV sometimes "messes around" with the image. This results in some scenes appearing slightly brighter and others darker.

Samsung S95D offers quite decent factory colour reproduction; however, it has some shortcomings that may require calibration to fully utilise the potential of this television. The process is recommended to achieve the most natural and immersive image possible.

When it comes to factory colour reproduction, our test unit in SDR mode suffered from a slight deficit in red and yellow. This resulted in a subtle yellowish tint visible in shades of white. However, this is not the biggest issue with the S85F. Similar to the QD-OLED panel variant, the main problem with this model is the way it presents HDR content. When we look at the EOTF curve graph, it’s easy to see that the TV has quite significant issues with strong image over-brightening. This results in the final image becoming very unnatural in many scenes.

How much can the picture quality of a TV change after calibration? After calibration on the Samsung S95D, the white balance has significantly improved, eliminating all major errors, allowing for a more natural and harmonious colour representation. In the case of 4K content, there are only minor imperfections which do not affect the overall picture quality. Thanks to the calibration, viewers can now enjoy more balanced tones, which better reflect the intentions of filmmakers. The contrast has also improved, and the gamma shows even better results. This means that the differences between bright and dark parts of the image have become more pronounced, resulting in better depth and detail of scenes. As a result, shadows have gained more detail, and bright areas are no longer so overwhelming, providing a more realistic visual experience. However, it should be noted that the EOTF curve is slightly below the expected level, which may affect how the TV handles dynamic scenes. Nevertheless, after calibration, the overall picture quality has significantly improved, and viewers can now enjoy a visual experience that is more in line with the creators' intentions. The TV handles subtle tonal transitions and contrast better, making it more suitable for watching movies and high-definition programs. Ultimately, the picture after calibration is closely aligned with reference quality, making the visual experience even more satisfying.

After conducting calibration in Filmmaker mode, we managed to eliminate most unwanted effects. In SDR content, the TV performs exceptionally well, and its colour reproduction errors do not exceed a value of 2, which is an outstanding result. The HDR content looks a bit worse, though still very good. Although we managed to eliminate a significant unnaturalness of the image caused by an overly high EOTF curve, the most discerning observers may notice that it is not perfectly aligned. It runs slightly below the reference curve, which would suggest that the S85F has minor issues in displaying all details in the image. We must immediately point out that it is highly unlikely for the average viewer to notice any deficiencies in the picture. We assess the final result after calibration as exemplary.

How does the television handle tonal transitions in lower quality materials? Generally speaking, the S95D performs exceptionally well. On the screen with the light bulb, there are virtually no transitions between shades of grey, making it one of the best televisions we have tested in this regard.

When it comes to digital processing, the entirety of the image — from branches to the models' characters — has been well rendered, with no jagged edges or overly visible contours. However, we must point out one issue: the image has been slightly cropped. Nevertheless, the television performs brilliantly, and details in lower quality materials are still noticeable and well-defined.

The processing of tonal transitions (gradients) in the S85F is at a high level. The television effectively handles posterization (the "stepping" effect of colours), even with heavily compressed content, for example, from streaming services. However, using this feature requires a certain compromise. We noticed that the noise reduction algorithm is quite aggressive – even at the lowest setting, it can eliminate the natural film grain, which for many viewers is part of the film's aesthetics. The "Standard" setting seems to be a golden mean, without causing a noticeable loss of important details, so we can recommend it. However, we advise against using the "High" level, which, in addition to noise, also removes desired details such as texture or the structure of objects on the screen.

The upscaling process of lower resolution content works very well in the S85F. The image is sharp and clear. The only minor imperfection we managed to observe is occasional slight aliasing on the edges. The television still displays characteristics typical of this manufacturer, namely active "overscan" (a slight image enlargement). This should be kept in mind, especially when watching older content, as it may result in minimal clipping of the original frame.

The Samsung S95D TV, equipped with a 120 Hz refresh rate panel (and even up to 144 Hz in the appropriate PC configuration), provides excellent motion fluidity. Samsung offers a variety of image sharpness settings on a ten-point scale, allowing users to adjust the display according to their own preferences – whether the picture should be more cinematic/frame-like or more theatrical/smooth. In tests with UFO, the OLED panel shows its advantages, eliminating any blurring. The lightning-fast pixel response ensures that dynamic movements are rendered with unparalleled precision.

S85F is a model with impressive speed. The use of a 120 Hz OLED panel ensures that dynamic scenes, both in games and during sports broadcasts, perform as expected: smoothly, sharply, and without loss of clarity. A key role here is played by the lightning-fast pixel response time, which is a natural advantage of OLED technology. Transitions between frames are instantaneous, and the image remains clear even during the fastest camera movements. Moving objects, like a ball on the field or a car in a chase scene, are clear and free from the characteristic smearing of LCD panels (so-called "trail").

The Samsung S95D 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). The HDMI 2.1 ports do not offer the full 48Gb bandwidth, but they are still sufficient for achieving the appropriate resolution and smoothness. With these technologies, gamers can enjoy smoother and more responsive gameplay, which significantly impacts comfort and performance during intense gaming sessions. One of the biggest advantages is the Xbox app, which allows for cloud gaming without the need for a console. With it, gamers can access a wide range of titles directly on the television, enjoying high image quality and smooth gameplay. Additionally, the S95D offers a Game Bar feature that enables easy management of game settings, including quick adjustments to parameters such as changing the aspect ratio, which can be extremely useful in various games and game modes. It is also worth mentioning the support for G-Sync and FreeSync, which is a huge plus for users of Nvidia and AMD graphics cards. Despite the lack of support for Dolby Vision, the television still offers excellent features that make it an ideal choice for console gaming enthusiasts. Overall, the S95D combines modern technologies with superb image quality, creating a complete package for every gamer.

The 85F has practically everything on board to become the dream screen for gaming. Onboard, we find four full-fledged HDMI 2.1 ports with a bandwidth of 48 Gb/s, support for VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode). Additionally, there's a super-detailed Game Bar that clearly displays all key parameters. However, the real gem is the Game Motion Plus feature. It's a motion smoother dedicated to games that makes the animation more pleasing to the eye while only slightly increasing input lag. This is a rare and well-functioning combination, for which Samsung deserves a lot of applause.

And now for the moment where we have to vent a little. The lack of Dolby Vision in Samsung TVs has become standard, so there's no point in holding out hope (unless something changes in the future). Unfortunately, it's much harder to explain the disappearance of support for HGiG after one of the software updates. HGiG (HDR Gaming Interest Group) is a key mode that allows for precise brightness reproduction in HDR games, according to the creators' intentions. Without it, HDR calibration on the console becomes less precise, which can leave us with an image that's too dark in the shadows or excessively bright in the light areas. Hopefully, Samsung will fix this in the next update – we have high hopes for that. Because if HGiG returns, the S85F will become almost the perfect TV for gamers.