Samsung QD-OLED S90D / S94D vs Samsung The Frame Pro

In the HDR effect quality category, Samsung S90D achieves remarkable results. On the luminance chart up to 10% window, the TV exceeds the magical threshold of 1000 nits, which is an impressive outcome. However, in the film scenes we tested, these values were slightly lower. Additionally, in the case of a scene with fullscreen sunlight glare, brightness drops to around 500 nits, but it still remains at a very good level. It is worth mentioning that this model stands out with very high colour gamut coverage, thanks to the QD-OLED panel used, which gives it an advantage over TVs with WOLED panels that cannot achieve such a wide spectrum of colours.

Samsung The Frame Pro is one of the relatively bright televisions. In synthetic tests, we managed to achieve values around 900 nits, which is quite a decent result for a lifestyle model. In full-screen scenes, such as the frame from the movie The Meg or the opening sequence in Life of Pi, the brightness maintained a level of 700–800 nits. These values allow you to fully enjoy the HDR effects and capture their cinematic magic. However, the situation complicates when smaller, point light sources appear on the screen. The edge lighting used here, equipped with the ability to local dim whole strips, does not handle them very well. It happens that small elements are overly darkened, which weakens the effect, or conversely – they become heavily brightened, but at the cost of losing black depth in that part of the image. This can be compared to light halos reminiscent of a laser beam spreading in dense fog – an effect that is visible and bright but at the same time not very natural and distracting. Fortunately, the colour aspect performs better. Thanks to the use of a quantum dot filter (QLED), the colours are saturated, and the reproduction of the DCI-P3 palette reaches over 92%. Generally, movies or series watched in HDR on The Frame Pro present a rich colour palette, even if contrast and the performance of the lighting algorithms can sometimes draw our attention away.

Samsung 65 S90D with a QD-OLED panel has been tested in Filmmaker mode, which the manufacturer has been using for years to provide the best possible picture settings. In this mode, the TV offers a fairly decent image but with some shortcomings worth noting. In terms of white balance in HD content, viewers may notice a dominance of the red color. This effect can lead to the impression that certain skin tones appear unnatural and the overall scene will be too warm, which in turn can affect immersion in the watched material. In scenes where subtle differences in color are crucial, these distortions can be particularly noticeable. Similar sensations may also occur in 4K HDR content. Changes in white balance in this case can be analogous, with a noticeably smaller deviation in red color. This can also cause certain details and colors to not be fully represented, making the image lose its naturalness.

When it comes to contrast, the gamma presents quite well, however, some errors are still noticeable. Gamma values are below the reference level of 2.4, which can result in bright areas of the image being washed out and dark areas lacking detail. This limitation can cause some scenes to lack depth and detail, which in turn affects the overall presentation quality. On the other hand, the EOTF curve related to contrast in 4K HDR content performs really well, showing that the TV can effectively convey differences in brightness. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that these values are slightly below the ideal level on the graph, indicating the need for further optimization in this regard.

Samsung S90D in Filmmaker mode offers solid color reproduction, but requires some adjustments to fully realise the potential of the TV, especially in the context of different types of content.

The best results were, of course, achieved in Filmmaker mode, which immediately showed that Samsung had put effort into the factory settings. In SDR content – the most commonly viewed materials – The Frame Pro performed really well. The white balance and gamma were almost perfectly set, making the image look natural and cohesive. Yes, there were some noticeable errors, particularly in skin tones and reds, which could be overly saturated, giving everything a slightly "warmed up" character, but in everyday use, it didn't hinder the viewing experience too much. For HDR content, the situation was similar regarding the white balance. It was at a good level, however, the biggest issue turned out to be managing brightness. The EOTF curve was set in such a way that in many scenes the image appeared blown out, and the brightest areas lost detail and resulted in uniform patches of light. This severely affected realism and made colours appear very oversharpened. Fortunately, Samsung provides the option for manual adjustment of the curve in their TVs, so we opted for calibration and its results can be seen below.

After calibrating the TV, the Samsung S90D in film mode gains quality more than one might expect. The white balance for HD and 4K HDR content has been adjusted to near perfection. Although minor shortcomings can be noticed, they are subtle enough that they don’t significantly impact the overall picture quality. The colours have become more harmonised, aiding in the natural reproduction of details, particularly in scenes that require precise colour representation. It is worth noting that this model, in this size, uses a QD-OLED panel which offers broader colour gamut coverage compared to other sizes of this model that are equipped with a WOLED panel.

The contrast has also significantly improved. After calibration, the gamma graph is much closer to the expected line, providing a better balance between light and dark tones in the picture. The EOTF curve, which before calibration indicated issues with overexposed scenes, now shows significantly better results. This effect allows for the retention of more details in the bright areas of the image, especially in HDR materials.

After calibration, the SDR mode looks almost perfect. We managed to eliminate the overly intense red saturation that previously gave the image a somewhat excessively warm character. The colours became more balanced, which translated into a natural and pleasant viewing experience for everyday content – from television to movies and series from streaming services or materials on YouTube. In HDR mode, the EOTF curve required the most work, as the factory settings caused excessive clipping of the entire image. The calibration significantly helped to "tame" this issue – the image stopped being overexposed, and details in the bright areas became more visible. Of course, the limits are set by the design of the television itself, as edge lighting reveals its limitations, and even the smallest elements of light can still appear overly bright or blend into the background. However, this is a matter of technology, not just calibration. After the correction, The Frame Pro is much more enjoyable to watch, and it is definitely worth considering if you want to make the most of the television's capabilities.

The television handles tonal transitions excellently, allowing colours to flow smoothly into each other, creating a natural image. The built-in noise reduction feature can further enhance these transitions, which can be useful in certain situations. However, it is worth remembering that activating this option may lead to excessive smoothing of the desired film grain structure, which in turn can affect the authenticity and atmosphere of the image. Therefore, caution is recommended when using this feature to avoid losing the character and depth of the content.

The Samsung S90D model effectively processes materials in lower resolutions. This can be seen in the displayed image. The model's silhouette is clear and naturally reproduced, with details well preserved. Additionally, the branches of the trees are well-defined, showing no visible jagged edges that could degrade the quality of the image. Thanks to effective upscaling, even lower resolution materials look attractive on the screen, which will surely please users enjoying a variety of content sources, such as standard cable or antenna television.

Although in 4K HDR materials the fluidity of tonal transitions in the ChooseTV Pro is not a problem at all, naturally with weaker signal quality – such as with television, HD materials, or older Full HD films – imperfections may occur. Therefore, it's crucial how the television handles these limitations thanks to the image processor. The noise reduction feature works really effectively here. At the medium setting, it eliminates unwanted bands or artifacts, smoothing the image in a visible yet not overdone way. However, it's important to remember that Samsung has a tendency to be aggressive – even at the lowest level of this feature, it can "eat" film grain. So, it's wise to use it with caution and adjust the settings according to the material being watched.

The upscaling itself is of a high standard. The ChooseTV Pro effectively boosts older materials to a native 4K resolution, maintaining good sharpness and clarity. Movies and series in lower quality simply look better here. However, it's worth mentioning a minor downside – typical for many Samsung televisions. With very old sources in poor quality, you may notice some cropping of the image edges on the left side of the screen. It's not a problem that will ruin the viewing experience, but it's good to know that it may occur.

Samsung S90D TV, equipped with a refresh rate panel of 120 Hz, and in the appropriate PC configuration even 144 Hz, ensures excellent motion fluidity. Samsung focuses on a variety of image clarity settings on a ten-point scale, giving users the freedom to adjust the display to their own preferences. In UFO tests, the OLED panel shows its strengths, eliminating any blurring. The lightning-fast pixel response makes dynamic movements faithfully reproduced.

Similar results can be observed in other sizes of this model with a WOLED panel, which also offer excellent image fluidity. Organic technology, in this case, is considered one of the best on the market. The picture of Samsung S90D, regardless of the type of panel, is incredibly sharp and detailed, making this TV perfect for dynamic scenes, both during gaming and sports broadcasts. Additionally, its capabilities in terms of refresh rate and clarity ensure that every movement is smooth and natural, which will certainly satisfy even the most demanding users.

The fluidity of movement in The Frame Pro is not only due to the panel itself, which operates at a refresh rate of up to 144 Hz, but also the image processor and motion smoothing system. It is thanks to this that we can adjust the way movies or sports broadcasts are displayed to our own preferences. Available are sliders for blur reduction and motion judder reduction – the first function enhances the sharpness of fast movements, while the second helps to soften the effect of the "jumping" image during camera pans. Everyone can choose between a cinematic character of motion and a smoother, more "television" style.

Television S90D is an excellent solution for gamers, offering a range of advanced features that elevate the gaming experience to a new level. Equipped with the HDMI 2.1 standard, the model supports modern technologies such as VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode). Thanks to these solutions, the image is incredibly smooth, and the response to commands is instantaneous, which is crucial in dynamic titles. Additionally, the S90D supports HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) and G-Sync and FreeSync image synchronisation. This allows for a perfect connection with the Xbox, PlayStation, or PC, eliminating issues with tearing and stuttering. The built-in operating system offers the Xbox Game Pass app, providing access to a massive library of games directly from the television. This solution makes gaming even more convenient and accessible. The Game Bar feature provides quick access to important information, such as current settings, performance statistics, and the ability to adjust image options. This allows for on-the-fly modification of display parameters, which is incredibly useful during intense gameplay. Despite lacking support for Dolby Vision, Samsung S90D still delivers excellent HDR image quality, allowing for full utilisation of the potential of games and films. As a result, S90D represents a unique combination of modern technologies, excellent image quality, and intuitive features, perfect for any gaming enthusiast.

Samsung The Frame Pro doesn’t pretend to be just a “living room” TV; gamers will also find something for themselves here. The manufacturer has ensured a full package of gaming features: we have support for variable refresh rate (VRR), auto low latency mode (ALLM), refresh rates up to 144 Hz, and compatibility with both G-Sync and FreeSync Premium Pro. Additionally, there’s the well-known Game Bar panel, which is a quick menu where you can check key parameters on-the-fly – from refresh rates to active image processing modes. Are there downsides? Yes, The Frame Pro doesn’t support Dolby Vision in game mode, but it’s hard to consider this a serious issue – most gamers use HDR10 anyway... so the HGIG mode. Exactly. The biggest surprise was the latest software update. Samsung... completely removed this option from The Frame PRO. In practice, this means that the TV independently interprets HDR tone mapping in games, and the user cannot enable settings designed with consoles in mind. This is a step backwards, which may disappoint more aware gamers hoping for full compliance with HGiG guidelines. We can only hope that this mistake will be quickly fixed.

An interesting feature of The Frame Pro is also the unusual placement of HDMI 2.1 ports. We have as many as five at our disposal – four are located in the One Connect module, and the fifth, in micro HDMI form, is located directly on the TV. This solution is quite unusual but very practical. Samsung clearly suggests that this is the port to connect your console or computer. Why? Because it minimises any potential delays associated with communication through the wireless One Connect, and in gaming, every millisecond counts. We have written separately about input lag, but we can reveal here that by connecting the equipment directly to the TV, we get the absolute maximum response speed from it.