Samsung S90D / S94D 48" (WRGB OLED) vs LG QNED80A6A (VA)

In the tested movie scenes, the Samsung OLED 48 S90D television achieves impressive brightness results, exceeding 800 nits in the first four shots, which can be considered a very good outcome. In the case of the last shot, where a full-screen burst of sunlight is visible, the brightness drops to around 400 nits but still remains at an acceptable level. However, it is worth noting that this model in larger sizes offers higher values, exceeding the "barrier" of 1000 nits. Additionally, speaking of the DCI-P3 colour space coverage value of 97% is an excellent result, which guarantees extremely rich and realistic colour reproduction, further enhancing the picture quality. However, once again it should be remembered that the panel in the 65' variant equipped with a QD-OLED panel will be even better in this aspect. For those hesitating about the size of the S90D model, it is worth noting that larger versions of this television offer a better HDR effect, and consequently, a higher score in our tests.

Let's talk now about how this TV shines. If you’re expecting dazzling light effects, we need to cool your enthusiasm. The LG QNED80A is a moderately bright television. Our measurements in most film scenes indicated values around 350-400 nits. That’s not enough to speak of a full, cinematic HDR experience and the feeling of that famous “high dynamic range” that flagship products offer. However, brightness is not everything. Although the QNED80A is not a “light monster,” it makes up for it in another key category: colours. This is where PFS technology comes into play, which LG marketers hide under the name QNED/NanoCell. With this trick, the TV offers a significantly wider colour palette than classic LCD constructions. In our tests, the coverage of the cinematic DCI-P3 palette reached a solid 93-94%. What does that mean for you? That even at lower brightness, when watching films in HDR, the colours will be vibrant, deep, and properly saturated. The image is not washed out but juicy, which is a significant advantage in this price range.

The S90D Samsung TV has been tested in Filmmaker mode, which offers good colour reproduction, although with some imperfections that may be noticeable to more demanding users. This mode may seem a bit too warm, and users who switched from Standard mode may experience a slight shock. It's worth considering that this state of affairs is caused by poor settings, such as white balance, rather than the Filmmaker mode itself. Both in SDR and HDR content, the device exhibits drops in blue, causing colours to appear warmer than they should. In practice, this means that some shades, like sky blue or skin tones, may seem less natural and take on a pinkish or yellowish tint. The Colour Checker test confirms these deviations, showing shifts towards warmer tones. In SDR content, the gamma chart indicates minor fluctuations, resulting in a slightly darker image, especially in the shadows. This may affect the clarity of details in darker scenes. Conversely, in 4K HDR materials, the EOTF curve is above the recommended line, leading to some portions of the image being too bright, which can cause clipping in the brightest areas. Overall, the Samsung S90D presents a solid image straight out of the box, but for the best results, particularly with more demanding content, additional calibration is recommended.

It might seem that since the QNED80A is one model, it should offer the same picture regardless of the version. However, practice shows something completely different. Analyzing the variant with the VA panel in the best factory setting – that is, in Filmmaker Mode – we noticed a specific characteristic. This TV "out of the box" delivers a picture with a clear dominance of red and a deficiency of blue. Overall, it is very warm, almost hot. Many users might describe it as an "overly cinematic" picture, leaning towards sepia. Additionally, there is the issue of gamma curve – the TV has a tendency to slightly and artificially brighten scenes (gamma is too low), which causes the picture to lose some of its plasticity. The good news is that these are not panel errors, but merely software issues. As always in our tests, we performed professional calibration, which completely eliminated these drawbacks, restoring natural white balance and correct saturation.

After calibration, the Samsung OLED 48 S90D in movie mode looks even better than one might have assumed. The white balance, for both HD and 4K HDR content, has been improved to near 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, which translates into a natural reproduction of details, especially in scenes requiring a precise colour palette. It’s worth noting that this model in the 48' size is equipped with a WOLED panel that has different characteristics compared to larger sizes and has a smaller coverage of a wide colour gamut, not offering as rich colours as, for example, the 65-inch version, which is equipped with a QD-OLED panel.

Contrast has also seen significant improvement. The gamma chart after calibration is much closer to the expected line, providing better balance between the bright and dark portions of the image. The EOTF curve, which showed issues with overexposed scenes before calibration, now shows better results. This effect allows for greater detail retention in bright parts of the image, particularly in HDR material.

Was it worth spending time on calibration? Definitely yes. We managed to tame the initial, overly warm white balance and, most importantly, correct the gamma curve. The television stopped artificially brightening scenes, resulting in a deeper image. The biggest gains are visible in SDR content, such as when watching regular television, YouTube, or playing games without HDR. Here, the QNED80A shows its class – colour reproduction errors (DeltaE) fell below a value of 2. In technical terms, this means the errors are essentially invisible to the human eye. The image in everyday use has simply become very attractive, natural, and correct. The difficulties start with HDR content. Although we managed to improve the white balance, the EOTF curve (responsible for brightness at various levels) shows that the television still "interprets" the image in its own way. This results from the nature of the edge-lit backlighting with local dimming and the fact that LG gives the calibrator very little control over this parameter. In short: the television struggles to hide its hardware shortcomings, sometimes ignoring our commands. Nevertheless, the final image is significantly more accurate and pleasant to view than the factory settings, even if it still lacks a bit compared to studio perfection.

The Samsung OLED 48 S90D television performs exceptionally well in smoothing tonal transitions. Thanks to the technology used, the transitions between colours are more fluid and natural. It is also possible to utilise the noise reduction feature, which further smooths tonal transitions, which can be useful in some situations. However, it's worth remembering that turning on noise reduction can also lead to the smoothing of desired film grain, which may reduce the cinematic feel of the picture. 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 in terms of scaling images from lower resolutions, it performs excellently. The S90D OLED 48 Samsung television effectively processes lower resolutions, as seen in the visible photo. The outline of the model is clear and correct, making it look natural and detailed. Furthermore, the branches of the trees are well reproduced, showing no significant jaggedness that could detract from the image quality. Thanks to effective scaling, even lower resolution materials look attractive on the screen, satisfying users who prefer diverse content sources such as regular antenna/cable television.

In this category, the QNED80A turns out to be a true "dark horse". It's a fantastic, affordable television for those who often watch lower quality content – for example, from traditional cable TV. The processor used here handles upscaling incredibly well, enhancing low resolutions to native 4K. The image after processing is natural, smooth, and most importantly – it is not overly jagged or artificially sharpened. In the menu, we also find a dedicated option for smoothing tonal transitions in low-quality content. This feature works really effectively, eliminating the annoying "banding" of colours during heavy video compression. However, we must remain vigilant. Remember, we are not dealing with the top-tier processor known from flagship OLED models. In more challenging scenes, the system might struggle and introduce minor artefacts or distortions. Nevertheless, it's definitely worth giving this feature a chance, because in the majority of cases, the quality improvement is visible to the naked eye.

The S90D television is equipped with a 120 Hz panel, with the ability to "overclock" to 144 Hz with the right PC configuration, providing exceptional motion smoothness. Samsung has been offering a variety of image clarity settings on a ten-point scale for years, allowing users to customise the display to their preferences. In the UFO test, thanks to the use of an OLED panel, there's no question of any ghosting. The response time of the pixels is instantaneous and perfectly captures dynamic movements. In this aspect, OLED technology is considered one of the best on the market. The picture is extremely sharp and detailed, even during fast action, making the S90D OLED 48 Samsung television the perfect choice for gamers and sports enthusiasts.

We move on to a topic that may be crucial for many. Unfortunately, here we must point out the biggest "Achilles' heel" of the QNED80A model. This television is equipped with a panel that has a native refresh rate of 60Hz. There’s no denying it – at this price, we were hoping for more as we know that Chinese manufacturers can offer 120Hz screens for similar money. Due to this parameter, dynamic scenes in sports or fast-paced games are not the strongest point of this screen. Fortunately, LG has equipped the television with a proven smoothing system called TruMotion. It works quite well with film material (24 frames). We suggest playing around with the De-Judder slider – from our experience, setting it in the range of 2-4 provides the best compromise: motion becomes smoother, yet still looks natural, without the artificial "television theatre" effect.

The Samsung OLED 48 S90D television is well-suited to the needs of gamers, offering four HDMI 2.1 ports that support features such as Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), and HGIG (HDR Gaming Interest Group). With these technologies, gamers can enjoy smoother gameplay and faster on-screen response, significantly enhancing comfort during long gaming sessions. Additionally, the Game Bar feature allows for easy adjustment of settings, such as aspect ratios, which can be particularly useful in different types of games. For PC users, the television offers an impressive refresh rate of 144Hz, and Nvidia and AMD graphics cards support G-Sync and FreeSync, further improving image smoothness. Although the lack of Dolby Vision support may be a drawback, it's worth noting that in gaming, this technology is not as widely used as in films. Nevertheless, the S90D still offers excellent features for gamers, making it a great choice for those seeking high-quality visuals and advanced gaming technologies.

Since we've already established that the QNED80A is a 60Hz TV, we must say it straight: we won't be gaming here at 120 frames per second at any resolution. Does this disqualify the device in the eyes of gamers? Not necessarily, especially for those "casual" players. LG decided to sweeten this technical limitation by packing in quite a few useful features. We have support for VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) in the range of 48-60Hz and an automatic game mode ALLM, which instantly reduces input lag upon detecting a console. We manage all of this via a very convenient, purple Game Optimizer menu (Player Panel), which has become LG's hallmark. The manufacturer deserves big points for consistency regarding HDR. Although the TV does not support Dolby Vision in games on Xbox consoles, LG adds a well-implemented HGiG standard. Thanks to this, even on a screen with moderate brightness, playing in HDR is clear, and the details in shadows and highlights are accurately rendered, rather than being "clipped".