SAMSUNG S90F (WOLED) vs SAMSUNG S95F (TANDEM OLED 83")

Does the S90F handle not only blacks but also bright parts of the image? Definitely. The stories about OLEDs as "dark screens" can slowly be regarded as myth. The Samsung S90F, like the LG C5 based on a very similar panel, achieves brightness exceeding 1000 nits. This is a value more than enough to enjoy impressive and dynamic HDR images – both in movies and series. Most of the scenes we tested look stunning, with well-defined highlights and high contrast. Of course, OLED technology still has its limitations – in very bright, full-screen sequences, such as the test card from the movie The Meg (photo 5), the television may noticeably dim the image. However, it should be emphasized that such scenes are rare. It can be said that the HDR effect is good enough that even mid-range OLED models like the S90F can provide a cinematic experience in the home living room.

The Samsung S95F in the 83-inch variant with a Tandem OLED panel also enchants with its HDR effects. In test movie scenes, such as “Life of Pi” or “Sicario 2,” where smaller light points dominate – stars in the night sky, the glow of the moon, or headlights – the TV easily achieves brightness levels surpassing 2000 nits. This is a result that not long ago seemed unattainable for OLEDs and places this model in the same category as the best Mini-LED constructions.

The limitations of organic panels only emerge in full-screen scenes completely filled with white. In the case of this model, for example, in the final scene of the film The Meg, brightness drops to around 1000 nits – slightly lower than in the smaller QD-OLED variants, where the result hovered around 1400 nits. Nevertheless, we are still talking about an outstanding result, unprecedented in OLED TVs of this size. The colour reproduction is equally impressive. The new Tandem OLED panel nearly catches up to QD-OLED TVs, offering excellent coverage of a wide colour gamut. The results are slightly weaker than those of QD-OLED, but in practice, they still provide an image whose intensity and naturalness of colours are hard to compare with any other television.

Samsung S90F, like most modern televisions, offers many picture modes, but – following our testing tradition – we checked it out in the best one, which is the Filmmaker mode. Thanks to this, the image looks much more natural than in the default, often oversaturated settings. It was neither overly saturated nor artificially dimmed – simply closer to what one should see. Of course, “more accurate” doesn’t mean “perfect”. Unfortunately, our S90F had significant issues with white balance, particularly in the blue color range, resulting in a slightly yellowish filter being applied to most scenes. Someone might say it looks more “filmic” – because it’s warmer – but let’s not kid ourselves, George Lucas didn’t film Star Wars in sepia 😉 (you’ll find a comparison with the scene below as always).

Additionally, in HDR materials, there was an issue with brightness management. The EOTF curve showed a clear “spike” in brightness – the television brightened the image more than it should have, causing some effects to look too intense and deviating from the reference. Fortunately, some of these problems can be eliminated through professional calibration – you’ll read about its effects later in the review.

The best picture mode right out of the box is undoubtedly Filmmaker Mode. This mode has been present in Samsung televisions for several years and is intended to reproduce the image as faithfully as possible to the creators' vision. In SDR material, it performs reasonably well, though not without flaws. The image is slightly dimmed, and the white balance tends to shift towards red and blue, resulting in a slight pinkish tint on the screen. Average colour errors hover around values of ΔE 3–4, which is on the borderline of what most people can detect with the naked eye.

The limitations are much more apparent with HDR content. Here, a slight excess of blue in the white balance isn't such a big issue – the real obstacle is how the television manages brightness. In many scenes, the image looked as if it had been blown out, and details in the blacks could completely vanish. The final effect didn't do justice to what such a device is capable of, leading to significant colour inaccuracies. It's hard to understand why such a factory characteristic was chosen, as the perception of HDR in this rendition was definitely not what it should have been.

After calibration, we managed to eliminate practically all the previously mentioned errors. Older movies in SDR quality finally look like they should – without the sepia effect or artificial aging of the image. The atmosphere of the classics is back in place (no thanks needed, Star Wars fans), and the colours no longer resemble an Instagram filter.

One of the key changes was also the improvement of brightness characteristics in HDR content. We managed to control the EOTF curve in almost a reference manner. Admittedly, the most demanding users may detect minimal deviations in brightness, but honestly – most viewers won't even notice that. And it's no surprise because the vast majority of errors fall below the ΔE 3 value, which is below the threshold of visibility. After calibration, the S90F (WOLED) becomes a truly excellent display – one on which you can enjoy nearly perfect image quality.

After calibration, the S95F shows what it can really do. The white balance has been straightened out, and minor inaccuracies have been corrected, making the image in SDR content look nearly exemplary. Colour differences have fallen below the level that the human eye can detect – looking at the screen, one just gets the impression of complete naturalness and harmony of colours.

In HDR, the improvement is equally noticeable. The TV handles brightness much better, and there’s no longer the 'blowing out' of the entire frame. Bright scenes are more controlled, and blacks retain more detail, though sometimes a slight brightening of the overall image can still be noticed. However, this doesn’t change the fact that after calibration, the S95F delivers an image that can confidently be called one of the best on the market – regardless of whether we’re watching movies in SDR or spectacular productions in HDR.

Digital Image Processing in S90F:

Fortunately, Samsung, like in most of its models, manages to effectively tackle the unwanted posterisation effect in the S90F. The function responsible for this element is noise reduction, which does a pretty good job of smoothing tonal transitions and eliminating unnatural colour blending – of course, within its capabilities. Unfortunately, it works quite aggressively, so using it comes with trade-offs. In addition to improving gradation, it can also remove film grain or slightly soften facial features. In this case, the choice is yours – do you prefer a more "clean" image, or do you care about preserving the original texture of the material.

Image Scaling in S90F:

In this year's model, Samsung has implemented its proprietary AI processor – NQ4 Gen3, which really handles upscaling quite well. In our test scenes, the TV effectively "pulled up" lower quality towards artificial 4K – the image was more enjoyable to view, and the differences in sharpness between native and scaled content were minimal. Unfortunately, behind all this AI marketing façade lies a certain shortcoming. The S90F struggles with overscan. If you reach for truly archival material – e.g. a VHS tape of your parents' wedding – you have to reckon with the fact that the lower part of the image may get cut off. The function to adapt the image to resolution simply does not work as it should here.

The Samsung S95F model features noise reduction, aimed at improving the fluidity of tonal transitions. Its effectiveness is difficult to call ineffective – on the contrary, it can excessively interfere with the image. Older films or materials of lower quality, such as those from YouTube, take on a soft, smoothed character reminiscent of a painting effect thanks to this feature. The problem is that along with the noise, the natural film grain, which gives the image a cinematic quality, also disappears. Fortunately, the feature does not blur significant details, so its use is more a matter of preference. If someone prefers a slightly polished and smooth image, it’s worth turning it on, but in our opinion, the most sensible setting is “Standard”.

Upscaling leaves a better impression. The S95F efficiently enhances the quality of lower resolution content – even 576p videos look quite good, although minor artifacts in the form of blockiness can be noticed. Overall, the effect is very solid, although when compared to the competition – such as the Sony Bravia 8 (II) or LG G5 – it is noticeable that those models can extract a bit more from the image. However, one inconvenience to remember is that in the case of older films and photos, there is a problem with overscan, which causes a slight trimming of the left edge of the image.

S90F really handles motion excellently – after all, it’s an OLED with a 144 Hz panel, so sports and games look absolutely stunning on it. The image is smooth, clear, and there’s no room for ghosting or blurring, which can sometimes plague cheaper LCDs.

The TV also comes equipped with motion smoothness settings that allow you to customise everything to your liking. We have motion blur reduction and judder reduction – you can set it so that the image is super smooth (even to the point of looking a bit soap opera-like), or more cinematic, with the classic “jumpiness” of 24 frames. The choice is yours, Samsung imposes nothing.

In the case of the 83-inch S95F with a Tandem OLED panel, the fluidity of motion also makes a huge impression. The panel in native 4K resolution offers a refresh rate of 165 Hz, and this combined with organic technology makes games and sport look fantastic. Additionally, the manufacturer has added a motion smoother and a motion blur reduction system, allowing each viewer to customise the picture to their own preferences – whether a more 'choppy', cinematic effect or a smooth, almost theatrical spectacle.

When it comes to gaming features – the S90F has absolutely nothing to complain about. Aside from the lack of Dolby Vision, which is already the norm for Samsung. The television operates at 144 Hz, has four HDMI 2.1 ports, so you can easily connect more than one console or PC. Onboard, we also find Game Bar – a practical tool that allows you to quickly preview picture settings, VRR status, ALLM mode, and other useful options. Game Motion Plus deserves special mention – Samsung's proprietary motion smoother that actually works sensibly in games. The image appears smoother, but without any artificial effects or slowdowns.

It's also worth mentioning the HGiG feature, which – and this may be a slight surprise – works correctly. We bring this up because Samsung clearly messed something up in one of the recent updates, and in some models, the option responsible for HGiG simply... disappears from the menu. Setting it up becomes almost impossible. Fortunately, our S90F unit did not have this issue, but the situation is dynamic, so it's worth keeping this in mind and regularly checking for new software versions and information from the manufacturer.

Low motion blur and phenomenal motion fluidity, hallmarks of the OLED panel, are just the warm-up. The Samsung S95F has been designed with gamers in mind – and this is evident at every turn. Four HDMI 2.1 ports with a bandwidth of 40 Gb/s may sound like a compromise on paper, but in practice, neither consoles nor PCs will feel the slightest limitation here. Onboard is a full set of gaming features: variable refresh rate VRR, automatic game mode ALLM, and an excellently implemented HGiG standard, which allows you to enjoy HDR exactly as the creators intended. All this is complemented by Game Bar – an intuitive command centre where you can check and adjust the most important settings in seconds.

Particularly noteworthy is Game Motion Plus, Samsung's proprietary motion smoother. It can add additional fluidity to animations, which can be a lifesaver in games running at 60 frames, where stability doesn't always hold up. Yes, there's no support for Dolby Vision in games, but it's hard to consider this a serious flaw – the manufacturer compensates for this gap with other solutions. The S95F is one of the absolute favourites for the title of the best gaming television on today's market.