- Matching (Score)
- Our verdict
- Competing TVs
- TV appearance
- Where to buy
- Contrast and black detail
- HDR effect quality
- Factory color reproduction
- Color reproduction after calibration
- Smoothness of tonal transitions
- Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions
- Blur and motion smoothness
- Console compatibility and gaming features
- Input lag
- Compatibility with PC
- Viewing angles
- Daytime performance
- TV features
- Apps
- Playing files from USB
- Sound
- Panel details
Philips OLED950 Review
OLED950 / OLED+
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Panel type: WRGB OLED Refresh rate: 144Hz Brand: PHILIPS Resolution: 3840x2160 System: Google TV Model year: 2025
The EISA Awards return every year and for manufacturers, it’s always a big deal. It’s where televisions, audio equipment, and all consumer electronics compete for accolades awarded by a large group of editorial teams from Europe. In this review, we take a look at the winner of the Best Product 2025–2026 title in the category of best OLED home cinema television. It’s the Philips OLED950. This model uses a Tandem OLED panel, known from top-tier designs — such as the LG G5, Philips OLED910, or Panasonic Z95B. The difference is that the OLED950 doesn't head towards a big soundbar like the OLED910. Instead, Philips has added more powerful image processing and opted for a simpler, lower soundbar, while the real "wow effect" comes from the four-sided Ambilight, which is an additional strip of LED lights around the screen.
PHILIPS OLED950 - Our verdict
8.4
Overall rating
Philips OLED950 is undoubtedly a technological showcase that redefines many aspects of what we can expect from a home entertainment centre. The use of the groundbreaking Tandem OLED panel brings us to the absolute peak in terms of image quality. The combination of infinite black and perfect contrast with brightness that can exceed the magical barrier of 2000 nits in HDR mode produces effects that are, at times, breathtaking. Whether we’re watching movies in a sunlit lounge or gaming at night with the support of a four-sided Ambilight system, the experience is simply phenomenal. It’s a complete screen that will satisfy both the cinema enthusiast seeking fidelity in Dolby Vision, and the gamer demanding 144 Hz and perfect motion response.
However, this awe for the raw performance of the panel is mixed with a sense of inadequacy when we consider the manufacturer's promises regarding image processing. Philips has heavily promoted the use of the "dual" P5 processor, suggesting that it would be a remedy for all the woes of digital signal processing. However, reality proved to be less revolutionary. In our tests, the difference compared to models equipped with the standard, single P5 chip was nearly imperceptible in everyday use. Issues with the smoothness of tonal transitions and posterization in difficult scenes, although rare, still occur. Considering the astronomical price of this model, we expected a significantly greater qualitative leap in this aspect that would justify such high positioning of the equipment. The question of value for money becomes the biggest problem for this otherwise outstanding television. When we look at the market with a cool eye, the situation for the 950 model becomes complicated. It’s not just about the strong competition from cheaper flagships like the LG G5 or Samsung S95F, but also about the "fratricidal" battle within Philips' own offerings. It turns out that the lower positioned OLED910 model offers us practically the same, brilliant image generated by the identical panel. Moreover, the 910 model outshines in audio, offering an integrated soundbar from Bowers & Wilkins, which is simply missing in the more expensive 950 model due to a different design. We are thus faced with a paradox: we get the same image and inferior sound, but we have to pay significantly more. Therefore, although the OLED950 is a fantastic screen, in 2025 the title of "Best Philips Television" and our recommendation goes to the model OLED910.
Advantages
Amazing peak brightness, exceeding 2000 nits on test panels (Tandem OLED matrix)
Perfect black and infinite contrast
Support for all HDR formats, including Dolby Vision and HDR10+
Excellent gaming features: supports 4K@120Hz, VRR, ALLM, and 144 Hz mode
Very low input lag
Impressive, 4-sided Ambilight system
Google TV system offering access to a vast library of apps
Backlit remote, charging via USB-C connector
Disadvantages
Only two HDMI ports in standard 2.1
Remote control communicating via infrared (requires aiming at the receiver)
Very high price compared to market competition
Sound quality noticeably weaker than in the lower model OLED910
Slight issues with posterisation
Movies and series in UHD quality8.8
Classic TV, YouTube8.8
Sports broadcasts (TV and apps)8.5
Gaming on console9.5
TV as a computer monitor6.5
Watching in bright light7.3
Utility functions6.5
Apps9.6
Sound quality8.2
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PHILIPS OLED950 - Competing TVs in this price range
PHILIPS OLED950 - TV appearance
HDMI inputs: 2 x HDMI 2.0, 4 x HDMI 2.1 (48Gbps) Outputs: Toslink (Optical audio), eARC (HDMI), ARC (HDMI), Mini-Jack (Headphones) Network Interfaces: Wi-Fi 2.4GHz, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Ethernet (LAN) 100Mbps
Build quality: Premium
Stand type: Legs
Bezel color: Graphite
Stand: Fixed
Flat design: No
Accessories: Stand
In terms of design, the Philips OLED950 looks very good. From the front, the thin black bezels draw attention, making the screen appear to almost "hover" in the air. From the side, the television resembles most OLED designs, featuring a distinctive, very thin panel that gently protrudes at the top of the casing. The package includes elegant metal legs that are sleek. They add charm to the overall look and complement modern interiors well, while those planning to mount it on the wall won’t lose any aesthetic value of the device. However, the most distinctive feature is the back of the casing. In addition to the Ambilight system, which we’ll get to shortly, there are bass speakers for a noticeably deeper sound. It is these that enable the television to deliver a fuller sound, with more pronounced bass, despite the absence of an external soundbar, which can be found in a television like the OLED910. And there’s also the four-sided Ambilight. This solution is rarely seen in Philips televisions, where we most commonly deal with the three-sided version. Here, the manufacturer decided to add a bottom light bar that dynamically reflects what’s happening on the screen. The effect is hard to ignore. For many, Ambilight becomes a feature that they quickly get used to and later find it difficult to give up when returning to a television lacking this solution.
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PHILIPS OLED950 - Contrast and black detail
10/10
Result
∞:1
Result
∞:1
Result
∞:1
Result
∞:1
Result
∞:1
Visibility of details in the lights:
There’s no need to elaborate here. Like every OLED TV, the Philips OLED950 has perfect black levels and contrast. Regardless of the film scene being watched, whether it's night shots or materials in a 2.39:1 aspect ratio with black bars, you can count on flawless black without any blooming or brightening. This is one of the biggest advantages of OLED technology over LCD and Mini-LED TVs. There are no local dimming algorithm games or compromises here. Black always remains black. The only thing that can be noticed in our tests is the scene with the helicopter from Sicario 2. The OLED950 quite clearly accentuates details in the shadows. However, this is a feature of our test unit, more related to the character of the image reproduction than the quality of black itself. In this regard, everything here is at the highest level.
Halo effect and black detail visibility:
PHILIPS OLED950 - HDR effect quality
8.7/10
Supported formats: HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, HLG Color gamut coverage: DCI P3: 99.7%, Bt.2020: 82.4%
Luminance measurements in HDR:
Result
1910 nit
Result
2084 nit
Result
2194 nit
Result
2179 nit
Result
1370 nit
OLED950 is a phenomenal TV for consuming content in HDR format, primarily thanks to the use of innovative Tandem OLED technology. With this technology, the screen can generate astronomical brightness levels, reaching over 2000 nits in movie scenes (on test patterns). This is an outstanding result that places the OLED950 model among the elite displays available on the market. However, it is worth noting a specific aspect of this solution – at moments when full-screen flashes of light appear, brightness can drop by as much as half. Nonetheless, it is important to highlight that levels above 1000 nits on a full screen are still an outstanding result. This allows HDR content to be displayed exactly as filmmakers intended, maintaining the dynamics and impact of bright scenes.
The use of Tandem OLED technology also brought tangible benefits in terms of colour reproduction, improving elements that traditional WOLED panels had issues with compared to QD-OLED competition. In the case of the OLED950, the colour gamut coverage is wider than in classic WOLED panels, reaching nearly 100% of the DCI-P3 colour space and a solid 82% of the demanding BT.2020 palette. While these results still do not match the highly refined achievements of QD-OLED panels, the difference becomes less noticeable during real-world use. We cannot deny that in the vast majority of films, colours look simply fantastic on this model – they are saturated, vibrant, and full of depth.
Scene from the movie “Pan” (about 2800 nits)
Scene from the movie “Billy Lynn” (about 1100 nits)
As one might expect from a screen with such an impressive colour gamut and incredible brightness, the detail reproduction in HDR is at a remarkable level here. We can count on the display to render every nuance with the utmost precision. It’s worth noting an important technical aspect: televisions equipped with such a powerful brightness reserve essentially do not need to rely on aggressive or complicated tonemapping systems. In practice, the OLED950 is able to show images in their native form in nearly every scene, without the need for artificial adaptation to hardware limitations. The screen is simply bright enough to meet the demands of the source material, resulting in a fantastic image presentation.
HDR luminance chart:
HDR luminance
Luminance of RGB colors
With such a bright television, the topic of Dolby Vision practically takes a back seat. The OLED950 doesn't need dynamic metadata to display a bright, clear, and impressive image. Even in HDR10, most content looks exactly as it should, without struggling for detail or balancing brightness. The differences can mainly be detected on very specific test patterns with a heavily saturated white. In such extreme conditions, Dolby Vision can show a bit more detail. However, these are situations that aren't encountered in regular home movie watching, but rather in test materials. In everyday use, the OLED950 is bright enough that HDR10 is more than sufficient, and the advantages of Dolby Vision remain more of a technical curiosity than a real difference during viewing.
Static HDR10
Dynamic: Dolby Vision
Factory color reproduction
5.5/10
We tested the OLED950 model in Film mode. Although it is intended to be the best and most accurate preset on this television, in practice, it proved to be not without flaws. Interestingly, in the specimen we tested, the biggest challenge was not the white balance itself – although it did show a slight tendency to give the image a pinkish tint. The main issue lay in the way the television managed brightness, both in everyday SDR content and in demanding HDR scenes. Analysis of the gamma chart and the EOTF curve leads to one key conclusion: the television excessively exposes brightness in the lower registers. This results in the image appearing less contrasty than what the panel technology allows. Details in dark areas, which should remain perfectly dimmed (the characteristic "OLED black"), are simply unnecessarily highlighted and brightened. Fortunately, these errors can be corrected using the appropriate tools, so – as always – we proceeded with professional calibration.
Color reproduction after calibration
9.4/10
As you can see, the OLED950, after a professional calibration process, becomes an absolutely phenomenal display that, without a shadow of a doubt, can be placed alongside the best televisions currently available in the world. This equipment needed only a professional touch to showcase its full potential and eliminate factory shortcomings. The residual errors in the Color Checker tests and the fidelity of the colour palette speak for themselves. We are dealing with an almost perfect device here. A true window to the world, offering image quality of the highest order.
PHILIPS OLED950 - Smoothness of tonal transitions
7.1/10
If we had to point out the weaker point of the OLED950 model compared to market competitors like the G5 and S95F, it would be – as with most TVs from this manufacturer – the digital signal processing. Although the processor used here is referred to as a "dual" one, our tests in practice did not show significant changes compared to the lower positioned OLED910 model. The differences are actually minimal, which only reflected in a slight cosmetic increase in rating in this category. In very demanding, especially dark scenes, one can still occasionally notice issues with slight posterization. However, it should be clearly stated that this is a "flaw" that the average viewer will very rarely notice during normal usage, and the overall reception remains at a high level.
Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions
7.1/10
Smooth transition function
Image without overscan on the SD signal
Upscaling
In terms of the scaling of the image, the proprietary P5 processor performs just as well as in most of the manufacturer's models. Lower resolution content gains a very soft and plastic character. This presentation will certainly appeal to many people. However, if you prefer sharper contours, you can gently enhance them using the appropriate slider in the TV menu. In this aspect, it's really hard to nitpick. The image simply looks very good and additionally, there are no issues with overscan.
Smoothing and Distortion Reduction
The smoothing of tonal transitions performs somewhat worse. In the settings, we find an option called "Distortion Reduction." This allows for a three-level adjustment of the processor's intervention. Unfortunately, the Minimum setting works poorly and the smoothing effects are minimal. The Medium level gives a decent result, but it also begins to smooth out the details of the actors' skin. On the other hand, the Maximum setting works too aggressively. It removes far too many details from the face and background elements or can even eliminate film grain. To achieve the optimal effect, it's worth playing around with these settings at home and adjusting them to your liking. It might seem that the Medium option represents the best compromise here.
PHILIPS OLED950 - Blur and motion smoothness
8.5/10
Maximum refresh rate of the panel: 144Hz
Film motion smoothing option: Yes
Blur reduction option: Yes
BFI function 60Hz: No
BFI function 120Hz: No
The motion reproduction on the OLED950 model is simply perfect. This is typical for screens of this kind (OLED 120Hz+), as the panel shows no motion blur at all. This allows us to enjoy perfect sharpness in practically any conditions. A significant part of this is due not only to the nature of organic technology itself. Equally important work is done here by the smoothing systems employed by the manufacturer.
Blur (native resolution, maximum refresh rate):
Blur (4K@144Hz):
In the “Motion” menu, we find two main sliders that allow us to customise the image to our own preferences. The “Smoothness” option adjusts materials with a low frame rate, such as movies and series (up to 30 frames per second). We recommend setting this slider to a value in the range of 3 to 5. Meanwhile, “Motion Blur Reduction” is responsible for improving fluidity in sports broadcasts at a frame rate of 60 Hz. In this case, we recommend setting the value to maximum. This will help eliminate any unwanted effects often resulting from poor signal quality from the broadcaster.
PHILIPS OLED950 - Console compatibility and gaming features
9.8/10
- ALLM:
Yes
- VRR:
Yes
- VRR range:
48 - 144Hz
- Dolby Vision Game Mode:
Yes
- Correct implementation of HGIG:
Yes
- 1080p@120Hz:
Yes
- 1440p@120Hz:
Yes
- 4K@120Hz:
Yes
- Game bar:
Yes
OLED950 is almost the perfect television for gamers. This is due not only to the unique atmosphere created by the Ambilight system during gameplay. The most important aspect here is the solid hardware support. We literally have everything you would expect from a modern gaming display. The manufacturer has implemented two HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth of 48 Gb/s. This gives us access to gaming in 4K resolution at 120 frames per second. There is, of course, support for VRR technology and the automatic game mode ALLM. The device handles any HDR signal with ease, whether we’re using Dolby Vision or the HGiG standard.
We have access to all settings from one place thanks to the special Game Bar overlay. While this interface may not be the most graphically attractive on the market, it fully accomplishes its task. It displays all the important signal parameters and offers useful additions. Gamers can take advantage of the minimap zoom function or add a fixed crosshair on the screen, which can be seen as a small aid in online competition. The adjustment of contrast range also proves to be useful. It allows you to brighten shadows and achieve better visibility of enemies hiding in dark corners of the map.
PHILIPS OLED950 - Input lag
10/10
According to what we have come to expect from TVs in this segment, the signal delay in this model is practically negligible. Our measurements indicated nearly reference values: just 5 ms at 120 Hz refresh rate and 12 ms for the 60 Hz signal. This means an instantaneous response to every command issued via the controller, mouse, or keyboard. With such low results, the only limitation during dynamic online gameplay remains your own reflexes and lack of "skill," rather than the hardware. 😉
| SDR | HDR | Dolby Vision |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p60: 12 ms | 2160p60: 12 ms | 2160p60 DV: 12 ms |
| 1080p120: 5 ms | 2160p120: 5 ms | 2160p120 DV: 5 ms |
| 2160p60: 12 ms | ||
| 2160p120: 5 ms |
PHILIPS OLED950 - Compatibility with PC
6.5/10
Chroma 444 (maximum resolution and refresh rate): No
Font clarity: Average
Readability of dark text and shapes: Very Good
Input lag in PC mode (4K, maximum refresh rate): 5ms
Matrix subpixel arrangement: BWRG
Max refresh rate: 144Hz
G-Sync: Yes
In this category, the situation looks quite specific. If we look at the OLED950 through the eyes of a gamer, we get a phenomenal display. It performs excellently not only with consoles but also when connected to a powerful computer. We have access here to an additional 144 Hz mode, full support for G-Sync and FreeSync technology, and very low signal latency. One could risk saying that for PC gamers, this is an almost ideal monitor.
However, problems arise when we examine the readability of fonts. We are not only referring to the unusual subpixel arrangement of the WOLED panels (BWRG), which causes specific edge discoloration of text in all televisions of this type. The tested model struggles with correctly displaying Chroma 4:4:4 sampling. This is mainly noticeable when we display coloured text on another colourful background. The letters then gain strange shading, unnatural contours, and unwanted artifacts. It’s a bit of a shame, although we must honestly admit that this is a very specific flaw. For 99% of you, no one is likely to notice this during normal entertainment. However, if you belong to that 1% of people planning to purchase the OLED950 strictly as a monitor for office work, you may feel disappointed.
PHILIPS OLED950 - Viewing angles
7.6/10
Brightness drop at an angle of 45 degrees: 29%
As befits organic technology, the viewing angles here are practically very good. We can enjoy a great image no matter where on the couch we look at the screen. The only caveat arises when directly comparing the Tandem OLED matrix used here with the competitors' solutions. Compared to last year's LG panels equipped with the MLA filter or the best QD-OLED screens from Samsung, the angles in the OLED950 are slightly weaker. They are not quite as perfect as those of the mentioned rivals. Nevertheless, they generally still maintain a very high level, and in everyday use, it’s hard to consider this a downside.
PHILIPS OLED950 - Daytime performance
7.3/10
Panel finish: Glare
Reflection suppression: Decent
Black levels during daytime: Very Good
The OLED950 model performs exceptionally well in really bright rooms without any concerns. A key advantage here is the previously mentioned very high brightness of the panel. Considering it's OLED technology, the performance is impressive. One could confidently say that in this regard, this television can compete with mid-range Mini-LED models. In the world of organic panels, this is not such a given, which is a significant plus for the device being tested.
However, there is one drawback that could be termed as its Achilles' heel. Similar to most Tandem OLED panels, the manufacturer has applied a glossy screen coating here. Unfortunately, it doesn't handle direct light reflections very well. It's worth bearing this in mind when planning the placement of the television in relation to windows, as reflections may be noticeable.
Panel brightness
Average luminance SDR
Philips OLED950: 615 cd/m2
PHILIPS OLED950 - TV features
6.5/10
System: Google TV
System performance: Good
- HDMI inputs: 2 x HDMI 2.0, 4 x HDMI 2.1 48Gbps
- Outputs: Toslink (Optical audio), eARC (HDMI), ARC (HDMI), Mini-Jack (Headphones)
- Network Interfaces: Wi-Fi 2.4GHz, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Ethernet (LAN) 100Mbps
- TV reception: DVB-T, DVB-T2, DVB-S, DVB-S2, DVB-C
Classic features:
Recording to USB (terrestrial TV): No - Recording programming: No
- Picture in Picture (PiP): No
- RF remote control (no need to aim at the screen): Infrared
- Backlit remote control: Yes
- Teletext: Yes
- Audio only mode: Yes
- Bluetooth headphones support: Yes
- Simultaneous Bluetooth headphones & TV audio: No
Smart features:
- AirPlay: Yes
- Screen mirroring (Windows Miracast): No
- Voice search: Yes
- Voice search in native language: Yes
- Ability to connect a keyboard and mouse: Yes
Smart Features
The biggest plus of the OLED950 is the Google TV system — the manufacturer is increasingly moving away from it in cheaper models in favour of TitanOS, but here we thankfully still have a fully-fledged Android-based environment. This means access to a vast library of apps, a voice assistant, and convenient features like Chromecast. For unknown reasons, we were once again unable to activate Windows Miracast in the editorial office, despite the manufacturer declaring this option is available. On the plus side: Apple device users can sleep easy, as the TV supports AirPlay.
Classic Features
In terms of “classics,” the TV offers a rather basic set: teletext and Bluetooth connectivity. The biggest complaints revolve around the remote. On one hand, it is sensibly designed with backlighting, “hybrid” switching between typical functions and the numeric keypad, and charging via USB-C. On the other hand, enthusiasm quickly wanes when it turns out that you need to aim it at the screen, as it operates on infrared.
Sound connection options
HDMI audio:
Other audio outputs:
- Toslink: Yes
- Stereo (Mini-Jack): Yes
Wireless audio:
- Bluetooth: Yes
- DTS Play-Fi: Yes
Supported audio formats (external HDMI eARC audio):
- Dolby Digital Plus 7.1: Yes
- Dolby True HD 7.1: No
- Dolby Atmos in Dolby Digital Plus (JOC): Yes
- Dolby Atmos in Dolby True HD: No
- DTS:X in DTS-HD MA: Yes
- DTS-HD Master Audio: Yes
Senior accessibility
- Numeric keyboard on TV: Yes
- Font size adjustment: Yes
- Audio description: Yes
PHILIPS OLED950 - Apps
9.6/10
PHILIPS OLED950 - Playing files from USB
9.5/10
| Maximum photo resolution: | Supported photo formats: |
|---|---|
| 4 Mpix | JPEG |
| 6 Mpix | HEIC |
| 8 Mpix | PNG |
| 10 Mpix | GIF |
| 12 Mpix | WebP |
| 16 Mpix | TIFF |
| 20 Mpix | BMP |
| 24 Mpix | SVG |
| 28 Mpix | |
| 32 Mpix |
The built-in media player in the OLED950 model works exceptionally well. During our tests, the device handled practically every format we threw at it. Whether they were video files, audio tracks, or photos, the TV played them without any issues. It's hard to find any weaknesses in its support for the most popular standards. However, if someone still finds something lacking (which seems unlikely), the operating system comes to the rescue. Thanks to the presence of Google TV, we are not solely reliant on the default solutions. At any time, you can enter the app store and install an external player, such as the popular VLC or Kodi. This ensures that the TV can handle literally any file from our home library.
PHILIPS OLED950 - Sound
8.2/10
85dB
Maximum volume
Supported codecs
(TV speakers)
Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Dolby True HD 7.1
Dolby Atmos in Dolby Digital Plus (JOC)
Dolby Atmos in Dolby True HD
DTS:X in DTS-HD MA
DTS-HD Master Audio
The speaker setup here is a 2.1 system with a total power of 70 W, which offers a solid dose of quality sound. It plays clearly, and thanks to the additional subwoofer at the back of the enclosure, the sound is deep and has a distinct punch. This element is often lacking in cheaper models, where the bass is practically non-existent. However, we must face the truth when comparing it to the OLED910 model. That television, equipped with a built-in Bowers & Wilkins soundbar, simply performs much better. Was it a good decision? In our opinion, the outstanding audio of the 910 model provides greater value. Choosing the 950 model makes sense mainly if you are big fans of Ambilight, and you’ve got the sound issue sorted out with an external home theatre or soundbar.
Sound Quality Test:
Acoustic Measurements
No acoustic data
PHILIPS OLED950 - Panel details
Image processor: MT5896
Subpixel Structure:
Panel uniformity and thermal imaging:
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