- 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
Samsung S85H Review
Available screen sizes:
Complete the survey to find out the result
Panel type: WRGB OLED Refresh rate: 120Hz Brand: SAMSUNG Resolution: 3840x2160 System: Tizen Model year: 2026
The S85H is the cheapest OLED in Samsung’s 2026 range. This year Samsung has made a rather interesting move, because regardless of the size you choose it uses a new OLED SE panel made by LG Display. That’s a significant change from last year’s S85F, which, depending on the screen size, could also use Samsung’s own QD-OLED panel. The question, then, is whether LG Display’s new panel is a worthy replacement for Samsung’s solution and whether the S85H is still one of the more compelling ways to get into OLEDs without spending a fortune.
SAMSUNG S85H - Our verdict
7.9
Overall rating
Samsung S85H is a very successful continuation of the S85 series and a TV that still performs its main role well: to be an affordable entry into the world of OLEDs. The biggest change from its predecessor is the use of LG Display's new OLED SE panel, but the overall character of this model remains practically unchanged. Its greatest strengths are still perfect blacks, very high contrast and a picture that can look truly excellent in the evening. Add to that good colors and the ability to achieve a high degree of fidelity to the director's vision. The S85H also works very well as a versatile TV. Gamers get four HDMI 2.1 ports, 120 Hz, VRR, very low input lag and Game Motion Plus, so there is little to complain about here. Tizen runs fast and is user-friendly, and the whole system clearly targets users who today mainly use Netflix, YouTube and other streaming services, while traditional broadcast TV is treated as an extra.
However, the new OLED SE panel is not without flaws. This is most noticeable when watching during the day, because its glare handling is worse than previous OLED panels. Its peak brightness is also not high enough for the S85H to perform particularly well in a very sunlit living room. It is still a TV that shows its strengths best in the evening or in a room with at least partial control over ambient light. And that is probably the best way to look at the S85H. It is not an OLED meant to break brightness records or compete with the most expensive panels. It simply aims to offer what people like most about the technology, but at a lower price. Perfect blacks, very good movie picture quality, excellent gaming features and a convenient smart system make the S85H one of the easiest ways to get into OLED without spending a fortune.
Advantages
Perfect blacks and infinite contrast, OLED
Decent HDR brightness of up to around 800 nits
High image fidelity after calibration
Very good motion handling, 120 Hz OLED panel
Rich set of gaming features: VRR, Game Bar, low input lag
4 HDMI 2.1 ports with full 48 Gbps bandwidth
Feature-rich, smoothly running Tizen system
Solar-powered remote with many features
Support for Dolby Atmos spatial audio
Disadvantages
Poorer anti-reflective performance than its predecessor, a characteristic of the new OLED SE panel
Average SDR brightness, best suited to a room with controlled lighting
No DTS:X support, mainly a downside for owners of Blu-ray collections
No Dolby Vision, not essential but would be welcome 🙂
Movies and series in UHD quality8.0
Classic TV, YouTube8.7
Sports broadcasts (TV and apps)8.5
Gaming on console9.6
TV as a computer monitor7.6
Watching in bright light5.1
Utility functions7.3
Apps9.3
Sound quality7.2
Complete the survey to find out what fits your preferences
SAMSUNG S85H - Competing TVs in this price range
SAMSUNG S85H - TV appearance
HDMI inputs: 0 x HDMI 2.0, 4 x HDMI 2.1 (48Gbps) Outputs: Toslink (Optical audio), eARC (HDMI), ARC (HDMI) Network Interfaces: Wi-Fi 2.4GHz, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Ethernet (LAN) 100Mbps
Build quality: Good
Stand type: Legs
Bezel color: Graphite
Stand: Base adjustment
Flat design: No
Accessories: Stand
In terms of appearance, the S85H is practically unchanged from previous generations. And that's hardly a drawback, because the S85 line still stands out from many other OLEDs with a fairly distinctive design. What catches the eye most is the rounded back panel, which prevents the electronics from forming the typical, protruding "box" you often see on other OLED TVs. The screen is framed by very thin metal bezels, so the whole thing looks sleek and modern. The only thing that slightly spoils that impression is the plastic feet. They feel rather "cheap". On the plus side, they can be set in two width positions, so the S85H will fit without much trouble on a narrower piece of furniture.
Buy at the best price
Select size:
SAMSUNG S85H - Contrast and black detail
10/10
Result
∞:1
Result
∞:1
Result
∞:1
Result
∞:1
Result
∞:1
The switch to LG Display's new WOLED SE panel has essentially changed nothing in terms of black levels and contrast. And it was hard to expect any major improvement here, because it’s still OLED, a technology that can completely switch off each individual pixel. In practice that means perfect black and huge image depth, especially in darker scenes. Black bars are truly black, there’s no haloing around bright elements, and contrast remains practically infinite. Even very expensive Mini-LEDs with thousands of local dimming zones still can’t offer the same precision as the S85H. And that’s exactly its biggest advantage. The S85H may be Samsung’s cheapest OLED, but when it comes to black levels it can show exactly the same as much pricier models using organic panels.
SAMSUNG S85H - HDR effect quality
6.3/10
Supported formats: HDR10, HDR10+, HLG
Luminance measurements in HDR:
Result
733 nit
Result
744 nit
Result
837 nit
Result
755 nit
Result
404 nit
Interestingly, the new WOLED SE panel has brought a slight improvement in brightness to the S85 lineup. In the same film scenes last year’s model sat closer to about 700 nits, while the S85H can reach roughly 800 nits. That’s not a change that completely transforms the HDR experience, but the extra headroom is noticeable, especially with point highlights, reflections or stronger special effects. Around 800 nits is a very good result for an entry-level OLED and in most films it’s enough for HDR to have the necessary punch. Bright elements can clearly stand out against perfect blacks, and that contrast is still doing most of the work here. However, you need to remember the typical limitation of OLED technology. When a very bright scene covers a large portion of the screen, brightness can drop to almost half. This is the result of panel protections that limit its output with large bright areas.
Colours
The S85H can deliver very pleasant, saturated colours and in most HDR films it looks really good in that regard. We measured around 95% coverage of DCI-P3, so the palette most commonly used in films is reproduced to a very high degree. Skin tones, greens and stronger reds still have appropriate intensity and under normal viewing it’s hard to have major complaints. Only when you look more broadly at BT.2020 do the limitations of the new WOLED SE panel become apparent. Coverage was about 70%, a bit less than WOLEDs of the previous generation and noticeably less than QD-OLED panels. In films this isn’t a big loss, since most productions rarely use such heavily saturated colours. You’re more likely to notice it in games, where developers more often opt for more intense colours.
BT.2020 color gamut coverage and primary color luminance
| Data set | BT.2020 | P3 | R | G | B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synthetic patterns | 70.3% | 94.9% | 62% | 60% | 65% |
| Film measurements | 70.4% | 95.0% | 62% | 60% | 65% |
BT.2020
BT.2020 and P3 – average color gamut coverage (percent of the target gamut).
R, G, B – average primary color luminance relative to target (percent).
Scene from the movie “Pan” (about 2800 nits)
Scene from the movie “Billy Lynn” (about 1100 nits)
When you compare the S85H to a reference monitor, it’s clear it performs best with material mastered to around 1000 nits, like many titles on Netflix. A good example is Billy Lynn, where the TV preserves bright detail well, doesn't blow out highlights and generally sticks to how the scene should look. With more demanding material it gets a bit trickier. It’s still good, but in the brightest moments it starts to run out of brightness headroom and some details can wash together. In those scenes the S85H doesn't offer as much headroom as pricier OLEDs with brighter panels. So we'd see it mainly as a very good TV for typical streaming-service material, and less as a set aimed at the most demanding HDR cinema. There is one other thing to nitpick regardless of source: the very darkest parts of the image are slightly lifted, so some near-black detail looks a little brighter than it should. It doesn't spoil the overall experience, but it does reveal the tuning character of this model.
HDR luminance chart:
Samsung S85H supports HDR10 and dynamic HDR10+, and for a TV like this the latter can genuinely help. With static HDR10 the brightest parts of the picture can sometimes blend together and some highlight detail is simply lost. Switching to HDR10+ gives the TV additional per-scene brightness information, so it can better distribute its capabilities and recover more detail in the brightest areas. In a shot of snow the difference is fairly noticeable, with HDR10 the bright areas looking more crushed, whereas HDR10+ shows more texture and separation between different patches of snow. With an OLED panel peaking at around 800 nits, that kind of dynamic tone mapping makes a lot of sense because it helps make better use of what the TV can actually do. A small downside is the lack of Dolby Vision. HDR10+ is becoming increasingly common on streaming platforms, but Dolby Vision is still encountered more often.
Static HDR10
Dynamic: HDR10+
Factory color reproduction
7/10
To evaluate colours we of course used Filmmaker mode, and in SDR our S85H unit was set very well from the factory. The largest deviation appears in the white balance, where as brightness increases it starts to lose a bit of blue. In practice this means whites and greys have a slightly warmer tint than they should. However, it's not a big fault and during normal viewing it generally isn't very noticeable. Gamma also stays close to the reference value, so the picture is neither overly bright nor unnecessarily dim. The S85H's SDR picture therefore looks really good straight out of the box. A few more imperfections appear in HDR. Here the white balance shifts more with rising brightness, with blue starting to dominate and the red component clearly lacking. This also results in larger errors in some colours. These aren't yet colour errors that completely change the character of the picture, but in direct comparison with the reference the difference is easier to spot. Overall, Filmmaker mode is a very good starting point before professional calibration.
Color reproduction after calibration
9.1/10
Calibration delivers really good results on the S85H. First and foremost, we were able to set the white balance almost perfectly, which removes the slightly too-warm picture tone previously seen in SDR. Colour reproduction also improves significantly, with most errors falling to very low levels, and in everyday viewing it's hard to find any visible inaccuracies. You can also improve HDR quite a bit, although some issues remain that stem from the TV's inherent characteristics. The S85H doesn't always hold the luminance curve perfectly. The darkest parts are slightly boosted, while, as you approach the panel's limits, you can see small deviations in the brightest highlights. Add to that the limited coverage of the wider BT.2020 colour gamut, which of course cannot be overcome by any calibration. Despite that, the end result is very good, and after calibration the S85H can deliver a really well-tuned, natural image.
SAMSUNG S85H - Smoothness of tonal transitions
7.5/10
The smoothness of tonal transitions is definitely not a strong suit for the S85H compared with other OLEDs. This is most noticeable in bright gradients, where fairly obvious banding appears between successive shades. Instead of a perfectly smooth transition you can see distinct colour bands, and you don't have to look hard to find them. Gradients in motion fare even worse. When tonal transitions move the imperfections become more visible and the image looks simply average in that respect. Dark gradients aren't perfect either. You can also notice irregularities here, so the problem isn't limited to the brightest areas of the picture. Of course, in a normal film you won't see this all the time, but scenes with large areas of similar colour, like sky, fog, sunsets or dark backgrounds, can expose the panel's limitations. Compared with older WOLEDs there's still some improvement, but looking at the TVs we tested this year the S85H is average in this respect, as is its competitor the LG B6 that uses the same panel. And it's one of those characteristics where the difference compared with last year's QD-OLED panel becomes very clear. QD-OLEDs handle the smooth blending of successive shades much better and, in terms of gradation, clearly beat the WOLED SE panel used here.
Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions
7.5/10
Smooth transition function
Image without overscan on the SD signal
Samsung's S85H uses the same proprietary AI processor, AI NQ4 Gen2, as last year’s S85F, and in terms of digital image processing it performs quite well. Upscaling is one of the model's stronger points. Lower-resolution material is well sharpened, edges look natural and the picture doesn't come across as overly artificial. Just remember a common quirk of Samsung TVs: at very low resolutions you can't completely turn off overscan, so the TV may slightly crop the left edge of the picture. The "noise reduction" function, that is smoothing weaker tonal transitions, also works very well. The processor can effectively remove posterisation and other artefacts visible in lower-quality material. However, be careful with the strength of this function, because Samsung can be fairly aggressive here. When it's activated, along with unwanted artefacts, fine details such as skin or clothing texture also start to disappear.
SAMSUNG S85H - Blur and motion smoothness
8.5/10
Maximum refresh rate of the panel: 120Hz
Film motion smoothing option: Yes
Blur reduction option: Yes
BFI function 60Hz: Yes, 60Hz (image flickers)
BFI function 120Hz: No
Brightness drop with BFI: 49%
The S85H uses an OLED panel, so it performs brilliantly when it comes to motion blur. Pixels respond almost instantly, so moving objects don't produce the characteristic ghosting seen on some LCD TVs. This is especially noticeable with sport or fast-paced games, where the picture stays very clean even during rapid motion. The panel itself runs at 120 Hz. That's more than enough for movies, TV shows, sport or console gaming. It's a shame Samsung didn't include a higher refresh rate aimed at PC gamers, as more and more TVs now offer 144 or even 165 Hz at 4K. However, that doesn't affect motion handling in films or sport.
There's also the classic motion smoothing feature with two settings: blur reduction and judder reduction. So you can choose whether films should keep their cinematic 24 frames per second, or whether you'd prefer to smooth them a bit. The S85H gives plenty of freedom here, and the interpolation itself works well and, with sensible settings, doesn't generate too many artefacts.
Blur (native resolution, maximum refresh rate):
Blur (BFI function enabled):
Image flickers in this mode
Blur (4K@60Hz):
SAMSUNG S85H - Console compatibility and gaming features
9.6/10
- ALLM:
Yes
- VRR:
Yes
- VRR range:
48 - 120Hz
- Dolby Vision Game Mode:
No
- Correct implementation of HGIG:
Yes
- 1080p@120Hz:
Yes
- 1440p@120Hz:
Yes
- 4K@120Hz:
Yes
- Game bar:
Yes
Samsung S85H is very well prepared for gaming, essentially regardless of whether you connect a console or a computer. The manufacturer didn’t skimp on connectors and all four HDMI ports support full HDMI 2.1. That means you can use 4K at 120 Hz, VRR and ALLM without worrying which input to plug your console into. With multiple devices that matters a lot, since you don’t have to choose between a console, a PC or a soundbar connected via eARC. The feature set itself is very complete. The S85H supports VRR, FreeSync and automatic switching to Game Mode, and Samsung also offers its expanded Game Bar, which lets you quickly view the key signal parameters and change settings without leaving the game. The only real omission is Dolby Vision, which will matter mainly for Xbox owners. That’s a typical trait of Samsung TVs. Game Motion Plus performs very well and it’s one of the features that has set Samsung TVs apart for years. It smooths motion in games running at 30 or 60 fps, but does so without as large an increase in input lag as a classic motion interpolator. In practice, for slower-paced games, racing or action titles it can genuinely improve motion perception, especially if you’re sensitive to low frame rates.
SAMSUNG S85H - Input lag
10/10
Samsung S85H also performs very well in terms of input lag. At 120 Hz we measured input lag below 5 ms, which is at a level where the TV's response to controls is practically instantaneous. At 60 Hz the delay is of course higher, but still remains very low, about 10 ms, so in that respect the S85H gives little cause for complaint.
| SDR | HDR | Dolby Vision |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p60: 10 ms | 2160p60: 10 ms | |
| 1080p120: 5 ms | 2160p120: 5 ms | |
| 2160p60: 10 ms | ||
| 2160p120: 5 ms |
SAMSUNG S85H - Compatibility with PC
7.6/10
Chroma 444 (max. resolution and refresh rate): Yes
Font clarity: Good
Readability of dark text and shapes: Very Good
Input lag in PC mode (4K, max. refresh rate): 5ms
Matrix subpixel arrangement: RGWB
Max refresh rate: 120Hz
G-Sync: Yes
The Samsung S85H also performs very well as a large PC monitor. Text readability is good and, from the typical viewing distance for such a large screen, text looks really good. You just need to remember the four-subpixel layout of the WOLED panel, which means that up close the edges of letters aren't quite as perfectly sharp as on a traditional RGB monitor. However, that's a characteristic of OLED technology itself and, during normal TV use, it shouldn't be an issue.
The S85H also has plenty to offer PC gamers. You get 120 Hz, G-Sync support, very low input lag and, of course, the lightning-fast response time of the OLED panel. The only thing missing for a truly complete experience is the ability to run the panel at a higher refresh rate. More and more TVs already support 144 or 165 Hz at 4K, so an additional mode like that would be welcome here.
SAMSUNG S85H - Viewing angles
7.5/10
Brightness drop at an angle of 45 degrees: 34%
Viewing angles are one of the big advantages of the S85H and OLED panels in general. Even when you view the screen from well off to the side, the picture still retains good contrast, brightness and colour saturation. In this respect the S85H performs decidedly better than practically any LCD or Mini-LED TV on the market today. Only QD-OLED panels really do even better, keeping colours even more stable at wide angles. Those, however, are only found in higher-end models.
SAMSUNG S85H - Daytime performance
5.1/10
Panel finish: Satin
Reflection suppression: Average
Black levels during daytime: Good
Samsung S85H is a moderately bright TV. In our measurements the average SDR brightness was around 350 nits, so it should be enough for normal daytime viewing unless the TV is in a very sunlit living room. In a moderately lit room the picture remains viewable, but with large windows and light falling directly on the screen the S85H’s capabilities start to run out. We have a few more comments about the WOLED SE panel itself. The panel design change compared with the previous generation has affected how the screen handles reflections, and unfortunately it’s not for the better. Reflections are more noticeable than on earlier WOLED panels. LG Display tried to partly mask this effect with a more satin screen finish that diffuses light, but it doesn’t solve the issue completely. With a strong light source the reflection becomes quite large and a characteristic greyish halo appears around it. Photos clearly show that such a reflection can occupy a large part of the image and strongly affect how it’s perceived. So the S85H doesn’t really change the approach compared with cheaper OLEDs when it comes to daytime viewing. It performs best in the evening or in a room where you have at least partial control over the light. You can still use it comfortably during the day, but it’s definitely not a TV designed for a very bright living room.
Panel brightness
Samsung S85H: 350 cd/m2
SAMSUNG S85H - TV features
7.3/10
System: Tizen
System performance: Very good
- HDMI inputs: 0 x HDMI 2.0, 4 x HDMI 2.1 48Gbps
- Outputs: Toslink (Optical audio), eARC (HDMI), ARC (HDMI)
- 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): RF
- Backlit remote control: No
- Teletext: Yes
- Audio only mode: Yes
- Bluetooth headphones support: Yes
- Simultaneous Bluetooth headphones & TV audio: Yes
Smart features:
- AirPlay: Yes
- Screen mirroring (Windows Miracast): Yes
- Voice search: Yes
- Voice search in native language: Yes
- Ability to connect a keyboard and mouse: Yes
Tizen
The Samsung S85H runs on Tizen and it's hard to fault its smart features. The system is fast, responsive and offers one of the largest app selections on the market. Besides the major streaming platforms, you'll also find plenty of less popular services, so it's unlikely you'll miss anything essential. Samsung is also expanding SmartThings, integration with other devices and an increasing number of AI-powered features. There are really a lot of capabilities here and some users will probably never even explore half of them. A big plus is Samsung's promised seven years of system updates. For a TV, which we typically keep much longer than a phone or computer, that matters. Tizen should therefore keep receiving new features and fixes for a long time, rather than being abandoned after two or three years. The S85H doesn't feel like a cheaper model either – you essentially get the same extensive ecosystem that Samsung offers in its more expensive TVs.
Traditional features
Samsung's approach to traditional TV features looks completely different. It's clear the company has been increasingly prioritising "modern" services over traditional ones for several years. So the S85H isn't a TV that will especially appeal to people used to full-featured handling of regular broadcast TV. The included remote illustrates this well. It's small, minimalist and only has the essential buttons, but lacks a traditional number pad. For streaming this is convenient, but for frequent viewing of traditional broadcast TV without a set-top box, not everyone will like it. It's simply a consequence of the direction Samsung is taking with its TVs...
Sound connection options
HDMI audio:
Other audio outputs:
- Toslink: Yes
Wireless audio:
- Bluetooth: Yes
- Samsung Q-Symphony (Speaker extension): Yes
Supported audio formats (external HDMI eARC audio):
- Dolby Digital Plus 7.1: Yes
- Dolby True HD 7.1: Yes
- Dolby Atmos in Dolby Digital Plus (JOC): Yes
- Dolby Atmos in Dolby True HD: Yes
- DTS:X in DTS-HD MA: No
- DTS-HD Master Audio: No
Senior accessibility
- Numeric keyboard on TV: No
- Font size adjustment: Yes
- Audio description: Yes
SAMSUNG S85H - Apps
9.3/10
SAMSUNG S85H - Playing files from USB
9.1/10
| 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 USB file player on the Samsung S85H works quickly and without major problems. The TV handles both videos and photos well, and with the latter we had no issues with unusual resolutions or high megapixel counts. Subtitle support is also a plus, as Polish characters display correctly and nothing extra needs to be set up. The only thing we really missed was support for HEIC, the image format commonly used by Apple devices. Aside from that, the built-in player performs very well and will be more than enough for most people for everyday use with a USB stick or USB drive.
SAMSUNG S85H - Sound
7.2/10
86dB
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
Sound-wise the S85H hasn’t really changed compared with its predecessor. It still uses a fairly basic 2.0 setup with a total output of 20 W, which sounds fine and, for such a slim TV, can even add a bit of bass. It’s perfectly adequate for everyday TV viewing, but it doesn’t reach the level of pricier models that can deliver fuller, more immersive sound. With that picture, it practically begs for at least a soundbar. All the more so as the S85H supports Dolby Atmos and Samsung’s proprietary Q-Symphony, which lets a compatible Samsung soundbar work with the TV speakers rather than completely replace them. If you want to get more from this setup for movies, an external sound system is the most sensible addition.
Acoustic Measurements
86dBC (Max)
75dBC
SAMSUNG S85H - Panel details
Software version during testing: 1204
Panel uniformity and thermal imaging:
Backlight Type: WRGB OLED
Founder and originator of the "ChooseTV" portal
Journalist, reviewer, and columnist for the "ChooseTV" portal
michal-woloszyn-title
Reader comments
Comments are provided by the external service Disqus (Zeta Global). Once loaded, Disqus may set cookies and process data about your activity.
We will remember your choice on this device. Provider's privacy policy
See articles related to Samsung S85H:
11/25/2025
12/1/2025
Shopping Reviews
The best Samsung TVs 2024 / 2025! Which Samsung television t... 4/30/2025
