Philips OLED950 vs Samsung OLED S95H (S99H) (QD-OLED)

The OLED950 is a phenomenal television for consuming content in HDR format, primarily thanks to the innovative Tandem OLED panel. With this technology, the screen can generate astronomical brightness levels, reaching over 2000 nits in film scenes (on test patterns). This is an exceptional result that places the OLED950 among the world’s top displays available on the market. However, it is important to note a specific characteristic of this solution – at moments when full-screen bursts of light appear on the screen, brightness can drop by as much as half. It is worth emphasising, though, that values above 1000 nits on a full screen are still an outstanding result. This allows for the HDR image to be displayed exactly as filmmakers would wish, maintaining the dynamics and impact of bright scenes.

The use of the Tandem OLED panel has also brought tangible benefits in terms of colour reproduction, improving elements that traditional WOLED panels struggled with compared to their QD-OLED competition. For the OLED950, the colour gamut coverage is broader than in classic WOLED panels, reaching nearly 100% of the DCI-P3 colour space and a solid 82% of the demanding BT.2020 palette. Although these results still do not match the high standards of QD-OLED panels, the difference diminishes 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.

When it comes to brightness alone, the S99H is an astronomically bright TV. Its peak brightness in film scenes can exceed 2800 nits. Whatever the scene, you can count on powerful HDR effects that are almost blinding, exactly what you expect from a top-tier screen. It is the nature of OLED panels that they cannot sustain the same extreme brightness in very bright, full‑screen frames as they can with small highlights, but the results are still excellent. In a bright scene from the film The Meg, the sun still exceeded 2200 nits. That means the S99H managed to sustain higher brightness than most Mini LED displays on the market. In terms of brightness, the S99H is currently the best OLED TV we have tested.

Colour gamut coverage

The S99H also handles colour extremely well, which is a direct result of the QD-OLED panel used here. Whether the test scenarios were synthetic test patterns or measurements taken with film material playing in the background, the results remained at a very high level. The S99H easily covers almost 100% of the DCI-P3 gamut, and for the more demanding BT.2020 colour space it reaches nearly 90%. That is absolute top-tier performance. These results match what we have seen in the new SQD-Mini-LED screens, and in real film scenes even outperform RGB Mini LED displays.

We tested the OLED950 model in Film mode. Although it is theoretically the best and most faithful preset on this television, in practice it proved not to be free from flaws. Interestingly, in the unit we tested, the biggest challenge was not the white balance itself – although it did show a slight tendency to give the image a pinkish hue. The main issue lay in the way the television managed brightness, both in everyday SDR content and in demanding HDR scenes. The analysis of the gamma graph 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 the panel technology allows. Details in dark areas that should remain perfectly black (characteristic of "OLED black") are simply unnecessarily highlighted and brightened. Fortunately, these errors can be corrected using the appropriate tools, which is why – as always – we proceeded with professional calibration.

Samsung offers a whole host of picture modes and features, but as usual we recommend choosing Filmmaker Mode, especially if you want the most faithful rendering of the filmmakers' intent. Out of the box the TV is tuned very well, although it has minor shortcomings. These are mainly a slight drift in the white balance in SDR content and a slightly low gamma. As a result, in darker viewing conditions the picture can be a little too bright compared with the reference gamma of 2.4, which is the standard for watching films with the lights off. These are, of course, minor points, because overall colour reproduction remains at a very good level and the errors in the ColorChecker measurements are not large. However, we know that with a screen of the S99H's class you can, and arguably should, expect even more, which is why we carried out a professional calibration.

As can be seen, the OLED950, after a professional calibration process, transforms into 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 only needed a professional touch to show its full potential and eliminate factory shortcomings. The minimal errors in reproduction 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.

After professional calibration, FILMMAKER mode looks practically perfect. Because Samsung offers a rich set of advanced calibration features, we were able to fine-tune the colours to an almost perfect level. Above all, we managed to even out the white balance and the gamma curve, which resulted in noticeably improved contrast and proper image modelling. In this tuned picture profile there really isn't a single thing to criticise or call a flaw. After calibration, the S99H can deliver an essentially reference-quality image.

Upscaling

In terms of the image upscaling, the proprietary P5 processor performs just as well as in most models from this manufacturer. Low-resolution content takes on a very soft and plastic character. This kind of presentation will certainly appeal to many people. However, if you prefer sharper contours, you can lightly enhance them with the appropriate slider in the television's menu. It's really hard to find fault in this aspect. The image simply looks very good and additionally there is no issue with the phenomenon of overscan.

Smoothing and Distortion Reduction

The function for smoothing tonal transitions performs somewhat worse. In the settings, we find an option called "Distortion Reduction." This allows for three levels of adjustment of the processor's interference. Unfortunately, the Minimum setting works poorly and the smoothing effects are negligible. The Medium level gives a decent result, but it also starts to smooth out actors' skin details. On the other hand, the Maximum setting works too aggressively. It definitely removes too much detail from the faces and background elements, and can even take away the film grain. To achieve the optimal effect, it's worth experimenting with these settings at home and adjusting them to your preference. It may seem that the Medium option is the best compromise here.

The proprietary Samsung NQ4 Gen3 processor is responsible for upscaling and digital image processing. It handles upscaling lower-resolution material to 4K very well. The picture is clear without looking artificial or overly sharp. The only rather specific drawback appears with very old material recorded at 480p or below. In such cases the TV can slightly crop the edges of the picture.

The processor also copes quite well with artefacts visible in lower bit-rate material, for example heavily compressed YouTube videos. The noise reduction function effectively smooths the image and reduces posterisation, but it operates quite aggressively. It can remove not only unwanted artefacts but also some fine detail, and even natural film grain. Wanting to preserve the source material as faithfully as possible, we decided not to use it. However, if someone prefers a clean, as-smooth-as-possible picture over retaining every detail, it may prove useful.

The motion reproduction in the OLED950 model is virtually perfect. This is typical for screens of this type (OLED 120Hz+), as the panel shows no blurring at all. This allows us to enjoy perfect sharpness in practically any conditions. Much of this is thanks not only to the specifics of organic technology. Equally important work is done by the smoothing systems implemented by the manufacturer.

Another major advantage of organic OLED panels is their excellent motion handling. Thanks to the pixels' virtually instantaneous response time, the Samsung S99H exhibits virtually no motion blur. Fast-moving objects do not produce visible halos or trailing outlines, so the television performs very well for both watching sport and gaming. One characteristic of OLED screens compared with LCDs, however, is the way they render low-frame-rate material. With very slow camera movement the image can appear noticeably more 'choppy'. This can, however, be fairly effectively mitigated using a frame-interpolation system. Samsung lets you adjust judder reduction and blur reduction separately, so it's easy to find a compromise between smoother motion and preserving the cinematic character of the content.

The OLED950 is nearly the perfect television for gamers. This is not only due to the unique atmosphere created by the Ambilight system during gameplay. The most important aspect here is the robust hardware support. You will find literally everything you should 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. Of course, support for VRR technology and the automatic ALLM game mode is also included. The device handles any HDR signal without difficulty, whether we are using Dolby Vision or the HGiG standard.

Access to all settings is available from one place thanks to the special Game Bar overlay. Although this interface may not be the most visually appealing on the market, it fully accomplishes its purpose. It displays all the important signal parameters and offers useful extras. Gamers can take advantage of the minimap zoom feature or add a permanent crosshair on the screen, which can be seen as a small aid in online competition. The contrast range adjustment also proves to be useful, as it allows you to brighten shadows and gain better visibility of enemies hidden in dark corners of the map.

The Samsung S99H is also a great TV for gamers. It offers almost every possible and useful feature... well, except for the obvious lack of Dolby Vision for the Xbox console. It's equipped with four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports that offer the full 48 Gbps. This lets you use VRR frame-rate synchronization and the automatic game mode (ALLM) without any problems. This year Samsung also has no issues properly supporting HGiG, so HDR setup on a console is quick and straightforward. Samsung's TVs are also known for interesting extras. In the Game Bar menu you'll find options to add an on-screen crosshair, enlarge the minimap or change the displayed image's aspect ratio (PC).

Particularly noteworthy is Samsung's Game Motion Plus feature. It's Samsung's proprietary motion-smoothing system that uses interpolation to increase smoothness in games. Input lag then rises to around 40 to 50 ms (depending on the strength of the setting), which is an excellent result compared with the competition. The system makes gameplay noticeably smoother. So if someone has their eye on a demanding game (e.g. GTA 6 😉) that runs on a console at only 30 frames per second, the S99H can display it much more smoothly than competing models.