Samsung DU7192 (IPS) vs SAMSUNG S90F (WOLED)

The maximum luminance in HDR materials is 245 nits, which is often surpassed by even lower results. Such values will definitely not be sufficient for comfortable viewing of HDR materials due to the lack of appropriate image dynamics and colour inaccuracies caused by the low brightness of the unit. Although the manufacturer has equipped its device with HDR format offering dynamic metadata, HDR10+, which is what we are referring to, is very rarely used compared to Dolby Vision, which Samsung has not yet introduced in its televisions. It is also worth mentioning that Samsung DU7192 offers only 82% coverage of the wide DCI-P3 colour gamut, which is another reason we should not supply a signal in wide dynamic range, as colour losses will be very noticeable. Samsung DU7192 provides high-quality images that will satisfy most users.

Does the S90F handle not only black, but also bright parts of the image? Definitely yes. Tales of OLEDs as “dark screens” can slowly be regarded as a myth. The Samsung S90F, like the LG C5 based on a very similar panel, achieves brightness exceeding 1000 nits. This is a value entirely sufficient to enjoy impressive and dynamic HDR imagery – both in films and series. Most of the scenes we tested look superb, 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 pattern from the film The Meg (picture 5), the television may noticeably dim the image. However, it should be emphasized that such scenes are rare. It can be considered 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 best factory mode we used throughout the testing process was "Filmmaker". This, like the vast majority of modes, had its drawbacks. Starting with the most basic chart, which is the white balance, we can notice a pronounced dominance of red, both in SDR and HDR modes. Although there was also some green in the latter, it did not significantly affect the overall impression. A chart with such results, in both cases, gives us an image characterised by strong yellowing, clearly visible on whites and on the faces of the actors. Another important chart, if not more important, is gamma. This, which is meant to control contrast in materials with a standard colour palette, was quite good in factory mode with one caveat regarding the low end. In the darkest scenes, it was significantly lowered, which led to strong brightening, resulting in the film lacking contrast and all suspense. As we mentioned, HDR materials in terms of white balance remained at a similar level. The main change is the EOTF curve chart. At the very beginning, we can observe a bulge, which, just like in the case of gamma, significantly brightened the darkest scenes. However, the chart then changed its characteristics significantly and the measured result dipped below the reference line, causing the film to lose even more dynamics.

The Samsung S90F, like most modern televisions, offers many picture modes, but – in line with our testing tradition – we assessed it in the best one, which is the Filmmaker mode. This way, the image looks significantly more natural than in the default, often oversaturated settings. It was neither overly saturated nor artificially muted – just closer to what should be seen. Of course, "more correct" does not mean "ideal". Unfortunately, our S90F unit had considerable issues with white balance, especially in the blue range, resulting in a slightly yellowish filter being applied to most scenes. Someone might say it looks more "cinematic" – because it is warmer – but let's not kid ourselves, George Lucas did not film Star Wars in sepia 😉 (you will find the comparison with the scene as always below).

Additionally, in HDR materials, there was a noticeable issue with brightness management. The EOTF curve showed a clear "spike" in brightness – the television brightened the image more than it should have, which made some effects look overly intense and diverged from the reference. Fortunately, some of these problems can be eliminated through professional calibration – you will read about its effects later in the review.

Samsung has equipped even its lowest-end televisions with advanced tools for the calibration process. So we got to work, and the results of our efforts are more than satisfactory. The white balance, which previously had a strong yellow tint in both scenarios, now looks much, much better, even if there are slight deviations from the norm. The image will still look significantly cleaner than it did before the calibration process. We managed to model the gamma in SDR materials very well, ensuring that the image will be as contrasty as the television allows. The EOTF curve has also changed its face and no longer brightens or darkens the image in such a drastic way. However, it's worth mentioning that in the case of HDR materials, deltaE errors are still very high, but this is due to the insufficient brightness of the unit.

After calibration, we managed to eliminate practically all the previously mentioned errors. Older films in SDR quality finally look as they should – without the sepia effect or artificial aging of the image. The atmosphere of the classics returns to its rightful place (you’re welcome, 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. Yes, the most demanding users may spot minimal deviations in brightness, but honestly – most viewers won’t even notice that. And it's no wonder, because the vast majority of errors are below a ΔE value of 3, which is below the threshold of visibility. After calibration, the S90F (WOLED) truly becomes an excellent display – one that provides nearly perfect picture quality.

Let's return for a moment to the feature of smoothing tonal transitions. We can set it in only two ways - off and auto. As one can easily guess, the former causes significant problems with gradation. However, if we set the latter, both films and series will offer us smooth transitions of colours. It is worth mentioning, though, that this feature has its drawbacks. It greatly interferes with the director's intent, softens the film grain effect, and, what’s worse, often misinterprets small details, also blurring them. In light of this, we conclude that the feature does not exist and do not recommend using it, as this is exactly how the tests of smoothness of tonal transitions were conducted on the tested display.

The next thing we will check in this paragraph is the image scaling process, which is extremely important when watching materials in a lower resolution. Unfortunately, as this is the manufacturer's lowest model, this function does not work very well. All details are heavily blurred, and a characteristic white halo surrounds the characters.

Digital Image Processing in the S90F:

Fortunately, Samsung, as in most of its models, effectively manages the unwanted posterisation effect in the S90F. The feature responsible for this aspect is noise reduction, which does a decent job of smoothing tonal transitions and eliminating unnatural colour connections – of course, within its limitations. Unfortunately, it operates rather aggressively, so using it comes with compromises. In addition to improving gradation, it can also remove film grain or gently soften facial features. In this case, the choice is yours – do you prefer a more "clean" image, or do you want to preserve the original texture of the material?

Image Scaling in the S90F:

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

Despite the fact that Samsung DU7192 is the lowest model in the manufacturer's portfolio, it has been implemented with a motion smoothing system. Although it is quite limited in features compared to higher models, its existence is a considerable advantage in the context of competition from similar price ranges. The maximum refresh rate we will provide to the tested television is 60 Hz, which is entirely sufficient for movies and series, although not for sports. In the motion smoothing menu, we find two functions responsible for improving fluidity. These are "Motion Blur Reduction" and "Clear Motion (LED)". We will discuss the latter a bit later. Let us focus on the former, as it is quite puzzling. Unfortunately, despite its presence, we did not find any usefulness. On each of the settings, the image looked the same, with the characteristic judder known from materials recorded at 24 fps.

The matrix of Samsung DU7192 features an average response time. It is worth mentioning that due to this particular type of matrix, it is better than VA matrices in a similar price range. Therefore, it can be exceptionally said that it will not be the worst in the context of watching sports.

The 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 fluid, clear, and there’s no room for any ghosting or blurring that sometimes plagues cheaper LCDs.

The television is also equipped with motion smoothness settings, allowing you to customise everything to your preference. We have motion blur reduction and judder reduction – you can set it so that the image is super smooth (even to that soap opera effect), or more cinematic, with the classic 24-frame 'choppiness'. The choice is yours; Samsung doesn’t impose anything.

The Samsung DU7192 television is equipped only with HDMI 2.0 ports, which is not surprising given the price of the device and its consumer profile. Therefore, it’s also logical that we won’t achieve maximum quality on the latest generation consoles. Thus, it only has the most basic feature for gamers, which is ALLM. It's a pity that the manufacturer didn’t implement at least GameBar, as it is currently a standard, even in lower-end televisions, and could introduce significant conveniences regarding quick changes to settings.

When it comes to gaming features – the S90F has absolutely nothing to fault. 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 the Game Bar – a practical tool that allows you to quickly glance at picture settings, VRR status, ALLM mode, and other useful options. Game Motion Plus also deserves a mention – Samsung's proprietary motion enhancer that is the only one truly functioning sensibly in games. The image appears smoother, but without any artificial effects or slowdowns.

It is also worth mentioning the HGiG feature, which – much to our slight surprise – works correctly. We're mentioning this because Samsung clearly broke something in one of the last updates, and in some models, the option responsible for HGiG simply... disappears from the menu. Setting it up becomes practically 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 updates and information from the manufacturer.