Samsung OLED S95D vs LG OLED B6

Samsung S95D offers excellent HDR performance, delivering consistent effects across all scenes exceeding values of 1500 nits, except for the fifth, where brightness drops to 800 nits. Despite this, the television maintains a high level of picture quality. A significant advantage of QD-OLED technology is its ability to maintain high brightness even in the smallest elements against a black background, which is rare in LCD and mini LED televisions. As a result, every scene dazzles with strong lighting effects, regardless of the size of the illuminated area. Only in the brightest scenes with large light areas does brightness slightly drop, which is typical even for standard OLEDs produced by LG. Additionally, the quantum dot coating has achieved an unprecedented high coverage of the BT.2020 colour gamut at 88%.

The LG B6 is a moderately bright OLED. After calibration it reaches around 800 nits, roughly 200 nits more than last year’s B5. That’s down to the new, budget OLED SE panel from LG Display. In practice it simply gives a bit more headroom and makes HDR look fuller in many scenes than on last year’s lower‑end OLEDs. That does not mean the B6 has no limitations. In very bright shots, when a large part of the screen is strongly lit, brightness can fall below 400 nits. This behaviour is typical for OLED TVs, especially in this segment, and that’s where you see the biggest difference compared with more expensive models. Even so, we judge the B6’s results as genuinely solid. It’s still not a TV for breaking brightness records, but the HDR effect is strong enough that films truly feel like a step up from ordinary SDR. Colour gamut Using the OLED SE panel has had a slight impact on wide colour gamut coverage. Compared with last year’s model the results have fallen by a few percentage points. It covers roughly 96% of DCI‑P3 and about 71% of BT.2020. That doesn’t mean the colours on the LG B6 are weak. In most films and series they look lively, well saturated and simply pleasing to the eye. You only notice the difference in very bright, highly colourful scenes. Then colours lose some intensity compared with QD‑OLED panels. This stems from the WOLED panel structure. Besides red, green and blue subpixels it also uses a white subpixel, which helps to boost brightness. However, this comes at a price. At very high luminance some colour is effectively 'diluted' by the white light, so the saturation of certain colours can be slightly lower. In everyday use this isn’t a major issue, but in the most demanding scenes you can notice it.

On the Samsung S95D, the mode that best reproduces colours is the Filmmaker mode. We conduct all our tests in this mode. Although initially, the picture in this mode may appear slightly warmer to the viewer, it provides significantly more detail compared to the standard or dynamic mode, which is always oversaturated and artificial. The Filmmaker mode is therefore the most closely aligned with the vision of filmmakers and ideal for watching high-quality content. It is worth noting, however, that the factory settings are not perfect, despite dealing with premium segment equipment. The image may contain certain errors that affect the overall quality of the displayed scenes. An example is drops in red colour in the white balance, both in HD and HDR content. Colour Checker tests showed that the hues lean towards cooler tones. The image is dominated by blue hues, and the entire colour spectrum is distorted. As can be seen in the picture below, the little boy from the film appears in cooler tones, making him look less natural. When it comes to the brightness characteristics for HD content, it is quite accurate, although there are minor errors. The biggest problem arises when displaying 4K HDR content. The EOTF curve, which seems appropriate at first glance in test patterns, shows that the television sometimes "messes" with the image in real film scenes. This causes the picture to be slightly brightened in some scenes and darkened in others.

Samsung S95D offers quite good factory colour reproduction, but it has some shortcomings that may require calibration to fully utilise the potential of this television. The process is recommended to achieve the most natural and immersive image possible.

We tested the LG B6 in Filmmaker Mode, the best picture setting available straight out of the box. ISF modes produce very similar results, but in our tests we always stick to Filmmaker Mode for better comparison with other TVs. Each of them is, in any case, a much better starting point than Vivid or Eco mode, where the picture is heavily boosted and noticeably less natural. On SDR material the factory settings perform really well. Colour errors are small, the gamma response is correct, and the picture during normal viewing looks natural and does not feel overly "pumped up". It's a bit worse with HDR. When such content is played you quickly see that the white balance hasn't been set perfectly. Too much blue and red gives the image a slightly pink tint. This is also confirmed by colour gamut measurements and the ColorChecker, where samples clearly shift in that direction. It's not a flaw that completely spoils the picture, but it is noticeable with HDR films. Therefore anyone who wants the most faithful image should consider calibration, which we cover further on in the review.

How much can the picture quality of a television change after calibration? After performing calibration on the Samsung S95D, the white balance was significantly improved, eliminating any major errors, which allowed for a more natural and harmonious colour reproduction. In the case of 4K content, there are only minor imperfections, which do not affect the overall picture quality. Thanks to calibration, viewers can now enjoy more balanced tones, allowing for a better representation of the filmmakers' intentions. The contrast has also improved, and the gamma shows even better results. This means that the differences between the light and dark areas of the image have become more pronounced, translating into better depth and detail in scenes. As a result, shadows gained more detail, and bright areas are no longer overwhelming, providing a more realistic visual experience. However, it should be noted that the EOTF curve is slightly below the expected level, which may affect how the television handles dynamic scenes. Nonetheless, after calibration, the overall picture quality has significantly improved, and viewers can now enjoy a visual experience that is more in line with the filmmakers' intentions. The television handles subtle tonal transitions and contrast better, making it more suitable for watching films and high-definition programmes. Ultimately, the picture after calibration is closely aligned with reference quality, making the visual experience even more satisfying.

During calibration, we concentrated mainly on HDR content, because that's where the factory settings needed the most correction. We did not, however, neglect SDR mode, which after adjustment was brought almost to perfection. Colours are very accurate, and brightness is controlled as it should be. The biggest improvement in HDR came from fixing the white balance. Removing the excess red and blue eliminated the pinkish tint, and the image became much more natural. Skin tones, whites and all colours that had previously shifted towards pink improved. After calibration most errors fell below a Delta E of 2–3, the threshold at which the average viewer stops noticing differences with the naked eye. So the LG B6 can deliver a very accurate picture, particularly for the manufacturer's entry-level OLED model.

How does the television handle tonal transitions in lower-quality materials? Generally speaking, the S95D performs exceptionally well. On the screen with the light bulb, there are virtually no transitions between shades of grey, making it one of the best televisions we have tested in this regard.

Regarding digital processing, the entire image — from branches to model figures — has been well rendered, without any jagged edges or heavily visible contours. However, we must draw attention to one issue: the image is slightly cropped. Nevertheless, the television performs excellently, and details in lower-quality materials are still noticeable and well-defined.

The LG B6 handles lower-quality material very well. This is largely thanks to effective digital image processing, which can mask some of the source’s imperfections without overly smoothing the whole scene. The "Smooth Gradation" function proves particularly useful. It noticeably reduces posterisation, especially in dark parts of the image. The safest choice remains the Low or Medium setting. The function still effectively smooths out unsightly tonal banding, but does not yet interfere too much with fine details. Purists can of course leave it switched off. Upscaling to 4K also performs very well. Full HD and 720p material retain a good amount of detail, and the image is neither overly sharpened nor heavily blurred. Some limitations only become apparent with very poor sources below 720p, where the smallest text and fine elements are not always perfectly sharp, but this applies to almost every other TV on the market.

The Samsung S95D television, equipped with a refresh rate of 120 Hz (and even 144 Hz in the appropriate PC configuration), offers excellent motion smoothness. Samsung provides a variety of image sharpness settings on a ten-point scale, allowing users to adjust the display according to their preferences - whether the image should be more cinematic/frame-like or more theatrical/smooth. In UFO tests, the OLED matrix shows its advantages, eliminating any blurring. The lightning-fast pixel response means that dynamic movements are reproduced with unparalleled precision.

One of the biggest advantages of OLED panels is the very fast pixel response time. This keeps the picture sharp and free of the visible smearing often seen on LCD TVs. However, there is a downside. During slow camera pans motion can look choppier than on LCD screens, where some of that effect is naturally masked by the slower panel. Fortunately, on the LG B6 this can be easily mitigated using the TruMotion system. With the motion smoothing set correctly you can achieve smoother motion without giving the picture an exaggerated soap opera effect.

The Samsung S95D TV is perfectly suited to the needs of gamers, offering four HDMI 2.1 ports that support key features such as Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), and HDR Gaming Interest Group (HGIG). The HDMI 2.1 ports do not provide full bandwidth of 48Gb, but they are still sufficient for achieving appropriate resolution and smoothness. Thanks to these technologies, gamers can enjoy smoother and more responsive gameplay, which significantly impacts comfort and performance during intense gaming sessions. One of the biggest advantages is the Xbox app, which allows for cloud gaming without the need for a console. Through it, gamers can access a wide range of titles directly on the TV, enjoying high image quality and smooth gameplay. Additionally, the S95D offers a Game Bar feature that enables easy management of game settings, including quick adjustments of parameters such as changing the aspect ratio, which can be extremely useful in various games and gaming modes. It is also worth mentioning the support for G-Sync and FreeSync, which is a huge plus for users of Nvidia and AMD graphics cards. Despite the lack of support for Dolby Vision, the TV still offers excellent features that make it an ideal choice for console gaming enthusiasts. Overall, the S95D combines modern technologies with outstanding picture quality, creating a complete package for any gamer.

LG OLED B6 has plenty to offer gamers; it’s simply a complete base for PS5, Xbox Series X/S or a capable PC. It has four full-size HDMI 2.1 ports with 48 Gbps bandwidth, so you can avoid irritating cable swapping when connecting several newer devices at once. It offers a full suite of synchronization technologies, from standard VRR to G-Sync and FreeSync. The screen synchronises the refresh rate seamlessly with the frame output from the console or graphics card. Of course it includes ALLM: the B6 automatically recognises when a game is running and immediately reduces latency to a minimum. HDR support is also excellent. The TV supports Dolby Vision, and a correctly implemented HGiG standard means that, after initial calibration in the console settings, the image won’t suffer from blown-out highlights or lost detail in bright areas. The cherry on the cake is the Game Bar. Instead of digging through the full menu during gameplay, a single click is enough to adjust shadow visibility, tweak selected parameters or simply check the current display mode. All of this makes the LG B6 an excellent choice for gamers.