Samsung S85F OLED vs Samsung QN90F / QN92F

For an OLED, the Samsung S85F can truly shine – literally. Under favourable conditions, it is capable of generating brightness exceeding 750 nits. This is hugely significant, as most films are created with displays reaching around 1000 nits in mind. In practice, this means that in scenes with moderately large, bright elements, the image can look simply fantastic. However, it's not always so rosy. When there is a huge amount of light on the screen – whether it's an expansive, bright background or a whole frame filled with white – the S85F has to tone it down. In such scenes, brightness can drop by even four times. This limitation is well-known to essentially every OLED in this price segment, so we do not consider it a particular shortcoming. However, something that deserves praise and sets this model apart from the competition is its colour gamut coverage. Thanks to the QD-OLED panel, our colourimeter recorded values exceeding 100% DCI-P3 coverage and as much as 86% for the ultra-wide BT.2020 gamut. Such results are hard to find even in televisions costing several times more.

The Samsung QN90F can truly shine with brightness. In our measurements, it achieved over 2200 nits, which directly translates to the viewing experience. In practice, this means that when a film features a very bright scene – for example, a sunrise in The Meg – the screen looks as if it is actually lit by natural light. This is not just a number from a chart, but a real sense of image intensity! However, the television may not always deliver this full power. With smaller details like reflections or lamps, brightness drops to 500–700 nits. This is a deliberate decision by the algorithms – it allows for better control of the contrast between large and small elements, preventing the image from losing balance. Importantly, this is still a huge improvement compared to last year's QN90D, where similar details were often almost invisible, shining at just 200 nits. Here, the HDR effect is much more consistent and credible. The only downside is the colours. The DCI-P3 coverage has stalled at 91%, which in this price bracket can be considered a rather average result.

Samsung, as befits a manufacturer with ambitions, has equipped the S85F with a mode called Filmmaker. Its task is simple: to ensure that the colours on the newly purchased television are as true to what the director intended as possible. Sounds great… but, as is often the case, a theory that sounds great does not always translate into perfect practice.

In the tested unit, it quickly became apparent that the image – due to an excess of blue and red – looked as though someone had overdone the saturation a bit. As a result, quite significant colour errors occurred, particularly in 4K content. Moreover, there was a problem with brightness – the S85F could brighten most scenes more than it should, taking away their intended mood.

Fortunately, Samsung televisions, including the S85F, offer an impressive number of settings for advanced calibrators. This means that we could test what this panel is truly capable of when placed in the right hands.

The colour reproduction of the QN90F was tested in Filmmaker mode and, as is often the case with Samsung televisions, this mode proves to be the best starting point straight out of the box. However, this does not mean that the image is free from flaws. The white balance in both SDR and HDR content was surprisingly good – the colours did not drift in any direction and even in its factory settings, it looked solid. A problem arose with the gamma curves and EOTF, which dictate how the television manages brightness. Here, the QN90F significantly brightened the entire image, causing blacks and colours to lose their intensity, and the overall effect resembled that of an applied milky filter. Fortunately, Samsung, unlike many competitors in the miniLED world, provides the user with plenty of tools to control the settings that we do not find with other manufacturers, such as Chinese producers. Therefore, we decided to see if we could squeeze the full potential out of the QN90F because we know that such a high-end series is capable of much more.

Thanks to the vast number of settings in the menu, we managed to bring the S85F to nearly an ideal level. The white balance in SDR content? Literally perfect – deviations do not exceed the value of “1”. So we can confidently say that in materials with not very high dynamics, we have an image close to reference here.

In HDR content, slight issues have arisen, but they are not significant in practice – most errors fall below the threshold of perceptibility, which is the value of “3”. We also managed to tame the S85F when it comes to brightness management – the EOTF curve, even in movies, holds an almost perfect line. This is one of those cases where after calibration, you can comfortably forget about the settings and simply enjoy films and series at the highest level.

After our adjustment of the settings, the QN90F displayed what it is truly capable of – and it must be admitted that this is one of the best images we have seen on a miniLED screen this year. As we mentioned earlier, the white balance was not a major issue even in its factory state, but only after gamma calibration did it manage to get close to reference values. The same is true for HDR content, where the EOTF curve post-adjustment presents mature and cohesive results. Indeed, in some films, it is noticeable that the smallest elements of the image are slightly brightened, and with a limited number of dimming zones, there is still a risk of halo effect. However, it should be remembered that such phenomena are characteristic of all miniLED televisions, and it is difficult to expect miracles even from the QN90F. The most important thing is that after calibration, the television delivers an image that, in terms of representing the director's vision, confidently competes with many OLED screens available on the market.

The tonal transition smoothing function in the S85F works really effectively – it can completely eliminate the problem of visible banding in very poor quality materials, such as those from YouTube. Unfortunately, even the lowest level of this option comes with compromises. Noise reduction is aggressive enough that it can smooth out the film grain that many of us consider a key element of the cinematic experience. At the "Standard" level, we did not notice that this function removed anything significant from the image, so we can recommend this setting. On the other hand, the "High" level is a different story – it can smooth out not only noise but also subtle, desirable details such as the texture of objects.

As for image scaling, the S85F performs very well. The material looks sharp, and the only minor imperfection is slightly visible aliasing of contours. And there’s still the persistent issue with Samsung televisions – overscan. This can cause the frame to be slightly cropped in certain scenes, which is worth keeping in mind when watching very old content.

QN90F handles upscaling very well. Materials in lower resolutions, even SD, are enhanced to a clear and sharp image, in which a lot of detail in the background can be seen. This is a significant advantage, as the television makes older content or everyday television look considerably better than on most budget screens. However, the issue of overscan remains, which is the trimming of the screen edges, and this cannot be turned off in Samsung TVs. This can cause some subtitles on the screen to disappear or Auntie's face from the wedding on the VHS tape to be slightly cut off. 😉

Digital image processing also works well. In the menu, we find a function called "noise reduction," which can smooth tonal transitions and improve the reception of lower quality materials, e.g. from YouTube. At the medium setting, the effect is most beneficial – it does not heavily interfere with details, while eliminating the problem of "stepping" in colours. However, it is worth remembering that the function can be quite aggressive and removes natural grain from older films, so it is best to use it in moderation.

The S85F is a mind-blowingly fast television – and this is not just an empty phrase for effect. Thanks to the 120 Hz OLED panel, dynamic scenes, whether in games or while watching a live match, look exactly as they should – smoothly, sharply, and without the feeling that something is “slipping away” from the frame. The lightning-fast pixel response time, typical of OLEDs, plays its part here. Transitions between frames are virtually instantaneous, and the picture remains clear even during the fastest camera movements. A ball flying across half the pitch? A car racing in a chase scene? Here, everything is clear and free from the characteristic “trail” of LCDs.

This is exactly what we expect from a good OLED – no compromises when it comes to motion fluidity. The S85F gives the impression that regardless of the pace of the action, we can focus on what is happening on the screen, rather than the imperfections of the image.

The QN90F is equipped with a panel that has a maximum refresh rate of 165 Hz, and although this advantage will primarily be appreciated by PC gamers, it is still worth highlighting. In films or sports broadcasts, we are limited to the classic 120 Hz, but this is not a cause for concern. In practice, the additional motion smoother is of greater importance here. With the "Motion Clarity" setting, we can adjust the picture to our own preferences. The blur reduction option is responsible for fluidity and ghosting in sports. Meanwhile, the "judder reduction" function improves motion smoothness in productions shot at 24 frames, such as films and series. If we set it high, the film appears smoother and more fluid than it was actually shot. Lower values, on the other hand, preserve its cinematic "rawness" with a visible film frame.

[UPDATE] We have updated our 2025 Samsung TV reviews following the release of firmware version 1131, which officially restores the essential HGiG (HDR Gaming Interest Group) support.

The S85F has practically everything on board to become the dream screen for gaming. Four full-fledged HDMI 2.1 ports with a bandwidth of 48 Gb/s, support for VRR, ALLM, a super-detailed Game Bar that clearly shows all parameters – and on top of that, a gem in the form of Game Motion Plus. This motion smoother makes animation in games more enjoyable, while input lag only increases slightly. This is a rare combination, and it’s a big plus for Samsung. Now comes the moment when we need to complain a little. The lack of Dolby Vision in Samsung televisions has become standard, so there’s no point in hoping (unless something changes in a few years) – but the disappearance of HGiG after the software update is something hard to explain. HGiG (which stands for HDR Gaming Interest Group) is a mode that allows for precise reproduction of brightness in HDR games, in accordance with the creators' intentions. Without it, HDR calibration on a console becomes less precise, so we can end up with an image that is too dark in the shadows or excessively overexposed. Perhaps Samsung will fix this in the next update – and we have high hopes for that. Because if HGiG returns, the S85F will become nearly the perfect television for gamers.

QN90F has almost everything to be the perfect television for gamers. There’s no need to remind anyone of features like four HDMI ports, VRR, ALLM, or refresh rates reaching even 165 Hz. The Game Motion Plus mode deserves great praise, as it is a unique motion smoother for games. Thanks to this, it adds a few “artificial” frames and makes the image generated from the console look smoother than it should. This is a very unique solution in the world of televisions – rival systems usually do not offer this – and that is why Samsung has had a strong selling point among gamers for years, even despite the lack of support for the still niche Dolby Vision in games.

[UPDATE] We have updated our tests of Samsung televisions from the 2025 lineup due to the release of software version 1131, which restored the crucial feature for gamers, HGiG.

So why do we say "almost" the perfect screen? Unfortunately, like in recent Samsung models, we noticed an issue with the lack of the HGiG feature. This solution allows the television to leave the control of tone mapping up to the console, so that games look exactly as intended by the creators. What's worse, this feature was previously present and disappeared after software updates. Instead of minor improvements, we got a step back. It’s a shame, because without this absence, the QN90F could truly be the ideal choice for gamers in the miniLED category.