Samsung S90D / S94D 48" (WRGB OLED) vs LG UA75006LA (VA)

In the tested film scenes, the television Samsung OLED 48 S90D achieves impressive brightness results, surpassing 800 nits in the first four shots, which can be considered a very good result. In the case of the final shot, where a fullscreen flash of sunlight is visible, the brightness drops to around 400 nits, but still remains at an acceptable level. However, it's worth noting that this model in larger sizes offers higher values, exceeding the "barrier" of 1000 nits. Additionally, speaking of the DCI-P3 colour space coverage at 97% is an excellent result, which guarantees extremely rich and realistic colour reproduction, further enhancing image quality. However, once again it should be remembered that the panel in the 65' variant equipped with a QD-OLED panel will be even better in this aspect. For those hesitating in choosing the size of the S90D model, it is worth mentioning that the larger versions of this television offer better HDR effects, and consequently, higher scores in our tests.

The LG UA7500 with a VA panel holds brightness at around 350 nits, which does not make a significant impression by today's standards. It is hard to speak of a true HDR experience here – most content looks more like classic SDR with a slight attempt at boosting the highlights. The advantage is that regardless of the tested scene, the effect remained relatively stable. However, we noticed that in very extreme scenes with a lot of fine details, the television can gently dim the image to achieve better black levels, but this comes at the expense of visibility of bright effects. It is also worth noting that the UA7500 is not equipped with any additional technologies for expanding colours. It is neither a QLED panel nor PFS LED, which is why the coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut is only 80%, making many HDR films appear flat and not conveying the full diversity of colours.

The S90D Samsung television has been tested in Filmmaker mode, which offers good colour reproduction, although with some imperfections that may be noticeable to more demanding users. This mode can seem overly warm, and users switching from Standard mode may experience a slight shock. It's worth noting that this state of affairs is caused by poor settings, such as in the white balance, rather than the Filmmaker mode itself. In both SDR and HDR content, the device shows drops in blue, causing colours to become warmer than they should be. In practice, this means that some shades, such as sky blue or skin tones, may appear less natural and more tinged with pink or yellow. The Colour Checker test confirms these deviations, showing shifts towards warmer tones. In SDR content, the gamma graph indicates slight fluctuations, causing the image to be minimally darker, especially in shadows. This may affect less distinct details in darker scenes. Conversely, in 4K HDR materials, the EOTF curve is situated above the recommended line, leading to some parts of the image being displayed too brightly, which can cause clipping in the brightest areas. Overall, the Samsung S90D presents a solid image right out of the box, but for the best results, especially with more demanding content, additional calibration is recommended.

The Filmmaker mode on the LG UA7500 performs better than one might expect from such a budget television, but let’s not get carried away with praise. The image is put together quite sensibly and does not irritate at first glance, however, its weaknesses quickly become apparent. This is most evident in scenes with bright points – background lamps or reflections of light on the skin are distinctly exaggerated. The faces of the characters often look unnatural, as if they have been 'overexposed'. Added to this is the default gamma characteristic, which brightens the smallest details and causes the image to lose subtlety in darker areas. Nevertheless, it is a fact that for its price range, the UA7500 in factory mode provides a fairly decent starting point. However, it is clear that without additional adjustment, it will not be possible to avoid these problems, which is why – as with other televisions – we decided to see what could be achieved after calibration.

After calibration, the television Samsung OLED 48 S90D in film mode looks even better than one could have presumed. The white balance, for both HD and 4K HDR content, has been improved to nearly perfection. Although minor errors can still be noticed, they are so minimal that they do not significantly affect the quality of the image. The colours are more balanced, which translates to a natural representation of details, particularly in scenes requiring a precise colour palette. It is worth adding that this model in the 48' size is equipped with a WOLED panel that has a different characteristic compared to larger sizes and has a smaller coverage of a wide colour gamut, not offering such rich colours as, for example, the 65-inch version, which is fitted with a QD-OLED panel.

The contrast has also undergone significant improvement. The gamma graph after calibration is much closer to the expected line, providing a better balance between the bright and dark parts of the image. The EOTF curve, which before calibration showed issues with overexposed scenes, now displays better results. This effect allows for greater detail preservation in the bright parts of the image, especially in HDR material.

The biggest improvement we noticed was when calibrating the mode intended for everyday SDR content. We managed to smooth out the white balance in an acceptable way and tackle the problem of excessive brightening of fine details due to the gamma curve. As a result, the image gained the consistency and naturalness that was missing in the factory settings. After such adjustments, we can confidently state that for everyday television content, programmes, or materials from YouTube, the LG UA7500 performs very well – especially after professional calibration. The situation is somewhat different for HDR content. Here, calibration allowed us to tame the white balance and slightly improve the brightness management; however, the limitations of the construction are immediately apparent. The lack of additional filters to widen the colour palette results in the most vivid colours appearing flat, and the image does not display the intensity we would expect from good HDR. So in SDR, the UA7500 performs quite well, but in HDR – despite corrections – it remains far behind, and this is a characteristic that one must accept when choosing this television.

The Samsung OLED 48 S90D television performs very well in smoothing tonal transitions. Thanks to the applied technology, the transitions between colours are more fluid and natural. There is also the option to use the noise reduction function, which further smooths tonal transitions, which can be useful in certain situations. However, it is worth remembering that enabling noise reduction can also lead to the smoothing of desired film grain, which in turn can reduce the cinematic atmosphere of the image. For this reason, caution is advised when using this function, as it is better to leave the natural grain that adds character and authenticity to the content being viewed.

Samsung, as always, does not disappoint and excels at scaling images from lower resolutions. The S90D OLED 48 Samsung television effectively processes lower resolutions, as seen in the visible image. The outline of the model is clear and correct, looking natural and detailed as a result. Moreover, the branches of trees are well replicated, showing no strong jaggedness that could detract from the quality of the image. Thanks to effective scaling, even lower resolution materials look attractive on the screen, satisfying users who prefer a variety of content sources such as regular aerial/cable television.

LG UA7500 with a VA panel performed really well in this category. Image scaling from Full HD or even SD materials was surprisingly smooth. The picture looked smooth, edges were not overly jagged, and the television retained a considerable amount of detail, meaning that even older films did not lose their character. It particularly excelled with faces – there were no artificial contours or 'mask' effects, which often occur in cheaper models. The way the television handled tonal transitions in lower quality materials is also noteworthy. Thanks to digital processing, colours did not bleed into each other, and gradients appeared natural and smooth. There was no excessive smoothing of the image or loss of cinematic grain. This makes the UA7500 great for everyday content – from terrestrial television, through sports, to YouTube, where we often watch materials in various resolutions.

The S90D television is equipped with a 120 Hz panel, with the possibility of "overclocking" to 144 Hz with the appropriate PC configuration, ensuring exceptional motion fluidity. For years, Samsung has offered a variety of image sharpness settings on a ten-point scale, allowing users to customise the display to their preferences. In the UFO test, thanks to the use of an OLED panel, there is no sign of any blurring. The pixel response is instantaneous and perfectly captures dynamic movements. In this aspect, OLED technology is considered one of the best on the market. The image is incredibly sharp and detailed, even during fast action, making the S90D OLED 48 Samsung television an ideal choice for gamers and sports enthusiasts.

The LG UA7500 is a television with a 60 Hz panel, so it's difficult to expect much admiration in this category. It's more of a screen intended for everyday content or an evening film viewing rather than for following dynamic sporting events or playing action games. It's clear that the manufacturer targeted this model specifically at that group of consumers – and it performs correctly in that regard. We have the TruMotion feature available, which is a motion smoother. It's simple, with only one slider, but it can introduce a noticeable difference. At the lower settings, the image appears more raw and cinematic, whereas at higher values, the motion becomes smoother and more pleasing to the eye.

The Samsung OLED 48 S90D television is excellently tailored to the needs of gamers, offering four HDMI 2.1 ports that support features such as Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), and HGIG (HDR Gaming Interest Group). With these technologies, gamers can enjoy smoother gameplay and faster screen responsiveness, significantly enhancing comfort during long gaming sessions. Additionally, the Game Bar feature allows for easy adjustments of settings such as screen ratios, which can be particularly useful in various types of games. For PC users, the television offers an impressive refresh rate of 144Hz, and Nvidia and AMD graphics cards support G-Sync and FreeSync, further improving image fluidity. Although the lack of Dolby Vision support may be a downside, it is worth noting that this technology is not as widely used in games as it is in films. Nevertheless, the S90D still offers excellent features for gamers, making it an outstanding choice for those seeking high-quality visuals and advanced gaming technologies.

The LG UA7500 is a television that can be confidently recommended to "casual" gamers. It lacks a 120 Hz panel and HDMI 2.1 ports, so it cannot fully utilise the potential of modern consoles. However, the manufacturer has included several features that can enhance the gaming experience. Notably, the Game Bar stands out – a very well-designed panel where you can quickly preview and change the most important settings. From this interface, we have access to features like ALLM mode (automatic switching to game mode) and frame synchronization, which is VRR. The VRR range is limited – it works from 48 to 60 Hz – but the mere presence of this feature in such an affordable television makes a positive impression.

Additionally, it supports HGiG, which is the HDR calibration mode for gaming. It sounds good, but based on our testing experiences, we already know that for the UA7500, this option doesn't make much sense. The television doesn't handle HDR very well, so paradoxically, we achieved better results with this mode disabled. This is another indication that the UA7500 is more of a screen for occasional gamers who value simplicity and convenience rather than for those seeking the full experience from the latest consoles.