Samsung S90D / S94D 48" (WRGB OLED) vs Samsung The Frame 2025 (LS03F)

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 Frame LS03F is a television that can surprise with its brightness. The maximum luminance reaches around 650 nits, which already looks impressive on paper. But as we know, laboratory tests are one thing, and real film scenes are quite another. When watching HDR materials in natural conditions, The Frame 2025 maintains very good results. In most film scenes, the peak brightness remained at around 550–650 nits. This is a sufficient value to feel the difference between standard picture quality and that of HDR – bright highlights, reflections on water, or moonlight are presented clearly and spectacularly.

It is also worth remembering that the LS03F is a QLED television, which translates into solid colour saturation. The coverage of the DCI-P3 colour space reaches about 92%, allowing for vibrant, intense colours in HDR content. This is not the level of top premium models, but for a lifestyle screen, the result truly deserves recognition.

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.

When it comes to image quality straight out of the box, even in Filmmaker mode, which is supposed to be the closest to reference, there were issues. We noticed clear deviations in white balance in both HD and 4K HDR content. The image was heavily skewed towards red and blue, giving the screen a characteristic pinkish tint. This effect was most noticeable in bright scenes – for example, in shots with a lot of white, where neutral light should naturally dominate. At such moments, the screen clearly took on pink tones, which is also visible in the attached comparison photo. As for the brightness characteristics – it wasn’t as bad as one might expect with such colour inaccuracies. The analysis of the gamma curve and EOTF showed a slight brightening of the image compared to the reference, but not enough to drastically ruin the viewing experience.

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.

After calibration, the movie mode has gained a completely new quality. The issue of the pink tint, which had been clearly visible before, especially in bright scenes, has been effectively eliminated. Colours now look much more natural, and the white balance no longer dominates the rest of the image. It is no longer the same exaggerated "box picture" – everything now has coherence and a cinematic character. Additionally, the tendency of the television to slightly brighten scenes, previously visible in the EOTF curve analysis, has been partially corrected. Of course, this is within the limits of what the design allows without local dimming – one cannot speak of perfect brightness management here. Nevertheless, the final effect was definitely closer to what one might expect from a mode called Filmmaker.

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.

LS03F has been equipped with the NQ4 processor, which is responsible for improving image quality – particularly in lower quality materials. In practice, this works surprisingly well, especially when it comes to older content and recordings with lower resolution. Activating the "noise reduction" function yields noticeable effects. The TV effectively smooths tonal transitions and removes digital noise that can appear in darker areas of the image. Compared to previous generations, there is a clear advancement – previously, this function often smoothed everything too much, including details that it shouldn't remove. In this year's model, smoothing still occurs, but in a much more acceptable manner. Textures of materials, skin, and fabric details are no longer subdued as strongly as before – the image retains more naturalness. However, this does not change the fact that film grain is still removed by the TV, which may not appeal to everyone. On the other hand, it is no longer as aggressive an intervention as in previous models. It is also worth mentioning that the LS03F may struggle with very weak signals – for example, from VHS tape recordings or low-resolution video. In such cases, we noticed slight clipping of the image at the edges – so-called overscan. This can lead to a situation where a small part of the image (e.g., subtitles at the bottom edge) gets cut off.

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 new feature in The Frame for 2025 is a display with a refresh rate of 144 Hz. Yes – in a television that is mainly associated with displaying works of art, you can now not only watch Van Gogh but also comfortably play on a console or follow dynamic sports events. This is a definite step towards greater versatility. In the case of Samsung films, as usual in models with a display rate of 120 Hz and above, it allows you to adjust motion smoothness according to your preferences. You can set a more cinematic reproduction while maintaining frame rate or opt for full motion smoothing. The range of options is broad, allowing you to tailor the effect to your own taste – whether the viewing experience is meant to resemble classic cinema or a show on a modern theatre screen.

*this part of the test refers to the LS03FAU model in sizes 55 and 65 inches, which is equipped with a 144Hz panel, while sizes 43 and 50 inches have 60Hz displays, and thus perform much worse in terms of motion smoothness.

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.

As we mentioned earlier – although The Frame is likely to display images and works of art most of the time, Samsung recognised that a Van Gogh enthusiast could just as easily be an avid gamer. And it must be admitted that The Frame 2025 has almost everything needed to become a full-fledged gaming television.

On board, we find support for ALLM (Automatic Low Latency Mode) and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) thanks to the implementation of one HDMI 2.1 port. The television handles lower resolutions at higher refresh rates effortlessly and features an advanced Game Bar – already known from other Samsung models – which allows for a quick preview and change of the most important gaming-related settings. For this, it earns extra points from us. The proprietary motion smoother Auto Motion Plus Game is also worth mentioning, which – it is worth emphasising – operates without increasing input lag. Samsung remains the only manufacturer that has managed to implement this feature in a practically invisible manner in terms of delays. The effect? Much better fluidity in games, especially those that struggle to maintain a stable 60 frames per second. This solution can realistically improve the gaming experience in more demanding titles – particularly on consoles, which do not always manage full fluidity, especially in AAA games.

As for the downsides – the lack of Dolby Vision is already considered standard in Samsung televisions, so there is not much to particularly criticise here. However, there is a different issue entirely. In the latest version of the Tizen system, the HGiG option has disappeared. Literally – it is not there. This is a significant hindrance when configuring the console for proper HDR content display in games. It is hard to understand why such a decision was made, but one thing is certain – this should be fixed as soon as possible. We are talking about a brand that has set standards for gaming on televisions for years. If HGiG returns – and we hope it will – The Frame LS03F can confidently aspire to be called a genuine gaming television. Not just as a decoration on the wall, but as equipment that truly provides joy in gaming.