SAMSUNG S90F (WOLED) vs Panasonic W95B

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 Panasonic W95B is truly a bright screen, capable of achieving a peak luminance of around 1400 nits. In brighter, well-lit film scenes, this value translates to spectacular HDR effects that can make a big impression. However, knowing our test setup, you can probably see that in very demanding shots – such as the moon in the distance or the lights of a helicopter in the scene from Sicario 2 – the television does not impress. In such situations, brightness drops to around 200 nits, which makes the HDR effect much less noticeable. This happens because Panasonic prioritises maintaining deep blacks, not illuminating the background – for many users, this shouldn't be a cause for concern. However, it is important to remember that in these moments the image begins to resemble SDR content. The coverage of the colour palette also deserves praise, as it reaches about 93% of the DCI-P3 space thanks to the use of a PFS filter (also known from QLED technology). As a result, most films look very good in terms of saturation and colours, preserving the cinematic character of the image.

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.

In Filmmaker mode, the Panasonic W95B offers an image with quite accurate colour reproduction, although it is not without minor imperfections. The white balance slightly veers towards red, which may cause a subtle warming of the image, and the gamma curve is slightly elevated, making the screen appear a bit brighter. It is good that the manufacturer included this mode – even in factory configuration, it provides a reasonably natural appearance for films. However, knowing how susceptible Panasonic televisions are to calibration, we decided to see how much the image could be improved after professional tuning.

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.

After professional calibration, the Panasonic W95B shows what it is truly capable of. Colour errors have mostly dropped below values of 2–3, making them practically invisible to the human eye. It was also possible to correct the excess red in the white balance, which has resulted in the image no longer having a slight pink tint, and details in dark areas are no longer lost due to excessive dimming in the gamma. In HDR content, the improvement is also noticeable – colour saturation is now more stable and does not shift so markedly towards blue as it did before. This is truly an excellent television for watching films and series in the highest possible quality. While we know that Mini LED screens are not always perfect for this, the W95B is a perfect example that with proper fine-tuning, an effect close to OLEDs can be achieved.

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.

In terms of image processing, the Panasonic W95B performs excellently. The proprietary processor responsible for digital image processing effectively upscales lower resolution content to 4K, preserving a great deal of detail and a natural appearance of contours. The final effect is impressive – the upscaling here is at a truly high level, and Full HD content can look surprisingly good. The way the television smooths tonal transitions in low-quality materials is also noteworthy. The algorithm does not operate as aggressively as in some competing models, but as a result, it does not cause a loss of detail or blur film grain.

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 144 Hz panel used in the Panasonic W95B offers excellent fluidity, although in practice, due to the appearance of television content or the limitations of new generation consoles, it is worth observing its performance at a refresh rate of 120 Hz. In this mode, the television performs superbly – despite being a VA panel, which is not known for the fastest pixel response times, motion blur here is minimal and difficult to detect with the naked eye.

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.

Aside from the previously mentioned drawback related to the VRR mode, in which local dimming does not work, the Panasonic W95B is a true gaming monster. The television offers practically everything that gamers can expect – perhaps except for four HDMI 2.1 ports, as there are only two available. Onboard, we find an auto low latency mode (ALLM), properly implemented HDR modes for gamers, including HGiG, as well as support for Dolby Vision in games. It is all complemented by an interestingly designed Game Bar, presented in the form of circles. While it may not be the most visually attractive, it serves its purpose – allowing quick access to key game parameters and adjusting settings without entering the system menu.