SAMSUNG S90F (WOLED) vs Samsung Neo QLED QN70F / QN74F / QN77F

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 QN70F is a television that can pleasantly surprise when it comes to brightness. In ideal testing conditions, it reaches up to 800 nits, which – for this price range – is a really solid figure. Of course, this result comes from measurement charts, so we decided to check how it performs in practice, with real films. Here, the television somewhat tempers its capabilities. In most tested scenes – for example, in "The Meg" – the actual HDR brightness hovered around 500 nits. This is still a decent result, allowing for enjoyment of HDR effects, although it is far from perfect. On the other hand, we have a QLED screen with a layer of quantum dots, which means very good colour reproduction capabilities. The colours are vibrant and saturated. The QN70F covers about 94% of the DCI-P3 colour space, and in the wider BT.2020 palette, it exceeds 75%, so in this respect, there is nothing to be ashamed of.

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.

We tested the QN70F in its best default picture mode, which is Filmmaker Mode. I must admit that in this particular test unit, the factory settings performed quite well. The image was calm, natural, and despite minor deviations – pleasant to watch. The biggest flaw was a slight dominance of red in the white balance, which caused a slight pinkish hue across the entire scene. However, this was not a glaring defect – rather subtle and only noticeable when directly compared to a properly calibrated screen. A somewhat larger issue arose in the brightness characteristic. The television tends to underestimate the brightness of parts of the image that should be displayed more brightly. As a result, some details can appear slightly muted – not so much lost completely, but not resonating as clearly as they should. Nonetheless, as far as televisions in this category and in these settings are concerned – we consider the result a good starting point for further calibration.

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 calibration, the QN70F shows that it can offer a truly high level of colour reproduction. The white balance was nearly perfectly aligned, and the values in the Color Checker test dropped below level 3 – meaning below the threshold at which the average eye can perceive differences. The image looks natural, and the colours are faithfully rendered, without excessive saturation or the coolness known from factory settings. It must be admitted that Samsung provides very extensive calibration options – not only for enthusiasts but also for professionals. The QN70F takes advantage of this potential and, after proper adjustment, can come close to significantly more expensive models in terms of colour accuracy. The only thing that can still be nitpicked is the brightness characteristic. There is still a tendency to lighten the smallest areas of the image – particularly those that should remain darker. However, this is a design feature of this model, not a calibration error. Despite this, the final effect definitely deserves recognition.

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.

Samsung QN70F offers a distortion reduction feature that enhances the smoothness of tonal transitions. In "Standard" mode, it works quite well – it smooths out problematic transitions without significantly interfering with the structure of the image. Film grain is somewhat reduced, but details such as texture and skin structure remain visible. The "High" mode is much more aggressive. The smoothing is stronger, but it comes at the cost of a noticeable loss of detail. Therefore, in practice, we recommend sticking with the "Standard" setting or completely turning this function off. The improvement in gradation may be less spectacular, but the image retains more naturalness.

When it comes to scaling low-quality content, the QN70F performs very well. Tests with lower resolution images were really very good. Despite slight edge ringing, everything looks clean and clear, even if the original content was very poor. It’s just a pity that the television has an issue with overscan, which cannot be completely turned off. As a result, images with very low resolution may be slightly cropped, which is mainly noticeable on subtitles or interfaces.

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 QN70F is a television with a refresh rate of 144 Hz, which in itself places it among the top when it comes to image fluidity. Whether we are watching dynamic sports broadcasts or playing on a console – the picture looks very good. There is no sense of stuttering, choppiness, or the typical "tearing" associated with weaker models during fast motion. Samsung also allows you to adjust the fluidity to your own preferences. In the picture clarity settings, we find options such as blur reduction and judder reduction – each of which we can adjust independently. This is especially useful when watching content with a lower frame rate and wanting to give it a smoother, more theatrical character – or conversely, to maintain the natural cinematic "feel" of 24 frames.

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.

The Samsung QN70F is truly a solid choice for gamers. Here, we find as many as four HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth of 48 Gbps, meaning full support for gaming in 4K at a refresh rate of 144 Hz. Additionally, it includes all the essential features we expect today: automatic game mode (ALLM), variable refresh rate (VRR), and a very well-designed, intuitive Game Bar showing information about mode, resolution, and frame rate.

Also noteworthy is the Game Motion Plus feature, which allows artificial frames to be added to games running at 60 fps or less. This works surprisingly well and in many titles – particularly those where consoles struggle to maintain a stable framerate – it improves the fluidity of gameplay without significant delay.

Unfortunately, there are some drawbacks. The lack of support for Dolby Vision mode is not surprising – it’s a standard with Samsung. However, the absence of the HGiG feature is much more disappointing. Worse still, it was removed with a software update, which may leave users who previously relied on it quite puzzled. Without HGiG, it is impossible to manually set the maximum HDR brightness from the console, resulting in some games appearing slightly washed out – especially if the television misinterprets the tonal range. Why Samsung, a brand that has set standards for gaming features for years, decided to take such a step is hard to say. At the time of writing this review, the tested television was running on software version 1110 – and frankly, if you care about full support for gamers, it’s better to hold off on updates for the time being.