SAMSUNG S95F (TANDEM OLED 83") vs LG QNED86A / QNED85A / QNED87A

The Samsung S95F in the 83-inch variant with a Tandem OLED panel also manages to enchant with HDR effects. In test film scenes, such as "Life of Pi" or "Sicario 2", where smaller light points dominate – stars in the night sky, the glow of the moon or headlights – the television effortlessly achieves brightness values exceeding 2000 nits. This is a result that not long ago seemed unattainable for OLEDs and positions this model alongside the best Mini-LED constructions.

The limitations of organic panels only reveal themselves in full-screen scenes filled entirely with white. In the case of this model, for instance in the final scene from the film The Meg, brightness drops to around 1000 nits – a bit lower than in the smaller QD-OLED variants, where the result hovered around 1400 nits. Nevertheless, we are still talking about a remarkable result, unprecedented in OLED televisions of this size. The colour reproduction is equally impressive. The new Tandem OLED panel virtually catches up with QD-OLED televisions, offering excellent coverage of a wide colour gamut. The results are slightly weaker than with QD-OLED, but in practice, they still provide an image whose intensity and naturalness of colours are hard to compare with any other television.

Against a backdrop of contrast and black, the brightness of the QNED86A and the overall HDR effect perform much better. This is a television that can achieve around 700 nits under the best conditions, so in terms of luminance alone, there is nothing to be ashamed of. As a result, scenes with strong lights, explosions, flashes, or bright parts of the landscape look clear and can make an impression. Interestingly, even in more challenging moments with small, contrasting elements on the screen, the television manages well with their backlighting, and the details are quite visible. The problem arises when there are many dark tones. The lack of effective local dimming causes the black to practically disappear, and instead, we get a grey haze spreading across the entire screen. This kills the sense of depth and makes the image look flat, as if it lacks a cinematic character. In bright animations or colourful family films, this will not be a problem, as vibrant colours and bright light dominate. But in horrors or productions set in darkness, these limitations are very strongly felt. As a comfort, it is worth adding that the QNED86A is actually a QLED television with a PFS LED filter, which gives it very good coverage of a wide colour gamut. Both the DCI-P3 palette and the broader BT.2020 perform really well here. This makes the colours in HDR films saturated, juicy, and with the appropriate depth – even if the black itself disappoints, the colours can save the viewing experience and make the image look attractive.

The best picture mode straight out of the box is undoubtedly Filmmaker Mode. This is a mode that has been available in Samsung televisions for several years and is intended to reproduce the image as faithfully as possible to the creators' vision. In SDR material, it performs reasonably well, although not without faults. The image is slightly subdued, and the white balance tends to shift towards red and blue, resulting in a slight pinkish tint on the screen. The average colour errors hover around a value of ΔE 3–4, which is at the limit of what most people can discern with the naked eye.

Much more pronounced are the limitations when it comes to HDR content. Here, a slight excess of blue in the white balance is not such a big problem – the real obstacle is the way the television manages brightness. In many scenes, the image appeared as if it had been overexposed, and details in the blacks could completely disappear. The final effect did not reflect what the hardware of this class is capable of and led to significant colour errors. It's hard to understand why such a factory characteristic was chosen, as the HDR reception in this version was definitely not what it should have been.

We primarily tested the QNED86A in Filmmaker mode, which is designed to provide the most faithful picture. Unfortunately, right out of the box, there were quite a few shortcomings. The most noticeable was the poorly tuned white balance – there was a lack of blue, causing the overall image to take on a slightly yellowish, and at times even orange hue. An even bigger problem turned out to be the way the television manages brightness. Due to its technical limitations – specifically, local dimming that only works along the edges of the screen – the QNED86A tends to oversaturate entire scenes. This is where the flattening effect we mentioned earlier comes from. Instead of clear depth and contrast, we get something akin to “boosted brightness,” which can strain the eyes over time.

After calibration, the S95F shows what it is truly capable of. The white balance has been corrected and minor inaccuracies adjusted, resulting in an almost exemplary image for SDR content. The colour differences have dropped below the level that the human eye can perceive – looking at the screen gives a sense of complete naturalness and colour coherence.

In HDR, the improvement is equally noticeable. The TV performs much better with brightness, eliminating the issue of "blowing out" the entire frame. Bright scenes are more controlled, and blacks retain more detail, although there can still be a slight brightening of the image as a whole. However, this does not change the fact that after calibration, the S95F delivers an image that can comfortably be called one of the best on the market – regardless of whether we are watching movies in SDR or spectacular productions in HDR.

What has been saved in the QNED86A6A is undoubtedly the colours. After calibration, the white balance was set with great precision, ensuring that deviations on the Colour Checker palette mostly did not exceed the visibility threshold for the human eye. In other words – the hues finally looked natural, without the strange yellow or orange tones that previously spoiled the perception. Unfortunately, even the best calibration cannot circumvent the structural limitations. The already very modest number of local dimming zones and their unfortunate placement mean that the analysis of the EOTF curve in films still showed clear over-brightening of scenes. The picture tended to flatten, lacking cinematic depth. Fortunately, this effect is not so noticeable in older productions or in SDR content. There, the calibration truly makes a difference and allows one to harness the QNED so that the image can be appealing. However, the specifics of this construction – especially the issues with contrast – cannot be completely bypassed.

In the Samsung S95F model, there is a noise reduction feature aimed at improving the smoothness of tonal transitions. Its operation can hardly be called ineffective – on the contrary, it can overly interfere with the image. Older films or materials of poorer quality, such as those from YouTube, acquire a soft, smoothed character thanks to it, reminiscent of a painting effect. The problem is that along with the noise, the natural film grain disappears, stripping the image of its cinematic character. Fortunately, the feature does not blur significant details, so its use is more a matter of taste. If someone prefers a slightly polished and smooth image, it is worth enabling, but in our opinion, the most sensible setting is “Standard”.

A better impression is left by the upscaling. The S95F efficiently enhances the quality of lower resolution content – even 576p video looks quite good, although minor artifacts in the form of blockiness can be noticed. Overall, the effect is very solid, although when compared to competitors – such as the Sony Bravia 8 (II) or LG G5 – it is noticeable that those models can extract a bit more from the image. However, it is worth remembering one inconvenience: with older films and photos, there is an overscan issue that causes a slight cutting off of the left edge of the image.

If someone is worried about potential "steps" when blending colours, there is a simple way in the QNED86A to address this. Just activate the feature called Smooth Gradation and set it to a medium level. Then the television really smooths out all those unwanted transitions quite well – especially in older productions – and it does so in a way that film grain doesn't disappear, nor do strange artefacts appear. In other words, it can be used without concern.

The upscaling itself also performs quite well. Of course, there are no miracles here – with lower quality sources, you can notice characteristic ringing. Fortunately, there is a sharpness slider in the menu, and if someone prefers a more "soft" image, it can be quickly adjusted to personal taste.

In the case of the 83-inch S95F with a Tandem OLED panel, the fluidity of motion also makes a huge impression. The panel, with a native resolution of 4K, offers a refresh rate of 165 Hz, and this combined with organic technology makes games and sports look superb. Additionally, the manufacturer has added a film smoother and a motion blur reduction system, allowing each viewer to adjust the image to their own preferences – whether it's a more "frame-rate" cinematic effect or a smooth, almost theatrical spectacle.

The QNED86A is equipped with a panel boasting a refresh rate of 120 Hz, so it can be said from the outset that it is suitable for both sports and gaming. And indeed, it is – the image appears smooth, and motion blur is not particularly intrusive. IPS panels have always had some issues with this, and here too, slight blurring can sometimes be noticed, especially in very dynamic scenes, but it is not something that ruins the viewing of a match or a fast-paced game. For cinema and sports fans, LG has included the traditional TruMotion smoothness enhancer. In the menu, we have two sliders – one for movies (De-Judder) and the other for sports (De-Blur). The first adds missing frames and can be adjusted to modify the character of motion – from raw, cinematic to a smoother, more ‘theatrical’ look. The second improves sharpness during dynamic actions, so it's worth turning it up a bit if you watch a lot of sports.

Low smearing and phenomenal motion fluidity, which are the hallmarks of OLED displays, are just the warm-up. The Samsung S95F has been designed with gamers in mind – and this is evident at every turn. Four HDMI 2.1 ports with a bandwidth of 40 Gb/s may sound like a compromise on paper, but in practice, neither consoles nor PCs will experience the slightest limitation here. On board, there is a full set of gaming features: Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), as well as a flawlessly implemented HGiG standard that allows you to enjoy HDR exactly as the creators intended. All of this is complemented by Game Bar – an intuitive command centre where you can check and adjust the most important settings in seconds.

Particular attention should also be paid to Game Motion Plus, Samsung's proprietary motion smoothing technology. It can add extra fluidity to animations, which can be a lifesaver in games running at 60 frames per second, where stability doesn't always hold up. Indeed, support for Dolby Vision in games is lacking, but it’s hard to consider this a serious flaw – the manufacturer compensates for this gap with other solutions. The S95F is one of the absolute favourites for the title of the best gaming television on today's market.

In terms of gaming, the LG QNED86A6A is a complete tool. It features four HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth of 48 Gb/s, which means that whether you connect a PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, or a powerful PC, everything will run in full 4K at 120 Hz with support for all functions. This is a significant advantage, as some competitors still only offer two such ports, which can be troublesome with multiple devices. It also includes VRR, or variable refresh rate, which eliminates screen tearing, as well as ALLM, which automatically activates game mode when the console is turned on. Dolby Vision Gaming is also included, along with proper implementation of the HGiG format, so titles that support these formats look more vivid and detailed. On top of all this, there is the Game Optimizer – a sort of control centre for gamers. From this interface, you can view picture parameters in real-time, quickly change modes, activate additional features, or adjust image settings to your personal preferences. The LG QNED86A6A essentially has everything one could expect from a modern gaming television.