SAMSUNG S95F (TANDEM OLED 83") vs TCL C69K / Q6C

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.

In terms of brightness, TCL C69K / Q6C is a moderate model. In optimal film conditions, it shows its full potential, achieving a maximum of around 600 nits. In scenes with large, intense light sources, the HDR effect can be truly satisfying, providing a cinematic shimmer. However, it should be noted that when managing backlight zones, there are situations where parts of the image become dimmed, and sometimes they are barely visible. This suggests that there is still a lack of proper optimisation of the algorithms; however, considering the technical parameters in this price range, the design itself still presents very well.

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.

The Filmmaker mode, which has made its debut in this year's TCL televisions (including the C69K / Q6C), is definitely the best choice "to start with." This is the mode we recommend for daily film and series viewings. Unfortunately, as is often the case, best does not mean perfect. In SDR material, the image proved to be too warm, with a pronounced red tint in the white balance. We had the opposite impression with HDR content – here the image became cooler than it should, due to an excess of blue. Additionally, there is the characteristic of brightness, which at times resulted in overexposure. In practice, this translated into quite noticeable errors in colour tests, which is difficult to accept in a mode branded as "from the creators."

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.

Through white balance correction, we were able to significantly reduce the tendency of C69K / Q6C to distort colours, which yielded a very good final result. After calibration, the issue of excessive warming of scenes in SDR and excessive cooling of the image in HDR disappeared. However, it is worth analysing the brightness characteristics more closely. While in SDR content it is hard to have major objections – the image looks really good, especially in older films, TV programmes or on YouTube – it performs significantly worse in the case of HDR content. Analysis of the EOTF curve suggests that everything is fine, yet in practice (EOTF in films) the limitations of the design itself become apparent. This model has a tendency to excessively brighten small parts of the frame, only to overly dim the entire scene in other situations. The effect of calibration is therefore undeniable, and in terms of colour reproduction, C69K / Q6C gains a lot. Unfortunately, certain limitations arising from local dimming management simply cannot be 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.

In terms of image scaling, TCL C69K / Q6C performs quite well. Lower quality content appears acceptable, and thanks to the lack of overscan issues, the image is displayed in full without any cropping. However, one should not expect miracles – very low-quality materials will not gain a second life here, as the image processor has its limitations.

Thin lines and details exhibit characteristic tearing, which reveals the absence of more advanced image enhancement algorithms. It is also a pity that the C69K / Q6C lacks a tone transition smoothing feature. As a result, in older films or video materials, banding of colours can be visible and may become distracting during prolonged viewing.

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 use of a 144 Hz panel in TCL C69K / Q6C is a significant advantage in this price range. It represents an important step forward compared to its predecessor (C655 PRO), which only offered 60 Hz in 4K. The difference is particularly noticeable when watching sports or playing games – the ball, players, or dynamic action in games are displayed more clearly and without loss of detail. Another interesting feature is the panel's ability to work at 240 Hz (which the manufacturer does not officially mention) – we will return to this topic in relation to the PC gaming mode. TCL has also added a feature for movie fans: “Motion Clarity”. This allows users to adjust the picture to their preferences using two simple sliders. We can either keep the visible film frame or opt for very smooth, "

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.

TCL C69K / Q6C is a television that can confidently be described as equipment created with gamers in mind. Here we have 4K at 144 Hz, VRR support, automatic game mode (ALLM), and Dolby Vision Gaming. Additionally, there is a practical Game Bar, which is a panel with the most important settings conveniently at hand – useful when we want to change something quickly during gameplay (e.g. screen aspect ratio: Yes, it can be done!). The wide range of VRR, reaching up to 240 Hz, is particularly noteworthy. However, this option is mainly for PC gamers who will operate below the native 4K resolution. In that case, the television can spread its wings and show additional smoothness, especially in fast-paced e-sports titles. For consoles, we stick to the classic limit of 120 Hz, but even so, the capabilities are truly extensive. The only downside is a slight ghosting that can occasionally be seen in dynamic scenes. Other than that, C69K / Q6C offers everything that gamers expect from a television.