- Matching (Score) |
- Our verdict |
- Competing TVs |
- TV appearance |
- Where to buy |
- Contrast and black detail |
- HDR effect quality |
- Factory color reproduction |
- Color reproduction after calibration |
- Smoothness of tonal transitions |
- Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions |
- Blur and motion smoothness |
- Console compatibility and gaming features |
- Input lag |
- Compatibility with PC |
- Viewing angles |
- Daytime performance |
- TV features |
- Apps |
- Playing files from USB |
- Sound |
- Panel details
Samsung S85H Review
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Panel type: WRGB OLED Refresh rate: 120Hz Brand: SAMSUNG Resolution: 3840x2160 System: Tizen Model year: 2026
The S85H is the cheapest OLED in Samsung’s 2026 lineup. This year Samsung has made a rather interesting move, because regardless of the chosen size it has fitted a new OLED SE panel made by LG Display. It’s a significant change compared with last year’s S85F, which, depending on the screen size, could also use Samsung’s own QD-OLED panel. The question, then, is whether the new panel from LG Display is a worthy replacement for Samsung’s solution and whether the S85H is still one of the more appealing ways to get into the world of OLEDs without spending a fortune.
SAMSUNG S85H - Our verdict
7.9
Overall rating
Samsung S85H is a very successful continuation of the S85 series and a television that still fulfils its primary role well – to be an affordable entry into the world of OLEDs. The biggest change compared with the predecessor is the use of the new OLED SE panel from LG Display, but the overall character of the model has remained practically unchanged. Its greatest strengths remain perfect blacks, very high contrast and a picture that can look particularly superb in the evening. Add to that good colour reproduction and the ability to achieve very high fidelity to the director’s vision. The S85H also performs very well as a versatile all-round TV. Gamers get four HDMI 2.1 ports, 120 Hz, VRR, very low input lag and Game Motion Plus, so there is little to criticise here. Tizen runs quickly and smoothly, and the whole system clearly targets users who mainly use Netflix, YouTube and other streaming services today, while treating traditional broadcast TV as an add-on. The new OLED SE panel is not without drawbacks. This is most noticeable when watching during the day, as it is worse at suppressing reflections than earlier organic panels. Its brightness is also not high enough for the S85H to feel particularly at home in a very brightly sunlit living room. It is still a TV that shows its strengths best in the evening or in a room with at least partial control of ambient light. And that is probably the best way to approach the S85H. It is not an OLED designed to break brightness records or compete with the most expensive panels. Its aim is simply to offer what people like most about the technology, but at a lower price. Perfect blacks, a very good picture for films, excellent gaming capabilities and a user-friendly smart system make the S85H one of the easiest ways to get into OLED without spending a fortune.
Advantages
Perfect black and infinite contrast: OLED
Decent HDR brightness of up to around 800 nits
High image fidelity after calibration
Very smooth motion, 120 Hz OLED panel
Rich set of gaming features: VRR, Game Bar, low input lag
Four HDMI 2.1 ports with full 48 Gbps bandwidth
Extensive, smooth-running Tizen system
Feature-rich solar-powered remote
Support for Dolby Atmos immersive sound
Disadvantages
Worse reflection suppression than its predecessor, a characteristic of the new OLED SE panel
Average SDR brightness; best suited to rooms with controlled lighting
No DTS:X support, a drawback mainly for owners of Blu-ray collections
No Dolby Vision; not essential, but would be welcome 🙂
Movies and series in UHD quality8.0
Classic TV, YouTube8.7
Sports broadcasts (TV and apps)8.5
Gaming on console9.6
TV as a computer monitor7.6
Watching in bright light5.1
Utility functions7.3
Apps9.3
Sound quality7.2
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SAMSUNG S85H - Competing TVs in this price range
SAMSUNG S85H - TV appearance
HDMI inputs: 0 x HDMI 2.0, 4 x HDMI 2.1 (48Gbps) Outputs: Toslink (Optical audio), eARC (HDMI), ARC (HDMI) Network Interfaces: Wi-Fi 2.4GHz, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Ethernet (LAN) 100Mbps
Build quality: Good
Stand type: Legs
Bezel color: Graphite
Stand: Base adjustment
Flat design: No
Accessories: Stand
In terms of appearance the S85H is virtually unchanged from previous generations. And that's hard to call a drawback, because the S85 series still stands out among many other OLEDs with a rather distinctive design. The most eye-catching feature is the rounded rear of the casing, which prevents the electronics from forming the typical, heavily protruding "box" often seen in other OLED televisions. The screen itself is surrounded by very thin metal bezels, giving the whole thing an elegant, modern look. The only element that slightly spoils that impression is the plastic feet, which feel rather "cheap". On the plus side, they can be set in two width positions, so the S85H will fit on narrower furniture without much trouble.
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SAMSUNG S85H - Contrast and black detail
10/10
Result
∞:1
Result
∞:1
Result
∞:1
Result
∞:1
Result
∞:1
Changing the panel to the new WOLED SE from LG Display practically changed nothing in terms of black levels and contrast. And it was hard to expect any major improvement here, since we're still talking about OLED, a technology that can switch off each pixel individually. In practice, that means perfect blacks and tremendous image depth, particularly in darker scenes. Black bars are truly black, there is no halo around bright elements, and contrast remains virtually infinite. Even very expensive Mini-LEDs with thousands of local dimming zones still cannot offer the same precision as the S85H. And that's its biggest advantage. The S85H may be Samsung's cheapest OLED, but when it comes to blacks it delivers exactly the same as far more expensive models that use organic panels.
SAMSUNG S85H - HDR effect quality
6.3/10
Supported formats: HDR10, HDR10+, HLG
Luminance measurements in HDR:
Result
733 nit
Result
744 nit
Result
837 nit
Result
755 nit
Result
404 nit
Interestingly, the new WOLED SE panel has brought a slight improvement in brightness to the S85 series. In the same movie scenes last year's model stayed closer to around 700 nits, while the S85H can reach roughly 800 nits. This isn't a change that completely transforms HDR perception, but that extra brightness is noticeable, especially with pinpoint highlights, specular reflections and stronger special effects. Around 800 nits is already a very good result for an entry-level OLED and in most films it's enough for HDR to have the proper impact. Bright elements can stand out clearly against perfect black, and it's still that contrast that does most of the work. You do need to bear in mind a typical limitation of organic panel technology. When a very bright scene covers a large part of the screen, brightness can drop by almost half. That's the effect of the panel's protection mechanisms, which limit its power with large bright areas.
Colours
The S85H can deliver very pleasing, saturated colours and in most HDR films it looks really good in that respect. We measured around 95% DCI-P3 coverage, so the palette most commonly used in movies is reproduced to a very high degree. Skin tones, greens and stronger reds still have the right intensity, and in normal viewing it's hard to fault them. Only when you look wider at BT.2020 do the limitations of the new OLED SE panel become apparent. Coverage was about 70%, a little less than previous-generation WOLEDs and noticeably less than QD-OLED panels. In films this is not a big loss, because most productions rarely use such highly saturated colours. You're more likely to notice it in games, where creators often opt for more intense colours.
BT.2020 color gamut coverage and primary color luminance
| Data set | BT.2020 | P3 | R | G | B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synthetic patterns | 70.3% | 94.9% | 62% | 60% | 65% |
| Film measurements | 70.4% | 95.0% | 62% | 60% | 65% |
BT.2020
BT.2020 and P3 – average color gamut coverage (percent of the target gamut).
R, G, B – average primary color luminance relative to target (percent).
Scene from the movie “Pan” (about 2800 nits)
Scene from the movie “Billy Lynn” (about 1100 nits)
When we compare the S85H with a reference monitor, it’s clear that it feels most at home with material mastered to around 1000 nits, the sort you find on Netflix. A good example is "Billy Lynn", where the TV preserves bright detail very well, doesn’t blow out highlights and generally sticks to how the scene should look. With more demanding material the situation becomes a little trickier. It’s still good, but in the brightest passages it starts to lack brightness headroom and some details can lose definition. In those scenes the S85H no longer has the same latitude as more expensive OLEDs with brighter panels. So we’d view it primarily as a very good TV for typical streaming-platform material, and less as a set-up aimed at the most demanding HDR cinema. There is also one issue you can criticise regardless of the type of material. The deepest parts of the image are slightly lifted, so some detail just above black looks a little brighter than it should. That doesn’t spoil the overall impression, but it reveals the tuning characteristics of this model.
HDR luminance chart:
Samsung S85H supports HDR10 and dynamic HDR10+, and on a TV like this the latter can genuinely help. With static HDR10 the brightest parts of the picture can sometimes merge and some detail in the whites simply disappears. Switching to HDR10+ gives the TV extra brightness information for specific scenes, allowing it to allocate its capabilities better and recover more detail in the brightest areas of the picture. In the snow shot the difference is fairly noticeable, with HDR10 showing the bright areas as more clumped together, whereas HDR10+ reveals more texture and differentiation between individual patches of snow. With an OLED panel reaching roughly 800 nits of brightness, that kind of dynamic tone mapping therefore makes a lot of sense, as it helps to make better use of what the TV can actually do. A small downside is the lack of Dolby Vision. HDR10+ is becoming increasingly popular on streaming platforms today, but Dolby Vision is still encountered more often.
Static HDR10
Dynamic: HDR10+
Factory color reproduction
7/10
For colour evaluation we naturally chose Filmmaker mode, and in SDR our S85H sample was very well set up from the factory. The largest deviation is in the white balance, where, as brightness rises, there is a slight lack of blue. In practice this means whites and greys have a subtly warmer tint than they should. However, this is not a major fault and during normal viewing it is unlikely to be very noticeable. Gamma also stays close to the reference value, so the image is neither overly bright nor unnecessarily dim. The S85H’s SDR picture quality is therefore very good straight out of the box. A few more imperfections appear in HDR. Here the white balance drifts more with increasing brightness, blue starts to dominate and the red component is clearly lacking. This also translates into larger errors for some colours. They do not yet amount to shifts that completely change the character of the image, but in direct comparison with a reference the difference is easier to spot. Overall, Filmmaker mode is a very good starting point before professional calibration.
Color reproduction after calibration
9.1/10
Calibration yields very good results on the S85H. First and foremost, it was possible to set the white balance almost perfectly, which removes the slightly too warm character of the image that was previously visible in SDR. Colour reproduction itself also improves markedly, with most errors falling to a very low level and in everyday viewing it is hard to speak of any noticeable inaccuracies. You can also make significant improvements in HDR, although some issues remain due to the TV's inherent characteristics. The S85H does not always hold the brightness curve perfectly; the darkest parts are slightly lifted, and as you approach the panel's limits small deviations are visible in the brightest areas. Added to this is the limited coverage of the wider BT.2020 gamut, which of course cannot be overcome by any calibration. Despite this, the end result is very good and, after calibration, the S85H can produce a really well-tuned, natural image.
SAMSUNG S85H - Smoothness of tonal transitions
7.5/10
The smoothness of tonal transitions is definitely not a strong suit of the S85H compared with other OLEDs. It is most visible in bright gradients, where fairly obvious banding appears between successive shades. Instead of a perfectly smooth transition you can see distinct colour bands and, unfortunately, you do not have to hunt for them. Moving gradients fare even worse. When tonal transitions move the imperfections become more apparent and the picture looks simply average in this respect. It is not perfect on dark gradients either. You can also notice irregularities there, so the issue is not limited to the brightest areas of the image. Of course, in a typical film you will not see this all the time, but scenes with large areas of similar colour, such as sky, fog, sunset or a dark background, can reveal the panel's limitations. Compared with older WOLEDs there is still some improvement, but looking at the TVs we have tested this year the S85H is average in this regard, much like its rival the LG B6 that uses the same panel. And this is one of those traits where the difference compared with last year's QD-OLED panel becomes very clear. QD-OLEDs handle the smooth blending of successive shades much better and, in terms of gradation, clearly outperform the WOLED SE panel used here.
Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions
7.5/10
Smooth transition function
Image without overscan on the SD signal
Samsung has fitted the S85H with the same proprietary AI NQ4 Gen2 processor used in last year’s S85F and, in terms of digital image processing, it performs quite well. Upscaling is one of the model’s stronger points. Lower-resolution material is well sharpened, edges look natural, and the picture does not feel overly artificial. One caveat is a typical Samsung trait: at very low resolutions you cannot completely disable overscan, so the TV may slightly crop the left edge of the image. The "noise reduction" function also works very well, smoothing weaker tonal transitions. The processor can effectively remove posterisation and other imperfections visible in lower-quality material. However, you need to be careful with the strength of this function, because Samsung can be quite aggressive here. When it is activated, small image details, such as the texture of skin or clothing, can start to disappear along with the unwanted artefacts.
SAMSUNG S85H - Blur and motion smoothness
8.5/10
Maximum refresh rate of the panel: 120Hz
Film motion smoothing option: Yes
Blur reduction option: Yes
BFI function 60Hz: Yes, 60Hz (image flickers)
BFI function 120Hz: No
Brightness drop with BFI: 49%
The S85H uses an OLED panel, so it performs excellently for motion blur. Pixels respond virtually instantly, so moving objects do not leave the characteristic trailing seen on some LCD TVs. This is especially noticeable in sport and fast-paced games, where the picture remains very clean even during rapid motion. The panel itself runs at 120 Hz. That is more than sufficient for films, TV series, sport and console gaming. It is a pity Samsung did not include a higher refresh rate aimed at PC gamers, as more and more TVs now offer 144 or even 165 Hz at 4K. However, that does not affect motion handling in films or sport.
You also have a classic motion-smoothing feature with two settings, blur reduction and judder reduction. So you can decide whether films should retain their cinematic 24 frames per second or whether you prefer to smooth them a little. The S85H gives plenty of freedom here, and the interpolation works well and, with sensible settings, does not generate too many artefacts.
Blur (native resolution, maximum refresh rate):
Blur (BFI function enabled):
Image flickers in this mode
Blur (4K@60Hz):
SAMSUNG S85H - Console compatibility and gaming features
9.6/10
- ALLM:
Yes
- VRR:
Yes
- VRR range:
48 - 120Hz
- Dolby Vision Game Mode:
No
- Correct implementation of HGIG:
Yes
- 1080p@120Hz:
Yes
- 1440p@120Hz:
Yes
- 4K@120Hz:
Yes
- Game bar:
Yes
The Samsung S85H is very well prepared for gaming, essentially regardless of whether you connect a console or a PC. The manufacturer hasn't skimped on ports and all four HDMI ports support full HDMI 2.1. That means you can use 4K at 120 Hz, VRR and ALLM without worrying which input your console is plugged into. With multiple devices that matters a lot, because you don't have to choose between a console, a PC or a soundbar connected via eARC. The feature set itself is very comprehensive. The S85H supports VRR, FreeSync and automatic game mode switching, and Samsung also offers its extensive Game Bar where you can quickly check key signal parameters and change settings without leaving the game. The only notable omission is Dolby Vision, which will matter mainly to Xbox owners. This, incidentally, is typical of Samsung TVs. Game Motion Plus performs very well, and it's one of the features that have set Samsung TVs apart for years. It smooths motion in games running at 30 or 60 fps, but does so without as much increase in input lag as a conventional motion interpolator. In practice, with slower-paced games, racing titles or action games this can really improve the perceived motion, especially if you're sensitive to low frame rates.
SAMSUNG S85H - Input lag
10/10
The Samsung S85H also performs very well in terms of input lag. At 120 Hz we measured input lag below 5 ms, a level at which the TV's response to controls is practically instantaneous. At 60 Hz the delay is, of course, higher, but still very low, around 10 ms, so in this respect the S85H gives little cause for complaint.
| SDR | HDR | Dolby Vision |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p60: 10 ms | 2160p60: 10 ms | |
| 1080p120: 5 ms | 2160p120: 5 ms | |
| 2160p60: 10 ms | ||
| 2160p120: 5 ms |
SAMSUNG S85H - Compatibility with PC
7.6/10
Chroma 444 (max. resolution and refresh rate): Yes
Font clarity: Good
Readability of dark text and shapes: Very Good
Input lag in PC mode (4K, max. refresh rate): 5ms
Matrix subpixel arrangement: RGWB
Max refresh rate: 120Hz
G-Sync: Yes
Samsung S85H will also work very well as a large computer monitor. Font legibility is good and, from the typical viewing distance for such a large screen, text looks really good. You just need to remember the four-subpixel layout of the WOLED panel, because from very close up the edges of letters are not quite as perfectly sharp as on a conventional RGB monitor. However, this is a characteristic of OLED technology itself and, in normal TV use, it should not be an issue.
The S85H also has plenty to offer PC gamers. You get 120 Hz, G-Sync support, very low input lag and, of course, the OLED panel's lightning-fast response time. The only thing missing for complete satisfaction is the ability to run the panel at a higher refresh rate. More and more TVs already support 144 or 165 Hz at 4K, so an extra mode like that would be welcome here.
SAMSUNG S85H - Viewing angles
7.5/10
Brightness drop at an angle of 45 degrees: 34%
Viewing angles are one of the major advantages of the S85H and OLED panels in general. Even when viewed well off to the side, the image still retains good contrast, brightness and colour saturation. In this respect the S85H performs decidedly better than practically any LCD or Mini-LED TV available today. Only QD-OLED panels actually do better, as they can keep colours even more consistent at wide viewing angles. However, those are found only in higher-end models.
SAMSUNG S85H - Daytime performance
5.1/10
Panel finish: Satin
Reflection suppression: Average
Black levels during daytime: Good
The Samsung S85H is a moderately bright TV. In our measurements the average SDR brightness was around 350 nits, so that should be sufficient for ordinary daytime viewing, provided the TV is not in a very sunlit living room. In a moderately lit room the picture remains readable, but with large windows and light shining directly on the screen the S85H's capabilities start to fall short. We have a few more criticisms of the WOLED SE panel itself. A change in the panel's construction compared with the previous generation has affected how the screen handles reflections, and unfortunately it is not a change for the better. Reflections are more noticeable than on earlier WOLED panels. LG Display tried to partly mask this effect with a more satin screen finish that scatters light, but that does not completely solve the issue. With a strong light source the reflection becomes quite large and a characteristic greyish halo appears around it. Photos clearly show that such a reflection can occupy a large part of the image and greatly affect how it is perceived. So the S85H does not really change the situation compared with cheaper OLEDs when it comes to daytime viewing. It is best suited to evening use or to a room where you have at least partial control over the lighting. It is still comfortable to use during the day, but it is definitely not a television designed for a very bright living room.
Panel brightness
Samsung S85H: 350 cd/m2
SAMSUNG S85H - TV features
7.3/10
System: Tizen
System performance: Very good
- HDMI inputs: 0 x HDMI 2.0, 4 x HDMI 2.1 48Gbps
- Outputs: Toslink (Optical audio), eARC (HDMI), ARC (HDMI)
- Network Interfaces: Wi-Fi 2.4GHz, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Ethernet (LAN) 100Mbps
- TV reception: DVB-T, DVB-T2, DVB-S, DVB-S2, DVB-C
Classic features:
- Recording to USB (terrestrial TV): No
- Recording programming: No
- Picture in Picture (PiP): No
- RF remote control (no need to aim): RF
- Backlit remote control: No
- Teletext: Yes
- Audio only mode: Yes
- Bluetooth headphones support: Yes
- Simultaneous Bluetooth headphones & TV audio: Yes
Smart features:
- AirPlay: Yes
- Screen mirroring (Windows Miracast): Yes
- Voice search: Yes
- Voice search in native language: Yes
- Ability to connect a keyboard and mouse: Yes
Tizen
Samsung S85H runs on Tizen and, in terms of online features, there is little to criticise. The system is fast and responsive, and the selection of apps is one of the largest on the market. Besides the main streaming platforms you will also find many less popular services, so it’s unlikely you’ll be left without something you really need. Samsung is also developing SmartThings features, integration with other devices and an increasing number of AI-based solutions. There are really lots of possibilities here and some users will probably never explore half of them. A big plus is the promised seven years of system updates. For a television, which we usually keep much longer than a phone or computer, that matters. Tizen should therefore receive new features and fixes for a long time rather than being abandoned after two or three years. The S85H does not, in fact, feel like a cheaper model. We essentially get the same extensive ecosystem that Samsung offers in its more expensive TVs.
Classic features
Samsung’s approach to classic television features looks completely different. It’s clear that for several years the manufacturer has been placing increasing emphasis on "modern" services at the expense of traditional ones. The S85H is therefore not a TV that will particularly appeal to people who are used to extensive control over conventional broadcasting. The supplied remote illustrates this well. It is small, minimalist and has only the most necessary buttons, but lacks a traditional numeric keypad. That works well for streaming, but for those who frequently watch broadcast TV without a set-top box it may not be to everyone’s taste. It’s simply a consequence of the direction Samsung is taking its televisions...
Sound connection options
HDMI audio:
Other audio outputs:
- Toslink: Yes
Wireless audio:
- Bluetooth: Yes
- Samsung Q-Symphony (Speaker extension): Yes
Supported audio formats (external HDMI eARC audio):
- Dolby Digital Plus 7.1: Yes
- Dolby True HD 7.1: Yes
- Dolby Atmos in Dolby Digital Plus (JOC): Yes
- Dolby Atmos in Dolby True HD: Yes
- DTS:X in DTS-HD MA: No
- DTS-HD Master Audio: No
Senior accessibility
- Numeric keyboard on TV: No
- Font size adjustment: Yes
- Audio description: Yes
SAMSUNG S85H - Apps
9.3/10
SAMSUNG S85H - Playing files from USB
9.1/10
| Maximum photo resolution: | Supported photo formats: |
|---|---|
| 4 Mpix | JPEG |
| 6 Mpix | HEIC |
| 8 Mpix | PNG |
| 10 Mpix | GIF |
| 12 Mpix | WebP |
| 16 Mpix | TIFF |
| 20 Mpix | BMP |
| 24 Mpix | SVG |
| 28 Mpix | |
| 32 Mpix |
The Samsung S85H's USB file player works quickly and without major problems. The TV handles both videos and photos well, and with the latter we had no issues with unusual resolutions or high megapixel counts. Subtitle support is also a plus, with Polish characters displaying correctly and no additional settings required. The only real shortcoming was lack of support for the HEIC format, which is often used by Apple devices. Apart from that, the built-in player performs very well and will be more than sufficient for most people for everyday use with a USB stick or external USB drive.
SAMSUNG S85H - Sound
7.2/10
86dB
Maximum volume
Supported codecs (TV speakers)
Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Dolby True HD 7.1
Dolby Atmos in Dolby Digital Plus (JOC)
Dolby Atmos in Dolby True HD
DTS:X in DTS-HD MA
DTS-HD Master Audio
In terms of sound, the S85H hasn't really changed from its predecessor. It still has a fairly basic 2.0 setup with a total power of 20 W, which sounds decent and, for such a slim TV, can even add a touch of bass. It's perfectly adequate for everyday TV viewing, but it's not at the level of pricier models, which can sound fuller and more 'spatial'. With that kind of picture, it really calls for at least adding a soundbar. All the more so as the S85H supports Dolby Atmos and Samsung's proprietary Q-Symphony, which allows a compatible Samsung soundbar to work with the TV's speakers rather than completely replace them. If you want to get more out of this setup for films, an external sound system is the most sensible addition.
Acoustic Measurements
86dBC (Max)
75dBC
SAMSUNG S85H - Panel details
Software version during testing: 1204
Panel uniformity and thermal imaging:
Backlight Type: WRGB OLED
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