The first tests of Samsung's best OLED of 2025. S90F – Is the King of value returning to the top?

Will the Samsung S90F be the new king of OLEDs? The first tests have already appeared online, and everything indicates that the Korean manufacturer is back in the fight for the throne in the premium category. The successor to the S90D model and a competitor to models like the LG C5 or Bravia 8 II has a few aces up its sleeve. Let's take a look at what we've learned from the first measurements.

Appearance and design – no changes, but that's a good thing

In terms of appearance, the Samsung S90F does not introduce any major changes compared to its predecessor – and in our opinion, this is a good decision. The S90 series has been pleasing to the eye from the very beginning. This is all thanks to its minimalist, refined design. In front, we have very slim, metal bezels that make the screen almost blend into the surroundings. The whole unit stands on a single, central base. The back still has a rather classic design – just a regular OLED without overly complicated styling and with a typical "back." Not everyone may like this, but in our opinion, the S90F strikes a good balance when it comes to design. It's simply a good-looking television that will fit well into most interiors.

Black and contrast – the highest level with the same problems

Here too, there are no revolutions – and that's a good thing. After all, we are talking about OLED, so contrast and deep black are perfect by definition. The S90F doesn’t improve anything because there was simply nothing to improve. However, it is worth noting that in Europe only the 65-inch variant (at least for now) is equipped with a QD-OLED panel, which can slightly "brighten" black in very bright rooms. This is a typical feature of this technology – subtle but noticeable under strong outside light.

HDR – the king of value returns thanks to brightness

Why do we believe that the S90F is a likely return of the king of value among OLEDs? Mainly because of the brightness, which is making a huge impression this year. Not long ago, we wrote about the new LG OLED C5 series, which finally broke the magical barrier of 1000 nits peak HDR brightness. And it seems that Samsung is not to be outdone and is also turning up the screws. According to measurements by the RTINGS, the S90F model with a QD-OLED panel can reach as much as 1500 nits peak brightness! That’s a result 50% better than the S90D. One can confidently say that this will be one of the brightest, if not the brightest, OLED in its price range!

And what about the versions equipped with the WOLED panel? For now, we don’t have specific data, but knowing Samsung, which has already shown that it can equalize the brightness of different types of panels through software, we can assume that any differences – if they appear – will be minimal. At worst, in Europe this may mean slightly lower brightness than in the American versions with the QD-OLED panel, but we are still talking about a very good level.

Is Europe being treated worse again? The panel lottery is back

Unfortunately, it seems that European customers once again have to rely on "luck," as Samsung continues its policy of the so-called matrix lottery. For now, it is known that only the 65-inch variant sold in Europe has received the QD-OLED panel – that is, the "better" one. The remaining sizes, including the popular 55 and 77 inches, are based on the classic WOLED.

If you want to have 100% certainty about which panel you are buying, just look at the end of the model designation:

• DAT = QD-OLED

• DAE = WOLED

Gaming - monster but without Dolby Vision

Here too, there are no major surprises. The S90F is a gaming monster like its predecessor, familiar to gamers from previous years. We have full support for 4K at 144 Hz, very low input lag, a complete set of VRR technologies, AMD FreeSync Premium, ALLM, as well as a built-in Xbox Cloud Gaming app for cloud gaming – without the need to connect a console. The well-known Game Bar is also present, allowing quick adjustments to picture settings, lag, or FPS counter – all on the fly, without leaving the game.

Of course, we won't find Dolby Vision for Xbox here, but let's be honest – no one is surprised by that anymore. Samsung has been going its own way for years, opting for its own HDR solutions (including HDR10+), and there is little indication that this policy will change.

AI, AI, AI… new processor, but no revolution

Samsung boasts about its new "smart" processor, but... maybe we should hold off on the excitement. Compared to last year's model, the S90F is equipped with a new third-generation AI NQ4 chip. According to the manufacturer's announcements, it is supposed to be several times better in many aspects: scene analysis, object detection, intelligent sharpening, and scaling materials to 4K.

In theory, this sounds promising – in practice… it does exactly the same as its predecessor, just a bit faster and slightly more effectively. Yes, image scaling still performs well – SD and HD content looks clean, without major artifacts, and the edges are not artificially sharpened. However, if we were to compare this to the competition, the latest LG OLED C5 or Sony Bravia 8 II offers clearly better results. The S90F is not bad; it simply doesn't extract as much from the processor as we would expect based on the marketing announcements. It still gets the job done – but against the competition, it doesn't shine as brightly as it could.

It is worth noting, however, that image scaling and tonal gradient processing are not always equally important for every user – especially if we primarily watch content in native 4K. In the case of a QD-OLED panel, which inherently handles smooth gradations very well and does not suffer from typical banding issues, minor imperfections in the scaling algorithms are simply less noticeable in everyday use.

The situation changes, however, when we choose the variant with a WOLED panel. Here, the matrix itself struggles a bit more with natural tonal transition smoothing, and the quality of scaling begins to matter more – especially in HD materials such as traditional TV broadcasts. It is precisely under these conditions that Samsung may perform worse than its competitors.

OLED sales hit?

Samsung S90F has everything to become one of the top-selling OLED TVs in 2025 – especially in the 65-inch version with a QD-OLED panel. We have very impressive peak brightness, excellent color gamut coverage, outstanding gaming capabilities, and quite a wide selection of applications thanks to the Tizen system. All of this makes the 65-inch variant nearly a safe recommendation – it's an OLED that combines top-notch picture quality with a more affordable price than flagship models.

It's just a shame that we can't speak with the same confidence about the other sizes. In the case of the WOLED model, the picture quality may be noticeably lower – and then the question arises whether it might be better to opt for competition from LG or Sony within a similar budget?

The answer to this question will be clear soon, and in the meantime, we invite you to check out our reviews of TVs from the 2024 sale – you can find great models at truly attractive prices!