Philips OLED950 vs Samsung The Frame Pro 2026 (LS03HW)

OLED950 is a phenomenal TV for consuming HDR content, which is primarily due to the use of innovative Tandem OLED technology. With this technology, the screen is capable of generating astronomical brightness values, reaching over 2000 nits in movie scenes (on test screens). This is an outstanding result, placing the OLED950 model among the very top displays available on the market. However, it should be noted that there is a specific characteristic of this solution – at moments when full-screen bursts of light appear on the screen, the brightness can drop by as much as half. Nevertheless, it is worth emphasizing that values above 1000 nits on a full screen are still an outstanding result. This allows for HDR images to be displayed exactly as filmmakers would wish, maintaining the dynamics and impact of light scenes.

The use of Tandem OLED technology has also brought measurable benefits in terms of color reproduction, improving elements where traditional WOLED panels have had difficulties compared to QD-OLED competitors. In the case of the OLED950, the color gamut coverage is broader than in classic WOLED panels, reaching nearly 100% of the DCI-P3 space and a solid 82% of the demanding BT.2020 palette. Although these results still do not match the high achievements of QD-OLED panels, the difference diminishes during real-world usage. We cannot deny that in the vast majority of films, colors look simply fantastic on this model – they are saturated, vibrant, and full of depth.

You can't deny The Frame Pro one thing: brightness. We measured a maximum of around 850 to 900 nits, so the TV already has enough power to render many HDR scenes really impressively. Bright, full-screen shots and more colorful frames look best here. In those scenes The Frame Pro can make a good impression because the image is bright, strong, and delivers the effect we expect from HDR. In our measurements some scenes reached over 800 nits, and even in trickier sections the TV maintained a fairly decent brightness level.

The problem starts when HDR relies on small bright elements shown against a dark background. Individual lamps, stars, or highlights can be bright, but very often the black level across much of the image also lifts. As a result, the bright point itself may look good, but the whole frame loses a lot of quality. That is why The Frame Pro shows HDR best in scenes that are simply full-screen. If a movie or series contains many such shots, the effect can be really enjoyable. In darker material the limitations of local dimming become much more noticeable.

Colors

The Frame Pro deserves praise for its color gamut coverage. The TV uses quantum dots, a solution known as QLED, which allows it to produce very well-saturated colors. In our measurements coverage of the important film color space DCI-P3 was about 94.5%, while the more demanding BT.2020 was around 72%.

Those are very solid results that in most scenes deliver pleasant, saturated colors. Of course, these values are not as striking as those in the latest displays using RGB backlighting, but The Frame Pro makes up for that with something else: color stability. Regardless of the scene, color saturation remains fairly consistent, and there is no situation where the TV loses a lot of color in more demanding shots.

We tested the OLED950 model in Movie mode. Although it is theoretically the best and most faithful preset on this television, in practice, it proved to be not without flaws. Interestingly, in the unit we tested, the biggest challenge wasn't the white balance itself – although it did have a slight tendency to give the image a pinkish tint. The main problem lay in the way the television managed brightness, both in everyday SDR content and in demanding HDR scenes. Analysis of the gamma chart and EOTF curve leads to one key conclusion: the television excessively highlights brightness in the lower registers. This results in the image appearing less contrasty than the panel technology would allow. Details in dark areas that should remain perfectly black (characteristic of "OLED black") are simply unnecessarily highlighted and brightened. Fortunately, these errors can be corrected using the appropriate tools, so – as always – we proceeded with professional calibration.

In SDR material The Frame Pro in Filmmaker mode performs quite well, though it falls short of perfect. White balance is relatively even, but as brightness increases the blue component starts to drop, so brighter parts of the image can have a slightly warmer tint. A bigger difference is visible in the gamma, that is how screen brightness is managed. Across most of the range it runs below our reference point, which means the TV brightens midtones a bit. As a result the image can appear slightly brighter and less contrasty than it should. The color errors themselves are not huge, but they are visible enough that calibration can still make a substantial improvement. In HDR content the white balance looks similar: across much of the range it is fairly even, with larger deviations appearing only at higher brightness. The EOTF curve is more revealing. The Frame Pro follows reference values fairly well in the brighter parts of the image, but noticeably brightens the darkest portions. This stems mainly from the TV’s backlight design. That also affects colors. With less saturated colors the errors are still moderate, but they grow significantly as saturation increases. In ColorChecker measurements a large portion of samples already register high error values. The out-of-the-box HDR can therefore be considered decent, but it is definitely not an image we would call very faithful.

As can be seen, the OLED950 transforms into an absolutely phenomenal display after a professional calibration process, which without a shadow of a doubt can be placed in the same category as the best televisions currently available in the world. This equipment only needed a professional touch to show its full potential and eliminate factory shortcomings. The minimal errors in reproduction in Color Checker tests and the fidelity of the color palette speak for themselves. We are dealing with an almost perfect device here. A true window to the world, offering top-notch image quality.

After calibration the biggest improvement is visible primarily in SDR content. White balance was evened out, but the more important change was the gamma correction, which before calibration had the greatest impact on the picture's character. After adjustments the gamma response is now very close to the reference, so the image is not as bright in the midtones and simply looks more natural. Color errors have also been noticeably reduced, so the effect of calibration in SDR is clearly visible. In HDR the situation is a bit more complex. White balance was improved and over part of the range the TV tracks the reference much better, but deviations still appear at higher brightness levels. The same applies to color reproduction, as some errors can be corrected but not all result from the settings themselves. This reveals the limitations of the TV's design and the way the backlight and local dimming affect the HDR image. That's why, for The Frame Pro, calibration makes the biggest difference for everyday content. Regular broadcast TV, YouTube, and SDR movies and series (mainly those from cheaper streaming tiers) can look noticeably better after calibration.

Upscaling

In terms of image scaling, the proprietary P5 processor performs just as well as in most models from this manufacturer. Lower resolution content takes on a very soft and plastic character. Such a presentation will certainly appeal to many. However, if you prefer sharper contours, you can gently enhance them with the appropriate slider in the TV menu. In this aspect, it's really hard to pick on anything. The image simply looks very good and additionally there is no problem with the phenomenon of overscan.

Smoothing and Distortion Reduction

The tonal transition smoothing feature fares a bit worse. In the settings, we find an option called “Distortion Reduction.” This allows for three levels of processor intervention adjustment. Unfortunately, the Minimum setting works poorly and the smoothing effects are negligible. The Medium level gives a decent result, but it also starts to smooth out the skin details of actors. On the other hand, the Maximum setting works too aggressively. It removes definitely too many details from the face and background elements or can even take away the film grain. To achieve the optimal effect, it's worth playing around with these settings at home and adjusting them to your preferences. It might seem that the Medium option represents the best compromise here.

The Frame Pro uses the NQ4 AI Gen3 processor, so in terms of image processing it behaves very similarly to Samsung's other recent TVs. Upscaling works really well; lower-resolution material is sensibly sharpened and the image remains clear without overemphasizing edges. With regular broadcast TV or lower-quality YouTube clips, this can provide a noticeable improvement, although viewers watching much older material, for example from VHS tapes, may notice a slight left-side cropping (overscan).

It's a bit different when it comes to improving more heavily compressed images through noise reduction and artifact suppression for issues like posterization. The "Noise Reduction" function can improve weaker material, but fairly quickly it starts to interfere with the image and remove fine detail or grain. So it's best used sparingly and mainly when the source truly needs it.

The motion representation in the OLED950 model is virtually perfect. This is typical for screens of this type (OLED 120Hz+), as the matrix shows no blurring at all. Thanks to this, we can enjoy flawless sharpness in practically any conditions. A big part of this is not only due to the specifics of organic technology. Equally important work is done by the smoothing systems implemented by the manufacturer.

The Frame Pro is equipped with a 144 Hz panel and, when connected to a PC, also supports 240 Hz at Full HD resolution. That’s, of course, a feature aimed mainly at PC gamers, but the TV also performs very well at the standard 120 Hz refresh rate we use for watching sports or playing on consoles. A big plus is its minimal motion blur. For a VA panel The Frame Pro does really well in this regard. You don’t see strong, dark trails following moving objects that are fairly common on TVs with this type of panel. As a result, fast sports and dynamic games remain clear in motion. It also includes motion smoothing with adjustable smoothness, so for movies and sports broadcasts you can tune the motion character to your preferences. Our recommended settings can be found in the photo.

OLED950 is almost the perfect TV for gamers. This is not only due to the unique atmosphere that the Ambilight system creates during gameplay. The most important aspect here is the solid hardware support. We find literally everything that one should expect from a modern gaming screen today. The manufacturer has implemented two HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth of 48 Gb/s. This gives us access to gaming in 4K resolution at 120 frames per second. Of course, support for VRR technology and the ALLM automatic game mode is also included. The device handles any HDR signal effortlessly, whether we are using Dolby Vision or the HGiG standard.

Access to all settings is available from one place thanks to the special Game Bar overlay. Although this interface may not be the most graphically attractive on the market, it fully serves its purpose. It displays all the most important signal parameters and offers useful additions. Gamers can take advantage of the mini-map zoom function or add a permanent crosshair on the screen, which can be seen as a small aid in online competition. Adjusting the contrast range also proves useful. It allows for brightening shadows and achieving better visibility of enemies hidden in the dark corners of the map.

Function-wise for gamers The Frame Pro has a lot to offer. The TV supports 4K at 120 Hz, VRR, ALLM and correctly implemented HGiG. When you connect a PC you can also use 144 Hz at 4K, and even 240 Hz if you drop to Full HD. Samsung also adds its standard set of gaming extras: a robust Game Bar that lets you quickly view and adjust key settings, and Game Motion Plus, which can improve the smoothness of games running at 30 or 60 fps. There’s also the Gaming Hub and the ability to play in the cloud without needing to connect a console. The only real omission is Dolby Vision Gaming, which Samsung doesn’t support. Otherwise The Frame Pro offers practically everything you can expect today from a well-equipped gaming TV.