Samsung Neo QLED QN95D vs Samsung The Frame LS03D

The Samsung QN95D excels in HDR performance, achieving an impressive peak brightness of approximately 2000 nits. In tested movie scenes with fully lit screens, the television delivers an intense and realistic representation of HDR content, significantly enhancing the viewing experience. However, as with its handling of contrast, the dimming algorithm occasionally reveals limitations.

Despite the large number of Mini LED zones, the television doesn’t consistently provide extraordinary brightness. For instance, in scenes from "Life of Pi," featuring a bright moon against a dark background, and excerpts from "Sicario 2," showcasing intense light effects on dark backdrops, the QN95D underperforms. In such instances, the television mitigates halo effects by dimming the image to a level closer to SDR quality. While this ensures deep and uniform blacks, it comes at the cost of losing some detail in bright areas. This compromise is intended to preserve black quality but can detract from the image’s dynamism.

Despite these occasional shortcomings in the local dimming algorithm, the QN95D deserves commendation for its wide coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. Thanks to the quantum dot coating, also known as QLED technology, the television produces vibrant and richly saturated colours, adding to its appeal for HDR content.

The Frame really handles brightness well. With results at the level of 700 nits, bright elements on the screen look impressive and detailed, whether they illuminate the entire screen or appear as small bright spots against a dark background. In more demanding scenes, like the fourth sequence from the movie Sicario 2, the blacks perform averagely, but we already discussed that in the section regarding contrast. However, when it comes to brightness – here the TV definitely performs well. An additional advantage is the quantum dot coating, i.e., QLED technology. Thanks to it, the color palette coverage has been improved, although The Frame does not stand out in this regard compared to the competition.

The Samsung QN95D was evaluated for factory colour reproduction in Filmmaker mode, which provides the manufacturer’s optimised settings. While this mode delivers good performance, it is not without shortcomings. For HD content, notable colour deviations were observed, particularly in white balance, where a red tint dominated the chart. Improvements were noted with 4K HDR content; however, significant deficiencies in blue colour reproduction persist. This is evident in scenes such as those from Star Wars, where the main character appears in tones that are warmer than intended.

Regarding contrast, the gamma chart reveals an initial steep rise, demonstrating the television’s capability to emphasise brighter image areas effectively. However, the chart also shows a clear dip at the lower end, suggesting a potential loss of detail in darker tones. This gamma curve shape could impact the clarity of dark scenes, where details may appear overly blurred or obscured. Additionally, the brightness curve (EOTF) was mostly accurate, aside from an initial drop.

Despite these minor issues, the QN95D boasts impressive features and cutting-edge technology that solidify its position as one of the top televisions on the market. However, refinements in colour accuracy and contrast are needed to maximise its potential fully.

Samsung offers several picture modes in its TVs, but without a doubt, the Filmmaker Mode is the one that should provide the most natural representation of content. Unfortunately, as is often the case with mass production, the differences between units can be significant, and our tested model did not escape a few problems.

In the case of SDR content, the white balance heavily leaned towards red, with a slight boost in blue. This effect was particularly visible in comparison photos – in the example of a photograph with a boy, whose face was almost unnaturally flushed. The gamma, or brightness characteristic, also did not perform perfectly – the image was slightly brightened, which took away its depth.

In 4K HDR content, the white balance was again dominated by red, this time combined with green. Meanwhile, blue clearly lost intensity, which could be easily noticed on the Color Checker palette, where the colors began to "run away" in the wrong direction. The EOTF curve, responsible for brightness in HDR content, showed that the TV tends to excessively brighten the image, especially in the darkest elements of scenes.

Overall, although it did not look tragic, it definitely needed correction. Fortunately, Samsung offers extensive calibration options, which provide an opportunity for significant image improvement. Therefore, we proceeded with professional calibration to extract the full potential of this TV.

After calibration, the Samsung QN95D delivers truly impressive results. The white balance is perfectly aligned, with error readings rarely exceeding 2, indicating faithful colour reproduction. Most samples from the Colour Checker test fall well within an acceptable error range, confirming the television's excellent performance in accurately displaying colours. Contrast has also improved significantly, and the gamma curve has become more stable, ensuring better visibility of details in both dark and bright scenes.

However, the EOTF (Electro-Optical Transfer Function) curve still shows a slight divergence in film tests. While the television performs well in most scenarios, some details in black may still be lost in extreme cases due to the aggressive dimming algorithm.

Despite these minor imperfections, the overall image quality remains outstanding. After calibration, the Samsung QN95D impresses with its visual performance, offering an exceptional experience that will satisfy anyone seeking a top-tier television.

After professional calibration, the Filmmaker Mode shows its full potential. The white balance in HD content is exemplary – an error level of 0.5 indicates almost perfect color reproduction precision. The image now looks natural, and the colors are exactly as they should be. In 4K HDR content, the effect is not as perfect, but it still maintains a really high level. The colors are vibrant, well-saturated, and the overall image quality is impressive.

So where does the problem arise, if we praise the color reproduction so much? Unfortunately, the overall experience is disrupted by the brightness characteristic. The gamma in HD content looks decent, but in 4K HDR it's not as good. The EOTF curve shows that the TV excessively brightens certain parts of the image, which is a result of design limitations. The lack of local dimming means that the TV cannot precisely control the differences between the brightest and darkest areas of the screen. This is a barrier that simply cannot be overcome in this model.

Nevertheless, after calibration, The Frame offers excellent color reproduction, especially in HD content, and the overall appearance is much better than before the settings correction.

The Samsung QN95D television handles tonal transitions even in lower-quality materials, thanks to the noise reduction feature that works like a gentle gradation. This function is extremely effective, smoothing out the image and eliminating unwanted noise, thus significantly improving the quality of the displayed material. However, as is often the case, overly good effectiveness can lead to unintended side effects. In the case of some materials, this feature may also blur elements that should remain clear, such as film grain.

Despite this, the television performs well in terms of image scaling, eliminating larger jagged edges. In a scene where branches are visible, they are not overly artificially sharpened, which allows for a natural look, and the model does not have an artificial outline. Overall, even in more challenging conditions, the footage is presented satisfactorily on the Samsung QN95D. The only downside when watching HD/SD content (such as regular terrestrial television) is the fact that the image is slightly cropped - this is caused by the so-called overscan, which cannot be turned off.

It was time to check how The Frame handles older, lower-quality materials. We already know that the smoothness of tonal transitions is very high here, so we were curious to see how the TV would manage their smoothing.

The noise reduction feature in the "Standard" setting performs well – tonal transitions are noticeably smoothed out, and the image does not lose too much detail. However, it's worth noting that this effect also smooths out film grain, so its use will be a matter of individual preference.

When it comes to image scaling, the TV also performed really well. The tested frame was solid – the model was rendered correctly, with clear details. The branches in the background, although slightly jagged in places, generally look natural and do not stand out as a flaw.

The Samsung QN95D panel excels in motion blur and fluidity, offering a 120 Hz refresh rate along with features designed to reduce blur and judder. This allows users to adjust the picture settings to their liking, whether for movie watching or dynamic sports broadcasts. The television provides a 10-point scale for adjusting image smoothness, ranging from a frame-like appearance reminiscent of traditional film to a smoother, more cinematic effect, which is especially beneficial for sports broadcasts. This level of customization enhances the viewing experience across various types of content.

First of all, it is worth noting that the model we tested in 55 inches, just like the 65, 75, and 85-inch versions, is equipped with a 120 Hz panel. Unfortunately, the 43 and 50-inch variants of this series offer only 60 Hz panels, which is worth considering when making a purchase. As for improving motion fluidity, the TV offers a feature called "Picture Clarity." This is a classic motion smoother that gives users the ability to adjust it using two sliders:

Motion Blurring Reduction – this is responsible for sharpening the image during dynamic scenes. The higher the value, the less blur during rapid camera movement or moving objects. However, overly aggressive settings can make the image look unnatural and start to resemble a “soap opera”.

Judder Reduction – this slider affects the smoothness of frame playback, particularly in materials with a lower frame rate, such as films (24 fps). Higher settings can smooth out motion but can also lead to an excessive "plasticky" effect on the image.

Both sliders operate on a scale from 0 to 10, allowing for precise adjustment of the effect to one’s own preferences. It is worth experimenting with the settings to find the perfect balance between fluidity and the natural appearance of the image. We recommend setting them as shown in the picture.

The Samsung QN95D offers several features that gamers will appreciate. First, the TV supports a variable refresh rate (VRR), which eliminates screen tearing and provides smoother gameplay, especially in dynamic scenes. It also includes an automatic game mode (ALLM) that switches the TV to low latency mode when a connected console or computer is detected, resulting in more responsive controls.

Additionally, the QN95D has a game mode that reduces input lag to an impressively low level, which is vital for games where quick reflexes matter. With a high refresh rate of 120 Hz, the image remains exceptionally smooth, enhancing the experience of fast-paced action games and sports. The TV also supports G-Sync and FreeSync technologies, further improving gameplay and user comfort. An interesting addition is the 'Game Bar' – a special menu that provides easy access to all gaming-related settings, allowing users to quickly adjust the image and other parameters without interrupting gameplay.

While the Samsung QN95D does not support Dolby Vision, which is typical for Samsung models, it does feature HGiG functionality, ensuring that HDR games are displayed with the appropriate image quality in line with the creators' intentions.

The Frame in version 2024 is equipped with four HDMI ports, but only one of them supports the 2.1 standard with a bandwidth of 40 Gb/s. This is an important piece of information if we plan to connect more than one device that requires a 4K@120 Hz signal – for example, two consoles or a console and a gaming PC. In terms of gaming features, The Frame truly has a lot to offer. We find ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), and HGiG. It is worth emphasizing that HGiG has been very well implemented here, which is particularly important since the TV does not support Dolby Vision in games (which is only available on Xbox consoles). In this case, HGiG proves to be a better standard for gaming. Samsung has not forgotten about features that enhance the gaming experience. Game Bar is an advanced panel for gamers that allows for quick adjustment of screen settings without the need to sift through the TV menu. We can even change the aspect ratio from 16:9 to cinematic 21:9, which for some gamers can be a significant advantage. However, Samsung's biggest ace up its sleeve is the Game Motion Plus feature. This is a special smoother dedicated to games, which adds extra frames of animation without significantly impacting input lag. The effect is really noticeable – the image appears much smoother, which fans of dynamic titles will particularly appreciate. In summary – Samsung The Frame is a television that offers a solid set of features for gamers. Although the limitation to one HDMI 2.1 port may be a downside, the rest of the solutions make gaming on this TV a truly enjoyable experience.