Samsung OLED S90D / S94D (WRGB OLED) vs Samsung QN85F

The Samsung S90D demonstrates impressive brightness performance in the tested film scenes, surpassing the 1000 nits mark in the first four shots—an outstanding result for an OLED display. In the final shot, which features a fullscreen flash of sunlight, the brightness dips to around 500 nits. While this is a decrease, it remains within a very good range, ensuring visibility and detail retention even in bright scenes.

Another key highlight of the Samsung S90D is its remarkable colour coverage, achieving 98% of the DCI-P3 colour space. This means the TV can reproduce an exceptionally wide range of colours, contributing to vivid and lifelike images that are particularly beneficial for films, high-quality video, and HDR content. The high colour accuracy and impressive brightness capabilities, makes the S90D an ideal choice for users seeking premium image quality across various lighting environments, whether in darker rooms or bright, sunlit spaces.

Although the more than double number of dimming zones compared to its predecessor has not translated into a spectacular jump in black levels and contrast, we definitely felt it in the HDR effect itself. The QN85F is up to 50% brighter than last year's model, making a huge impression in dynamic scenes. The peak brightness can reach nearly 1700–1800 nits, which is truly impressive in this Mini-LED class. The best part is that almost regardless of the scene being viewed, the HDR effect remains strong and vibrant. In four out of five test scenes, the brightness was around 1000 nits, a level that in most cases allows viewers to feel the true magic of this format. Of course, in scene number 4 from the movie Sicario 2, the limitations of Mini-LED technology become apparent – the brightness of the helicopter's spotlight drops to around 500 nits. It's not an outstanding result, but it's still much more acceptable than in last year's model. Samsung deserves applause, as the improvement in brightness in the QN85F is substantial compared to its predecessor. However, it's a pity about a certain trend seen in this year’s televisions – the manufacturer has worsened the color gamut coverage. Although the QN85F has a QLED panel, its result of around 90% DCI-P3 is average, and in the most demanding films, it can lead to less vibrant colors than in the predecessor. Despite this shortcoming, the overall HDR effect is at an excellent level and really makes a big impression in this class of devices.

The S90D was tested in Filmmaker mode, which provides good colour reproduction, albeit with some imperfections that may be noticeable to more discerning users. This mode might appear overly warm, and those switching from Standard mode could find the change somewhat jarring. It is important to note that this issue stems from suboptimal settings, such as the white balance, rather than the Filmmaker mode.

In both SDR and HDR content, the device shows a drop in blue tones, resulting in colours appearing warmer than intended. In practice, this means that certain shades, such as sky blue or skin tones, may seem less natural, with a slight pink or yellow tint. The Colour Checker test confirms these deviations, indicating a shift towards warmer hues. In SDR content, the gamma chart reveals slight inconsistencies that make the image appear marginally darker, particularly in shadowed areas, which may obscure finer details in darker scenes.

In 4K HDR content, the EOTF curve exceeds the recommended level, leading to an overly bright display in some parts of the image, which can cause highlights to appear blown out. Overall, the Samsung S90D delivers a solid image straight out of the box, but for the best performance, further calibration is advised, especially with more demanding content.

The Samsung QN85F offers several preset picture modes, but out of the box, the television starts in "Eco" mode. We could actually end the discussion here, because for such a model, using this setting makes no sense – the picture is washed out, unpleasant, and far from what we expect from a television of this class. Therefore, we conducted our tests in the best available mode, which is the Filmmaker mode. Its purpose is to faithfully reproduce what the directors saw while filming, and indeed, this setting performs best among all the factory options. However, this does not mean it is free of flaws.

Both in SDR and HDR, the QN85F strongly highlighted warm colors. This stemmed from a lack of white balance, with a noticeable absence of blue. Additionally, the picture sometimes appeared overexposed – both the gamma brightness characteristic and the EOTF curve indicated that the television has a tendency to blow out scenes. In SDR, the color reproduction errors (Delta E at levels of 4–5) were still acceptable, but in HDR, the inaccuracies became really significant and clearly deviated from what the creators intended to show us. Fortunately, Samsung provides a wide range of calibration tools in its televisions, so – as always – we proceeded with professional calibration to see how much could be improved.

After calibration, the Samsung S90D in movie mode exceeds expectations. The white balance for HD and 4K HDR content has been refined to near perfection. While minor imperfections remain, they are so subtle that they don’t significantly impact the overall image quality. The colours are now more balanced, resulting in a natural reproduction of details, particularly in scenes requiring an accurate colour palette. It’s important to note that this model, in this size, uses a WOLED panel, which has a smaller wide colour gamut coverage and doesn't deliver the same vibrant colours as the 65-inch version with its QD-OLED panel.

The contrast has also seen notable improvements. Following calibration, the gamma curve now closely aligns with the expected line, achieving a better balance between the bright and dark areas of the image. The EOTF curve, which previously exhibited issues with overexposed scenes, now produces more accurate results, allowing for improved detail retention in the brighter parts of the image, especially in HDR content.

After calibrating the movie mode, we managed to tame the colors in both modes to nearly perfection – most of them did not exceed an error value of 3, which is the limit of visibility to the human eye. The image became more natural, fuller, and at the same time devoid of the blooming that was noticeable right after taking the TV out of the box. This shows how much potential lies in the QN85F and how well it responds to precise settings. However, this does not change the fact that certain technological barriers cannot be overcome. Despite the significant benefits of calibration, limitations of the panel itself still remain. Although the number of dimming zones has doubled compared to its predecessor, the algorithms controlling the backlighting can manipulate brightness in their own way. Sometimes this leads to slight color distortions or subtly visible halo effects around bright objects. Nonetheless, the reception after calibration is really pleasant and shows how good a screen the QN85F can be if we just take a moment for the right settings.

The S90D TV handles tonal transitions exceptionally well. Thanks to advanced technology, the transitions between colours are smooth and natural. The noise reduction function can further enhance the smoothness of tonal shifts, which is particularly useful in certain situations. However, it's important to note that enabling noise reduction can also blur the natural film grain, diminishing the cinematic quality of the image. For this reason, it’s advisable to use this function with caution, as preserving the natural grain can enhance the character and authenticity of the content being watched.

As always, Samsung excels in image scaling from lower resolutions. The S90D effectively processes lower-resolution content, delivering a clear and accurate picture. The model’s outline is crisp, ensuring the image looks natural and detailed. Even the finer details, such as tree branches, are well-rendered without visible jagged edges that could degrade image quality. Thanks to its effective scaling, the S90D ensures that even lower-resolution content looks appealing, satisfying users who enjoy a wide range of content sources, such as regular broadcast or cable TV.

Although the native tonal transitions on the QN85F perform excellently with 4K materials, we don't always deal with content in the highest resolution. That's when it becomes crucial how the television handles upscaling and digital image processing. This process is managed by Samsung's proprietary processor – AI NQ4 Gen2. In practice, it works very efficiently. If visible color banding or other undesirable phenomena appear on the screen, for example in materials from YouTube, they can be easily smoothed out using the "noise reduction" function. Set to medium, it improves tonal transitions while not excessively blurring desired details. However, it's important to remember that – as with most Samsung televisions – this feature significantly affects the film grain. Therefore, during movie screenings, it's advisable to use it cautiously to maintain the natural character of the image.

The upscaling itself looks very good. Test materials in lower resolutions were displayed sharply and clearly, with a lot of detail. The only drawback remains the issue of overscan, which is cutting off the edges of the screen. In most situations, this is not noticeable, but with very old materials below HD quality, there may be instances where part of the image on the left side is slightly cropped.

The Samsung S90D television features a 120 Hz panel, with the option to "overclock" to 144 Hz when connected to a compatible PC, offering exceptional motion smoothness. Samsung has long provided a range of image sharpness settings on a ten-point scale, allowing users to tailor the display to their preferences. In the UFO test, the OLED panel shows no signs of blurring, with pixel response instantaneous and effectively capturing dynamic movements. OLED technology is renowned for its performance in this regard, making it one of the best options on the market. The image remains incredibly sharp and detailed, even during fast-paced action, making the S90D an excellent choice for gamers and sports enthusiasts alike.

Motion blur and fluidity of motion in the QN85F is a topic worth discussing in more detail, as the television is equipped not with a standard 120 Hz panel, but with a 144 Hz panel. The additional hertz will primarily be appreciated by PC gamers, but the mere presence of such an option can be seen as a nice addition and a sign of the times – it’s hard to complain about the trend towards faster panels, since in practice, each of us would like the image to be as fluid as possible. However, the most important thing is how the television handles typical 120 Hz refresh rates – in the case of consoles, sports, or films recorded at 24 or 30 frames per second. And here, the QN85F performs really well. In movies, you can easily adjust the character of the image thanks to the “picture clarity” function, where we find two adjustable sliders. Key for viewing sessions is the one responsible for reducing motion blur. Lower values give the image a more cinematic character with preserved “frame rate,” while higher values lead to a strong smoothing that resembles television theater.

The Samsung S90D is an ideal choice for gamers, featuring four HDMI 2.1 ports that support key gaming technologies such as Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), and HDR Gaming Interest Group (HGIG). These features ensure smoother and more responsive gameplay, greatly enhancing performance during intense gaming sessions. The TV also includes a dedicated Game Bar, which makes managing game settings easy. This functionality allows users to quickly adjust parameters like the aspect ratio offering flexibility for different games and gameplay styles. Customising preferences is straightforward, further enhancing the convenience and enjoyment of gaming.

For PC users, the TV impresses by supporting a refresh rate of 144Hz when connected to a computer. Users with Nvidia or AMD graphics cards can also use G-Sync and FreeSync for a smoother gaming experience. However, it’s important to note that the TV does not support Dolby Vision, which may be a drawback for some. That said, Dolby Vision is not as widely adopted in gaming as in film, so this may not be a significant concern for most gamers. Overall, the S90D offers exceptional features for gamers, making it an excellent choice for those seeking outstanding image quality and modern technological solutions.

The Samsung QN85F makes a great impression in terms of features for gamers. It has four HDMI 2.1 ports, so we can easily connect several devices at once. There is also variable refresh rate (VRR) to prevent screen tearing, as well as automatic game mode (ALLM), which allows the TV to switch to the appropriate settings automatically when we start the console. Additionally, it supports refresh rates of up to 144 Hz – something that PC gamers will particularly appreciate, but the mere fact that such an option is available shows that Samsung is fully supporting gamers. The Game Bar panel deserves praise as well. It's a quick glance at key parameters – from frame rate to refresh mode to shortcuts for picture settings. Instead of sifting through the entire menu, everything is at our fingertips, which turns out to be really convenient in practice. However, the most interesting addition is the Game Motion Plus feature. It's nothing more than motion smoothing, transferred into the gaming world. When enabled, the picture becomes smoother, sometimes it even looks as though we're getting several more frames, and importantly, the response delay does not increase enough to interfere with gameplay. This solution truly sets Samsung's 120Hz TVs apart from the competition.

[UPDATE] We have updated our tests of Samsung TVs for the 2025 model year due to the release of software version 1131, which restored the crucial feature for gamers, HGiG.

The only serious downside remains the lack of proper HGiG support. This is a standard responsible for correct tone mapping in HDR games, ensuring that brightness and contrast are displayed as intended by the creators. Without HGiG, we have to adjust the brightness manually, which doesn’t always yield ideal results. The feature was available in previous models, but it disappeared from the QN85F after one of the updates. We hope that Samsung will quickly fix this issue, and we will keep checking to see if it has been resolved.