Samsung OLED S95D vs Hisense UR8S

Samsung S95D offers excellent HDR performance, providing uniform effects across all scenes exceeding 1500 nits, except for the fifth scene, where brightness drops to 800 nits. Despite this, the television maintains a high level of image quality. A significant advantage of QD-OLED technology is its ability to retain high brightness even in the smallest elements on a black background, which is uncommon in LCD and mini LED televisions. This ensures that every scene captivates with strong light effects, regardless of the size of the illuminated surface. Only in the brightest scenes with large light areas does brightness slightly decrease, which is typical even for standard LG-produced OLEDs. Additionally, the quantum dot coating has allowed for unprecedented high coverage of the BT.2020 colour gamut at 88%.

UR8S is a slightly higher-end Mini-LED, so you could expect a lot in terms of brightness. And indeed, on a synthetic test pattern the peak brightness reached around 2200 nits. That's a very good result, but as always what matters more is what the TV does in normal film scenes. Here the results are a bit more uneven. In bright scenes with a lot of light on screen, the UR8S can deliver really strong HDR. Brightness then reaches about 1500 nits, so the image is very intense and has a lot of punch. It's worse with small bright elements on a dark background. The TV noticeably dims them to maintain good blacks and avoid excessive blooming. As a result, things like single stars or tiny specular highlights can be only around 200 nits. And here HDR is no longer as impressive. So the local dimming algorithm works effectively, but it comes at a cost, sometimes it simply sacrifices the brightness of small details too much in favor of contrast.

Colors

With RGB Mini-LED TVs, colors should be evaluated a bit differently than usual. If we look solely at the panel's capabilities, the UR8S performs great. We measured about 94% coverage of BT.2020 and practically full DCI-P3. These are among the highest values currently found in LCD TVs, and this is where the potential of RGB backlighting is most apparent. The problem is that this potential isn't always used in real scenes. When we ran the same measurements on patterns with an overlaid film background, the saturation of some colors dropped noticeably. Individual zones can't always control the three RGB components as precisely when the scene becomes more complex. This is most noticeable with blue and magenta. In simple test patterns they can look very strong, but in tougher scenes samples of those colors clearly shrink. So the UR8S has enormous potential, but the TV can't always make full use of it.

The Samsung S95D’s Filmmaker mode excels in colour accuracy, making it ideal for true-to-life viewing and closely reflecting the intent of content creators. We rely on this mode for all testing, as it presents significantly more detail than the often oversaturated standard or dynamic modes. Initially, viewers may find the image slightly warmer in Filmmaker mode, but it brings out a more authentic, balanced display. Despite being in the premium segment, the factory settings aren’t perfect. For example, there is a dip in red tones in the white balance for both HD and HDR content, with Colour Checker tests showing a cooler colour bias that shifts the image towards blue, impacting the natural appearance of scenes. In the sample photo, the boy appears in cooler tones, which diminishes realism.

Brightness performance for HD content is generally on point, though minor inconsistencies appear. However, the more noticeable issue arises with 4K HDR content. While the EOTF curve seems accurate in test patterns, real scenes sometimes reveal fluctuations, where some areas are overly brightened or darkened. Although the S95D offers reasonably good out-of-the-box colour reproduction, calibration is recommended to achieve a more precise, natural, and immersive picture, maximising the television’s potential.

For evaluating out-of-the-box colors we used Filmmaker mode, which is supposed to show the image as close as possible to how the material was intended. Looking at white balance alone, the UR8S does quite well. There is no strong color cast that immediately jumps out, although as brightness increases a bit too much blue and red appear while green becomes deficient. Color errors therefore show up in measurements, but the image itself does not look bad.

We have far bigger reservations about how the UR8S manages image brightness. In SDR the gamma stays around 1.9 to 2.0 for most of the range instead of the target 2.4. In practice this simply means the image is too bright, especially in the midtones. Shadows are lifted too much, so the image loses some depth. A similar trend is visible in HDR. The EOTF curve sits above the reference value for a large portion of the range, so the UR8S again brightens the image more than it should. This is not a matter of the TV lacking brightness; it has plenty of it. The issue is how it manages that brightness. As a result, HDR material can look very striking, but not always exactly as it should.

Calibration can significantly elevate a television's image quality, enhancing both accuracy and overall viewing experience. For the Samsung S95D, calibration has notably refined the white balance, removing major colour inaccuracies to produce more natural and balanced tones, which allows for a closer representation of the filmmakers’ vision. The adjustments bring subtle improvements to contrast and gamma, with more pronounced distinctions between light and dark areas, adding depth and revealing finer details in both shadows and highlights. This creates a richer, more lifelike image with enhanced detail, particularly in darker scenes where shadows now hold greater clarity, while bright areas appear well-balanced rather than overly intense.

Despite these improvements, the EOTF curve remains slightly below ideal, which might influence the handling of dynamic scenes. However, the enhanced tonal transitions and boosted contrast post-calibration make the S95D an excellent choice for film and high-definition content, bringing it closer to reference-level quality. This calibration enables the television to deliver a more immersive, accurate visual experience in line with industry standards, ultimately offering a more rewarding viewing experience.

Hisense offers quite a few calibration options, and in SDR you can achieve a really good result with them. After calibration, the white balance is practically uniform across the entire range, and color errors drop to very low values. The UR8S can be adjusted very precisely here. HDR looks a bit different. The white balance itself can also be noticeably improved, although at the highest brightness levels larger deviations start to appear. What's most interesting, however, is the behavior of the EOTF curve. Even after it is properly set on test patterns, the UR8S can still interpret brightness its own way during movie playback. Depending on the scene, parts of the image are slightly brightened while others are darkened compared to how they should look. This shows that the algorithms responsible for backlight control have a fairly large impact on the final image. So calibration can greatly improve colors, but we can't completely "turn off" the way the UR8S manages brightness in HDR.

The Samsung S95D handles tonal transitions in lower-quality materials exceptionally well. In tests featuring a screen with a light bulb, there are virtually unnoticeable transitions between shades of grey, positioning it among the best televisions we have evaluated in this aspect.

Regarding digital processing, the S95D excels in rendering the entire image—whether it's branches or figures—without any jagged edges or overly pronounced contours. However, one point to note is that the image appears slightly trimmed. Despite this minor issue, the television still performs admirably, ensuring that details in lower-quality materials remain noticeable and well-defined. This ability to maintain clarity and depth in various content types further solidifies the S95D's reputation for delivering a high-quality viewing experience.

A major advantage of the UR8S is its MediaTek Pentonic 800 processor, and digital image processing is one of this model’s strengths. The TV handles smoothing tonal transitions very well, especially with lower-quality sources. The feature responsible for this effect works effectively without overly interfering with the picture. Even at the medium setting it can noticeably reduce visible banding and unevenness without heavily blurring details. Upscaling also performs very well. Lower-resolution content is displayed cleanly, edges look natural, and the image isn’t overly sharpened. The UR8S simply copes very well with weaker signals, and in that respect it’s one of its clear strengths.

The Samsung S95D TV, featuring a refresh rate of 120 Hz (and even 144 Hz when configured correctly for PC use), guarantees exceptional motion smoothness. Samsung provides a range of image sharpness settings on a ten-point scale, enabling users to customise the display according to their preferences— favouring a more cinematic look or a smoother, theatrical feel.

In UFO tests, the OLED panel demonstrates its strengths by effectively eliminating any blurring. The rapid pixel response ensures that dynamic movements are replicated with remarkable precision, resulting in a fluid viewing experience that enhances fast-paced content, such as action films or competitive gaming. This combination of high refresh rates and superior pixel response makes the S95D an outstanding choice for those seeking crisp, clear motion in their visual media.

The UR8S is equipped with a panel that has a native 180 Hz refresh rate, so it already offers great potential for smooth motion. The panel itself performs really well, though some limitations typical of VA panels are still visible. Smearing is relatively low for this type of screen, but with faster motion (especially on darker backgrounds) it can still be noticed, particularly when compared with the same image on OLED TVs.

The Samsung S95D TV is expertly designed to meet the needs of gamers, featuring four HDMI 2.1 ports that support essential functionalities like Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), and HDR Gaming Interest Group (HGIG). While the HDMI 2.1 ports do not offer the full 48Gb bandwidth, they are still adequate for achieving the desired resolution and smooth performance.

These technologies enable players to experience smoother and more responsive gameplay, significantly enhancing comfort and performance during intense gaming sessions. A standout feature is the Xbox app, which facilitates cloud gaming without requiring a console. This allows gamers to access an extensive range of titles directly on the TV, enjoying high image quality and fluid gameplay.

Additionally, the S95D includes a Game Bar feature, making it easy to manage game settings with quick adjustments, such as changing the screen ratio—an extremely useful function for various games and gameplay modes. The support for G-Sync and FreeSync is another advantage, particularly for Nvidia and AMD graphics card users.

Although the S95D lacks support for Dolby Vision, it still provides an impressive array of features, making it an ideal choice for console gaming enthusiasts. Overall, the S95D combines cutting-edge technology with exceptional picture quality, creating a comprehensive package for any gamer seeking an immersive experience.

In terms of gamer features the UR8S performs really well. The TV supports practically everything you’d expect from a modern console or PC display. It offers ALLM, VRR, and 4K at 120 Hz. It also supports Dolby Vision in game mode, so when using an Xbox Series X you don’t have to give up that HDR format. PC gamers get even more options. The panel can run at 4K/180 Hz, and dropping to Full HD can raise the refresh rate up to 330 Hz. There’s also a Game Bar that lets you quickly view key information and change gaming-related settings. The only clear shortcoming is a proper implementation of HGiG. With it enabled the TV still interferes with HDR brightness mapping, so we don’t get the effect intended by that standard. Aside from that, the UR8S is very well prepared for both consoles and a powerful PC.