Samsung S90D vs S95D: The Duel of Champions

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Today, we're looking at two 2024 QD-OLEDs: the Samsung S90D and the Samsung S95D. The S90D is bound to be one of this year’s most popular TVs, but it has a bigger sibling, the S95D. Is the extra cost of the S95D worth it? How do you feel about matte screen finishes? Let’s dive in.
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Model Tested: QN65S95DAFXZA & QN65S90DAFXZA
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--- 
0:00 Intro 
0:53 Design
2:55 Inputs
3:26 Screen Coating & Reflections
4:42 HDR & SDR Brightness
6:23 Color Accuracy
7:09 HDR Native Gradient
7:23 Verdict
9:20 Outro
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[@rycmrc]

The glossy screen looks premium whereas the matte feels like a low cost TV. What were they thinking? 🤮

[@PrinceOfHavendale]

I saw the s95d at Best Buy, to be honest, it was hard to tell the difference. It was only when I was about 20-30 feet away at an angle that I could tell the difference. And it’s noticeably brighter than the s90d.

[@RTINGSdotcom]

It's definitely much easier to know in person, even trying to capture the matte finish on camera is difficult!

[@godspeedmaximus]

I brought the S95D about a month ago. It’s fantastic

[@RTINGSdotcom]

Glad to hear you're enjoying the purchase! 😄

[@DarkKnight-gw4gw]

Very helpful review! Just one suggestion: when showing the picture comparison between the two screens early in the video use the SAME content. It is difficult to see the differences when the content is vastly different. Thanks!

[@tbud3734]

Im happy they made s95d, and discounted s90d over s95d, for me s90d is the real flagship and i bought one. Never liked blurry matte and oneconnect box.

[@asafblasbergvideographer]

Your review is outstanding. The thermal throttle is concerning considering the high price point.

[@RTINGSdotcom]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the review 😄

[@omc951]

Why is it a concern when it’ll never happen in regular use?

[@asafblasbergvideographer]

@@omc951 it’s a longevity issue. If the TV gets warm and hot that much, that can reduce its potential lifetime.

[@DrakonR]

​@@omc951why excuse something that's not an issue in other TVs?

[@au50350]

can you do one vs the LG G4.

[@damianshaw8456]

Having seen the S95D a few times now, it's very subjective, but for me with any light on in the room it doesn't feel like an OLED, those inky blacks get washed out as the reflections are defused across the whole screen, at which point to me it feels like you may aswell get an LED screen. I know others don't have the same feeling on it though and love it, but I would strongly advise to see this panel in real life before buying.

[@fopp1]

I like to Watch hockey will the tv thermal throttle or is only when try high brightness test?

[@chez1982able]

Avoid that one connect box at all costs if you game, had awful issues with my s95c had to return for s90c

[@jysnax]

I was wondering about that thanks for the tip. Il probably stick with LG

[@chez1982able]

@@jysnax or get a qd-oled without that crap box, once you own a qd-oled you won’t want w-oled again

[@rolandrohde]

I wonder whether the issues with the OCB might be due to cable lengths? rtings is clearly using the short cable, maybe the longer cable is the one causing issues? Ha anyone done serious research on that with the S95C?

[@jysnax]

@@chez1982able what’s the difference with w and q

[@Mido7an]

I have the same issue tho it only happens once at the start of each gaming session and can be overlooked, yet I agree to avoid OCB if you can in which case the S90C is the better deal

[@wblebon]

The S90D has almost a 3D looking screen at time stamp 3:43 really dont like the horrible matte coating destroying the contrast seems people wanna go back to stone age when lcd had these

[@IwinMahWay]

Idk what this zombie army of matte lovers have in their skull They be watching oleds outside in a park or something. I'm terrified of tv manufacturers losing the beautiful liquidy glossy oleds.

[@RevansixGC]

do u recommend any Video to calibrate S90C?

[@feeddastark1826]

Has anyone found a wall mount compatible to the S90D?

[@user-zx9ey4xo8p]

What about diff in processor, upscaling, AI functions,...? These functions will be more and more important.

[@eXcore12]

Just FYI a port mentioned at 3:03 is not Audio Analog Output. Yes, it's 3.5mm jack port, but this is for serial logs (EXT-LINK), not for audio.

[@Icipher4]

@rtings have you tied using Samsung's Smart Calibration tool via Samsung phone? Wondering if that's worthwhile to try on the S90D?

[@RTINGSdotcom]

Unfortunately we haven’t. We use a dedicated calibration tool and software. Sorry about that!

[@tonyvance5342]

The big omission in regard to screen glare with the glossy, is that although the contract ratio is better, you're also going to experience parts of the screen that are reflective blocking any content in those areas from being seen. I would rather have slightly lower contrast ratio and see the whole picture than to see my 6 kitchen lights shining from the TV. Also, in a dark room, the contrast ratio between the two TV's is exactly the same. I have the S95D and love it both night and day. The LG C1 I had has been moved into a bedroom and I don't miss the reflections in the living room one bit.

[@SuperMyacc]

If you have a setup where you have 6 lights shining on the TV S95D might be a better pick, otherwise S90D is a better choice. You buy OLED for deep blacks. Otherwise, what is the point?

[@tonyvance5342]

Like I said, if you have any reflection at all (for example, in the daytime, I can see a clock and what time it is - in reverse - when watching the old LG C1); then you’re going to have part of the screen showing something else other than black or any of the picture. Sure, the screen may be a tiny bit more black but with more interference. If you have no reflections, then the new screen isn’t going to lift the black; it appears as black as any regular OLED. At night, with no lights in a very dark room, you don’t see any effect from the non-reflective screen. I am just saying it is an omission not to include this in a review. There is a trade-off both ways. Which one you personally will like is subjective. For me, the only complaint I have, which is minor, is that when the TV is off the screen has a slightly “oily” look with the non-reflective coating. Otherwise, I love the brightness in HDR movies both night and day, and I love the One Connect Box for my setup. To be perfectly honest I wanted the G4 and I think it is a better TV, particulars for processing. But I also got the 77 inch S95D for $2600 USD ($3600 CAD) directly from Samsung before launch along with the Q990D soundbar for $1300 USD ($1800 CAD) and the combo is amazing for the price I paid and couldn’t say no. Otherwise I would have gone with the LG G4.

[@michaelself5185]

I feel the same way. I had a matte screen TV in the early 2000's and have always wanted another. I typically watch movies or HDR tv shows in a dark room. But during the day, its mostly sports or light entertainment. So I don't care that much if the black levels are reasied a bit.

[@tazanddo]

Thanks RTINGS. Question: Will any premium HDTV ever, ever have a SUBWOOFER output??

[@user-oq6sc1qm4j]

The Sony trinton KV-36FV310 is a preminum hdtv and it has a subwoofer and its also a whopping 36 inches which is very big for its day;

[@JFinns]

An output would be nice. It'll never be built-in since a sub would take up much more size/depth and power.

[@blast0is]

S90D does not have QD-OLED in all sizes - should be disclaimed

[@lordwicked8855]

How do you know what s90ds are qd oled & which are not?

[@RTINGSdotcom]

Our experts are happy to answer any in-depth questions via our forums on our website! www.rtings.com/forums

[@Yoga_Tv_buying]

Rtings has fast 💨 become the Most professional honest tech 🎉review site ! Proud of Canadians 👍🏻🇨🇦

[@RTINGSdotcom]

🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

[@jaroslavtkac5058]

hi guys i have old lg bx 2020 i want to upgrade but i have no idea what tv to buy now... i mainly play games on it only on pc....

[@nyiceone2075]

S89c Samsung or S90c be good for movie and gaming

[@MichalBrat]

I have a Samsung soundbar... is it worth it picking Samsung over LG just for the Q Symphony to get a better surround sound? My current TV is an older LG and I am quite satisfied with it but it is due an upgrade in a year or so.

[@RTINGSdotcom]

Hello! Help with personalized buying advice is something our experts offer only via our insider forums www.rtings.com/forums/insider-advice. We do have lots of self-service tools and recommendation articles that should be helpful as well though!

[@wallyj2000]

Why is such different content on both TVs?

[@diego1294]

Im thinking about getting a samsung s90d and change my lg c1. I know s90d is better, but is it worth to spend money to make thus trade? The difference is big enough for that? I felt a hge difference when I traded my cheap 4k led tv for an oled, but im afraid to spend money and see a difference but not so big that ill regret spending this money.

[@mykhailoskachkov5946]

Yes, the difference worth that

[@diego1294]

@@mykhailoskachkov5946 thank you, man. Just waiting a price drop, because oled tvs are very expensive here in brazil.

[@DrakonR]

I enjoy my OLEDs, but I'm definitely enjoying miniLED more for my home theatre. Just great for both SDR and HDR content. Looking forward to the Bravia 9 coverage.

[@inceptionsd]

Samsung's OCB is making my OCD go crazy.

[@godspeedmaximus]

OCB?

[@inceptionsd]

@@godspeedmaximus one connect box?

[@godspeedmaximus]

@@inceptionsd gotcha. What bothers you about it?

[@inceptionsd]

@@godspeedmaximus Tons of reported issues regarding intermittent signal loss, hdmi problems and limited max bandwidth of 40gb/s.

[@godspeedmaximus]

@@inceptionsd oh okay. I thought you meant visually it was bothering your OCD

[@Xern9TV]

Cheaper S90C or S90D overprice?

[@tripdeezy]

Samsung doesn't even matter anymore if they aren't going to support one of the most widely used audio formats. That is beyond crazy. There must be some sort of beef going between these organizations or something.

[@alexgil6051]

What happens with panel lottery in S90D? I am so confused

[@JFinns]

None of them have Gen 3 QD-OLED. That's saved for S95D.

[@alexgil6051]

@@JFinns isn't it that different, from what I see it's pretty much unnoticeable

[@manuelpaz6716]

S90C definitely 🙌🫶📺

[@spartan_a1176]

Is Samsung using a new chip set, or is it the same as last year?

[@rolandrohde]

I think it's a slightly revamped version of last year's chip

[@chimaera6234]

Still cant decide between c3 and s90c. Have to decide tomorrow. Im worried that the s90c is oversaturated wirhout calibration

[@user-oq6sc1qm4j]

I dont think you understand yes the colors on the s90c are more saturated but its not oversaturaded its just brighter and has more detail because the qd oled has more color volume and brighter colors.

[@chimaera6234]

@@user-oq6sc1qm4j what about text fringing in game ui? I sit relatively close. Will i notice fringing. 77 inch, about 3 meters away

[@trewright1482]

Funny as there is much more to worry about in the C3 than the S90. I have an S89C and it is a monster. If it is still available and you live in the USA get it!! It is 77inch QD 2nd Gen glory!!! Amazing TV. Don’t overthink this…

[@user-oq6sc1qm4j]

@@chimaera6234 text fringing is better on the c3

[@chimaera6234]

@@trewright1482 thanks, i ll get the s90c later! :)

[@Radders1433]

When we get the colours of QD with the blacks of WOLED I’ll buy into that tech. Raised blacks in any ambient light is unacceptable this day and age

[@Max___Carter]

What about 83 inch ? Is qdoled or not ?

[@fps_lobotv]

It’s not QD OLED. Only 55, 65, and 77 are QD. All other sizes are WOLED however it’s still not a guarantee that you’ll get QD OLED in the sizes I listed. Panel lottery

[@hattorihanzo1329]

This year, seriously get the G4. No matte screen, brighter, better gaming features and more detail and image clarity due to the new next gen A11 processor + i lost faith in Samsung due to my S95B got a downgrade in brightness just with a software update

[@alsayedfakhri4597]

The s95b downgrade was an improvement in the ETF tracking. The A95L also still exists.

[@euckersw]

And no quality control concerns…

[@christiankansichi6622]

Does the S95C still suffer from thermal throttling or was it fixed?

[@EBAN4444]

Hey guys lets compare two TVs, but show different images/video on each when showing them next to each other.... WTF

[@MrCoolMagics]

Can you pls do s90c vs s90d🙏🙏

[@stennan]

Do OLEDs deteriorate faster due to heat? I would prefer a TV that I know is more durable (last years sony had additional cooling compared to Samsungs offering right?).

[@fvallo]

Yes, heat hurts, dont use max brightness, on qd oled thats easy on woled not so much

[@kurakuson]

The S95D just got Clobbered by the 83" LG G4. It's a tragedy

[@trewright1482]

LG cope is real…

[@davidl3083]

Lg G4 will bev best TV of 2024 ​@trewright1482

[@B_Ahmed1234]

Saw S95D in a Best Buy, like the matte finish or not, but it totally removes reflections

[@wblebon]

Try it at home good luck with it

[@kristof46]

Light in stores are way different. They are so high so this is ambient light not direct like sunshine or any other light in your house.

[@B_Ahmed1234]

@kristof46 Yeah, but I don't have any direct light on TV at home. That would be bad for any TV My main issue with reflections is just TV reflecting the walls in dark scenes, which can get pretty annoying

[@wblebon]

@@B_Ahmed1234 still get a haze coating even if its off or on really disturbing the contrast of APL

[@armandoenriquez1104]

5:04 p.m. - Arthur Timothy Read.

[@eslamarida]

Matte finish looks awful

[@cun7us]

It doesn't look awful, but glossy is certainly better especially for OLED.

[@rolandrohde]

I moved from a glossy LG Oled CX to a matte S95D. For me the matte finish is far superior, because the LG tended to very annoyingly mirror small light sources in my otherwise dark room, like standby LEDs in the background or the lamp from an extension cord.

[@eslamarida]

@@cun7us you buy oled for deep blacks, which matte finish destroys it with any light hitting the display.

[@eslamarida]

@@rolandrohde I also have lg cx and was planning to get s95d but i can't accept a matte finish on an oled

[@cun7us]

@@eslamarida no doubt, but describing it as "awful" is a slight exaggeration in my opinion. It just doesn't look as good as glossy.

[@veovius]

If they were the same price, which one would you get?

[@trumpameri1638]

S90C 2023

[@hub_s550]

I will take the Samsung qn85d and the poutine on the background screen 😂

[@hastensavoir7782]

Is the S90D better than the S95C?

[@RTINGSdotcom]

Hello! Help with personalized buying advice is something our experts offer only via our insider forums www.rtings.com/forums/insider-advice. We do have lots of self-service tools and recommendation articles that should be helpful as well though!

[@amrititbhu]

I have been using s95 D for the last 2 months. It completely removes reflections and now I cannot watch a normal TV without seeing reflection.

[@alsayedfakhri4597]

The S95D looks to have a cheating mode when viewing white windows. Thermal throttling that extreme is purposeful.

[@neo4102]

QDOLED FTW!

[@mrk1075]

You convinced me, I’m getting the 55” LG C4! 🙂

[@TheeIronJedi]

Gaming?

[@wolfgangh.9212]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@D3athW1ng]

Sigh, really tired of these little issues with Samsung, the heat thing has been a factor for years and even on an older model I owned I had this issue in addition to the blackouts on the one connect which occurred more as the tv was on longer. Def not buying any more of these but also not sure what else to even consider.

[@user-oq6sc1qm4j]

it will keep me warm in the winter.

[@sultansultan7812]

S90I IS THE CHOICE. IM JUST A STUDENT, 22

[@jonathane5675]

I prefer the higher brightness of the S95D but hate the matte finish.

[@syedmehmoodulhassan7175]

Thank you, I will buy LG G4

[@mikebing1230]

LG C and G lineup completely OWN everyone right now. The value vs performance is not even close.

[@trewright1482]

What are you smoking?

[@trumpameri1638]

😂😂😂

[@Yoga_Tv_buying]

Matte is Like TV having strok😢

[@doudoucover]

If you can review the asus scar 18 and wlmouse mini because its lighter its gonna take the spot

[@michaelwyckoff7593]

Buy whichever TV that will make you happy and fits your use case best.😊

[@RTINGSdotcom]

That's right! There's no perfect product for everyone, which is why our tagline is that we help you find the best product for _your_ needs!

[@bruceparker3139]

So in all Matte finish is a bust, HDR of s95D is bust, OCB is bust going from last year s95c users complaints. In all avoid Samsung TVs until they improves it

[@nomprenom440]

I already have a mirror in my bathroom...I'll choose S95D instead.

[@enriquesanders]

What about S90C vs S90D?

[@RTINGSdotcom]

Hello! Help with personalized buying advice is something our experts offer only via our insider forums www.rtings.com/forums/insider-advice. We do have lots of self-service tools and recommendation articles that should be helpful as well though!

[@Yoga_Tv_buying]

😮Samsung Business Leader must Smoke Weed or Had too much Sujiu when decided to do MATTE ! 😂 😅

[@cyronader]

damn so no ATSC 3.0? LG G4 doesn't have it either. I wonder if Sony's up coming A95M will follow that trend too?

[@mrwalker6026]

The people spoke and wanted higher brightness on their Oled's.. Well thankyou and you can now deal with thermal throttling, excessive heat and cooked TV's..😂😂😂

[@zexalex]

Why don't you mention QD-OLED in the title?

[@gbej1]

Anyone looking to buy these TVs and are thus here to watch a review on them should already know they are QD-OLEDs. There are no non-QD-OLED S90D or S95D, so there is no need to mention it in the title, it’s just like asking that the word ‘stripes' be mentioned when talking about Zebras.

[@RodMurray777]

I’m willing to bet the S95D will not sale good

[@antoniomusella4649]

Dolby vision?

[@damtech751]

Samsung won't support Dolby Vision or DTS audio on any TV. This is unlikely to change anytime soon.

[@ragnarone5409]

Less is more

[@CarnivoryHODL]

S90C/S89C is still the best TV of both 2023 and 2024. Most, if not all, are now Gen 2 panels (Same as S90D) and can be found much cheaper. Get them while you can!

[@jamie1539]

I agree. My S92c is outstanding.

[@Varganator]

Just bought a s92c and it's really good. However my 75"Q9FN is still my favourite in the living room. I only miss the 120hz at 4k but has 120 at 2k or FHD

[@davidburk4546]

*TVs

[@mistamon99]

After the bs with my s95c im done with samsung. The biggest disappointment ive ever purchased for a tv

[@spartan_a1176]

Return it while you still can and get the s90d

[@donwooss]

What bs?

[@RoniAmikam]

Hey, care to explain please?

[@nelsonw9483]

Please elaborate

[@kisigma1011]

​@@donwoossyeah he didn't update his tv

[@madpistol]

So my takeaway from this is if it's down to the S90D vs. S95D... buy the LG G4.

[@kraminbris6980]

Would not buy Samsung again. Every product I've had from them has failed disappointing early (just outside of warranty period). My 12 y.o. Panasonic plasma is still faultless. Even my little Hisense 32" TV has outlasted the Samsung 46" LCD TV I bought at the same time. Samsung dishwasher?...Same, failed just out of warranty. What does Eco really mean if it's just etrash after several years? What good is that for the planet? Old refrigerators lasted for many decades and are repairable - that's environmentally friendly!

[@orbitpro]

Stay far away from the new Samsung TVs if you want to use VRR or Earc. It was absolutely terrible. After 3 samaing s95c's, I told them to bloody refund me, and I got an LG G3. Works straight of the box, no issues!

[@JFinns]

It's a shame Samsung Display makes these incredible QD-OLED panels then has no clue how to put it into a quality TV. Poor color calibration (7200K color temp is insanely bad), mediocre image processing, mediocre audio, thermal throttling, no dolby vision, and bad OS. The A95L is still the only QD-OLED I'd consider if I don't wait for QDEL.

[@Debanjanepiskey]

And matte finish.

[@StoneCr8tive]

Why no LG?

[@MrFundamental929]

Better buy the C4 that have Dolby vision, DTS, Dolby Atmos. I don’t know why Samsung is selling this two expensive tvs without the most important features.

[@Canuck-1976]

It's all about Bravia 9 XR90 for me. I want HDR impact and accuracy and shadow detail etc. S95D is messed up because of the matte coating. The S90D isn't bright enough. LG G4 will have the typical WOLED issues.

[@BeatelementhePiH]

Spoiler: Buy a S90C

[@corzabourne2101]

The s90d is an 800 nit tv only. Just so everyone knows. Hdr10+ games recommend 800nits and the windows hdr calibration app tops out at 800 nits.

[@Outkaz745]

If you don't see the contribution of the Matte appearance even beyond the reflections, or the difference in brightness, it's because you need to change your glasses ^^ The matte aspect contains the colors, it gives a much more "realistic" appearance to the eye, the trees are not green, a little fluorescent, so it's less shimmering to the eye but we clearly get closer to the real colors , it is therefore adapted to the cinema. Despite the matte filter, the higher brightness also changes the effect, thanks to the OLED the dark areas are dark, thanks to the power of the QD OLED the light areas are really clear, we have a perfectly contrasted image, it is not enough to have a black a little blacker to achieve this effect, the new Bravia 9 is a perfect example (Sony Mini LED (backlit) monitors as well). The Glossy appearance had its advantages in the first years of Oled, now the Matte appearance must predominate. Manufacturers will obviously have to continually improve the brightness, passing the 2000 nits threshold (not to blind us, but to make HDR/Dolby Vision better). Life is not seen through glasses (except when we wear glasses), everything we look at around us has contained colors, the matte appearance respects this (hence the choice for the The model Frame to be LCD, because looking at a board with a glossy panel cannot be realistic). Regarding post calibration, I won't blame Samsung, I have a Sony Oled Bravia which has the same results out of the box, image at 7000K, Delta E at 3 etc. In short for me the future is neither Qled nor the classic glossy Oled, these are steps to slowly merge, the QD OLED (matte) and the Mini Led concocted by Sony on Bravia 9 further reduce the path to go to one day know THE technology that will make everyone agree.

[@Kivancli79]

Now calm down ... Abby had the day off. Its gonna be okay.

[@bb2status]

Raised blacks with ambient light burns my eyes. WOLED > QD-OLED

[@thejoeker9957]

Lower the brightness QD-OLED > WOLED any day of the week

[@JFinns]

@@thejoeker9957 Both are mid, wait for QDEL.

[@Liberates]

That's only the S95D.

[@cun7us]

There's no mention of raised blacks in this video and even on their website it gets a 10 for contrast, just like WOLEDs.

[@bb2status]

​@@cun7us​​Literally says purple tinge when used in a bright room at the end aka raised blacks with ambient light. Most QD-OLED owners are in denial it seems. I bought an OLED TV for deep blacks in all lighting conditions.

[@bluesky-ui7qf]

It's so unfortunate that if Rtings could play the same video on both TVs, the viewer would be able to instantly determine whether matte or glossy suits them