Review: Samsung S95D QD-OLED
Samsung has launched the third-generation of QD-OLED, but this year you can only be certain of getting QD-OLED in S95D (S90D is a panel lottery). In 2024, QD-OLED is even brighter, but the major change in S95D is that Samsung has added a matte coating to the panel to reduce reflections. You also get a very slim design due to the external One Connect box, HDMI 2.1, the latest version of the Tizen platform and HDR10+ support – but still no Dolby Vision. And there is a surprise in store, FlatpanelsHD can reveal. Samsung S95D is available in 55, 65 and 77 inches. FlatpanelsHD has tested the 65-inch model. Also read: Samsung 2024 TV line-upPrice and retailers:
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DE retailerFirst Impressions
Samsung S95D is an elegant TV due to its streamlined, slim chassis with a metal frame around. The "secret" here is that the electronic components and power supply have been moved into an external box, the so-called One Connect. This means the TV itself has only one port for video, audio and power. On the back, you will also find speakers and the mounting holes for the wall bracket and the tabletop stand, which is quite heavy due to being metal. The stand provides a solid base for the TV, even though it is centrally aligned. In our experience it requires at least two people to mount it. As for the One Connect box, it is still very big, although it is become a bit smaller over the past few years. It has four HDMI 2.1 ports and no less than three USB ports. There is also an Ethernet port, but it is still limited to 100 Mbps. Two cable lengths are included to connect the One Connect box to the TV. The shorter one is used when you place the One Connect on the back of the TV's stand. The longer cable is for situations where you want to hide the One Connect box in furniture under the TV. However, note that the box generates significantly heat due to its internal power supply, so you should try to avoid putting it in a small space. Whether or not you like the One Connect solution is a matter of preference. Personally, I think it is a good solution, although I find the box to be far too large. Something could be done about that, like removing half of the ports.User experience & features
Samsung currently has the best and most streamlined setup process in a Smart TV, where the TV, for example, checks for new firmware during setup to download it in the background instead of having to wait until after setup. You can also use a smartphone app. Nevertheless, the setup process tales too long, which is the case for all modern Smart TVs today, requiring permission to collect personal data and so on. After setup, you are greeted by Samsung's TV platform, Tizen, which in 2022 transitioned to a full-screen UI instead of the more discrete bottom menu. Tizen "recommends" content directly on its homescreen but also provides direct access to popular apps, both local and international ones including Apple TV, Disney+, Max and Netflix. Tizen can open apps with only moderate delay but it could certainly be faster. More troubling, Tizen tends to sporadically become very slow or unresponsive for no apparent reason. Tizen feels more polished visually than technically, especially after the transition to a full-screen interface.
2024 Tizen (Smart Hub) in Samsung S95D. Photo: FlatpanelsHDMany countries still do not have access to Samsung's 'Gaming Hub', where all gaming services are unified in one common hub, but you can still download apps like GeForce Now and Xbox separately from the app store (we tested the Xbox cloud gaming experience last year in our Samsung S95C review). There are also a few other hubs, including the Ambient Hub, from where you can set up the TV to display art when it is not in use. However, the art features in Tizen are a far cry from the art features in The Frame, and we did not find the Ambient Hub particularly appealing or useful. On the homescreen you will find movie and TV show titles, similar to Google TV. In 2023 and 2024, free ad-supported channels have also made their way to the homescreen, including the 'Sony One' channels from Sony Pictures, which are ironically not available on Sony's own TVs, besides Samsung's own highly promoted TV Plus service with free, ad-supported content. If you take a closer look at the Tizen homescreen, you might begin to wonder why you are being "recommended" the things you are. Only when you start to understand that it is about commercial partnerships rather than content the TV maker actually thinks you might be interested in, do the pieces start to fall into place, and Tizen must also be understood from this perspective. The Tizen homescreen is turning into a digital billboard for partners' content rather than a user-friendly experience and it is looking less and less appealing every year, in our opinion. You can change the order of the content rows below the app row, as they follow the arrangement of apps in the top row. Not all apps can present content on the homescreen. The 'Recent' and 'Recommended for You' row are fixed. In 2024, another Hub has been added (the four-leaf icon) called Samsung Daily+, where you can, among other things, manage your connected SmartThings home, i.e. devices connected to Samsung's SmartThings system. We did not have any at the office, so we cannot comment on the functionality. Tizen's integration with smartphones is useful. From the SmartThings app, for example, you can open and control apps directly on the TV. If you have an iPhone, you can also add a 'Live Activity' directly on the lock screen, from which you can turn the Samsung TV on/off and open a remote control app. This is something that normally requires Apple HomeKit integration, but Samsung does it with its own SmartThings system. Speaking of which, Samsung TVs still do not support Apple HomeKit, but they do support AirPlay 2 so you can wirelessly send video, pictures, music and other media files to the TV from an iPhone/iPad. It works as intended. There is no support for Chromecast in Samsung TVs so you have no alternative on Android devices (LG has this year added Chromecast to its Smart TVs even though they do not run Android). To summarize Tizen, it is relatively easy to navigate, but has some major pain points (see the next section). It is normally relatively fast but tends to lose steam for no apparent reason. The presentation of content looks clean, but ads and strange "recommendations" (the EU is working to make this clear to consumers) take over more and more each year. We still recommend connecting an external box for all the smart stuff and to leave the TV disconnected from the network. The big news this year is that Samsung will begin to upgrade Tizen after the sale. Until now, Samsung had reserved the next version of Tizen for next year's models, meaining that older models gradually get outdated software, causing apps to not run properly or sometimes cease to function entirely. Samsung is promising 7 years of Tizen upgrades on 2024 models and select 2023 models. We do not yet have the details, but FlatpanelsHD has for years pressured (and deducted points in TV reviews) Samsung and other TV makers to start upgrading their TV platform, so this is welcome news.Operation
Unfortunately, the bundled remote control does not match the elegant design of the TV. The remote streamlined and the number of buttons has been significantly reduced, but it is made from black plastic, which does not befit a flagship TV with such a high price tag. A metal version of the remote exists, so it is a shame that Samsung has chosen to bundle the plastic version with S95D, as it feels cheap and too light. For many years, we have encouraged TV makers to drastically reduce the number of buttons on their remote controls and streamline the user interface to simplify the overall user experience. Samsung has listened, but unfortunately the company has made two disappointing choices in the process:
Samsung's simple remote is available in metal, but unfortunately the plastic version is included with S95D. Photo: FlatpanelsHD
Sponsored buttons are also found on remotes from competitors. Samsung's are colorless so they stand out less, but no one can argue that it is a good idea to place buttons to specific streaming services that the user may not even subscribe to. From the user perspective, it would make more sense to have four user-customizable buttons instead, but obviously that does not put extra money in the TV maker's pockets.
The removal of the Source button means that switching between HDMI inputs is more cumbersome than it should be. Perhaps a bit cynical, but we interpret it as Samsung's attempt to control the TV experience; to communicate "you don't really need anything other than our TV to watch TV, movies, play console games, etc". It might have worked if Samsung's TV platform, Tizen, was not a half-baked potato.
The easiest way to bring up your HDMI and other sources is, in our experience, to hold down the 123 button in the left corner of the remote for a few seconds, which brings up a menu that seems out of place but still serves the purpose.
Another irritating thing with Samsung's remote is that the Info button has been removed. In fact, it is not just the Info button that is missing on 2024 models, but the entire Info function, so you can no longer get information about the input signal the TV (is it 4K, HDR10, HDR10+, 24Hz, etc.?). Even if you manage to find an old Samsung remote with a dedicated Info button, the button no longer works with a 2024 Samsung TV.
So yes, Samsung has a much simplified remote and user experience, but some questionable choices have been made in the process, which are hard not to interpret as Samsung's own interests rather than the user's interests. The remote has solar cells on the back and can also be charged via USB, a nice touch.
TV speakers
For a TV, S95D has a well-rounded 70W 4.2.2-channel speaker system, with multiple bass units on the back. The speakers delivers better sound than the average TV, but there is still no deep bass, and we did not hear much Dolby Atmos effect from the angled speaker units either. For casual day-to-day usage, we believe that the built-in sound system will satisfy many users, but for movies and games you should consider external speakers. The more interesting aspect is actually everything Samsung offers outside of the built-in speakers. You can of course connect a soundbar or receiver to HDMI eARC/ARC (note that the eARC part must be manually enabled on S95D), or optical if you only have older equipment. However, Samsung has also implemented a wireless system to connect its own soundbars and more recently Music Frame. Another option is to use the TV's built-in speakers simultaneously with a soundbar (from Samsung). We will look at both the soundbar flagship HW-Q990D (Q955D) and Music Frame in later reviews, including how they integrate with a Samsung TV.
You can connect extra speakers wirelessly to S95D. Photo: FlatpanelsHD
Samsung supports Dolby's audio formats, including Dolby Atmos since 2022. None of the DTS audio formats are supported, which we confirmed with test files. Samsung and Google have developed an alternative to Dolby Atmos, which they expect to roll out later in 2024. We did not see signs of it in S95D. The absence of DTS is mostly relevant for users who want to play ripped Blu-ray movies from a hard drive or server, but also increasingly for Disney+ subscribers, after Disney+ has started to add DTS:X audio on certain movies.
Also read: List: TV models with Dolby Atmos, DTS:X & IMAX Enhanced
Calibration
Other picture modes
Click the title to expand the view
| Dynamic (SDR) |
| Movie (SDR) |
| Filmmaker Mode (SDR) |
| Game (SDR) |
| Dynamic (HDR) |
| Standard (HDR) |
| Movie (HDR) |
| Game (HDR) |
| Eco (HDR) |
Measurements
In our "measurements" section we include all measurements and our suggested calibration settings. If you want to learn more about our test methodology click here. Note: Starting last year, we implemented a new method for measurement of average power consumption in SDR and HDR, meaning that earlier measurements are not 1:1 comparable. The new method will be used in all TV reviews going forward.Picture quality
As mentioned earlier, the film and gaming industries have already made significant efforts to transition from SDR to HDR. Most major titles are now released in HDR. So it is only natural that TV makers are focused on improving HDR picture quality, particularly brightness. The two major changes in Samsung S95D compared to last year's S95C are higher brightness and the matte screen coating. So let's start with HDR. As shown in our measurement table, S95D reaches about 1600 nits peak brightness with a calibrated picture, which is around 30% higher than last year's S95C. Is it evident? It is difficult to say for certain without having the TVs side-by-side, but compared to a typical "WOLED" (without microlenses, or MLA), such as LG C4 or Philips OLED809 with about 1000-1100 nits peak brightness, there is a noticeable difference when the content is mastered to exceed 1000 nits peak brightness. In our test scenes, HDR content looked more impactful and vibrant. Not in the sense that S95D boosts picture parameters (unless you select one of the poor picture modes) but rather so that if the HDR signal demands power, the QD-OLED panel delivers power. Similarly, HDR scenes with brightly illuminated colors look very saturated, particularly red and green appear more saturated and true to the signal compared to the WOLED panel. With real content, such as movies and games, this is sometimes noticeable, for example in Mad Max: Fury Road, but there are also many scenes where no difference is observed. Mastering studios still rely mainly on HDR reference monitors that adhere to the DCI-P3 color space, so content is typically not created to take advantage of the wider color space that QD-OLED enables. Which is a pretty wild situation if you think about it; consumers now have, in some respects, better displays at home than some Hollywood studios, just as the transition to HDR meant that high-end TVs surpassed cinema in picture quality. The higher color saturation is an advantage of QD-OLED over WOLED, but it will only truly shine ince the content industry beings to embrace the new possibilities. In essence, HDR picture quality on Samsung S95D is outstanding.
Peak luminance over time. Graph: FlatpanelsHD
Right: Samsung S95D with matte coating. Left: Samsung S95C without
If you look closely at the video, you will notice that the right side of S95D (which is on the right) no longer reflects the window but instead just creates an undefined bright area. After watching movies and playing games on S95D throughout the review period, and moving S95D around so that the windows were either behind or to the side, I have yet to reach a clear conclusion. Is it better? Yes, sometimes, but it is also a significant compromise.
In a bright room, it is clear that S95D almost eliminates reflections from windows and lamps, which is nice, but it also has the effect of making black appear quite gray in the areas of the screen where light hits. At its worst, it gives these screen areas a contrast-poor LCD screen-like appearance. On the other hand, it allows you to place S95D even in the brightest living rooms (which the high full screen brightness also helps with). True black has historically always been a huge strength of OLED. In a dark room, the differences are less noticeable, but if you have a light source somewhere, it can still affects black levels on S95D and it seems as though the picture occasionally loses some of its shine and depth.
In the picture below, you can see how a window to the right of the screen and a lamp at the top left do not reflect but instead create blown-out gray areas:
The matte coating on Samsung S95D eliminates reflections from windows and lamps, but it is a compromise. Photo: FlatpanelsHD
I think most buyers would have to live with the TV for some time to reach a conclusion, and it will depend a lot on the living and lighting conditions, but personally I lean towards seeing it as an advantage only during midday when the sun is harsh. At other times and in other scenarios, I prefer the glossier coating on OLED TVs – I think LG has hit a better compromise with the MLA OLED panel. Samsung should offer buyers a choice.
To wrap up the QD-OLED panel evaluation, are two primary concerns remain: the triangular pixel structure still causes color fringing around text and graphical elements in the picture, as seen in the picture below. The color of the fringing depends on the color of the object/text and the background. This is particularly noticeable on subtitles and user interface elements. Our second concern is somewhat overshadowed by the discussion about the matte coating, but brightly illuminated elements on the QD-OLED panel tend to "bleed" a bit into the dark areas, almost as if it was a zone-dimming LCD TV, though not to the same extent. Samsung Display must improve this.
The 2024 QD-OLED's triangular pixel structure still causes color fringing. Photo: FlatpanelsHD
Samsung still does not support the Dolby Vision HDR format, but S95D supports Samsung's alternative HDR10+ in addition to HDR10 and HLG. With Amazon and Apple rolling out HDR10+, there is now a better selection of HDR10+ content, although there is still much more content in Dolby Vision format.
On the other hand, Samsung has quietly introduced another new feature, which FlatpanelsHD can reveal today: HDMI 2.1 QMS (Quick Media Switching), which, along with a compatible media player (currently only Apple TV 4K 2022), can eliminate the black screens – the "HDMI bonk" – that always occur when the HDMI signal changes refresh rate, e.g. from 50Hz to 24Hz. QMS does not eliminate black screens between SDR/HDR. Read more about QMS in Samsung TVs in this article.
QMS in Samsung S95D worked as intended with Apple TV 4K 2022, as demonstrated in the video below. Unlike LG, Samsung has no annoying QMS notification banner. Note that QMS does not work on the S95D if the Game Mode setting has been set to 'Auto' (it can be set individually for each HDMI port).
Samsung has also introduced auto-switching to Filmmaker Mode, which means that S95D automatically switches to Filmmaker Mode and back to the previous picture mode. However, it still requires the HDMI signal to set a 'flag' (which we have not seen in practice yet) or for the app to set a flag in the video stream. Auto Filmmaker Mode was previously limited to the built-in Amazon Prime Video app but it now also works with the built-in Apple TV app, as demonstrated in the video below:
Turning our attention to regular SDR content – everything not in HDR – S95D performs admirably again, primarily due to the QD-OLED panel. There are various "AI" and conventional picture enhancement algorithms that can alter the picture in different ways, but as you known we usually turn off these in the pursuit of the most accurate picture – if content creators want their content to look different, they should re-release it in a new format.
Samsung's massive marketing around "AI" processors does not really have an effect with a calibrated picture, and we remain skeptical about how powerful the processor actually is considering Tizen's performance. Samsung's motion system, Motion Plus, can help mitigate the 'stroboscopic effect' seen in pans in very bright movie scenes due to the low frame rate of 24fps. However, we have not found a setting level that reduces the 'soap opera' effect enough to be considered a good compromise. LG and Sony are still ahead in terms of motion systems.
Also read: Why 24fps is not enough for HDR movies
There i snot much else to add here. S95D performs well across movies, series and TV content. Sports such as football and Winter Olympics will look even better in a bright room due to the higher full screen brightness of 2024 QD-OLED panel.
So let us turn our attention to gaming. Like LG, Samsung offers four HDMI 2.1 ports, all with support for optional features such as VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) with PS5, Xbox and PC. It supports up to 4K 120Hz with consoles and up to 144Hz with a PC. S95D also has FreeSync and G-Sync compatibility, so the only thing missing here is Dolby Vision support.
In addition, S95D includes Samsung's latest Gamebar menu, providing quick access to gaming-related features and information about the input signal.
We measured input lag to under 10ms in Game mode with a 4K60 signal, so it will be even lower at 120Hz and lower still with VRR, which we cannot currently measure. Gamers can even activate Samsung's motion system, Motion Plus, to add additional artificial frames for smoother gaming. This only adds about +10ms to input lag when set to 'Game Motion Plus'. Outside of the Game picture mode, input lag is around 50ms, which is also among the lowest we have measured on a TV. However, VRR still causes certain picture issues at lower frequencies, such as flicker.
There is a lot to be excited about in regard to gaming on S95D, due to the excellent QD-OLED panel, if not for Samsung's Game picture mode, which is a disaster. FlatpanelsHD has previously demonstrated how it destroys the visual aspect and atmosphere in games, and we find it very hard to understand where Samsung got the idea that colors and brightness in games should be boosted to such an extreme that, for instance, a horror game like Limbo ends up looking like broad daylight with a strong blue tint, or the dark forest in Ori and the Will of the Wisps be boosted to look more like a psychedelic trip. It shows a lack of respect for game developers, who – like filmmakers – are deeply concerned with setting the mood through visuals and sound.
Here are examples from the two games. On the left is Samsung's Game picture mode and on the right is how the game was actually created and should be experienced.
Conclusion
Samsung S95D is the third generation of QD-OLED, which is once again brighter, reaching 1600 nits peak brightness (1900 nits in Dynamic mode) and over 300 nits in full screen. This is an advantage for both HDR content and very bright rooms. However, the biggest change is the matte coating, which almost eliminates reflections from windows and lamps but on the other hand can make the screen lose vibrancy and appear slightly grayish. We are not sure if we like this compromise – buyers should have a choice.Ad:
That said, S95D delivers amazing picture quality in 55, 65 and 77 inches, surpassing LG's MLA OLED technology in some areas. It is Samsung's best picture quality regardless of price or model. Particularly in HDR but most other content is also presented beautifully. We had hoped for a slightly more accurate Filmmaker Mode, though, and Samsung Game picture mode is a disaster, as it completely alters the visual experience in many games, despite the otherwise excellent gaming features of S95D.
Samsung has partnered with Dolby on Atmos, but they still reject the Dolby Vision HDR format. A nice surprise is that Samsung has implemented HDMI 2.1 QMS (Quick Media Switching) to switch refresh rate without a black screen with compatible HDMI media players. This is in addition to features like SmartThings, Apple AirPlay 2, and the external One Connect box, which helps keep the TV design elegantly streamlined. The Tizen platform has received minor updates but the homescreen ads are becoming too intrusive, and Tizen still cannot match Google TV. The good news is that Samsung will finally start upgrading the Tizen OS version after the sale, which is why we are no longer lowering the feature score by 10 points for S95D.
The direct competitors are Sony's A95L QD-OLED (review here) and MLA OLED TVs such as LG G4 (review to follow), Panasonic Z95A (review to follow) and Philips OLED909. Samsung S95D is a strong contender due to the excellent QD-OLED panel but it does not unseat Sony A95L as our reference TV.
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Amazing SDR & HDR with +1600 nits
Better color than WOLED in HDR
4x HDMI 2.1 w/ QMS & gaming
Sleek design w/ One Connect
Matte coating eliminates reflections
Matte coating affects black & picture depth
Filmmaker Mode not spot-on
Nothing over 77"
No Dolby Vision
QD-OLED color fringing around text
Raised blacks / flicker in VRR
