OLED TVs have been hailed as the best of the best for the past decade, as their exceptional light control allows for darkest blacks. But since 2013, when Samsung released the company’s last curved OLED TV screen, the technology has largely been in the domain of LG and Sony. However, this year Samsung got into the business of making OLED TVs again, and I went to the Samsung S95B OLED TV to check out if it’s up to the game and how it stacks up against the competition.
What is Samsung S95B OLED?
Well, this is an OLED TV. Apart from that, it is a very good OLED TV with the following key features:
- HDR 10+ Certified
- 4600 PQI
- ultra viewing angle
- Neural Quantum Processor 4K
- 120 Hz
- Dolby Atmos
- Game Mode with Mini Map Zoom and FreeSync Premium
- 4 HDMI 2.1 Ports
- fancy solar powered remote
- 1ms pixel response time
Mostly, that’s too many words to say “it has a good picture and plays the game well”. OLED usually has very good wide viewing angles, and it allows you to see vibrant colors, even if you have a crap seat on the other end of the sofa, or are trying to see from the kitchen.
Like the vast majority of OLED TVs, it’s pretty slim and would look great in any room, but also be completely terrible to carry, should you ever move.
How does it compare to Samsung’s mini-LED TVs?
Image: Alice Clark
very friendly! But it’s like saying both pasta and pizza are great. They are both really wonderful food, but they are better for different purposes and different people have different preferences. Also, pasta is better.
Objectively, OLED TVs in general are better at dark blacks, while mini-LED TVs are better at dark whites, while not quite as bad at blacks as their regular-sized LED cousins. OLED TVs tend to perform better in dark rooms, while mini-LEDs are the best option for bright rooms.
This Samsung OLED may be brighter than the OLEDs from Christmas Past, but it’s still not going to be as bright as the Neo QLED if you have direct sunlight going on it.
Although, thematically, I prefer the color over the mini-LED. While some people find the red color on the Samsung OLED to be extremely vibrant (somebody called it “too vibrant”), I found it a bit washed out on some sources. It’s an interesting insight into how people see color differently, and I think it’s beautiful. Not helpful by any means, but gorgeous.
I’m not sure what to mistake for the red thing, as it was on Xbox Cloud Gaming and YouTube, which are built-in apps, but then red looked really cool on the Xbox Series X, and it was great on the Netflix app. . Is this apps? Because the same videos on the same apps are really vibrant red on my NeoQLED Samsung TV. Maybe it’s something in the apps that isn’t talking to the TV properly? Given that red was good on some sources, I’m going to say it’s probably not the TV’s fault, but it’s still worth noting.
Another thing that bothered me was that the text on the short captions looked a bit fuzzy. Enlarging the captions to a slightly larger size made it less fuzzy, but it was a bit frustrating on sources that only have short captions (which are always annoying anyway). This may be due to the unusual pixel structure of the TV, but it’s only noticeable on small text.
Given its price, and how good it looks, this is a great TV for your normal, not extremely bright room, especially since OLED is still better at color and brightness control than anything else.
Yes, but is the Samsung S95B OLED TV good for playing games?
Image: Alice Clark
Yes, extremely.
For casual gamers, Xbox Cloud Gaming is built right in, so you can access Xbox Game Pass games. This would be great for families who want to play without investing in an expensive console because they’re not sure how often they’ll be playing, or for PlayStation owners who want to play Xbox games only occasionally.
I spent about 45 minutes playing Forza Horizon 5 on the cloud, and it was a great experience. The lag was surprisingly minimal, so much so that I barely noticed it. The only thing that gave it that it was on the cloud and not on the console, it looked a lot worse as if it was SD, and it certainly wasn’t the 120fps I’m used to. This is because the internet connection was sub-optimal. But, given that I was playing a full-fledged console game, without having to download a console or games, it seemed like magic.
Seen playing Horizon 5 on Xbox Series X Excellent, At a buttery smooth 120fps in Performance mode, it played so well. Game Mode bumps up HDR brightness and gives you access to things like being able to make the minimap bigger (which I couldn’t activate in Forza for some reason), see how the variable frame rate is doing, and up to 16 Option to switch :9 to 32:9 or 21:9 so that you can get an ultra-wide view.
The other thing that makes this TV so great for gaming is how easy it is to set up pictures from multiple sources, so when you’re stuck, you can have a window with a YouTube guide, and more. Another might be mirroring your phone for Discord chat or something. , Being multi-view will look better at a larger 65″ because 55″ may not have enough real estate unless you are really, really close.
Samsung S95B OLED TV for viewing accessories
You should watch A League of Their Own. Image: Alice Clark.
Of course, TVs aren’t just for playing games, apparently, and I was really impressed with how this TV looked with a variety of sources and videos.
Maisel in 4K, the bright costumes really showed up on those super dark black backgrounds in the clubs. It seemed perfect.
Going from one of the more expensive TV shows around to a web series that was made several years ago for around 50c, Upculture ended up making the Carmilla web series much better than usual.
Watching the 4K nature documentary on YouTube was a delight, even if the parrot red got weirdly washed out on YouTube for no good reason I can’t figure out.
Samsung S95B OLED TV vs. LG C2: The Fight
“Fancy OLED TV that looks really good and costs about $4000 for 65” may sound very familiar to people reading about the LG C2, which is generally my most recommended OLED TV. The biggest difference between the two is that the LG supports Dolby Vision and HDR 10+, while the Samsung supports only HDR 10+. Dolby Vision HDR looks better if you’re a massive nerd who will notice those things. However, unless you keep them side by side, or are used to a TV with Dolby Vision, you probably won’t notice much. The Xbox Series X and PS5 can both do Dolby Vision and HDR 10+, so it’s not that big of a loss for most people.
Samsung, on the other hand, uses fancier QD-OLED technology, which is normally found in more expensive Sony models, so it’s a nice tradeoff between fancier technology and Dolby Vision for less money than Sony. Plus, the LG C2 is usually a few hundred dollars more expensive than the Samsung S95B, and with their specifications being so close, whichever of the two you’re looking to buy is the cheapest at the time.
Any accessories to watch with this TV?
Answer to the question “Do I need a sound bar with this TV?” There is always yes, unless you have a full surround sound system. I tested this TV with the S-Series Ultra Slim sound bar and was blown away by how small and beautiful it sounded. It handled everything I threw at it, from crisp Forza Horizon 5 car revs to smooth jazz. Without the sound bar, the TV sound was surprisingly tolerable, but with the sound bar it sounded really great. Get the soundbar.
Should I buy Samsung S95B OLED TV soon?
Image: Alice Clark
If you can find it at a price you like, you’re specifically after an OLED TV, and you love it, then sure. It’s a great TV.
The only thing stopping me from wholeheartedly recommending it is that it’s really hard to tell the difference between the LG C2 and the Samsung S95B. They are both really good. Also, I don’t know how bright your room is, because OLED is the best option in a dark room, while mini-LED is the best option in a bright room, and that’s one of the deciding factors in which TV is right for you. For.
That said, I really enjoyed the time I had with the S95B. The operating system is great, the remote is excellent (assuming you don’t like number buttons for free-to-air TV viewing), and it’s a good-looking set. It’s a great TV.
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