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The Slim Panel and Smart Remote
The S95B, which is both an OLED television and Samsung's flagship model, looks sleek and beautiful. The active screen is surrounded by a slim, black border measuring only a quarter inch in thickness. A thin strip of gray metal runs along its edges. A narrow, slightly darker, metallic strip outlines the bottom edge. Small outcroppings are located in the middle of the screen and the upper right corner. The TV's far field microphone and infrared sensors can be found in small areas. You can mount the S95B on a metal rectangular base that measures 14 inches wide.
The panel is incredibly thin in most places (approximately a quarter-inch in depth); the thickest part is a gray plastic enclosure on the back that houses all of the electronics and physical connections. Two HDMI ports (one eARC) and two USB ports face right on the right side, while two more HDMI ports, an Ethernet port, an optical audio output, a 3.5mm EX-LINK port, and an antenna/cable connection face down.
This package contains the Samsung Eco Remote. It is a rectangular, dark grey wand that has some energy-friendly functions. The built-in battery can be charged via either the USB-C connector on the bottom, or by sunlight. Solar panels are located on the underside.
The front features a large circular navigation pad that sits at the top. Power, voice, multiview and settings buttons are located above the pad. A pinhole microphone is also found there. Below the pad are menu buttons, volume and channel rockers, as well as dedicated buttons for Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ and Samsung TV Plus.
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Tizen Troubles
Samsung's Tizen smart TV platform, which is based on Android, remains the biggest barrier to smooth user experiences. Problem number one is the menu design. It's difficult, for example, to navigate between different settings beyond the simple ones that appear when you click the menu button. It feels awkward to switch between inputs. This is just a clunky experience, compared to other smart TV platforms.
That said, it's full of features, unlocks apps for most major streaming services, and supports Apple AirPlay 2 (but not Chromecast). The S95B's far-field microphone even makes hands-free voice control via Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Samsung's Bixby possible.
Quantum Dots: The Double Edge
Samsung S95B 4K OLED TV has a 120Hz refresh speed. The Samsung S95B supports HDR10, HDR10+ and hybrid loggamma content (HLG) in high dynamic range (HDR). Samsung still refuses to support Dolby Vision compatibility despite being able to play Dolby Atmos audio. A ATSC 3.0 tuner is also available on the S95B for 4K and high-definition TV broadcasts.
Tests of TVs were done using the Klein K-80 colorimeter (Opens in new window), Murideo SIX-G signal generation (Opens in new window), as well as Portrait Displays' Calman software (Opens in new window).
OLED TVs must have an 'infinite contrast' because each pixel can be turned on or off, brighten, dimmed, and thus produce perfect black levels. The S95B is not able to achieve this. The panel uses quantum dots to enhance color so it doesn't appear completely black.
While some parts of this screen do not emit light when placed in an enclosed environment, quantum dots appear to respond to ambient light. This could be due to reflections or other elements of the panel. Although the darkest parts still appear very dark, they are not as dark as OLED panels. We can't measure the black level because the screen is technically dark even when there's light.
It's the best OLED TV that we have tested, the S95B. Peak brightness levels for an SDR signal are quite modest at 137.082cd/m2 when there is a white full-screen field, and 329.95cd/m2 when the Peak Brightness setting to high has an 18% whitefield. Full-screen peak brightness with HDR signals is still dim at 239.66cd/m2. However, if the 18% whitefield is used, it jumps up to 752.69cd/m2. For consistency in our TV review reviews, we use 18% white fields. However, a 10% whitefield further boosts the S95B's brightness to 1,045.06cd/m2.
This makes the OLED TV the only one we have tested capable of reaching the HDR10 standard at 1,000cd/m2. The measurement is also significantly higher than that of the LG C2 (569.75cd/m2 to achieve an 18% whitefield and 823.84cd/m2 to attain a 10% field). We can't say the S95B has a contrast ratio that is as high as the C2 because of the above issue with its black levels. We have to call it an unusual case that we can't measure. It will be interesting to see how the A95K OLED TV equipped with quantum dots performs in these same tests.
The above charts show the S95B's color levels out of the box in Movie mode, with an SDR signal compared against Rec.709 broadcast standards and with an HDR signal compared against DCI-P3 digital cinema standards. In both cases, they're about as perfect as we've ever seen. All SDR colors are spot-on, as are all HDR primary colors. Cyans, magentas, and yellows drift very slightly, but are still very accurate. The color performance is very similar to the LG C2's, with greens that reach just a bit further into ideal saturation levels and secondary colors that are a touch less on point.
BBC's Planet Earth II is a great option for the S95B. The natural colors, like the greens and blues of the water, look vibrant, diverse, and varied. In both sunny and dark scenes fine details such as fur and bark can be clearly seen. Shadows are sufficiently dark with clear textures and look sufficient darker. This OLED panel is brighter than high-end LED TVs.
In the opening scene of Deadpool, Deadpool's red costume looks natural. It is neither purple-tinted nor oversaturated. In the later scene in the lab, you can see the different hues of oranges and yellows from the flames. The TV shows all highlights and keeps all textures. In the darkest parts of frames, shadow details are also clearly visible.
Black suits and hair in the party scenes of The Great Gatsby appear dark and still display plenty of texture and contour. Even with very bright white objects in the high-contrast shots, the details remain visible. Skin tones are also nicely saturated, balanced, and natural.
Rapid, responsive gaming performance
Gamers will find the S95B very attractive feature-wise. It supports AMD FreeSync Premium for variable refresh rates, and it also offers an Auto Low-latency Mode (ALLM). The TV also features a Game mode-specific control panel that displays the current refresh rate as well as any VRR features. It does not support the LG C2’s Nvidia GPU G-Sync compatible mode. However, the LG model also supports FreeSync Premium.
Due to the testing conditions at Samsung, I initially was unable to measure standard input lag using an HDFury Diva matrix (Opens in a New Window). Instead I used the Leo Bodnar 1080p video signal input lag tester (Opens in new window). Its Game mode recorded 9.4ms, which is just under the threshold of 10ms that we use when a TV is considered to be the best.
Conditions allowed us to use our lag testing equipment after the test session. However, at this stage, I was unable to access the S95B directly. Since I was unable to perform the test in person, Samsung technicians performed the test remotely. The Samsung technicians reproduced the entire testing procedure using an HDFury Diva and an Xbox Series X video source. In Game mode, the input lag measured by the Diva was 1.3 milliseconds. This is a remarkable reading for a TV that offers a wide range of gaming options. Due to the differences in how these devices work, it is not unusual for the Bodnar lag test to display a higher level of input lag. Given the difference between these results, I'm comfortable with the Samsung technicians measuring a 1.4ms delay. We will record both the results of each test for transparency.
OLED TV: Incredible, But Imperfect
Samsung's OLED TV debut is a great success, but there are some notable limitations. This OLED TV is the most brilliant we have tested, and it offers great color performance. It is extremely thin, has a smart solar-powered remote control and features like Apple AirPlay 2. The black levels can be a problem due to the OLED panel and quantum dots. Although they are technically flawless in absolute light isolation, their sensitiveness to ambient light means that the black levels don't appear as deep on the LG C2 (which does not use quantum dots tech). Because LG's webOS platform is better than Samsung's Tizen smart television platform, we still recommend the LG C2 as our Editors' Choice for top-end TVs. Although the S95B may not be the most impressive effort on the market, it still offers the highest quality picture possible, even with the limitations of low light.
- Digital cinema color from the box is almost perfect
- The brightest OLED TVs we have seen so far
- There are many features to choose from, such as Apple AirPlay 2 or hands-free voice assistants.
- Remote control that is eco-friendly and powered by solar energy
- OLED panels' black levels are less perfect because of quantum dots
- Tizen-powered TV platforms are clunky
- There is no Dolby Vision support
Samsung's S95B TV series shows how vivid colors can look on an OLED panel using quantum dots technology. However, those same dots also throw off levels that should be completely black.