For as long as many will remember, Samsung has opted against using OLED panels in favor of QLED technology, for better or worse. Well, Samsung has finally come around to the OLED party with the Samsung S95B.
The company’s new flagship TV is actually more than just a traditional OLED panel in that it’s something new as a QD-OLED panel. What this means is that Samsung has merged the OLED panel and its strengths around brightness with QLED technology, which has a deeper color range. The result is a fantastic television and Samsung’s best picture ever.
As is typical with Samsung, display quality alone isn’t the only reason to grab the S95B when you consider other strengths like sound, gaming, smart features, and its solar-powered remote. Let’s take a look at 6 reasons why you should make the Samsung S95B your next TV purchase.
Samsung S95B Quick Facts
| Price | Starting at $1,599 MSRP |
| Available Sizes | 55, 65-inch |
| Panel | QD-OLED (Quantum Dot OLED) |
| Peak Brightness | 1,300 nits |
| Screen Resolution | 4K |
| Refresh Rate | 120Hz |
| Processor | Neural Quantum Processor 4K |
| Software | Tizen |
| Sound | 60W Dolby Atmos speakers, Object Tracking Sound+ |
| HDR Support | HDR10, HLD, HDR10+ |
| Gaming | VRR, ALLM, FreeSync, HDMI 2.1 |
| Voice Assistance | Samsung Bixby, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa |
- Over 8 million self-illuminating pixels with limitless contrast
- Neural quantum processor optimizes picture scene-by-scene
- Excellent detail and color for streaming
- Fantastic Dolby Atmos surround sound
Picture Quality
No discussion around the best reasons to buy a Samsung S95B television can start without first talking about the screen improvements. As a new panel developed by Samsung, expectations were mixed as to what Samsung would deliver, but the resulting OLED panel uses every bit of its 8.3 million pixels and has put to rest any debate over whether Samsung could match LG OLED quality.
By incorporating HDR into the display Samsung was able to move beyond its initial barriers around HD quality and any limitations around the dynamic range. In doing so, Samsung has delivered a panel that can produce incredibly deep blacks and just as crisp whites. Not to mention that all of the wonderful positives of the panel come together thanks to the Neural Quantum Processor that delivers ridiculously good 4K quality but can also upscale to 4K as well.
Contrast
Offering a near-cinematic display, Samsung notes that available contrast is almost limitless. This might seem like a bit of a stretch but as just about every online test and review has shown online to date, Samsung is actually delivering on this commitment. Not to mention this panel may be among the most bright ever seen across any OLED panel to date.
It’s just that good at delivering strong brightness regardless of ambient lighting conditions which makes it good for both day and night viewing. Night viewing, in particular, will be especially great when streaming a movie because of the full detail offered by HDR and HDR10+.
Pantone
What’s more, Samsung indicates they have worked with color experts from Pantone to perfectly match the full range of Pantone colors. This means if you see cobalt blue on your screen in a TV show, commercial, or movie, it should be faithfully recreated exactly the way it was filmed. The same is true for skin tones as one hundred diverse skin tones are possible through the QD-OLED panel.
Mini-LED
Another highlight of the QD-OLED technology is how well it performs over Samsung’s high-end Mini-LED TV lineup. Aside from being brighter, contrast is more pronounced and the OLED panel delivers even more shadow detail than any Mini-LED panel can deliver. In addition, the advent of the QD-OLED panel has given Samsung far more bragging rights around wide viewing angles than they have ever had with Mini-LED or QLED.
LG G2
When compared to the Samsung S95B’s foremost competitor, the LG G2, it’s believed that Samsung is delivering somewhere around 10% more brightness overall. There is no question the LG G2 already produces excellent brightness but a 10% difference, however nominal it sounds on paper, is definitely noticeable in practice.
- 8 million self-lit OLED pixels provide stunning depth and clarity in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision HDR
- Gallery Edition hangs closely to the wall and displays art photography when not in use
- Ideal for gamers with a VRR, ALLM, and Game Optimizer Mode
- Alexa-enabled with streaming support for HBO Max, Disney+, Hulu, Netflix, and more
Smart Calibration
Chalk up one more reason to pick up the Samsung S95B as you can easily calibrate the screen as soon as you receive the television from your smartphone. All it takes is 7 to 12 minutes and you can end up with professional-grade calibration all from the comfort of your living or family room, just by using a downloadable app.
Design
The introduction of the Samsung S95B has presented the company with an opportunity to introduce a new design form factor known as Samsung Laser Slim design. While it might sound like a gimmick as OLED televisions in this price range are almost always incredibly slim, the S95B is 3.89mm slim at its thinnest point. At its thickest point, this number increases to a mere 1.6-inches only due to the necessity that somewhere on the television has to house the internal components and the speakers.
When placed in an entertainment center, the Samsung stand is functional and, if nothing else, serves its purpose and it won’t leave anyone wanting for anything more. There is a good chance you won’t even look twice at the stand and instead focus on trying to identify just how small the bezels (borders) are on the hardware.
Speaking of hardware, a polycarbonate material composes most of the S95B body and is fairly sturdy overall. However, one reminder is the top of the TV, because of its thinness, can bend while shipping, so this is something to be mindful of when ordering. Still, it’s hard not to be impressed by the thinness of the S95B and just how good it’s going to look in your home.
©Mr.Mikla/Shutterstock.com
Remote
A remote control is hardly a reason to buy a new television, let alone a flagship model like the Samsung S95B, but this remote is worth considering on its own for one big reason. What makes the Samsung S95B remote stand out is something that you likely rarely consider but can frequently drive television owners crazy.
Samsung included a solar cell panel on the remote with the S95B in lieu of batteries and it’s so smart you’re left to wonder why every television manufacturer isn’t doing the same. Charging through sunlight or ambient light, all you have to do is place the remote on its back and let it do its thing, and voila! You can forget about that whole dedicated battery stash for your remote control.
Gaming
Under normal circumstances, it’s LG televisions and their OLED panels that receive all of the glory around the best gaming televisions. With the release of the QD-OLED panel, Samsung has literally raised the game and included a number of features to make the S95B appeal to even the most hardcore gamer. While it lacks Dolby Vision, you’ll find all of the critical technologies you would want including variable refresh rate (VRR), auto low latency mode (ALLM), FreeSync Premium, and four HDMI 2.1 inputs. The latter is a critically important feature for any next-gen gaming console like the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 as it enables up to a 120Hz refresh rate.
Built-in support for Xbox GamePass is also included within the dedicated Samsung Gaming Hub so you can stream games without a physical console present. No matter which game you stream, Samsung’s introduction of Motion Xcelerator Turbo+ helps ensure the 120Hz refresh rate is eliminating any potential lag. Combined, all of this technology makes for one compelling reason for any gamer to own the S95B.
Sound
The sound produced by the Samsung S95B isn’t going to eliminate the need for a soundbar or full surround sound system, but it’s arguably one of the best available in any television on the market today. Delivering a full 60W of power, it’s the inclusion of technology like Dolby Atmos and Object Tracking Sound that help raise the level of audio performance on the S95B.
The speakers themselves are placed behind the screen, which makes it sound as if you are hearing audio from exactly where on the screen something, like an explosion, is taking place. It’s a cool if imperfect feature, but it’s far better than what many television manufacturers, LG included, are delivering today.
Most important is that music and dialog all sound very crisp and you can push the volume as high as you need without any distortion or vibration. Q-Symphony technology is also built-in which allows the TV speakers and a compatible Samsung soundbar to match up in perfect harmony and improve the overall sound in a big day.
No matter if you skip the soundbar, as a 2.2.2.2 system, you will receive the full output of 60W of power. Even so, the S95B may not quite hold up to the Sony A95K, which is often considered the best-sounding television. However, it’s a close second, which means yet another reason to buy the Samsung S95B.
- Quantum Dot Color technology for deeper blacks and lifelike colors
- Includes Google TV operating system
- Exclusive gaming modes for the PlayStation 5
- Connect with Alexa, Google Assistant and more
Connectivity
While connectivity might not be a dealbreaker for many people, knowing that you have a complete connectivity suite on a flagship TV is important. With that in mind, Samsung’s inclusion of 4 HDMI 2.1 ports is something that should be standard across the board for all TV models over $1,000, maybe even less. On top of HDMI 2.1, you also receive Wi-Fi 5.0, one eARC port, dual USB ports, Ethernet, ex-link service, and more.
To help accommodate the thinness of the television, the HDMI ports are separated from the rest of the inputs but that’s something worth overlooking because of just how thin the S95B is, even at its thickest point.
- Contains 8.3 million self-illuminating pixels
- Built-in Dolby Atmos object sound tracking
- Smart TV hub to help find movies, shows, and games you want to play
- Xbox Game Pass built-in, no console necessary
Should You Buy the Samsung S95B?
Yes, absolutely. If you are in the market for a new television and are not brand committed to the likes of LG, Samsung has produced an exceptional television with the S95B.
Between its best-in-class OLED panel, specifically around brightness, and its phenomenal gaming qualities, the S95B can easily be considered a must-own television.
It falls down a little because of Samsung’s often disappointing Tizen interface which is decidedly not best-in-class, but you still have all of the streaming services you could ever want available at your fingertips. If you can overlook the smart TV as just being okay, the rest of the television is well-worth the asking price.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©iStock.com/haizon.
