Samsung S90D OLED TV: Sleek Design Complements Great Picture Quality

Pros

• Superb picture quality
• Easy-to-use interface
• Great contrast and off-angle viewing

Cons

• Expensive
• Reduced black levels in a bright room

Each year, OLEDs are the best (and most expensive) TVs we test in CNET's TV lab. For this review, we lined up Samsung's S90D alongside the company's higher-end OLED, the S95D. The more-expensive Samsung OLED TV incorporates a new screen finish meant to reduce glare, and we found it performed really well in bright rooms. 

The S90D cost $1,000 less than the S95D, but it doesn't reduce glare nearly as well. This isn't a deal breaker in itself, but we also found that the S90D didn't perform as well in bright rooms as its similarly priced competitor, the C4 from LG. The LG C4 showed better contrast with the lights on, which made the image pop more.

The S90D and the C4 looked similar (and excellent) in a dark room, whether we were watching a movie or gaming, and both outperform any non-OLED TV we've tested. The S90D has all the features of a high-end TV and the actual picture quality differences -- including the aforementioned contrast -- are subtle.

The S90D and C4 are currently priced the same. So which somewhat-more-affordable OLED  TV should you buy? For the most part, it'll come down to design and features, but if you're basing the choice on image quality, the LG C4 has a slight edge thanks to its better contrast in bright rooms. 

Samsung S90D series TV sizes

We performed a hands-on evaluation of the 65-inch Samsung S90D, but this review also applies to three of the other screen sizes in the series. The three sizes below have similar specifications and should provide similar picture quality. 

• Samsung QN77S90DAEXZA (77-inch)

• Samsung QN65S90DAEXZA (65-inch)

• Samsung QN55S90DAEXZA (55-inch)

Samsung has also introduced three other three sizes in the S90D series: 42-, 48- and 83-inch. Unlike the 65-inch model we tested, those sizes use WOLED panels, not QD-OLED. For that reason, our test results don't apply to those sizes.

Sleek panel and simple remote elevate design

The S90D is extremely thin and has a strikingly narrow bezel. Samsung's remote is small and rests nicely in the palm of your hand, as opposed to LG's remote that -- while more feature-rich -- is unnecessarily bulky, in our opinion. 

Samsung's menus are largely easy to use and we had no real complaints, but the input menu can be a little clunky to navigate to at times without a designated button on the remote. This was the only real drawback we noted as a result of Samsung's comparatively minimalist remote design.

Traditional panel design with unique stand

Samsung's higher-end S95D OLED TV has a OneConnect box, otherwise known as an external box for inputs and power. This allows the TV to sit more flush with the wall and minimize the need to hide cords. The S90D does not have a OneConnect box, meaning you connect power, HDMI and other inputs directly to the back panel, as is usually the case. The S90D is still remarkably thin without the external box, so we don't consider this a major drawback (or reason to upgrade to the S95D in itself).

The stand is a little untraditional, with its two legs centered -- rather than spaced out -- along the bottom of the TV. Apart from the aesthetic difference, this type of stand could be easier to accommodate on smaller TV furniture.

Versatile HDMI supports gaming ease

Three sizes of Samsung's S90D OLED TV contain Quantum Dots, which promise to enhance color quality and brightness in the already top-of-the-line picture quality of OLED TVs. According to our tests, the S90D does a great job with color and brightness, but the difference wasn't drastic compared to TVs that use WOLED technology.

Unlike most high-end TVs, the S90D does not have Dolby Vision HDR. Neither did its predecessor. Ultimately, we don't consider this a major drawback. 

The S90D, like its competitor and the step-up Samsung S95D, supports HDMI 2.1. 

This means the HDMI ports can handle 4K at 120 frames per second and variable refresh rate, as well as enhanced audio return channel and automatic low-latency mode (auto game mode).

This versatility in HDMI is important for gaming fanatics looking to support multiple next-gen devices, like an Xbox and a PS5 that can connect simultaneously. 

• Four HDMI inputs with HDMI 2.1, HDCP 2.2

• Two USB 2.0 ports

• Optical digital audio output

• RF (antenna) input

• RS-232 port (minijack, for service only)

• Ethernet (LAN) port

Excellent picture quality despite slight reduction in contrast

TV and movies: We started in a dark room comparing the S90D to the S95D, LG C4 and TCL QM851. The QM851 is a mini-LED TV, not an OLED, but its predecessor is our current best TV for the money. Plus, a best-in-class mini-LED comparison serves as a helpful reference for people who may be torn between upgrading to an entry-level OLED TV versus going with a mini-LED model.

Both the S90D and the C4 looked great, and the following differences were very subtle. 

While watching Trigger Warning, an action movie new to Netflix, the S90D lost some contrast in bright scenes. The skin color of characters appeared cooler and the slightest bit washed out during the opening scene of the show, where Jessica Alba's character is riding in a car. 

Darker scenes in the same show also had slightly less shadow detail on the S90D. But it's important to emphasize that both TVs looked great in both bright and dark scenes, despite these subtle differences.

When we compared the TVs with the Spears and Munsil 4K benchmark, the S90D and C4 were even more similar. There were no major differences in color accuracy whether to the eye or quantitatively with our hands-on testing. And speaking of the TCL QM851, the mini-LED comparison made the S90D look far more realistic to the eye. The TCL is remarkably bright, but it lacks the fine detail and depth that the OLEDs can deliver in rich, vivid scenes.

Bright lighting: The S90D does not have the same anti-glare coating as its step-up counterpart, the S95D. This finish caused the S90D to lose a bit of contrast in a bright room, but we still deemed it the best TV we've ever tested -- especially for its ability to reduce reflections in a bright space. 

But while the S90D doesn't have the same degree of anti-glare technology as the S95D, its screen does reduce reflections a bit more than the ultra-glossy C4. This was visible when the TV was on, but it was especially evident when we turned the TVs off and compared the finish on the S90D and C4. 

Overall, however, we preferred the image quality of the LG C4 in bright rooms over that of the S90D. That's because the LG preserved contrast better, with deeper black levels, which created a richer image. In other words, unlike the more-expensive Samsung S95D, the S90D's reflection handling wasn't worth the loss of contrast.

Again, these differences are less noticeable in a dark room, where the S90D contrast is preserved. So while the takeaway for the S95D was that it's versatile and a good option for bright rooms in particular, the S90D doesn't stand out as a bright room superhero. 

Samsung's brighter picture modes (Standard for HDR and Dynamic for SDR) were quite inaccurate. For the accurate results listed above, we used Filmmaker mode for both SDR and HDR. We recommend S90D owners choose Filmmaker for all HDR sources since it's almost as bright as Standard and much more accurate.

Gaming: When you connect a game console, Samsung's Game Hub allows you to navigate directly to it -- switching the TV into Game Mode and offering up the gaming menu. This is a pretty seamless process, as opposed to navigating to the general settings menu and switching modes and inputs.

When we played Call of Duty on the S90D, both the gaming functionalities and pictures on the TV looked great. The depth in the scenes stood out especially, almost giving the game a three-dimensional appearance. The input lag was low, and it was lowest in game mode. The S90D supports 4K HDR at 120Hz, just like the C4.

There were features for the more experienced gamer, including a virtual aim point that can be turned on and off, as well as customized, from the game menu. There are additional advanced settings, like adjusting the black levels to make enemies in shadows more apparent.

In their respective standard game picture settings, the S90D appears more vibrant than the C4. When we engaged in a fight in Star Wars within a cave, the S90D had much better visibility -- and the cave was more illuminated by the hero's lightsabers -- than on the C4, which looked darker and more cinematic. 

All in all, the S90D looked brighter and more engaging, but we wouldn't squarely say one TVs gaming picture appeared better.  It comes down to a stylistic preference: a more engaging picture with the S90D or a more accurate picture with the C4.

Uniformity and viewing angle: The S90D held up well regardless of where you view it from, consistent with the promise of most OLEDs. There are no apparent uniformity issues.

Picture quality settings: Filmmaker mode was the S90D's strongest picture mode upon testing. Movie mode was a close second, but we found that this mode does produce some default smoothing, which can create the largely undesirable soap opera effect.

Portrait Displays Calman calibration software was used in this review. 

Read more: How We Test TVs