Samsung S95D - The OLED for Any Light

Over the last year or so I've had to change my views on a few things to do with TVs.

Firstly, ironically, sound.

Ever since TVs became flat, we all just sort of accepted they wouldn't sound very good anymore. As a result, we hungrily snatched up the soundbars and other external sound systems AV-makers offered us to help solve an issue they'd created themselves.

But just lately, thanks to some incredible advances in audio engineering, not only have they managed to cram heaps of speakers into some painfully thin spaces, they've also figured out how to bounce the sound of walls and ceilings to recreate a virtual home theatre listening experience. Thus, the last few tellies I've reviewed have all sounded great.

The second thing I've had to reassess is the choice between OLED and other panel technologies.

For some time it's been generally accepted that OLED screens offer a more dynamic contrast, thanks to pixels turning completely black when switched off. However, when compared with backlit panels, pure OLED displays tended to struggle in bright conditions.

Well, again, the last few OLEDs I've tried have lifted the level of brightness to a point where that's no longer a valid argument - and the latest effort from Samsung goes a step further still.

The S95D is Samsung's premium OLED offering, available in 55, 65 and 77-inch options.

Like all flagship Samsung TVs in recent memory, the TV itself is just a thin, flat panel on a stand, connected to a separate One Connect control box by a single cable. I'm still mystified why other manufacturers have yet to mimic this ingenious form-factor as it makes these TVs unquestionably the most attractive on the market.

While you have the option of attaching the One Connect box to the stand itself, I prefer to hide it away in a cupboard, out of sight. Because Samsung sent me the smaller, 55-inch model this year, the minimalist design really is quite breathtaking.

Unfortunately, I'm used to a 65-inch panel at least and I must admit, when I first set the S95D up, I found the clutter of the Tizen OS home screen quite confronting. The fairly wide menu bar down the lefthand side combined with a top row of viewing recommendations I never asked for is exactly the kind of visual pollution I could do without.

The recommendations seem to be entirely linked to content available on Samsung TV Plus, Samsung's own curated streaming app of over three-hundred free channels. That's all well and good if you specifically bought this TV to avoid paying subscriptions to the more common streaming services but personally, I didn't. So those recommendations are a waste of space.

The next row down is more useful; the apps you've installed displayed in the order of your choice.

And below that, more recommendations but this time, based on the content available on the apps above. Way better

This year, Samsung continues to offer some nice little added extras. The Philips Hue app is still pricey, but will allow you to sync content with Hue smart bulbs and lighting strips without having to pass through an external box. And the Xbox app, which gives you access to games via Microsoft's Game Pass service, gets better and better every time I use it.

It helps that the S95D is run by an impressively powerful chip; the NQ4 AI Gen2 Processor. A bit of a mouthful but as the name suggests, you get a lot of neural networks devoted to complex operations like upscaling, AI calibration and gaming - at up to 4K 144Hz.

The solar-powered remote control is also still a favourite of mine - and still an option other TV makers have been too slow to adopt.

But of course, as usual, it's the picture quality that really matters. Man this puppy pops. The brightness Samsung has achieved with its OLED HDR Pro technology literally has to be seen to be believed - all the while maintaining a true-to-life colour palette as certified by PANTONE. 

I've often commented on a sense of depth when reviewing recent Samsung flagships and this is no accident. Something called the Real Depth Enhancer emphasises the contrast on foreground action and objects, which is apparently a lot like what the human eye does.

All these things add up to a sublime viewing experience, made even better by OLED Glare Free, a new technology that reduces reflections from external light sources to almost nothing - something I've tried to demonstrate in the video below. If you've ever struggled to watch dwarves arguing about Rings of Power down a dark mine in the middle of the day like I have, the S95D is an absolute godsend.

Then you add great sound to the mix.

I'm not going to claim the S95D's built-in speakers are the best I've heard from a TV this year - that's partly because being a smaller, 55-inch device, there's not as much room for a feature like OTS+ to follow the action around the screen. However, this year Q-Symphony has never been more appealing. Q-Symphony lets you combine the TV's built-in speaker array with an external Samsung soundbar or sound system. This means you get the best of both worlds, not an either/or situation.

Enter the Music Frame, Samsung's audio version of its very successful line of Frame TVs that turn into works of art when you're not actively using them. I'll talk more about the Music Frame in a future review but in the meantime, thanks to Q-Symphony, you can use a Music Frame as a soundbar for your TV. Or you can use two, for better stereo separation. Or you can set up two as rear speakers for true surround sound. Or you can use a combination of TV speakers, soundbar AND Music Frames. This could be a simple way to achieve the wireless surround-sound home theatre you've always dreamed of.

Regardless of how you listen to it, if you watch a lot of TV in a sunny room, this is the OLED that's up to the task. You get all of Samsung's clever flagship tricks, yet none of the glare.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Samsung S95D.