Samsung S95B: One Minute Review
There it is: the Samsung S95B. After years of dissolving the technology, Samsung has released an OLED TV. Kind of. Because although Samsung has curiously decided to describe the S95B as just another OLED, it is actually more than that. Hidden in its display is actually an entirely new kind of OLED technology, combining the famed self-emission properties of OLED with the brightness and color gamut potential of QLED.
The platform for this new technology to support the best OLED TVs is almost absurdly cutting-edge, thanks to a screen on the back that's no deeper than your average coaster. In this review of the S95B, we're looking at a TV that launched the kitchen sink, with Samsung's latest AI-inspired picture processor, a hugely comprehensive and redesigned Tizen-based smart system, the latest gaming features, and even, despite the ultra-thin design, an intelligent object tracking audio system.
However, the multifaceted star of the Samsung S95B is undoubtedly its image quality. While Samsung's enthusiasm for showing off what its new technology can do leads to some picture preset issues, with a little tweaking it delivers a combination of brightness, depth of black, contrast, and color that we simply haven't seen before in a conventional set: even the best Samsung TVs. Is something special.
We reviewed the Samsung 65S95B 65-inch version for this review.
Samsung S95B review: Price and release date
- Released June 2022
- 55-inch Samsung 95S55B: €1,999 / €1,799
- Samsung 65S95B 65-inch: €2,999 / €2,799
In the context of the TV world in general, the €2,999/€2,799 price tag for the 95-inch S65B doesn't seem cheap. In fact, though, we'd say it's surprisingly affordable for what is, after all, entirely new TV technology. The first OLED, plasma, and even LCD TVs to hit the market cost significantly more, more than five figures for plasma and OLED TVs.
The 65S95B doesn't cost much more than "regular" premium 65-inch OLED TVs, and in fact comfortably brings the price of Samsung's top-end 4K mini LED TV for 2022, the 65QN95B, down to $3,399. This suggests that Samsung sees mini-LED as a superior technology to the 65S95B's new Quantum Dot OLED approach, probably particularly when it comes to HDR-compatible brightness levels and perhaps immunity to mini-LEDs. issues. it's still possible (although much less common than before) with OLED technology.
The 65S95B is already available in the UK and US, although at the time of writing it doesn't appear in Samsung's Australian range.
Samsung S95B Review: Features
- Quantum Dot OLED Display
- AI-powered Neural Quantum Processor
- OTS sound system
The main act of the QS95B is its OLED Quantum Dot panel. This new approach to TV hardware uses a blue OLED element to self-illuminate each pixel, the light of which then passes through separate layers of red and green quantum dots to provide the final image.
Importantly, this approach means that, unlike conventional OLED technology, there is no white involved in the color process. This purer RGB delivery should, on paper at least, allow the S95B to deliver richer colors at higher brightness levels than regular OLEDs, while also retaining, if not improving black level, local contrast and the viewing angle prowess that OLED technology is renowned for. by.
Images from the S95B are powered by Samsung's Neural Quantum Processor, which draws on the accumulated knowledge of various neural networks to try to optimize how all kinds of content appears on the 65-inch screen. Experience suggests that this processor should be particularly good at upscaling HD content to the screen's native 4K resolution, but should also play an important role in translating extreme light ranges and wide ranges from today's high dynamic range sources. to the monitor's potentially unique capabilities. .
Speaking of HDR, like almost all Samsung TVs these days, the S95B can support 'standard' HDR10, HLG-compatible live streaming, and Samsung-developed HDR10+, which adds compatible TVs on a scene-by-scene basis. use to provide better HDR images. However, Samsung still doesn't support the premium Dolby Vision HDR format, although more content is available in Dolby Vision than in HDR10+.
The S95B's connections are all on the back of the TV rather than in one of the external breakout boxes Samsung uses with some of its higher-end TVs. Fortunately, they include four HDMI ports that support 4K at 120Hz, variable refresh rate, and low-latency auto-switching features now available for Xbox Series X, PS5, and PC gamers with the latest high-end Nvidia and AMD graphics cards. . These next-generation HDMIs are also backed by three USB ports and Bluetooth and Wi-Fi networking options.
Smart features come courtesy of Samsung's latest Tizen operating system and offer the most comprehensive streaming app support in town. The only notable absence is the Freeview Play app, which brings together the catch-up services of the UK's leading terrestrial broadcasters into one convenient overarching interface. However, all catch-up apps for these stations are provided individually.
The S95B's sound system, finally, deserves more attention than most integrated TV sound systems. In addition to supporting Dolby Atmos decoding, it implements Samsung's Object Tracking Sound technology, where speakers distributed around the body of the TV are combined with intelligent processing to place positional sound effects more accurately.
The S95B's HDMIs support eARC output to transmit lossless Dolby Atmos soundtracks to compatible soundbars and AV receivers. And thanks to the brand's Q Symphony feature, the set's speakers can be paired with those in many recent Samsung soundbars to deliver a wider soundstage and even more audio channels than soundbars that Samsung already channels. loaded usually offer you.
Samsung S95B review: Image quality
- Unprecedented color performance
- Unmatched local contrast and black levels
- Perfect viewing angles
So does Samsung's S95B QD OLED technology beat the first time you ask for the long-established and endlessly refined regular OLED technology? Basically, yes, it does. Although probably unavoidable, this rather blunt statement comes with a bunch of "terms and conditions" attached to it.
It's been a long time since a TV had as instant an impact on me as the S95B did when I first turned it on. It immediately slapped me, in a good way, for its remarkable brightness and contrast.
The bright reflections of mostly dark scenes are unbelievably vivid and pure, bringing audiovisual delights like night cityscapes and starry skies to more natural HDR life than I've ever seen on any bar of TV tech. Incredibly expensive MicroLED screens from Samsung.
This is partly due to the extra brightness that the QD OLED design seems to allow, but also because the self-illuminating nature of QD OLED pixels means that the image can be placed at its brightest point literally one pixel away from its darkest point. without any pixel. force another's commitment.
The S95B's brightness advantage over standard OLED technology applies to the entire screen as well as small light reflections. In fact, its full screen brightness advantage is more pronounced than the maximum brightness advantage. Sunny scenes and brightly lit interiors are clearly seen with more vibrancy and punch in Samsung's debut QD OLED.
It must be said that Samsung's high-end Mini-LED TVs can produce a starker brightness than the S95B with bright full-screen images. However, even its tiny LEDs and large number of local dimming zones can't provide small points of maximum light against dark backgrounds without having to dim the glare to avoid backlight issues. So for pure local contrast, the S95B is unrivaled among affordable remote TVs.
The S95B also outperforms mini-LEDs by delivering exceptional amounts of shadow detail in even the darkest scenes and image areas. There's none of the "black crush" we sometimes see with Mini-LED screens.
Key specs
Available sizes: 55 and 65 inches
Screen Type: Quantum Dot OLED
Resolution: 4K
HDR support: HDR10, HDR10+, HLG
Audio support: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital
Smart TV: Samsung Tizen
HDMI ports: four v2.1
While it was the S95B's brightness and local contrast that first caught my eye, it didn't take me long to realize that its main draw is actually color performance. HDR movie scenes I've seen dozens, if not hundreds of times, suddenly appeared with depths and ranges of vibrant colors I've never seen before on an OLED TV. Bright yellows and reds, in particular, pop off the screen with fierce intensity compared to screens that have to use a white element in their color composition.
However, that doesn't mean the pictures look garish or unbalanced (as long as you pay reasonable attention to certain TV picture settings). In fact, images from the S95B can appear more compelling, natural, and balanced because removing the white picture element allows the S95B to provide a more accurate representation of the kind of colors creators saw on their monitors.
Some of Samsung's high-end mini LED TVs also offer great volumes and color saturations. But the S95B's pixel-by-pixel light management helps it deliver somewhat more consistent color enhancements. And while Samsung's Wide Viewing Angle technology means images on your Mini-LED TV experience less color degradation when viewed at wide viewing angles than most LCD TVs, effective viewing angles of the S95B turn out to be approximately...