June Wan/ZDNET
Samsung makes loads of TVs; there’s virtually an providing for each show kind, measurement, and visible choice. However the one which’s at all times stood out to me is its OLED mannequin.
See, OLED panels on TVs, very like the shows on high-end telephones and tablets, are infamous for delivering inky blacks and high-contrast visuals. Naturally, these dim-lit scenes in motion pictures and video games are extra lifelike, true-to-color, and really immersive to observe.
Additionally: Must you purchase an 8K TV? The right way to resolve, in keeping with an professional
On the flip facet, there’s additionally a typical downside with OLED panels, and that is brightness (or lack thereof). Daylight, overhead lamps, and nearly every other exterior supply of luminance can simply blow out the liveliness displayed on an OLED panel.
However that every one adjustments with Samsung’s new S95C. This, from what I’ve seen, may be the very best (and brightest) OLED TV available on the market but.
ZDNET RECOMMENDS
Samsung S95C OLED TV
Obtainable in 55, 65, and 77-inch sizes, the S95C OLED builds on final yr’s mannequin with Samsung’s QD-OLED know-how.
How’s the design?
What jumped out at me when first unboxing the S95C was its width, or lack thereof. The Infinity One Design, as Samsung calls it, consists of a panel that measures simply 0.4 inches thick and the corporate’s new One Join Field, receptive to a number of HDMI ports, USB-A, and even Dolby Atmos through eArc, now housed on the TV stand itself versus the again of the show.
Collectively, you are a glossy and trendy centerpiece that immediately modernizes the surroundings that it is in.
The thinness of the TV matches that of the Google Pixel 6 Professional.
Rebecca Isaacs/ZDNET
The unlucky factor is that with the 14.2 x 11.7 x 11.1-inch stand hooked up, it nearly defeats the aim of the TV’s skinny width since you’ll must accommodate furnishing house for the stand and never the show itself. Subsequently, I like to recommend mounting the S95C as a substitute and increasing the One Join Field down right into a drawer, which Samsung supplies a cable for.
I’ll give Samsung some factors for leaving simply sufficient room between the bottom of the stand and the underside of the TV for a soundbar. For all of the visuals that you simply’re getting with the S95C OLED, the back-firing audio system merely will not minimize it in the event you’re hoping to be engulfed with bass and the rumblings of automotive explosions; you will want a high quality soundbar to match. And, ideally, certainly one of Samsung’s that helps its surround-sound-like Q-Symphony know-how.
Viewing expertise
As I discussed earlier, the S95C OLED impressed me essentially the most with its notably correct visualization of dimmer scenes, notably in some components of Avatar: The Manner of Water. All through the film, there are a number of scenes that happen in forests and darkened environments, but I did not have any bother distinguishing the Na’vi (the blue folks, for the unfamiliar) from the extraterrestrial props of Pandora.
Additionally: Greatest Samsung TVs you should buy: 8K, OLED, and extra
Most of that is credited to the “QD” little bit of the S95C’s QD-OLED show. Samsung’s meshed collectively its self-illuminating Quantum Dot know-how with OLED with a view to emit extra exact colours in various ranges of distinction. That is a geeky means of claiming that whether or not you are watching a brightly-lit scene or a darker one, you’ll see most, if not all, the colours that the director wished you to see.
With the ability to discern every bit of leaf and droplet of sweat is wonderful.
June Wan/ZDNET
The quantity of element that is retained within the darkness and little to no blooming is sort of a feat, but it surely’s additionally the TV’s understanding of when to maintain pixels turned off as a substitute of mechanically boosting the publicity or brightness that places the S95C high-up the record for me.
Additionally: One of the best out of doors TVs for summer time streaming
Usually talking, I discovered the native shade profile of the S95C slightly extra jarring than what I used to be used to. My first response when taking part in a 4K pattern was each optimistic and destructive; I beloved how sharp the pictures appeared, however the overload of saturation led me to make a beeline to the show settings to tone issues down.
The S95C options an Ambient Mode that units an animated screensaver when the TV is left idle.
June Wan/ZDNET
Adjusting the TV settings is generally made straightforward due to a carousel of presets for audio output, Image Mode, Bluetooth gadgets, and extra. I say “largely” since you nonetheless must dig into the “Professional Settings” tab to truly fine-tune points like sharpness, shade, and tint.
And in the event you’re not a fan of Samsung’s AI-based movement smoothening and deblurring, which may work towards motion motion pictures mounted at 24 frames per second (fps), you possibly can regulate the 2 in the identical tab.
Must you purchase one?
The underside line for the Samsung S95C (2023) is that it is the firm’s greatest OLED TV but, and fixes many of the points that plagued final yr’s mannequin, together with the brightness points and decrease refresh fee.
There’s additionally a superb probability you are cross-shopping between the S95C and LG’s C3 OLED. If you happen to worth the flexibleness of TV mounting and freestanding, having a number of enter sources in a tidy, hidden-from-plain-sight compartment, and take into account your self a gamer, then the Samsung is the higher selection.
Samsung sells the S95C for a beginning worth of $2,299 for the 55-inch mannequin, with bigger choices obtainable. On the time of writing, there is a July 4th sale occurring that takes $200 off each measurement. So in the event you’re searching for probably the greatest OLED TVs available on the market, now could also be the very best time to take a position.