Samsung has been using OLED for its smartphones in addition to LCD for years, but not for its TVs. We have been eagerly awaiting the QE65S95B, the first Samsung OLED TV since 2013. And Samsung has not missed its start.
Samsung QE65S95B
Price: € 3,499
What: Ultra HD QD-OLED TV
Screen size: 65 inches (165 cm)
Connections: 4x HDMI (4x v2.1 (48 Gbps), eARC, ALLM, VRR, HFR 4K120), 1x optical digital out, 2x USB, 3x antenna, Bluetooth
Extras: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+, WiFi (802.11ac) built-in, Tizen 7.0, AirPlay 2, USB/DLNA media player, DVB-T2/C/S2, dual tuner, CI+ slot, Neural Quantum 4K Processor, Smart Calibration
Dimensions: 1,444 x 898 x 288 mm (incl. foot)
Weight: 25.5 kg (incl. feet)
Consumption (average): SDR 132 Watts / HDR 252 Watts
9 Score 90 
- Pros
- Higher brightness than today’s top OLED TVs
- Nearly perfect contrast
- Particularly impressive color range
- Near perfect viewing angle
- Excellent motion sharpness
- Very good image processing
- HDMI 2.1 connections with many gaming features
- Negatives
- Directly incident light affects the black display
- No Dolby Vision support
- New Tizen Smart Hub is less user-friendly
Buy the Samsung QE65S95B at Bol.com
QD-OLED is, as the name suggests, a combination of quantum dots and OLED technology. A blue OLED layer provides the light, which can be dimmed at the pixel level, just like the OLED TVs we already know. At the sub-pixel level, that blue light is then converted (not filtered) by quantum dots to red and green, blue is transmitted. That is different from the existing OLED technology that creates color by sending the white OLED light through a color filter.
That new approach should be brighter, because the colors are created by conversion, not filtering. Existing OLED TVs use an extra white sub-pixel to improve brightness, but that comes at the cost of color intensity in very bright colors. QD-OLED does not have that problem, it uses an RGB sub-pixel structure and will therefore be able to show colors much brighter with full color intensity. Because there are fewer layers in front of the luminous pixels, the viewing angle flirts with perfection.
However, there are also disadvantages. The sub-pixel structure is triangular, green at the top, and red and blue at the bottom. As a result, you can see light-colored edges around objects with a sharp contrast, for example white text on a black background. This effect is invisible for watching TV at a normal distance. Anyone who hopes to get a QD-OLED monitor should test first whether they do not find those edges disturbing.
In addition, this is also an OLED screen and there is therefore a risk of burn-in. Meanwhile, manufacturers have many years of experience with OLED, so that risk may be limited. Finally, because the quantum dots are at the very front of the screen, strong ambient light can also activate these dots. The black value then dilutes somewhat, and the screen takes on a soft magenta-pink tint. It is clearly visible in dark images, which therefore lose a lot of quality, but has hardly any effect with bright content (sports, for example).
So avoid spotlights or strong sunlight shining directly on the screen. We can reassure you, however, that the problem was not noticeable in limited ambient light, it was only clearly visible under extreme conditions, but then no TV works well.
How slim can a TV be?
If it depends on Samsung, very slim. The screen itself is so thin, and this 65-inch version is so big, that the screen itself started to bend slightly, and wobble a lot when you move it. So some extra caution is advised. The finish is in perfect order. A fine silver-coloured frame frames the image. The TV stands on a fairly large central base, with a wide neck that offers sufficient stability.
With connections pointing down and to the side, we’re sure the S95B would look great on the wall. With its four HDMI 2.1 connections, all of which deliver 48 Gbps, you have plenty of connection options. There is support for eARC, ALLM, 4K120 and VRR (HDMI VRR and AMD Freesync). The input lag of 10.1 ms (for 4K60) and 5.4 ms (for 2K120) makes it clear that gamers are also the target audience.
You also get two USB connections, an optical digital audio output, Ethernet connection, WiFi and Bluetooth. The S95B has a double TV tuner, with a USB hard drive you can record and watch another channel at the same time.
Splashing colors
We switch the S95B into Filmmaker Mode for the best results. The OLED contrast immediately catches the eye. Pixel-fine light accents can perfectly exist on a pitch-black background. The screen delivers a lot of black detail, you can effortlessly see every nuance and every detail in dark scenes.
The color reproduction is excellent thanks to a neutral gray scale, with error values that are small enough to go in the direction of a reference image.
But the real test, that’s HDR playback. OLED screens can only deliver their absolute peak brightness in a limited part of the image. As the average brightness of the image increases, the processor should decrease the maximum brightness. Here, the Samsung can show that QD-OLED technology delivers better performance, but the lead is small compared to the best OLED models of 2022.
The peak brightness on a 10% window hits about 1,020 nits, and on a completely white screen it taps another 215 nits. We mainly see that the QD-OLED screen has to lower the brightness less sharply than the other OLED TVs. That’s already a win. The color range may not look that much larger, although it does reach 99.4% P3. But the color volume, the combination of brightness and color intensity, is considerably greater.
There’s no white sub-pixel to dilute the colors, and the S95B can easily display its full saturated colors twice as bright as a regular OLED. Thanks to a good calibration of the HDR Filmmaker Mode, HDR images really stand out, especially if they are very intense and colorful. Lightsaber battles in Obi-Wan Kenobi, for example, or the vibrant colors of Mad Max: Fury Road.
The processor provides excellent HDR tone mapping. He takes the HDR metadata into account and shows a lot of shadow nuances, but not all white detail. That tendency to give the image some extra impact by clipping a minimal amount of white detail can probably be removed with a good calibration. But it is certainly not disturbing.
The Samsung supports HDR10, HDR10+ adaptive and HLG. Dolby Vision would have been the icing on the cake, but that boat is still holding off Samsung.
AI image processing
The S95B has the same processor on board as the QN95B, so the results are perfectly in line with each other. Very nice upscaling with good noise reduction results in very sharply detailed images. Every now and then the noise reduction works a little too strong, and some very fine detail disappears. The only weak point of the processor is the elimination of color bands in soft color transitions. They remain quite visible in some dark images with wider color bands.
For sports and gaming enthusiasts, the QD-OLED panel delivers excellent motion sharpness. Thanks to the fast pixel response time, blurred or double edges are well avoided. Only the finest detail in fast action scenes hides the screen, just like other OLED TVs.
The processor can use a 60 Hz Black Frame Insertion to show some extra detail, but you lose a lot of brightness and the 60 Hz flickering of the image is annoying. If you want smooth pan images, you can activate ‘Vibration reduction’. The motion interpolation eliminates stuttering well, and leaves relatively few image artifacts.
nice audio
Does the S95B deliver enough audio performance to make those great movie images even more immersive? 60 Watts in a 2.2.2 channel configuration and Dolby Atmos support, that seems sufficient. The S95B pumps a lot of volume into the room, with a well-balanced sound including some bass. The processor keeps distortion well under control, which only becomes audible at very high volume. But that slim case has its limitations. There are no real rolling bass, and the surround image is very limited, presumably because all speakers are located deep behind the device. For a truly epic film track, you better move to a good soundbar.
Conclusion
Samsung is aiming high with this QE65S95B. The new QD-OLED technology takes the lead for brightness compared to the other OLED models. The difference isn’t that big, though, and LCD still does a better job. But combined with that perfect OLED contrast and the impressive color range of the quantum dots, it delivers a fantastic performance. Movies, especially in HDR are a real feast for the eyes.
Avoid strong ambient light, which will affect the black display. It’s a tip that applies to all TVs, but especially to this one. We’re still not happy with the new Smart Hub layout, but there’s no shortage of functionality. The HDMI 2.1 connections and the excellent motion sharpness are assets for sports and games. Moreover, this Samsung is not too expensive for a new technology.
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