If you’re looking for the best TV money can buy without totally smashing the piggy bank you’ll undoubtedly be considering the 2025 Samsung S90F QD OLED TV. Coming in with similar panel technology to the much more expensive S95F at a much lower price, the S90F on paper looks like a great option. Today let’s find out if it’s the right choice for you as we take a close look at the 65” model.
Samsung's new 2025 S90F is a major upgrade over the S90D bringing higher brightness, better color, new AI features, an improved Tizen OS, and sticks with a glossy coating for exceptional clarity. That said, the S90F still struggles with ambient light like all QD OLEDs, leading to lower contrast in bright rooms and Samsung has a few accuracy and brightness issues in game mode. Despite Its flaws the S90F would be my top QD OLED choice in 2025.
Disclaimer: This TV was lent to me by Samsung for review, but no scores or talking points were dictated. All opinions are my own.
For this review I used an X-Rite i1 Pro spectrophotometer, Color Checker Display Plus colorimeter, Calman Ultimate, Portrait Displays Video Forge Pro 8K pattern generator, a Sony RX100 VII 1000fps camera, an SM208 Screen Luminance Meter, and a Sony Cinema Line FX3 mirrorless video camera. That's at least $12,000 worth of testing equipment, plus years of display testing experience.
The price for the S90F is similar to 2024 models.
Above is the Connectivity for this TV. Most importantly it does come with four HDMI 2.1 ports (one of which is eARC).
The unboxing experience is (mostly) a dream come true. It’s easy to assemble thanks to its screwless, lightweight design, and no one connect box. Thankfully the software setup is also a breeze, but I’m still not a fan of the forced sign in to use apps. Overall it's nearly a 10/10 experience, no ER trips required.
QD OLED is often considered the king of color thanks to the lack of a white subpixel, boosting red, green, and blue luminance in HDR content. I’m happy to report this remains true of the Samsung S90F, especially for content graded over 1,000nits. For you home theater enthusiasts, I've included all my Calman measurements below, where I used professional tools to measure the TV's accuracy. For everyone else, feel free to skip ahead.
Rec. 709 Testing
In Film Maker Mode, the Samsung S90F has good accuracy after adjusting a few settings.
PC Game Mode has major accuracy issues in SDR out of the box. This can be fixed.
SDR Color Accuracy Test
Color Accuracy in Film Maker Mode for SDR content is solid.
HDR Testing
The default HDR FMM mode is great.
PC Game Mode has major accuracy issues in HDR out of the box.
HDR Color Gamut
The S90F has great HDR color coverage out of the box delivering up to nearly 90% BT.2020 UV. This is very good.
HDR Color Accuracy
HDR Color Match results show visible inaccuracies.
The short version: In terms of pop and vibrance in HDR content, QD OLED remains unmatched, and the S90F specifically, really leaps off the screen when pushed to its limits. It looks great, delivers deep saturated HDR imagery, and has good gamma tracking in Filmmaker mode. However, in game mode it has significant inaccuracies that require major changes to fix.
The S90F this year brings a shockingly big upgrade in brightness over the S90D. In fact In my testing I was seeing around 30% higher brightness, putting it on par with last year's most expensive TVs such as the S95D and LG G4.
The Samsung S90F is almost as bright as the LG G4 in window measurements.
The S90F beats the S95C in real world HDR content.
The Samsung S90F has excellent brightness for an OLED TV, and should be a top consideration for buyers looking for the best HDR imagery money can buy. From vibrance, to contrast, to highlight detail, buyers will be shocked by its performance. If you wanted close to the brightness of an S95D, but were hoping for a cheaper glossy option, this is it.
Like all QD OLEDs the Samsung S90F has over 8,000,000 local dimming zones thanks to its per pixel infinite contrast ratio meaning at least in a dark theater room, you can expect to get unbeatable image depth and immersion. This is especially apparent in the pixel perfect star fields that cannot be replicated by Mini LED.
The Samsung S90F has excellent contrast.
If you're looking for a dark theater room TV, the Samsung S90F will undoubtedly be a top contender as the contrast just can’t be beat. However, the same can not be said about its performance in a bright room.
Samsung S90F issues with ambient light raising black levels.
In these conditions, contrast suffers greatly due to the inherent properties of QD OLED that can cause the screen to light up magenta when hit with ambient light.
Thankfully clarity on the S90F is excellent. To my delight, Samsung has chosen not to use a matte coating on this year's S90 models, which means you can expect improved sharpness and image depth vs the more expensive S95F.
Samsung S90F glossy coating & reflection handling.
On the one hand some buyers may prefer the anti reflective properties of the S95F screen which leads to less distracting glare on the screen, but I believe the trade offs are not worth it, as you do get far worse contrast and many other issues in a bright room on that TV. Personally I feel Samsung made the right call with a glossy coating on the S90F.
Samsung S90F subpixel arrangement.
Unfortunately QD OLED still has a triangular arrangement of its sub-pixels, meaning especially for text, it may be slightly less sharp than the best LCD based displays, but buyers are unlikely to notice this issue in most cases.
Many Movies and TV shows are still shot in 24FPS. This means modern TVs will not be taking full advantage of their 120Hz+ panels. Some prefer the original creators intent, but for those who would like to fix judder or add motion clarity to your favorite content, judder control is crucial.
Samsung S90F Judder Reduction Issues.
My S90F unit did a good job of fixing up 24p judder in tests, but in real content it had issues. Unfortunately the pre release firmware had artifacting, but I was told by Samsung this is a bug that they are fixing.
The Samsung S90F is an excellent gaming display. Not only is it an excellent companion for modern PS5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles, but thanks to its higher 144Hz refresh rate it also makes for a great PC monitor.
I’ve used a 55” TV as a monitor many times, and the HDR performance dwarfs current 32” displays, which for many is a worthwhile trade.
Motion Performance is great.
Testing Deep Dive - Latency
The Samsung S90F has excellent gaming responsiveness at just 28ms of total system latency. It’s sitting next to the fastest TVs I’ve ever measured, and would give even 240Hz monitors a run for their money.
28ms of total system latency.
If I were to buy a QD OLED display for PC gaming in 2025, this would likely be my first choice. While unfortunately it is a step behind the 165Hz refresh rate offered by the S95F, and falls behind in brightness, especially for text, the extra clarity would make this my top pick.
Viewing angles are one of QD OLED’s biggest strengths, and this remains true for the S90F. No matter where you sit it has near perfect image quality making it ideal for large theater rooms.
Samsung S90F Viewing Angles.
Thankfully, as usual, my unit came with little to no issues even on grey screens where many other OLEDs can show significant banding.
If you're after the cleanest panel with the best viewing angles for a distraction free viewing experience regardless of where you’re viewing the screen, the S90F will likely be one of the best options on the market.
The S90F’s audio is pretty decent but nothing to write home about. If you're investing in this TV, I'd recommend at least a nice soundbar or a full sound system to take full advantage of the display. The timbre and clarity of the audio are pretty good for built-in sound—definitely a step above most TVs—but it won't have the precision of more expensive alternatives.
It has the latest support for enhancements like Q-Symphony, Dolby Atmos, and Active Voice Amplifier so there is plenty of opportunity to expand to a surround system and tweak the settings to make voice come through with higher clarity.
Many people say they love Tizen OS, and it's decent, but I do get frustrated with it occasionally. At times the OS randomly slows down when navigating settings, and it forces you to sign in to use apps. Despite that, Tizen OS is packing a ton of features that many buyers will love.
Features that may entice you include the new AI Live Translate, game bar, as well as the new AI frequently used settings update which was incredible for testing. There's also a laundry list of lifestyle features, including Alexa or Bixby voice control, SmartThings hub functionality, and Samsung Health with work-out tracker. If you are invested in the Samsung ecosystem - there are many standout features here that keep getting more functional every year.
I think the biggest selling point however, has to be Samsung TV Plus, an app which allows you to stream hundreds of live TV channels for free. I’ve heard many in my own family who loved this and would have a hard time moving to a TV that doesn’t offer the same free content.
So is the S90F the TV you’ve been waiting for? Probably yes. Don’t get me wrong, it's not a perfect TV. I really wish it came with the higher 165Hz and brightness of the S95F. It's disappointing to see Samsung still nerfing the game mode brightness / accuracy, and it's a shame that QD OLED still struggles with ambient light, but in a dark room this TV is incredible.
Samsung S90F Excellent HDR Impact.
It brings big improvements in almost all areas over the S90D, especially in HDR brightness, and with the clearer glossy coating, I actually think this TV overall looks better than the higher end S95F. Keep in mind the Samsung S95F is a much more expensive, and much brighter TV than the S90F, and it’s already a seriously impressive competitor in 2025. Believe me, this is high praise for the S90F.
Ultimately the Samsung S90F is one of the greatest displays ever created, and aside from its contrast problems in bright rooms and irregular subpixel arrangement, it’s what I would consider to be a near perfect display. Considering its lower price as well as massive discounts that are likely to follow later this year, I highly recommend purchasing the 2025 Samsung S90F QD OLED TV.
