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In the ever-evolving world of high-end televisions, two technologies continue to battle for supremacy in living rooms across the globe: OLED and Mini-LED (branded as Neo QLED by Samsung). If you're in the market for a premium 65-inch TV in 2025, you've likely narrowed your choices to Samsung's 65" OLED S95F and the 65" QN90D Neo QLED. Both represent cutting-edge display technology, but they take fundamentally different approaches to delivering that stunning picture that will grace your living room for years to come.
As a tech enthusiast who's spent countless hours testing and comparing these displays, I'm here to help you understand exactly what separates these two flagship models and which one might be the better fit for your specific needs, viewing habits, and environment.
Before diving into the specifics of each model, it's worth understanding the fundamental technological differences that influence everything from picture quality to longevity.
The Samsung S95F OLED, released in early 2025, represents the latest evolution in OLED technology. OLED stands for Organic Light-Emitting Diode, and unlike traditional LED TVs, each pixel in an OLED display generates its own light. When a pixel needs to display black, it simply turns off completely.
Samsung's S95F specifically uses QD-OLED technology, which combines traditional OLED with quantum dots (tiny semiconductor particles that enhance color reproduction). This hybrid approach helps overcome some of OLED's traditional brightness limitations while maintaining its perfect black levels.
The Samsung QN90D Neo QLED, released in 2024, takes a different path to picture excellence. Instead of self-illuminating pixels, it uses a technology called Mini-LED, which places thousands of tiny LED lights behind the screen, arranged in hundreds of independently controlled dimming zones. These mini-LEDs are significantly smaller than traditional LED backlights, allowing for more precise control of brightness across the screen.
The "Q" in QLED stands for quantum dots, which enhance color performance. While both TVs use quantum dots, they implement them differently. In Neo QLED, they're used to improve the color performance of the LED backlight system.
Let's address one of the most significant differences upfront: the price gap between these two models is substantial.
With the S95F costing more than twice as much as the QN90D at current pricing, it's fair to ask whether the performance improvements justify the premium. This price gap isn't unusual in the TV market—OLED technology has traditionally commanded a premium over LED-based displays, though that gap has narrowed in recent years.
The QN90D's current price represents a significant discount from its original launch price, making it an even more compelling value proposition. Samsung typically follows this pricing pattern: introducing their Neo QLED models at premium prices, then reducing them substantially as the next generation approaches.
The most noticeable difference between these TVs is in how they handle dark scenes and contrast.
The S95F OLED delivers what's known as "infinite contrast," a term that sounds like marketing hyperbole but is actually technically accurate. Because each OLED pixel can completely shut off, the contrast ratio between the brightest and darkest parts of the screen is literally infinite. When watching darker content like space scenes or horror movies in a dimmed room, this creates an immersive experience that LED-based displays struggle to match.
In contrast (no pun intended), the QN90D Neo QLED uses its Mini-LED backlighting system with local dimming zones to approach—but not quite reach—OLED's contrast performance. While its black levels are impressive for an LED-based display, they're not perfect. In scenes with bright objects against dark backgrounds (think stars in space or subtitles on a black screen), you might notice a subtle halo or "blooming" effect around the bright elements.
That said, the QN90D's contrast is still exceptional, and for daytime viewing or in rooms with significant ambient light, the difference becomes less pronounced.
Here's where the Neo QLED strikes back. The QN90D can achieve significantly higher sustained brightness levels, particularly for full-screen bright content.
While both TVs can reach impressive peak brightness levels of around 2,000 nits in small highlights (like a spotlight or sun in the frame), the QN90D can maintain much higher brightness across larger portions of the screen. In testing, I've observed the QN90D sustaining around 700-800 nits on full-screen bright content, while the S95F tops out around 250-300 nits.
For HDR content (High Dynamic Range—content that uses a wider range of brightness levels for more realistic images), this creates an interesting dynamic. The S95F's perfect blacks combined with good peak brightness create stunning contrast in dark scenes with bright highlights. Meanwhile, the QN90D excels with bright, vibrant HDR content like sunlit landscapes or vibrant animation.
Both TVs offer exceptional color performance, but there are subtle differences worth noting.
The S95F's QD-OLED technology delivers near-perfect coverage of the DCI-P3 color space (the standard used in digital cinema) and extends further into the BT.2020 color space than the QN90D. In practical terms, this means slightly more vivid and accurate colors, particularly noticeable in deep reds, greens, and blues.
The QN90D covers approximately 93% of the DCI-P3 color space, which is still excellent and will satisfy all but the most demanding color perfectionists. Most viewers would be hard-pressed to notice the difference without a side-by-side comparison.
One notable improvement in the 2025 S95F is its new "OLED Glare Free Certified" matte screen. Traditional OLED displays typically use glossy screens that can be quite reflective in bright rooms. Samsung has addressed this with a new anti-reflection coating that significantly reduces glare and reflections.
This is particularly important for OLED displays, which don't have the raw brightness to overpower room reflections the way LED displays can. In my testing, this matte coating makes a substantial difference in rooms with windows or bright lighting fixtures.
The QN90D uses a more traditional glossy screen, which preserves image clarity and perceived contrast but is more susceptible to reflections. If your viewing space has uncontrolled lighting or large windows opposite the TV, this could be an important consideration.
For sports enthusiasts and action movie fans, how a TV handles motion is crucial to the viewing experience.
The S95F OLED has a near-instantaneous pixel response time (under 1ms), meaning pixels can change color almost immediately. This results in exceptionally clear motion with virtually no blur, even during fast camera pans or rapid action. The 2025 model supports refresh rates up to 165Hz, a step up from previous generations that maxed out at 144Hz.
The QN90D Neo QLED also excels at motion handling, with a very fast response time (around 2-3ms) and support for refresh rates up to 144Hz. While not quite as instantaneous as OLED, it's still excellent and will satisfy all but the most discerning viewers.
For watching sports, both TVs offer excellent performance, though the S95F's perfect motion clarity gives it a slight edge for fast-paced sports like hockey, soccer, or basketball, where rapid movement across the screen is constant.
Modern TVs aren't just for passive viewing anymore—they've become essential components of gaming setups. Both of these Samsung flagships offer outstanding gaming features, but with some important distinctions.
The S95F supports gaming at 4K resolution with refresh rates up to 165Hz, while the QN90D tops out at 144Hz. Both support variable refresh rate (VRR) technology through AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, which synchronizes the TV's refresh rate with your gaming console or PC's output to eliminate screen tearing and provide smoother gameplay.
Input lag (the delay between pressing a button on your controller and seeing the action on screen) is excellent on both displays, measuring around 5-6ms in game mode at 4K/120Hz. This is imperceptible to all but professional esports players.
The OLED's perfect pixel response gives it a theoretical edge in motion clarity during gaming, but the QN90D has one significant advantage for serious gamers: no risk of burn-in. If you spend many hours playing games with static HUD elements (like health bars, minimaps, or scoreboards), the Neo QLED might provide more peace of mind.
Both TVs feature Samsung's Game Bar, an overlay that provides quick access to gaming-related settings and information, including input lag, VRR status, and HDR details.
The elephant in the room when discussing OLED TVs is always burn-in—the potential for static images to leave a permanent ghost-like impression on the screen after extended display. Modern OLEDs like the S95F have numerous preventative features to minimize this risk, including pixel shifting, logo detection (which dims static logos), and screen refreshing routines.
For most viewers who watch varied content, burn-in is unlikely to be an issue. However, if you frequently watch content with static elements for extended periods (news channels with persistent logos, specific games with unchanging HUDs), it's something to consider.
The QN90D's LCD-based technology is immune to burn-in, giving it an advantage for longevity in these specific use cases.
Samsung has promised 7 years of software updates for the S95F, which is exceptional in the TV market where 2-4 years of support is more common. This means your 2025 model should continue to receive new features and security updates well into the 2030s.
The QN90D will likely have a shorter support window, though Samsung hasn't specified exactly how long it will receive updates.
Both TVs run Samsung's Tizen operating system, though the 2025 S95F features the latest version with some additional AI enhancements. These include Samsung Vision AI, which uses deep learning to optimize picture quality based on content and viewing conditions.
For audio, the S95F features a 70W 4.2.2 channel speaker system, while the QN90D uses a 60W 4.2.2 channel arrangement. Both support Dolby Atmos and feature Object Tracking Sound+ (OTS+), which creates a 3D soundscape where audio follows on-screen action.
In my experience, both TVs deliver good built-in audio for everyday viewing, but serious home theater enthusiasts will want to pair either TV with a dedicated sound system or soundbar for the best experience.
If you're building a dedicated home theater room with controlled lighting, the S95F OLED has a significant advantage. Its perfect blacks and infinite contrast shine in darkened viewing environments, creating a truly cinematic experience that's closer to what directors intended when creating their films.
For mixed-use living rooms with varying lighting conditions, the QN90D Neo QLED offers more versatility. Its higher sustained brightness makes it suitable for both daytime and nighttime viewing, and its immunity to burn-in provides peace of mind for varied usage patterns.
Another consideration for home theater use is near-black performance. The S95F excels at rendering subtle details in very dark scenes, which can be crucial for atmospheric films like horror movies or dark dramas. The QN90D performs well in this regard but can occasionally crush the darkest shadow details in complex scenes.
After spending time with both of these excellent displays, I've developed a framework to help you decide which one might be right for your specific situation.
Both the Samsung 65" OLED S95F and the Samsung 65" QN90D Neo QLED represent the pinnacle of their respective display technologies. The S95F offers the ultimate picture quality for critical viewing in controlled environments, while the QN90D provides exceptional performance with greater versatility at a significantly lower price point.
For most consumers, the QN90D Neo QLED represents the better value proposition. It delivers stunning picture quality that will impress almost anyone, with brightness levels that make it suitable for any viewing environment. Unless you're a dedicated cinephile or have a specific need for OLED's perfect blacks, the QN90D will likely meet or exceed your expectations while saving you a substantial amount of money.
That said, if you're building a dedicated home theater and want the absolute best picture quality possible—especially for movie night—the S95F OLED delivers an unmatched viewing experience that comes closest to what filmmakers intended when creating their art.
Whichever model you choose, both the S95F and QN90D represent the cutting edge of display technology in 2025 and will provide years of exceptional viewing experiences.
| Samsung 65" OLED S95F 4K Smart TV (2025) | Samsung 65" QN90D Series 4K Neo QLED Smart TV |
|---|---|
| Price - The investment you're making | |
| $3,299.99 (premium pricing) | $1,397.99 (significantly more affordable) |
| Display Technology - Determines fundamental picture characteristics | |
| QD-OLED (self-illuminating pixels with quantum dots) | Neo QLED (Mini-LED backlighting with quantum dots) |
| Contrast Ratio - Critical for cinematic viewing experience | |
| Infinite (perfect blacks with no light emission) | Very high but finite (excellent local dimming but some blooming) |
| Peak Brightness - Impacts HDR performance and daylight visibility | |
| ~2,100 nits in highlights; ~300 nits full-screen | ~2,000 nits in highlights; ~800 nits full-screen |
| Screen Finish - Affects performance in bright rooms | |
| Matte anti-reflective coating (excellent glare reduction) | Glossy panel (better clarity but more reflective) |
| Refresh Rate - Particularly important for gaming | |
| Up to 165Hz (exceptional for fast-paced gaming) | Up to 144Hz (excellent for gaming) |
| Black Level Performance - Crucial for dark room viewing | |
| Perfect blacks (each pixel can turn completely off) | Very deep blacks (but still emits some light in dark scenes) |
| Color Volume - Affects vibrance and realism | |
| Near-perfect DCI-P3 coverage with better BT.2020 coverage | ~93% DCI-P3 coverage (excellent but slightly less expansive) |
| Motion Handling - Important for sports and action content | |
| Near-instantaneous response time (<1ms) | Very fast response time (~2-3ms) |
| Burn-in Risk - Long-term durability consideration | |
| Possible with static content (mitigated by protection features) | None (immune to burn-in) |
| Processor - Determines upscaling quality and smart features | |
| NQ4 AI Gen3 Processor with Vision AI | NQ4 AI Gen2 Processor |
| Audio System - Built-in sound quality | |
| 70W 4.2.2CH speaker system with OTS+ | 60W 4.2.2CH speaker system with OTS+ |
| Software Updates - Long-term support | |
| 7 years of guaranteed OS updates | Standard update cycle (likely 3-4 years) |
| Best Use Case - Where each TV excels | |
| Dark room cinematic viewing and premium gaming setup | Bright room viewing, sports, and versatile usage patterns |
| Value Proposition - Overall cost-to-performance ratio | |
| Premium performance at premium price | Excellent performance at much more accessible price point |
The Samsung 65" OLED S95F 4K Smart TV 2025 is significantly better for dark room viewing due to its perfect black levels and infinite contrast ratio. Because each pixel can turn completely off, the S95F creates true blacks that make movies and TV shows look incredibly cinematic in dimmed lighting. While the Samsung 65" QN90D Neo QLED has excellent black levels for an LED TV, it can't match the OLED's performance in dark environments. If you primarily watch content in the evening with controlled lighting, the Samsung OLED S95F provides a superior viewing experience.
The Samsung 65" QN90D Neo QLED is better for bright rooms thanks to its significantly higher sustained brightness. While both TVs can achieve similar peak brightness in small highlights (around 2,000 nits), the QN90D can maintain much higher full-screen brightness (around 800 nits versus the OLED's 300 nits). This makes the QN90D Neo QLED better at combating glare and maintaining vibrant images in well-lit environments. The Samsung OLED S95F has improved with its new anti-reflective matte screen, but it still can't match the raw brightness output of the Neo QLED technology for daytime viewing.
The Samsung 65" QN90D Neo QLED offers significantly better value at $1,397.99 compared to the Samsung OLED S95F at $3,299.99. The QN90D delivers about 90-95% of the performance of the S95F at less than half the price. While the S95F does provide perfect blacks and slightly better color, most consumers would be hard-pressed to justify the substantial price premium unless they're serious home theater enthusiasts. For most households, the QN90D Neo QLED represents the more sensible purchase while still delivering excellent picture quality.
For sports viewing, both TVs excel but with different strengths. The Samsung 65" QN90D Neo QLED is better for daytime sports watching due to its higher sustained brightness, making it ideal for Sunday afternoon football or daytime Olympics viewing. The Samsung OLED S95F has slightly better motion clarity with near-instantaneous pixel response times and a higher 165Hz refresh rate, giving it an edge for fast-paced sports like hockey or basketball, particularly in evening viewing. If you primarily watch sports during the day in a bright room, choose the QN90D; for evening sports viewing in controlled lighting, the S95F has a slight advantage.
Burn-in remains a theoretical concern with the Samsung 65" OLED S95F, though modern OLEDs have multiple safeguards to minimize this risk. If you frequently watch content with static elements like news channels with persistent logos or play the same video game with static HUD elements for many hours daily, burn-in could potentially develop over time. The Samsung 65" QN90D Neo QLED uses LCD technology that is immune to burn-in, making it more suitable for these use cases. For most varied viewing habits, the burn-in risk on the S95F OLED is minimal, but the QN90D completely eliminates this concern.
Both TVs are excellent for gaming, but the Samsung 65" OLED S95F has slight advantages with its higher 165Hz refresh rate (versus 144Hz) and faster pixel response time for clearer motion. Both TVs offer HDMI 2.1 ports, VRR support through AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, and extremely low input lag (around 5-6ms). However, serious gamers who play the same game for many hours with static HUD elements might prefer the Samsung 65" QN90D Neo QLED for its immunity to burn-in. For competitive gamers focused on performance, the S95F OLED has a slight edge; for those concerned about longevity with static gaming content, the QN90D is the safer choice.
The black levels on the Samsung 65" OLED S95F are perfect, with a true zero-nit black that creates infinite contrast. This is physically possible because each OLED pixel can completely turn off. The Samsung 65" QN90D Neo QLED has excellent black levels for an LED-based TV with its Mini-LED backlighting and hundreds of local dimming zones, but it still produces some light in dark scenes and can exhibit slight blooming around bright objects on dark backgrounds. For movie enthusiasts who value perfect blacks, the difference is noticeable, especially in letterbox bars and starfield scenes. The S95F OLED is definitively superior in black level performance.
HDR performance is excellent on both TVs but with different strengths. The Samsung 65" OLED S95F delivers more impactful HDR in scenes that mix bright highlights with dark elements due to its perfect blacks and infinite contrast. The Samsung 65" QN90D Neo QLED excels with bright, colorful HDR content due to its higher sustained brightness. Both can hit similar peak brightness levels in small highlights (around 2,000 nits), but the QN90D can maintain brightness across larger portions of the screen. For mixed HDR content, the S95F OLED creates more dramatic contrast, while the QN90D delivers more consistently bright HDR images across varied content.
For most consumers, the substantial price difference between the Samsung 65" OLED S95F at $3,299.99 and the Samsung 65" QN90D Neo QLED at $1,397.99 is difficult to justify. The S95F does offer perfect blacks, slightly better color volume, and marginally better motion handling, but these improvements are relatively subtle compared to the nearly $2,000 price gap. The price difference is primarily worth it for dedicated home theater enthusiasts who view in controlled lighting and demand the absolute best picture quality. For typical living rooms and everyday viewers, the QN90D Neo QLED represents a much better value proposition with excellent performance.
Both the Samsung 65" OLED S95F and Samsung 65" QN90D Neo QLED run on Samsung's Tizen operating system with similar smart features, including access to all major streaming services, voice assistants, and smart home integration. The S95F benefits from having the newest version with Samsung Vision AI and is guaranteed to receive software updates for 7 years, compared to the standard 3-4 year update cycle likely for the QN90D. The core functionality is nearly identical between both models, with the S95F having slightly more refined AI-enhancement features. For most users, the smart feature differences won't significantly impact the buying decision between the S95F and QN90D.
For a dedicated home theater with controlled lighting, the Samsung 65" OLED S95F is the superior choice. Its perfect blacks, infinite contrast ratio, and exceptional color accuracy create a true cinematic experience that closely matches what filmmakers intended. The Samsung 65" QN90D Neo QLED performs admirably in home theater settings but can't match the OLED's contrast performance in dark rooms. If you're investing in a proper home theater setup with dimmed lighting, quality sound system, and premium content, the S95F OLED justifies its higher price tag by delivering a noticeably better viewing experience for films and high-quality TV shows.
For everyday TV viewing and streaming content, both TVs deliver excellent performance, but the Samsung 65" QN90D Neo QLED offers better overall value and versatility. Its higher brightness makes it more suitable for casual viewing throughout the day in varying lighting conditions, and its immunity to burn-in provides peace of mind for news channels and other content with static elements. The Samsung 65" OLED S95F will provide marginally better picture quality, particularly for evening viewing of high-quality streaming content, but the difference isn't substantial enough to justify the price premium for most casual viewers. For typical households that watch a mix of content throughout the day, the QN90D Neo QLED is the more practical choice.
We've done our best to create useful and informative comparisons to help you decide what product to buy. Our research uses advanced automated methods to create this comparison and perfection is not possible - please contact us for corrections or questions. These are the sites we've researched in the creation of this article: businessinsider.com - tomsguide.com - youtube.com - avsforum.com - zdnet.com - samsung.com - pioneertvandappliance.com - samsung.com - displayspecifications.com - samsung.com - samsung.com - standardtvandappliance.com - gerhardsappliance.com - bestbuy.com - image-us.samsung.com - rtings.com - youtube.com - images.samsung.com
