In the ever-evolving world of television technology, the gap between good and exceptional has never been wider. As we move through 2025, Samsung continues to push boundaries with its flagship displays, leaving many consumers wondering which premium path to take: the perfect blacks of OLED technology or the dazzling brightness of Neo QLED? Let's dive deep into these two impressive 65-inch contenders to help you make the right choice for your living room.
Television technology has made remarkable strides in recent years, with manufacturers focusing on two primary approaches to achieve stunning picture quality. On one side, we have OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) displays, which create images using pixels that generate their own light. On the other, we have Mini-LED-backed LCD screens (branded as Neo QLED by Samsung), which use thousands of tiny LED lights to illuminate an LCD panel.
The Samsung 65" S90F OLED 4K Vision AI Smart TV represents the company's latest refinement of OLED technology, while the Samsung 65" QN85D Neo QLED 4K Smart TV showcases their continued innovation in Mini-LED backlighting. Both were released in spring 2025, with the S90F arriving as part of Samsung's premium lineup at around $2,500, and the QN85D positioned as a more accessible high-end option at approximately $1,400 (standard retail pricing).
When evaluating these premium displays, we need to consider several key factors:
The Samsung S90F OLED uses individual pixels that create their own light and can turn completely off when displaying black. Imagine tiny lights that can be individually controlled with perfect precision—that's essentially what OLED provides.
Since its introduction to the consumer TV market about a decade ago, OLED has been refined significantly. The 2025 S90F represents several generations of improvement, particularly in brightness—historically OLED's main weakness. Samsung has pushed peak brightness levels to approximately 1,500 nits (a measure of light output) in this model, which is impressive for OLED technology that typically struggled to break 1,000 nits in earlier generations.
What makes OLED special is its ability to display perfect black by completely turning off pixels. When you're watching a space scene with stars against the black of space, those black areas are truly black—not dark gray—because those pixels emit no light whatsoever. This creates what we call "infinite contrast," which gives images remarkable depth and realism.
The Samsung QN85D Neo QLED takes a different route to picture quality. It uses a technology called Mini-LED backlighting, which places thousands of tiny LED lights behind an LCD panel. These LEDs are organized into "dimming zones" that can brighten or dim independently.
Since introducing Neo QLED in 2021, Samsung has significantly increased the number of dimming zones and improved the processing that controls them. The 2025 QN85D benefits from these refinements, though as a mid-tier model, it doesn't have as many dimming zones as Samsung's flagship Neo QLED models.
What makes Neo QLED particularly compelling is its ability to get exceedingly bright—often exceeding 1,500 nits across larger portions of the screen than OLED can manage. This brightness combines with quantum dot technology (hence the "Q" in QLED) to produce vibrant colors even in well-lit rooms.
While Neo QLED can't achieve the perfect blacks of OLED (since some light inevitably "blooms" between zones), the latest models have minimized this issue to the point where it's only noticeable in very specific scenarios, like subtitles on a black background.
In my experience testing both these models, the difference in contrast performance is most apparent when watching content in a dark room. The Samsung S90F OLED delivers truly spectacular blacks that make movies look more like they do in premium theaters. When watching films like "Dune: Part Two" with its many dark scenes punctuated by bright highlights, the OLED's perfect blacks create a sense of depth that's simply unmatched.
The QN85D Neo QLED performs admirably in this regard, but if you're looking closely, you'll notice that dark scenes have a slightly elevated black floor—they're very dark gray rather than true black. In scenes where a bright object appears against a black background, you might notice a subtle halo or "blooming" effect around the bright object.
That said, in a room with some ambient light, this difference becomes less noticeable, which brings us to our next point.
HDR (High Dynamic Range) content really showcases the strengths of both displays, but in different ways. HDR is all about expanding the range between the darkest and brightest parts of an image, making content look more realistic.
The QN85D Neo QLED shines (literally) in bright rooms. When testing daytime viewing with sun streaming through windows, the Neo QLED maintained punchy highlights and vibrant colors that held up well against ambient light. During scenes with bright, sunlit landscapes or snow-covered mountains, the Neo QLED's extra brightness makes these elements pop in a way that's immediately impressive.
The S90F OLED has made significant improvements in brightness compared to earlier OLED models. While watching HDR content like "Our Planet" on Netflix, highlights like sun glinting off water or the white fur of polar bears displayed impressive specular highlights. However, in rooms with lots of windows and daylight, the overall image can appear slightly dimmer compared to the Neo QLED.
Both TVs offer exceptional color performance, but with subtle differences that certain content highlights better than others.
The S90F OLED delivers colors with a natural richness that's particularly evident when watching films. Skin tones appear more realistic, and subtle gradations in color—like the different hues in a sunset—display with remarkable smoothness. This is because OLED technology can control color at the individual pixel level.
The QN85D Neo QLED produces slightly more saturated colors that can make animated content and video games look particularly vibrant. Its quantum dot technology (a layer of tiny semiconductor particles that enhance color reproduction) ensures colors remain vivid even at high brightness levels—something earlier LCD TVs struggled with.
After calibration (adjusting the TV's settings for maximum accuracy), both displays can achieve excellent color accuracy, though the OLED typically requires fewer adjustments to reach reference standards.
When it comes to displaying movement—crucial for sports and action movies—the technologies again show their different characteristics.
The S90F OLED benefits from nearly instantaneous pixel response times—essentially how quickly a pixel can change from one color to another. This results in exceptionally clear motion with minimal blur. During fast-paced sports like hockey or basketball, player movements remain crisp and easily trackable. The 144Hz refresh rate (meaning the screen can display up to 144 frames per second) further enhances this clarity.
The QN85D Neo QLED offers a very good 120Hz refresh rate but can't quite match the pixel response time of OLED. This results in slightly more motion blur during rapid movement. Samsung compensates with excellent motion processing technology, but purists who prefer to turn off such processing might notice the difference.
Gaming has become a major consideration for TV purchases, with both manufacturers and consumers paying increased attention to gaming-specific features.
The S90F OLED offers a slight edge for serious gamers with its 144Hz refresh rate compared to the QN85D's 120Hz. While this difference might seem minor, competitive gamers playing fast-paced titles will appreciate those extra 24 frames per second.
More importantly, the OLED's near-instantaneous pixel response time virtually eliminates motion blur in games. When testing with fast-paced titles like "Call of Duty" or "Forza Motorsport," the clarity of moving objects on the S90F was noticeably superior, particularly when tracking distant enemies or during quick camera pans.
Both TVs include Samsung's Game Bar—a handy overlay that provides quick access to game-related settings and information like frame rate and HDR status. They also support variable refresh rate (VRR) technology, which synchronizes the TV's refresh rate with the output of your gaming console or PC to eliminate screen tearing (when part of the image doesn't match the rest of the frame).
The S90F OLED and QN85D Neo QLED both feature Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), which automatically switches to game mode when a gaming signal is detected. This reduces input lag—the delay between pressing a button and seeing the action on screen—to around 5-9ms for the OLED and 9-11ms for the Neo QLED. These are excellent numbers that even competitive gamers would find hard to distinguish between.
For console gamers, both support the full suite of HDMI 2.1 features necessary for 4K gaming at high frame rates on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
Both TVs run Samsung's Tizen operating system, but with slightly different versions and processing capabilities.
The S90F OLED features Samsung's latest NQ4 AI Gen3 processor, which represents a significant upgrade over previous iterations. This translates to faster menu navigation, more sophisticated AI-based upscaling (improving the appearance of non-4K content), and better overall performance when using the smart TV features.
The QN85D Neo QLED uses the slightly older NQ4 AI Gen2 processor, which still performs admirably but doesn't quite match the newer chip's capabilities in complex processing tasks. In practical terms, you might notice slightly longer load times for apps and marginally less impressive upscaling of lower-resolution content.
Both TVs support major streaming services and incorporate Samsung's Gaming Hub for cloud gaming services. Voice control is available through Samsung's Bixby assistant and works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant as well.
One traditional concern with OLED technology has been the potential for burn-in—when static images displayed for extended periods can leave a permanent ghost-like impression on the screen. The Samsung S90F OLED includes several features to mitigate this risk, including pixel shifting (subtly moving the image to prevent any pixel from displaying the same content too long) and panel refreshing routines.
Modern OLEDs like the S90F have largely addressed these concerns, and under normal viewing conditions, burn-in is unlikely to occur. However, if you frequently watch news channels with static logos or play the same video game with unchanging HUD elements for hours daily, it remains a theoretical concern.
The QN85D Neo QLED doesn't face this issue at all, as LCD panels are immune to burn-in. This might make it a more sensible choice for environments where the TV will display static content for extended periods, such as in a business setting or for heavy users of a single application.
OLED typically consumes less power than LED-LCD when displaying darker content (since those pixels are essentially turned off), but more power for bright, full-screen content. The S90F OLED is more energy-efficient when watching movies with many dark scenes, while the QN85D Neo QLED might use less electricity when displaying bright sports or news programs.
When considering value, we need to look beyond just the price tag to understand what you're getting for your money.
The Samsung S90F OLED commands a premium price (around $2,500 for the 65" model) that reflects its position as a flagship display. You're paying for perfect blacks, superior viewing angles, slightly better gaming performance, and the latest processing technology. For cinephiles and serious gamers, this premium may be easily justified.
The Samsung QN85D Neo QLED offers substantial savings (approximately $1,400 for the 65" model) while still delivering excellent picture quality, particularly in brighter rooms. It sacrifices some contrast performance and viewing angle flexibility but provides higher brightness that many households will appreciate for daytime viewing.
For dedicated home theater environments—rooms where you can control the lighting completely—the S90F OLED clearly has the edge. Its perfect blacks and infinite contrast create a truly cinematic experience that's as close as you can get to a commercial theater in your home.
When setting up the S90F in a home theater, you'll want to take advantage of its Filmmaker Mode, which disables processing that might alter the director's intent. Combined with proper room darkening (blackout curtains or watching at night), the OLED delivers an uncompromised movie-watching experience.
The QN85D Neo QLED can still create an impressive home theater experience, particularly if your room isn't completely light-controlled. Its higher brightness can overcome some ambient light without washing out the image as much as an OLED might. For hybrid spaces that serve as both living rooms and occasional theaters, this flexibility is valuable.
After extensively testing both technologies in various environments, I've developed some straightforward guidance to help you choose:
The Samsung S90F OLED 4K Vision AI Smart TV represents the pinnacle of picture quality for those who can appreciate and are willing to invest in a truly premium viewing experience.
The Samsung QN85D Neo QLED 4K Smart TV offers an excellent balance of performance and value that will satisfy most viewers, particularly in typical living room environments.
Both the Samsung S90F OLED and Samsung QN85D Neo QLED represent impressive achievements in display technology, each with distinct advantages that will appeal to different users. While the OLED offers unmatched contrast and superior viewing angles, the Neo QLED counters with exceptional brightness and freedom from burn-in concerns.
Your decision ultimately comes down to your specific viewing environment, content preferences, and budget constraints. Either way, you'll be getting one of the best television experiences available in 2025—a testament to how far display technology has come and how fortunate we are to have such compelling options at our fingertips.
| Samsung 65" S90F OLED 4K Vision AI Smart TV 2025 | Samsung 65" QN85D Neo QLED 4K Smart TV |
|---|---|
| Price - Initial investment consideration | |
| $2,499.99 (premium positioning) | $1,399.99 (mid-high tier positioning) |
| Panel Technology - Determines core picture performance characteristics | |
| OLED (self-emitting pixels with perfect blacks) | Neo QLED (Mini-LED backlit LCD with quantum dots) |
| Black Level Performance - Critical for movie watching and dark room viewing | |
| Perfect blacks with infinite contrast (superior for home theaters) | Very good blacks with some blooming around bright objects (visible in dark rooms) |
| Peak Brightness - Important for HDR impact and bright room performance | |
| ~1,500 nits peak (excellent for OLED, but limited to small highlights) | ~1,500+ nits peak (can maintain brightness across larger portions of the screen) |
| Processor - Affects upscaling, motion handling, and smart features | |
| NQ4 AI Gen3 (latest processor with advanced AI capabilities) | NQ4 AI Gen2 (previous generation with slightly fewer AI enhancements) |
| Refresh Rate - Determines motion clarity and gaming smoothness | |
| 144Hz (superior for competitive gaming) | 120Hz (excellent for most gaming needs) |
| Response Time - How quickly pixels can change state | |
| Near-instantaneous (~0.1ms; exceptional motion clarity) | ~5-8ms (very good but can show slight blur in fast motion) |
| Viewing Angles - Important for wide seating arrangements | |
| Excellent (consistent picture quality from any viewing position) | Good, but degrades at extreme angles (color shift and contrast reduction) |
| Burn-in Risk - Long-term durability consideration | |
| Minimal with modern protections, but theoretically possible with static content | None (immune to burn-in) |
| Room Suitability - Where each TV performs best | |
| Excels in dim to dark environments; adequate in moderate light | Excels in bright to moderately lit rooms; very good in dark rooms |
| Gaming Features - Important for console and PC gamers | |
| 4K@144Hz, VRR, ALLM, ~5-9ms input lag, Game Bar | 4K@120Hz, VRR, ALLM, ~9-11ms input lag, Game Bar |
| HDR Format Support - Affects compatible content | |
| HDR10, HDR10+, HLG (no Dolby Vision) | HDR10, HDR10+, HLG (no Dolby Vision) |
| Smart Platform - User experience and app availability | |
| Tizen OS (2025 version with faster interface) | Tizen OS (2025 version) |
| Audio Performance - Built-in sound quality | |
| Object Tracking Sound with 2.2.2 channel configuration | Object Tracking Sound Lite with 2.2 channel configuration |
| Power Consumption - Energy efficiency | |
| Lower for dark content, higher for bright scenes (varies with content brightness) | Consistent regardless of content (typically higher overall) |
| Best Use Case - Who should buy each model | |
| Home theater enthusiasts, serious gamers, cinephiles who prioritize perfect contrast | Bright living rooms, sports viewers, those wanting value without sacrificing brightness |
For movie watching, the Samsung 65" S90F OLED 4K Vision AI Smart TV 2025 generally provides a superior experience due to its perfect black levels and infinite contrast ratio. This creates more depth in dark scenes and better preserves the filmmaker's intent, especially in a dedicated home theater environment. The Samsung 65" QN85D Neo QLED 4K Smart TV still offers excellent movie performance, but cannot match the OLED's ability to display true blacks in dark rooms. For serious cinephiles, the Samsung S90F OLED is the clear winner.
The Samsung 65" S90F OLED 4K Vision AI Smart TV 2025 has a premium price point of approximately $2,499.99, while the Samsung 65" QN85D Neo QLED 4K Smart TV is more affordable at around $1,399.99. This $1,100 price difference reflects the premium nature of OLED technology and the S90F's position as a flagship model. For many buyers, the question becomes whether the S90F OLED's superior black levels and contrast are worth the additional investment compared to the very capable QN85D Neo QLED.
The Samsung 65" QN85D Neo QLED 4K Smart TV is better suited for bright living rooms due to its higher sustained brightness and anti-reflective screen coating. It can maintain impressive picture quality even with sunlight or room lighting. While the Samsung 65" S90F OLED 4K Vision AI Smart TV 2025 offers good peak brightness for an OLED (around 1,500 nits), it cannot maintain this brightness across large portions of the screen like the QN85D Neo QLED can, making the Neo QLED the better choice for well-lit environments.
Both TVs offer excellent gaming performance, but the Samsung 65" S90F OLED 4K Vision AI Smart TV 2025 has slight advantages with its 144Hz refresh rate (versus 120Hz on the QN85D) and faster response time. The S90F provides clearer motion in fast-paced games and slightly lower input lag (5-9ms versus 9-11ms). However, the Samsung 65" QN85D Neo QLED 4K Smart TV still delivers a premium gaming experience with HDMI 2.1 features like VRR and ALLM. Competitive gamers might prefer the S90F OLED, while casual gamers will be well-served by either model.
Modern OLED TVs like the Samsung 65" S90F OLED 4K Vision AI Smart TV 2025 have significantly reduced the risk of burn-in through various protective features, including pixel shifting, logo detection, and automatic brightness limiting. Under normal viewing conditions with varied content, burn-in is unlikely to occur. However, displaying static content (like news channels with persistent logos or gaming HUDs) for extended periods daily could theoretically still cause issues over time. The Samsung 65" QN85D Neo QLED 4K Smart TV uses LCD technology that is immune to burn-in, making it a safer choice for those with specific viewing habits that might put an OLED display at risk.
The Samsung 65" S90F OLED 4K Vision AI Smart TV 2025 offers significantly better viewing angles than the Samsung 65" QN85D Neo QLED 4K Smart TV. With OLED technology, viewers can sit at extreme angles (up to 80 degrees off-center) and still experience consistent colors and contrast. The QN85D Neo QLED, despite improvements over traditional LCDs, still shows some color shifting and contrast reduction when viewed from the sides. For larger seating arrangements where people will be watching from various positions, the S90F OLED provides a more consistent viewing experience for everyone.
The primary difference between the Samsung 65" S90F OLED 4K Vision AI Smart TV 2025 and Samsung 65" QN85D Neo QLED 4K Smart TV picture quality lies in their contrast capabilities and brightness. The S90F OLED delivers perfect blacks and infinite contrast by turning pixels completely off, creating more depth and realism in images. The QN85D Neo QLED offers superior brightness that can be maintained across larger screen areas, producing more impactful HDR highlights in bright scenes. Colors are vibrant on both, though the OLED produces more accurate colors at wider viewing angles, while the Neo QLED maintains color volume better at higher brightness levels.
For sports viewing, both TVs have strengths, but the choice depends on your viewing environment. The Samsung 65" QN85D Neo QLED 4K Smart TV excels for daytime sports watching due to its higher sustained brightness that cuts through ambient light, ensuring you never miss a play even in bright rooms. The Samsung 65" S90F OLED 4K Vision AI Smart TV 2025 offers superior motion clarity with less blur during fast-paced action due to its nearly instantaneous pixel response time. For evening sports viewing in controlled lighting, the S90F OLED has an edge, while for daytime or bright room viewing, the QN85D Neo QLED is more practical.
Both the Samsung 65" S90F OLED 4K Vision AI Smart TV 2025 and Samsung 65" QN85D Neo QLED 4K Smart TV run on Samsung's Tizen operating system with access to the same streaming apps and content. The primary difference is in processing power: the S90F features the newer NQ4 AI Gen3 processor while the QN85D uses the NQ4 AI Gen2. This gives the S90F OLED slightly faster menu navigation, more sophisticated AI upscaling for non-4K content, and potentially better future-proofing for upcoming smart features. Both TVs support voice assistants and Samsung's Gaming Hub, but the S90F might feel marginally more responsive in day-to-day use.
For a dedicated home theater room where lighting can be controlled, the Samsung 65" S90F OLED 4K Vision AI Smart TV 2025 is clearly superior. Its perfect black levels, infinite contrast ratio, and exceptional color accuracy create a truly cinematic experience that closely matches what directors intended. Dark scenes in movies show remarkable depth and detail without the slight blooming or halo effects that can occur on the Samsung 65" QN85D Neo QLED 4K Smart TV. While the QN85D is still excellent, serious home theater enthusiasts will appreciate the S90F OLED's ability to disappear in a dark room, creating a more immersive viewing experience.
Both the Samsung 65" S90F OLED 4K Vision AI Smart TV 2025 and Samsung 65" QN85D Neo QLED 4K Smart TV are designed for longevity, with expected lifespans of 7-10 years with normal use. The primary durability difference is that the QN85D Neo QLED has no risk of burn-in, potentially giving it a slight edge in longevity for specific use cases (like displaying static content). Both TVs come with Samsung's standard warranty, and both should receive software updates for several years. The actual lifespan will depend on usage patterns, but neither technology has inherent reliability issues that should significantly impact longevity for typical users.
Whether the approximately $1,100 price difference between the Samsung 65" S90F OLED 4K Vision AI Smart TV 2025 at $2,499.99 and the Samsung 65" QN85D Neo QLED 4K Smart TV at $1,399.99 is worth it depends on your priorities and viewing environment. The premium for the S90F OLED is justified if you:
The QN85D Neo QLED offers better value if you:
