Samsung S90F 4K TV review: A contender for the top TV of the year

Business Insider

25-07-2025

The Samsung S90F OLED TV is the successor to the brand's S90D, which is the reigning champ in Insider Reviews' guide to the best TVs. This new 2025 model is yet another excellent television, and it delivers a brighter image than its predecessor. Unlike most OLEDs in this class, the S90F uses quantum dot color technology, which results in a more vibrant picture.
Out-of-the-box color accuracy is fantastic, exceeding many comparably priced rivals. While the S90F isn't the absolute brightest OLED on the market, it has more than enough luminance for a typical room and deep black levels that provide amazing contrast in a dim home theater.
However, as impressive as the S90F is, it's important to remember that last year's similar S90D is still available and often on sale for a lot less. Though the S90F is a worthy successor, most people are still better off snagging the cheaper S90D while it remains in stock. But as the year goes on, the S90D will sell out, and the S90F will drop in price, making it a top contender to seize the crown as the best TV overall.
The TV has a great design, but beware that not all sizes are created equal
The S90F is available in six screen sizes — 42, 48, 55, 65, 77, and 83 inches. However, it's important to note that only the 55-, 65-, and 77-inch versions use a QD-OLED panel. The others use a non-quantum dot OLED, so their color performance isn't quite as advanced. My sample was a 65-inch S90F, so my impressions also apply to the 55- and 77-inch sizes.
All sizes have an incredibly thin frame that looks sleek and stylish. The S90F's profile is notably slimmer than many competing Mini LED TV models, like the TCL QM8K, since its OLED panel doesn't require space for a separate backlight. Its thickest point is only 1.6 inches, where its back panel protrudes to house the TV's electronics and connections.
The majority of the display's ports are either side- or down-facing, which allows the TV to be mounted very close to the wall if desired. Despite requiring no screws to assemble, the included pedestal stand feels stable and holds the S90F well. It measures 14.4 inches wide by 10.4 inches deep, so it still comfortably fits on a thinner credenza or table.
There are four HDMI inputs, and they're all version 2.1 with support for up to a 4K/144Hz signal. But to get full bandwidth capabilities, it's important to make sure Input Signal Plus is activated in the TV's menu. The setting can be found by navigating to General & Privacy, then External Device Manager, then Input Signal Plus. You can turn this on for each HDMI input, and it enables the port to receive high-bandwidth signals. If it's set to off, the TV will not be able to display at 4K/120Hz (or 144Hz for PC gaming).
The S90F comes with Samsung's compact SolarCell remote with Alexa and Bixby voice control. There's an additional AI button at the top of the remote this year, but otherwise, its face is identical to previous models. The small size of the remote keeps all of its functions easily within thumb's reach, but the tiny buttons could be mildly frustrating to use if you're someone with large hands.
The remote's rear has a solar panel for charging, so you don't need batteries, and it has a USB-C port as a backup if you ever run out of juice from light sources.
The S90F's excellent color volume delivers vibrant images
As I mentioned above, I reviewed the 65-inch S90F, which uses a QD-OLED panel. One of the benefits of a QD-OLED screen over regular OLED (called WOLED) is color volume. WOLEDs rely on white light that passes through a color filter. But QD-OLEDs use blue light with red and green quantum dots. Without getting too into the weeds with technical details, this process enables a QD-OLED to produce higher color volume with brighter, purer saturation.
Using my X-rite i1 Pro 3 spectrophotometer, C6 HDR5000 colorimeter, Murideo Seven-G 8K pattern generator, and Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays, I measured the S90F's P3 color gamut coverage at 99.78% in Filmmaker Mode (the TV's most accurate setting). That's an exceptional number at the top end of what TVs can achieve. The P3 color gamut is what modern high dynamic range (HDR) movies and TV shows use, so the S90F is capable of displaying the full range of colors that Hollywood productions are graded for. On top of that, its color accuracy is excellent. This all results in bright, realistic colors that look stunning on screen.
I watched several HDR videos to test the TV's real-world performance. The explosions in "Mad Max: Fury Road" burst in swirls of red, orange, and yellow. Skin tones looked natural and not overblown. The TV's accurate, vibrant hues accentuated the film's changing color palette, starkly delineating the red and yellow day sequences from the rich blue scenes at night. The S90F allowed the film's stylistic look to shine through and create a highly engaging cinematic experience.
However, like all Samsung TVs, the S90F doesn't support Dolby Vision HDR, instead opting for HDR10+, a competing royalty-free HDR format originally developed by 20th Century Studios, Panasonic, and (surprise) Samsung. Both Dolby Vision and HDR10+ do the same thing — adjust the picture on a scene-by-scene or frame-by-frame basis to offer the most accurate HDR image your TV is capable of. But Dolby Vision content is more widespread, and it allows more fine-tuning in post-production that could lead to better performance. You can learn more about the pros and cons of different high dynamic range formats in our HDR guide. Ultimately, the benefits of Dolby Vision are too subtle to be considered a must-have, but this is one area where the S90F is a step behind OLEDs from LG and Sony.
When it comes to brightness, though, the S90F edges out other OLEDs in this price range while also delivering a decent upgrade over last year's S90D. The S90D offered around 1,240 nits of brightness on a standard 10% window. The S90F improves that number by a couple of hundred nits, with a max of around 1,457 nits on a 10% window. Smaller window sizes can hit an even higher peak of around 1,620 nits. This allows specular highlights (like explosions and light sources in movies and TV shows) to really pop. For example, a scene with stars against a black night sky sparkles with a wonderful intensity on the S90F.
The S90F's OLED panel also enables perfect black levels when watching TV in a dark room, completely free from any of the patchiness or uneven backlighting that can pop up on QLED and Mini LED sets. That said, ambient light causes those black levels to slightly elevate, which makes them look a little gray in a bright room. This is due to the TV's QD-OLED panel lacking a polarizing layer, which is something that LG's WOLEDs have. A TV's overall brightness is higher without this filter, but it also allows light to reflect internally and adversely affect the screen's black levels.
During regular viewing, this rise in black level is only slightly apparent, and it's not as distracting as it is on TVs that use a matte screen coating, like the flagship Samsung S95F. Even in a room with ambient light, I found myself able to sit back and enjoy TV shows without any major issues. And though it does have a glossy finish, the S90F handles direct reflections well.
The S90F also has extremely wide viewing angles, which is a benefit found on all OLED displays. There's no visual degradation to the color or brightness, even from more than 60 degrees off-axis. If you have a large group over to watch TV or a movie, you can be sure everyone is getting a similar experience.
As a whole, the S90F's picture performance is remarkable for its price. Compared to other 2025 TV models, its closest competitor is the LG C5, which is often sold for around the same amount. Performance between the two is a trade-off as you get better color and brightness on the S90F, but better daytime black level performance and Dolby Vision support on the C5.
The interface is quick, but a bit frustrating to navigate
Samsung uses the Tizen smart TV operating system, and the company has made some improvements over the past couple of years that have made navigation far more responsive than it used to be. I have an older S90C in my bedroom, and even with a consistent flow of updates to the OS over the years, moving the cursor around the home screen can be frustrating, as it stutters or fails to respond right away. The S90F, on the other hand, is zippy and smooth, and apps load quickly.
But I find Tizen's organization to be cumbersome, and it requires a good amount of setup and customization to work well. The S90F autoplays the last app that was used if you let it sit idle for a few seconds, and the setting to turn this off is buried within the Smart Features menu. In order to add new apps to the home screen, it takes a bunch of clicks and searching to find them in the Apps tab, move them to the main page, and then shift them from the end of the apps bar to a more accessible spot toward the beginning.
If you have external devices attached to the TV, there isn't an input select button on the remote, so you need to navigate to Connected Devices and then scroll over to the desired input. Everything feels like it takes a few more button presses than it needs to.
For gamers, though, Tizen's centralized gaming screen is a useful feature. All gaming options, including cloud gaming services like Nvidia GeForce Now and Xbox Game Pass, are in one place that can be easily accessed by clicking on the side-bar menu's Gaming Hub. If you have a console connected, it will be shown on that page as well.
The TV also supports a suite of AI features that Samsung has dubbed "Vision AI," including image and audio enhancements, but none of these functions are all that noteworthy. I generally recommend just keeping the TV in Filmmaker mode to get the most accurate picture.
Should you buy the Samsung S90F TV?
The Samsung S90F is one of 2025's top upper-midrange TVs. It has great contrast and a bright, detailed picture that's incredibly color accurate. The high refresh rate and cloud gaming support also make it an excellent gaming TV.
The TV's black levels are perfect in a dark room but slightly compromised in a brighter space, and the Tizen OS isn't my favorite smart TV interface. But those strikes are small compared to the S90F's many strengths.
When it comes to direct OLED competitors, the LG C5 is a worthy alternative for people who prefer the LG brand. Ignoring limited-time discounts, both TVs are typically sold for around the same price. I prefer the C5's interface, and its black levels are better than the S90F's when viewed in a bright room. But the C5 can't match the S90F's color volume or overall brightness. So, the choice between the two comes down to whether you prioritize color and brightness over daytime black levels and navigation.
It's also key to remember that last year's S90D can still be found for a lot less money. It's a little dimmer, but it's otherwise a very similar display. With that in mind, the S90D still remains the better buy for most people. But as stock of the S90D runs out and the S90F's price comes down later this year, this newer model will take the upper hand. Based on past price trends for similar Samsung models, I expect the 65-inch S90F to drop down to as low as $1,600 in the fall. So, you may want to hold off until deals pop up over the coming months.