Verdict
The Samsung S90C OLED is a piddling underwhelming in terminal figure of picture and sound . Though it can hand over high levels of brightness with HDR content , rival produce a more natural and nuanced performance than Samsung ’s introduction - storey organic light-emitting diode can .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
After sacrifice OLED TVs the short shrift for almost a ten , Samsung is putting its weighting behind them – though as S95C and S90C show , it ’s doing it on their own terms .
The S95Cis the premium OLED screen , while the S90C is the more affordable effort , feature a unlike aim , less advanced features , and miserable elevation brightness for HDR content .
It has me wondering whether the S90C is simply a rebadged S95B , a telly I liked but has a few imperfections . With strong competition in theLG C3 OLED , Sony ’s A95 K , andPanasonic MZ1500all as secretive price rivals , the Samsung S90C has to prove its mettle in a elusive market .
Design
The S90C looks very similar to the S95B and were it not for the difference in the stall figure , I ’d say it ’s precisely the same .
The switch to fundamental feet is beneficial as they ’re easier to bind – simply slot them in and click into place . The easiness is much treasure .
The blind itself is thin from edge to inch apart from the bulge towards the bottom of the rear panel . For those who prefer to wall - mount , the S90C wo n’t sit flush against a paries .
Colours hold their brightness and intensity level at spacious angle without losing saturation , and luminance does feel higher than the current WRGB OLED panel from LG Display whether from a oral sex - on position or at a full angle .
The S90C is one of a few OLED telecasting worth considering for role in a bright room because of its inherent light , but this does come with a caveat . Though the panel has an Anti - Reflection filter , it lack the polarizer of other OLED displays , so black levels look grey in burnished room . Turn the light off and it ’s not an issue but it can distract .
Tizen Interface
The substance abuser experience across Samsung ’s 2022 screens was sulky , with feature and options hidden from view . The 2023 version is an improvement on the first peak , but less so on the latter .
It is fast to navigate in terms of speed , as flicking through the hubs is fleet enough . The interface is divided into hubs for Search , Ambient , Game and Media , as well as row for Connected Devices and options . The latter two sense disconnected from the residuum though , obscure away in a shelf towards the bottom of the screen . You would n’t notice them unless you knew of their existence .
user are well dish by Tizen ’s entertainment options . Despite the lack ofFreeview Playall the main UK catch - up and on - need apps are provide . The main picture and music cyclosis apps are covered fromNetflix , Prime Video , Disney+to Spotify , Tidal , Qobuz , Apple Music and more . Apple TV+supports HDR10 + compatibility to further optimise the S90C ’s HDR performance .
The make up apps are complemented bySamsung TV Plus , a free - to - access streaming service with hundred ( if not thousands ) of movies and TV programme . There are more free - to - access goodies from the like of Plex too .
There ’s a pick of two remote control – a smart , minimalist one with few buttons that can point itself through ambient light ( or via a USB - C port wine ) , or the monetary standard , more functional remote with more button .
Neither is a chore to use though most may opt the smart remote for its simpleness , although both propose agile admittance to popular streaming apps .
Features
The Gaming Hub features cloud play apps with the likes of Xbox Game Pass , Amazon Luna , Utomik , and GeForce Now onboard .
PC gamers get AMD FreeSync Premium VRR , and while the S90C can handleNvidia G - Sync , it ’s not manifest for it . Super Ultra wide-cut Game View suffer screen proportion of 21:9 and 32:9 , while HDR10 + Gaming is supported with compatible displays / GPUs .
automobile modest rotational latency modereduces dawdle , and in biz modal value I measured latency at a class - leading 9.2ms . WithHDMI VRRthat can be further reduced with personal computer games that have refresh rates up to 144Hz ( which the S90C supports ) .
The S90C does n’t get the One Connect corner , but there are still four HDMI input all snitch to the HDMI 2.1 standard – though HDMI 1 and 4 are designate as the ‘ secret plan ’ input . Two USB port , Ethernet , digital optical out , CI Slot , and antennae for terrestrial and planet providers cover physical ports . Wi - Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.2 are the wireless pick .
Two features I do n’t return on Samsung ’s 2022 OLEDs are the EyeComfort mode and the Pantone validation . EyeComfort reduces the amount of gamey light emitted from the screen to reduce annoyance . Pantone backup claims to produce accurate , true - to - living colours , particularly the reproduction of pelt tone .
Picture Quality
One of the main criticisms I had about the S95B was a color public presentation that needed more finessing across its picture modes . A lot of tweaking was necessitate , but allied with its high brightness HDR , Samsung ’s first organic light-emitting diode presented a solid understructure .
The S90C come out to be the same screen as the S95B though brightness in various fashion has been adjusted . In Standard manner , the S90C hits 1038 nits on a 5 % window ( 1033 nits on the S95B ) but film producer drops from 1017 to 720 nits , and Movie mode is up from 500 to 886 nits .
The S90C packs a punch with its bright , colourful , images , but it ’s not quite Book of Job done . There are still several niggles about the S90C ’s picture .
One is that out - of - the - corner brightness is surprisingly dark with HDR content . Watching Jordan Peele ’s Nope I feel it harder to see detail in the night scenes .
Playing with the Contrast Enhancer adjust boosts light to expected levels , but it ’s not the solution for every cinema . With Interstellar ( 4 K Blu - ray , HDR10 ) forget Contrast Enhancer to High ensue in overly bright Patrick Victor Martindale White , mean more tweaks were necessary .
There ’s also dynamic and Standard HDR preferences in moving-picture show modes other than Filmmaker ( where this setting is locked ) . see Marvel ’s Secret Invasion on the S90C and Sony A80L and though the S90C is the brighter of the two , the A80L plunk out more detail in the brighter parts of daytime - countersink scene .
exchange from Standard to Active ( or tinker with the Contrast Enhancer ) and the Samsung suffers from clipping ( release of detail ) in the brightest areas .
But it is with dark HDR scenes that the S90C struggles to articulate . Colours seem colder and a picayune duller , and black layer miss depth in both The English ( iPlayer , HLG ) and Secret Invasion ( Disney+ , HDR10 ) . There ’s a want of punch to colours and a coldness to complexions in drear HDR scenes .
stone against either the Sony A95 K orA80Lthe QD - OLED ’s blood-red push is more obtrusive on the S90C than the A95K. Both Sony TVs impersonate more natural coloring material and skin color , with the S90C not as subtle in its shading of case ’ faces , especially in those darker HDR scenes , which number across as a shade heavy .
apparent motion processing is another country for betterment . There ’s judder with hands and feet in World War I drama 1917 , with deflect noise around the consistence of characters and the equipment they contain . With the slow camera pans the S90C perform all right , but with faster cause there ’s stutter and noise in both Custom and Auto modes .
In The English there ’s a prospect where a group of horses gallop across the screen , and there ’s a distracting amount randomness and pixelation around the buck ’ stage . File under ‘ ok ’ but it ought to be better for a television receiver of this standing .
With Samsung ’s Neural Quantum Processor handling upscaling duties , a Blu - ray of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade looks filmic , nicely sharp , and clear . Fine detail is excellent , the S95C brings out the texture of the film ’s costuming , and film grain is treated organically and not confused as noise .
Colours are astray - stray , inkiness have depth , and contingent in the faces of histrion is very good . If I have a quibble , it ’s the complexion of fiber errs towards red .
A videodisk of Apollo 13 looks upright than expect on a 65 - column inch television . The picture can be noisy but not too so , with easygoing bound that lack the clarity and point of HD resolution . Colours look natural aside from the reddened push button to complexion . While I would n’t really want to follow much 480p depicted object on this television receiver , it ’s far from unwatchable .
Sound Quality
The S90C ’s built - in audio arrangement is less powerful than the S95B ’s 60W 2.2.2 channel system with its 40W power 2.1 system of rules , and the drop in performance show .
It ’s also downgrade from the S95B ’s OTS ( Object Tracking Sound ) system that feature an regalia of loudspeaker system around the screen , to OTS Lite which use a combining of physical and virtual speaker .
It ’s a functioning that ’s less impactful than I come up the S95B to be . Despite its Dolby Atmos bread and butter , Top Gun : Maverick sounds tame and uneventful , with not much heartiness unmistakable in trial successiveness that get down the film . Though Maverick is described in spacious price , it ’s not exciting .
Bass is hunky-dory but lack that zing and punch as the honey oil whizz across the sky . Disappointingly , there ’s bombilate with low frequencies ( at volume 50 ) that ’s even audible snuff it in and out of place setting ’ menus , and surprisingly with the Netflix and Apple TV+ Son .
There ’s a choice of two audio modes : Standard and Amplify , and the latter grants more energy , vividness , and boosts dialogue , which is position well on screen , delivered clearly and crisply . Of the two , Amplify is the modality that make the most out of the TV ’s phone system .
The sense of the speakers tracking sound from one corner to another mostly escapes me . With a film such as Tenet , the action scenes sound too safe . tote up a soundbar and the fervour , weight , and saturation of the action sequences follow flood through , and that ’s what I ’d recommend you should factor into your budget if you ’re buying this TV .
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Should you buy it?
With support for refresh rates up to 144Hz , firm input lag and a option of features for PC gamers , the S90C comes with splendid gambling certificate
Though the Sony A80L is n’t as bright , it ’s a more lifelike and filmic performing artist with HDR cognitive content than the S90C , especially with darker view .
Final Thoughts
The Samsung QE65S90C is a mystifier . It ’s adequate to of great HDR brightness level for an OLED TV but involves having to visit the options to unlock its potentiality .
The HDR performance out of the box is underwhelming unless the Contrast Setting is activated , its performance in gloomy HDR scene is categorical , and the audio recording organization lacks excitation .
At the time of recap , it had an RRP of £ 2799 but it can be found for £ 1999 at some retailers . Despite that , if picture and audio frequency are pressing precedency , I ’d range the Sony A80L as the better performer .
Trusted Score
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FAQs
In the UK there ’s a alternative of the S90C and S92C at various retail merchant , and the difference looks like ornamental with the stand taking on a different color . Otherwise the television set are identical
