Samsung S95 Samsung S95F 65" 4K HDR Smart OLED TV Review

This is a gaming monitor masquerading as a TV. It hits a 93rd percentile gaming score with a killer 165Hz OLED panel, but its HDR and picture quality are shockingly mediocre for the price. Buy it only if silky-smooth gameplay is your #1 priority, and pair it with a soundbar.

The Samsung S95F is a gaming TV first and foremost. Its gaming performance lands in the 93rd percentile, and it's packing a Motion Xcelerator 165Hz panel with HDMI 2.1. That combo makes it a top-tier choice for anyone with a PS5, Xbox Series X, or a high-end PC. But it's not a balanced all-rounder. Its picture quality and HDR performance sit in the 33rd to 39th percentile range, which is surprising for an OLED. You're paying a premium for a specific, high-end gaming feature set, and you'll need to be okay with some compromises elsewhere.

Let's talk about what this TV does best: gaming. That 93rd percentile gaming score is no joke. The 165Hz refresh rate and VRR support mean you're getting buttery-smooth motion with virtually no tearing, putting it in the elite tier for responsiveness. Connectivity is its other superpower, sitting in the 94th percentile with four HDMI ports ready for your console and PC setup. Now, the flip side. For an OLED, its core picture metrics are middling. Display quality is at the 69th percentile, which is decent, but HDR and overall picture quality are down in the 30s. That means while it's great for fast motion, its contrast and peak brightness in HDR scenes might not wow you like other high-end OLEDs.

At $2,298, the value proposition is narrow. You're paying a premium for that 165Hz gaming performance, which is a legitimately rare and high-end feature. If that's your absolute top priority, the price might be justified. But if you care about a more balanced TV experience with great HDR and movie watching, there are other OLEDs and high-end Mini-LEDs around this price that offer better all-around picture quality. This is a specialist's tool, not a jack-of-all-trades.

Compared to the LG OLED evo G5, you're trading overall picture quality and better smart features for a higher refresh rate. The LG will likely have better HDR and upscaling. Against the Samsung QN90F Neo QLED, you get perfect blacks from the OLED, but the QN90F will likely crush it in peak brightness for HDR highlights, making it better for bright rooms. The Sony BRAVIA 5, with its Mini-LED tech, is another all-rounder that will likely offer superior processing and upscaling for movies and sports. The S95F wins on pure gaming fluidity but loses on versatility.

Skip this TV if you want a balanced home theater experience. Its weak scores in picture quality (39th percentile) and HDR (33rd percentile) mean movie nights won't look their best. Also avoid it if you mainly watch sports (47.1/100 score) or need good built-in sound (39th percentile audio). This is a specialist device, not a living room centerpiece.

We can only recommend the Samsung S95F OLED if your primary use case is competitive or high-frame-rate PC gaming. The 165Hz support is its killer feature, and it delivers that in spades. For everyone else—movie buffs, casual gamers, sports fans—the middling picture and HDR scores are a deal-breaker at this price. There are better balanced TVs that still offer excellent 120Hz gaming without the picture quality sacrifices.