We've bought and tested over 100 Samsung TVs. Samsung TVs, generally speaking, are very versatile and can provide good-to-excellent picture quality. Samsung is known for its LED models which generally have great gaming features. Samsung introduced their new Neo QLED TVs in 2021, which is an improvement on their more traditional QLED lineup because it introduces Mini LED backlighting, and combined with the quantum dot layer, their high-end TVs provide great picture quality. Along with Sony, they also released the first QD-OLED TV in 2022 to compete with LG's OLED lineup.
Most brands, including Samsung, will start releasing their 2023 lineups soon, so make sure to vote on which ones you want us to buy and test first. If you want to find out more about what Samsung has planned for 2023, check out our 2023 TV lineup page.
Updates
- 03/13/2023 Samsung S95C OLED reviewed
- 03/01/2023 Samsung Q70/Q70A QLED updated
- 02/27/2023 Samsung AU8000 updated
- 02/07/2023 Samsung TU7000 updated
- 11/07/2022 Samsung QN900B 8k QLED reviewed
Best Samsung Smart TVs
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Best Samsung TV
Mixed Usage9.1Movies9.4TV Shows8.8Sports9.0Video Games9.3HDR Movies9.0HDR Gaming9.3PC Monitor9.7The Samsung S95B OLED is the best Samsung TV we've tested. It's in Samsung's 2022 lineup and the first OLED TV from Samsung in many years. It's a bit different from the very popular LG and Sony OLED TVs, as it uses a blue OLED backlight with a quantum dot filter layer. This allows it to display a much wider range of colors than traditional OLED panels, and colors get brighter overall, resulting in more vibrant, realistic colors.
Like most Samsung TVs, it's packed with features for gamers, including support for 4k @ 120Hz gaming and a variable refresh rate feature, making it a great choice for new-gen console gamers. Unfortunately, while it supports HDR10+, like all Samsung TVs, it doesn't support Dolby Vision, the most widely-used HDR format with streaming services, so you're limited to the less popular HDR10+ format. It also has eARC support, allowing you to pass Dolby Atmos signals to a compatible soundbar or receiver.
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Best Upper Mid-Range Samsung TV
Mixed Usage8.7Movies8.7TV Shows8.6Sports8.6Video Games8.7HDR Movies8.7HDR Gaming8.7PC Monitor8.9The Samsung QN90B QLED is the best upper mid-range Samsung TV we've tested. Alongside the Samsung QN95B QLED, which is basically the same TV with an external connection box, it's Samsung's flagship 4k LED TV for 2022, featuring an impressive Mini LED backlight to increase the appearance of small highlights and reduce blooming in dark scenes. It's an excellent TV overall with a great selection of features, so there's something for everyone. It's not quite as good as the Samsung S95B OLED in a dark room, though, as there's still some blooming around bright objects, and blacks aren't perfectly deep and inky.
On the other hand, it's a better choice for watching shows in bright rooms because it has fantastic reflection handling and easily gets bright enough to fight glare, so visibility isn't an issue even in the brightest rooms. It also comes with Samsung's 'Ultra Viewing Angle' technology that provides a good viewing angle, which is good for wide seating areas as the image remains consistent when viewed from the side.
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Best Mid-Range Samsung TV
Mixed Usage7.7Movies7.1TV Shows8.1Sports8.0Video Games7.9HDR Movies7.1HDR Gaming7.9PC Monitor8.6If you want something with better picture quality without breaking the bank, the Samsung Q80/Q80B QLED is the best mid-range Samsung TV we've tested. Stepping up from the Samsung AU8000, this is a good TV overall, with excellent peak brightness in SDR and decent reflection handling, so it performs well in a bright living area. Unlike most mid-range TVs, it also has a wide viewing angle, making it a great choice for a wide seating arrangement, as the image remains consistent even when viewed from the side.
Unfortunately, this wider viewing angle comes at the expense of contrast, so it doesn't look as good as the Samsung QN90B QLED or the Samsung S95B OLED in a dark room. Like most Samsung TVs, it has great gaming features, and all four HDMI ports support HDMI 2.1 bandwidth for console gamers. It runs the 2022 version of the Tizen OS smart interface, which has a huge selection of streaming apps and an easy-to-use interface.
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Best Budget Samsung TV
Mixed Usage7.7Movies8.4TV Shows7.5Sports7.3Video Games7.8HDR Movies7.6HDR Gaming7.7PC Monitor7.3The Samsung AU8000 is the best budget Samsung TV we've tested. Although Samsung isn't known for their budget models, this TV offers decent overall performance at a low cost. It's available in a wide range of sizes, from 43 to 85 inches, and they all perform like the 65-inch model we tested. Unlike Samsung's more expensive models like the Samsung QN90B QLED and Samsung Q80/Q80B QLED, it doesn't use quantum dot technology and can't display a wide color gamut.
Like the higher-end Samsung models, it performs well in dark rooms because it has a high native contrast ratio, resulting in deep blacks even when displaying bright highlights in dark scenes, and it has excellent black uniformity with minimal blooming. However, it doesn't have a local dimming feature to improve the contrast. It comes with the same Tizen OS smart platform, and you still get the same remote with a built-in mic and a ton of apps available to download.
Compared to other brands
- Well-rounded. Samsung's high-end models are some of the best TVs we've tested. They don't excel in just one category, but they're very well-rounded and offer great performance for a variety of uses.
- Perform well in dark and bright environments. Their QLED TVs, especially those with VA panels, have high contrast and get bright, so they're good for dark and bright rooms.
- Great gaming features. Samsung is a leader when it comes to gaming features, and even their mid-range models have variable refresh rate (VRR) and ALLM support.
- Uniformity issues. Samsung models typically don't have good gray uniformity, and they also have some dirty screen effect, which could get distracting during sports or PC use.
- TVs can be costly, and may not offer good value. Samsung's high-end TVs can get costly, so while they provide the best performance, they may not have the best value compared to other brands. There are often cheaper TVs that you can get with a few compromises.
- Few budget models. Although Samsung used to offer a wide range of budget models, in recent years they've pretty much abandoned their budget lineup, and even some mid-tier models are now only available in certain regions.
Samsung vs Sony
Samsung TVs usually have more gaming features than Sony TVs, like VRR support, and they also have a lineup with more TVs. Sony TVs, in comparison, are usually built a bit better, with mostly metal construction. They also tend to have better color accuracy, but Samsung isn't far behind in that regard.
Samsung vs LG
Samsung TVs generally have better picture quality than the average LG LED-backlit LCD TV. Samsung TVs usually get a fair bit brighter and have better contrast, while LG TVs generally have much wider viewing angles and have better smart features. While LG has more OLEDs, Samsung released their first QD-OLED, which produces brighter colors than LG's OLEDs.
Samsung TVs provide a performance suitable for most buyers, but they can also be costly compared to some competing brands. They generally perform very well and are among the best TVs on the market, especially if you want gaming features. However, competition is currently tightening up, so Samsung LED TVs don't seem to provide as much value as they previously did, but they also released one of the first QD-OLED TVs available.
Lineup
2023 Models
In early January 2023, Samsung announced the vast majority of their 2023 lineup. As usual, Samsung is releasing a very wide range of TVs, but like last year, their focus has shifted to high-end models, with very few new entry-level models, and their mid-range selection is relatively unchanged. Like most brands in 2023, Samsung's focus is on increasing the peak brightness of their high-end TVs and improving the Mini LED backlight features with smaller zones that will deliver a better local dimming feature. They've also expanded their QD-OLED lineup, with a larger 77-inch version now available, and it's now available with or without Samsung's signature One Connect box, so you can choose the model that best suits your needs.
For the most part, Samsung is keeping the same model names as last year, substituting 'C' instead of 'B' for the year suffix.
Model Names
Samsung's lineup covers everything from budget to high-end models. As a rule of thumb, the higher the number, the better it is, although sometimes the improvements aren't worth it. The suffix letter in their model number corresponds to the year:
- C = 2023
- B = 2022
- A = 2021
- T = 2020
Samsung uses the prefix Q* to denote their high-end QLED models, and the last letter of these models also demonstrates its year, corresponding to the list above (i.e., the Q90T is a 2020 QLED TV). They introduced the Mini LED lineup in 2021, labeled with QN in the model name, like the Samsung QN90A. As for their non-QLED models, the prefix letters denote the year. For example, the AU8000 is the 2021 entry-level model.
Smart Features
In the infancy of smart TVs, Samsung was the leader in functionality and smart features. It isn't to say that they were very good, as it took quite a few years for Smart TV platforms to mature into something comparable to external set-top boxes. However, other companies have caught up to Samsung and offer similar all-around performance, like Roku TV or LG's webOS, so the best Samsung smart TV isn't much better than smart TVs from other brands.
Samsung has constantly been updating its Tizen platform to ensure it competes with its competitors. In 2017, they added voice capabilities to their remote and smart platform, making it easier to navigate through menus. In 2018, they added Bixby virtual assistant, so you can use voice control to control other Samsung devices in your house, like lights, fridges, and door locks. The 2020 update featured a new, sleeker look with a 'Dark Mode' that isn't as bright as the white theme in older versions, and the 2022 version has a new full-screen webpage, which is an improvement over past versions that had all the apps and settings in a toolbar.
Interface
The interface is very simple and easy to navigate. As of 2022, they now have a full-screen webpage instead of the toolbar they had in past years. You'll find downloaded apps here, and you can quickly access the different inputs and settings. The interface works well, and there are many animations, but these can be slower on lower-end TVs.
Ad-free
Unfortunately, Samsung's Smart Hub also shows ads on the home screen. It shows up in the same row as the installed Samsung Smart TV apps, and they can't be disabled.
You can opt-out of personalized advertising in the settings, but that, unfortunately, only means that you'll see very repetitive ads instead of targeted ones.
Apps & Features
The app selection is pretty extensive nowadays. All the popular video and music services are available and more. Fortunately, the search function is quite good, and results come up very quickly. Like LG's webOS and Google TV on Sony TVs, Samsung TVs have an excellent selection of apps, and the vast majority of streaming services are available.
Voice Controls
Voice Command was overhauled in 2017, and they're pretty good now. Other smart interfaces were updated in 2018 to search for content and apps and change settings, something Samsung has been able to do for a few years. Even more in-depth stuff like calibration settings are only a button press away, which is quite nice.
- Changing inputs
- Launching apps
- Basic online searches, including "What time is it?" or "How's the weather in New York?"
- Change some settings
It's also possible to search within apps, but only a few apps are supported. It isn't possible to search Netflix, for example, but it's possible to search YouTube.
Remote
Samsung updated their remote with the release of the 2022 TVs. It features the same buttons as remotes from previous years, except with a redesigned body with brushed plastic on the bottom. There are quick-access buttons to popular streaming services and for your voice control. It's pretty minimal compared to traditional TV remotes, as you don't get a Numpad, but you still get navigation buttons. It's small and sleek-looking.
What sets this remote apart is that the QLED lineup comes with a solar-powered remote. It means that you can charge it via the solar panel on the back, and if that's not possible, you can still charge it via USB-C, but it doesn't come with a USB-C cable. The entry-level AU8000 from 2021 has the same remote but uses disposable batteries instead.
Known Issues
It's less common now than in previous years, but Samsung TVs often have issues with Wi-Fi connections. They'll randomly stop functioning after leaving the TV off for a while and require the connection to be set up again, which is quite annoying.
Recent Updates
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Feb 07, 2023: Verified our picks for accuracy, and refreshed the text.
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Dec 13, 2022: Verified our picks for accuracy and consistency, and refreshed the text.
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Oct 19, 2022: Updated the article to the 2022 lineup. Replaced the main pick with the Samsung S95B OLED and moved the Samsung QN90B QLED to the 'Best Upper Mid-Range' category. Added the Samsung Q80/Q80B QLED as the 'Best Mid-Range' pick.
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Aug 02, 2022: Renamed the Samsung QN90A to 'Best Samsung TV' and removed the Samsung QN85A; added the Samsung Q70A as the 'Best Mid-Range TV' to reflect market placement and added the Samsung S95B as the 'Best For Home Theaters'; updated Smart Features section to reflect changes to Tizen OS.
Conclusion
Samsung, in general, makes very good TVs. Their range has crept up in price over time, but most people will still find a TV that suits their needs within it. Their smart features aren't the best, but they're still quite good. They're usually quite versatile and fit most uses. You might have to pay a premium for their TVs, but you'll get excellent picture quality, especially with the higher-end models. Whether you're looking for the best Samsung smart TV or the best overall TV, you'll find great picture quality.
