The Samsung S85D OLED is Samsung's entry-level OLED for 2024. It sits below the Samsung S90D/S90DD OLED, and unlike that TV, all sizes use a traditional WOLED panel instead of a QD-OLED panel. Like the other OLEDs in Samsung's 2024 TV lineup, it uses Samsung's new NQ4 AI Gen 2 processor, designed to improve performance over their previous OLEDs. It uses the 2024 version of Samsung's Tizen OS and has smart features like the ability to cast content from your phone onto the TV and voice control. It also has modern gaming features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, 4k @ 120Hz, and VRR support. The TV has 20W 2.0 channel speakers built-in. We bought and tested the 65-inch model, and it's available in four different sizes: 55-inch, 65-inch, 77-inch, and 83-inch.
Our Verdict
The Samsung S85D is very good for mixed usage. It's not very bright in HDR, but thanks to its vibrant colors and perfect blacks, it still impresses in a room with the lights off. When you turn your lights on, you still get very deep blacks and saturated colors, which is great, but it does struggle with reducing the intensity of direct reflections. The TV's image quality holds up well from the sides, making it a solid option for a group setting. It's also a solid TV for gaming, with clear motion and modern gaming features.
Near-infinite contrast ratio for perfect blacks with no blooming around bright highlights.
Incredibly wide viewing angle for a consistent image from the sides.
Colors are vibrant and lifelike.
Direct reflections are distracting.
Lacks the SDR brightness needed to overcome glare in a bright room.
The Samsung S85D is very good for a home theater. It displays perfect blacks with no blooming thanks to its OLED technology, so despite not being very bright in HDR, highlights still stand out against darker backgrounds. Colors are vibrant enough for a good-looking image, but this is a TV you need to get calibrated if you strive for the most accurate colors possible. Fortunately, the TV does an excellent job displaying HDR content at the brightness level the filmmaker intends. It does a decent job smoothing out artifacts in low-quality content, but it doesn't remove them completely. On the other hand, it has very good upscaling, so lower-resolution content looks sharp enough to enjoy. Since the TV has a nearly instantaneous response time, you do see some stutter in movies and shows, but not everyone will notice this.
Near-infinite contrast ratio for perfect blacks with no blooming around bright highlights.
Colors are vibrant and lifelike.
Does a very good job upscaling low-resolution content.
Noticeable stutter due to the TV's fast response time.
No Dolby Vision and DTS audio passthrough.
The Samsung S85D is okay for a bright room. It's bright enough in SDR to fight glare from most indirect lighting, but there are some visibility issues in very bright rooms, especially during darker scenes. It also doesn't do the best job of reducing the intensity of direct reflections, so it's best to place the TV in a spot where there are no lamps or windows opposite the screen. Fortunately, colors stay well-saturated and blacks remain very deep in a bright room, so you barely lose any image quality when you turn your lights on.
Colors are vibrant and lifelike.
Blacks remain deep and colors stay vibrant in a room with ambient lighting.
Direct reflections are distracting.
Lacks the SDR brightness needed to overcome glare in a bright room.
The Samsung S85D is satisfactory for watching sports. It's bright enough to overcome glare in a room with some indirect lighting, but it lacks the direct reflection handling needed to use it in a bright room where you have the curtains open on a window that's opposite the screen. The TV does a very good job upscaling HD cable broadcasts and streams, but it doesn't completely remove artifacts from heavily compressed feeds. Fortunately, the TV's uniformity is good, so you aren't distracted by the dirty screen effect. Motion is smooth thanks to the TV's very fast response time, and you get vibrant colors that help make the big game look good. It's a solid choice for watching the game with a group of friends since the image doesn't degrade when viewed from the sides of the screen.
Incredibly wide viewing angle for a consistent image from the sides.
Nearly instantaneous pixel transitions for no noticeable blur behind fast motion.
Colors are vibrant and lifelike.
Does a very good job upscaling low-resolution content.
Direct reflections are distracting.
Lacks the SDR brightness needed to overcome glare in a bright room.
The Samsung S85D is great for gaming. It's loaded with modern features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four ports for up to 4k @ 120Hz with VRR, making it a solid pairing with the current Xbox and PlayStation consoles. It also has nearly instantaneous pixel transitions for smooth motion and low input lag for a responsive feel. The TV's HDR brightness while using Game Mode is noticeably dimmer than the other picture modes, so highlights don't pop the way they should. However, HDR games still look good due to the TV's perfect black levels and vivid colors.
Nearly instantaneous pixel transitions for no noticeable blur behind fast motion.
Colors are vibrant and lifelike.
Very low input lag at 120Hz for a responsive experience.
Noticeably dimmer in HDR while using Game Mode, which negatively impacts HDR games.
The Samsung S85D has acceptable brightness overall. It handles glare well in a room with indirect sources of light, but it's not bright enough in SDR to completely overcome glare in a well-lit room. Its HDR brightness isn't bad and highlights do stand out against darker backgrounds, but it's not quite bright enough to truly make highlights pop out in bright HDR content.
Lacks the SDR brightness needed to overcome glare in a bright room.
The Samsung S85D is an OLED, so it has perfect black levels. Blacks are inky in a dark room with no blooming around highlights.
Near-infinite contrast ratio for perfect blacks with no blooming around bright highlights.
The Samsung S85D has decent colors overall. It has very good SDR color volume, so SDR content looks nice and colorful. Its HDR color volume is only satisfactory, so although it's good enough for a solid HDR experience, it doesn't display colors at high levels of brightness. The TV's color accuracy in both SDR and HDR is alright, so colors don't look noticeably off. However, this is a TV that requires calibration if you want the most accurate colors possible.
Colors are vibrant and lifelike.
Note: We're in the process of improving our tests related to image processing, but this score should give you a general idea of how a TV performs overall with its image processing capabilities.
The Samsung S85D has very good processing overall. It does an excellent job displaying HDR content at the brightness level the filmmaker intends, and outside of some banding in dark blues and greens, color gradients are smooth. The TV does a very good job of upscaling low-resolution content. On the other hand, it only does a decent job smoothing out artifacts in heavily compressed content, so you still see artifacts like macro-blocking.
Does a very good job upscaling low-resolution content.
Excellent HDR brightness accuracy.
The Samsung S85D has superb responsiveness while in Game Mode. Thanks to its nearly instantaneous pixel transitions, fast motion is very clear. You also get low input lag, especially at 120Hz, so gaming feels responsive. Finally, it has support for G-SYNC, FreeSync, and HDMI Forum VRR, so you get all three of the most common forms of VRR for a nearly tear-free experience.
Nearly instantaneous pixel transitions for no noticeable blur behind fast motion.
Very low input lag at 120Hz for a responsive experience.
We're in the process of fixing the way we evaluate a TV's overall motion handling. This section is currently broken, and the score isn't indicative of how well a TV handles motion overall.
Performance Usages
Changelog
- Updated May 08, 2025: Converted to Test Bench 2.0.1. We did this to fix an issue with our scoring in the Supported Resolutions section, since TVs with a refresh rate higher than 144Hz were being penalized for not supporting 144Hz.
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Updated Apr 29, 2025:
Mentioned the newly reviewed Samsung S85F OLED in the HDR Color Volume section.
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Updated Apr 23, 2025:
We rechecked the TV's Total Response Time and updated the result in the Response Time section.
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Updated Apr 11, 2025:
We wrote text for the new tests and rewrote text throughout the review after updating pre-existing tests and scores for Test Bench 2.0.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We bought and tested the 65-inch Samsung S85D, but these results are also valid for the 55-inch, 77-inch, and 83-inch models. Note that the last five letters in the model number (AEXZA in this case) vary between retailers and individual regions, but there's no difference in performance.
Best Buy sells a 77-inch variant of this TV known as the Samsung S84D (QN77S84DAEXZA/QN77S84DBEXZA) with built-in 30W 2.1 channel speakers. Otherwise, there's no difference in performance.
| Size | US Model | Short Model Code | Best Buy Exclusive (S84D) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55" | QN55S85DAEXZA | QN55S85D | - |
| 65" | QN65S85DAEXZA | QN65S85D | - |
| 77" | QN77S85DAEXZA | QN77S85D | QN77S84D |
| 83" | QN83S85DAEXZA | QN83S85D | - |
Our unit was manufactured in April 2024.
Popular TV Comparisons
The Samsung S85D is an excellent TV overall, but it doesn't really have anything special about it. Unlike the QD-OLED versions of the Samsung S90D/S90DD OLED and the flagship Samsung S95D OLED, the TV uses a traditional WOLED panel, so you don't get the same color vibrancy of those TVs. It's most comparable to a TV like LG's entry-level LG B4 OLED, but it's not as bright in HDR, and it loses a lot of peak brightness in HDR while using Game Mode. On top of that, the B4 has much better accuracy and more effective low-quality content smoothing, and it supports Dolby Vision and DTS audio passthrough. Since both TVs are similarly priced, the LG B4 OLED is the better choice for almost anyone.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best OLED TVs, the best gaming TVs, and the best TVs at Best Buy.
The QD-OLED version of the Samsung S90D OLED is better than the Samsung S85D OLED. The S90D is a lot brighter in HDR, and it maintains its brightness much better while using Game Mode. The S90D also supports up to 4k @ 144Hz for PC gamers with high-end graphics cards. The biggest advantage of the S90D is its ability to display more vibrant and lifelike colors with almost no banding due to its QD-OLED panel. The S90D is also the more accurate TV in SDR and HDR without calibration.
The LG C4 OLED is better than the Samsung S85D OLED. The LG supports up to 4k @ 144Hz, so it's better suited for PC gamers looking to get the most out of their graphics cards. The LG supports Dolby Vision and DTS audio formats, so it’' better for those who want to take advantage of streaming services that use Dolby Vision or those who collect physical media. When it comes to HDR brightness, the LG is much better, delivering more impactful highlights in HDR content. The LG also has much better accuracy.
The LG B4 OLED is better than the Samsung S85D OLED. The LG is brighter in HDR, and it maintains its brightness much better while using Game Mode, leading to a more impactful HDR experience. The LG is also significantly more accurate in HDR and SDR. Additionally, the LG has the edge with low-quality content smoothing, and it supports Dolby Vision and DTS audio formats.
The Samsung S90C OLED is better than the Samsung S85D OLED. The S90C has a wider color gamut and much better color volume, so it displays more vibrant and lifelike colors with less banding. The S90C has much better pre-calibration SDR accuracy, so you don't need to get it calibrated if you care about accurate colors in SDR. Highlights in HDR content pop out more on the S90C due to its better HDR brightness, and it maintains that brightness while using Game Mode. If you're a PC gamer with a higher-end graphics card, the S90C supports 4k @ 144Hz, so you can play in a higher frame rate.
We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests use specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.
Test Results
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