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To try to better understand how long a TV should last, we're running 100 TVs through an accelerated longevity test for the next two years. Learn more about how we designed and built our biggest test yet with our latest video, which has been posted to our new RTINGS com R&D channel.

Samsung S95C OLED TV Review

Tested using Methodology v1.10
Reviewed Mar 13, 2023 at 12:36 pm
Samsung S95C OLED Picture
9.1
Mixed Usage
Value for price beaten by
: none
9.3
Movies
Value for price beaten by
: LG B2 OLED
8.8
TV Shows
Value for price beaten by
: none
9.0
Sports
Value for price beaten by
: LG B2 OLED
9.3
Video Games
Value for price beaten by
: LG B2 OLED
8.9
HDR Movies
Value for price beaten by
: Hisense U8H
9.2
HDR Gaming
Value for price beaten by
: none
9.7
PC Monitor
Value for price beaten by
: none

The Samsung S95C OLED is a high-end 4k TV in Samsung's 2023 lineup, and it replaces the 2022 Samsung S95B OLED. There are a few design changes compared to the 2022 version, as the S95C uses Samsung's Slim One Connect external input box and has a sleeker, more uniform design. It's powered by Samsung's Neural Quantum Processor 4k, which was first introduced in 2022 and is designed to deliver better upscaling, optimized on a scene-by-scene basis. It's also a gaming powerhouse, with a fast 144Hz refresh rate for PC gaming and support for HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four ports. Like other Samsung TVs, it uses Samsung's proprietary Tizen OS smart interface, which offers a large selection of apps and games.

Our Verdict

9.1 Mixed Usage

Overall, the Samsung S95C is a superb TV for any usage. Movies look amazing in a dark room thanks to its near-infinite contrast ratio, with deep uniform blacks and bright highlights, with no distracting blooming. HDR content looks incredibly vivid and lifelike thanks to its wide color gamut and high peak brightness in HDR. It's also excellent for watching shows in the day thanks to its high peak brightness and superb reflection handling, and sports look fantastic thanks to its excellent uniformity and fast response time. It's a fantastic TV for gaming, with low input lag and a nearly-instantaneous response time. It also has an impressive array of gaming features, including HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and variable refresh rate support.

Pros
  • Near-infinite contrast ratio for perfect blacks.
  • Superb reflection handling.
  • Incredibly bright colors.
Cons
  • Aggressive ABL can get distracting with large areas of brightness.
9.3 Movies

The Samsung S95C is an outstanding TV for watching movies in a completely dark room. It has a nearly infinite contrast ratio, so blacks are deep and inky, with no distracting blooming around bright objects. It removes judder from any source, ensuring a smooth movie-watching experience, and it upscales lower-resolution movies on DVD well. There are a few tradeoffs, as its fast response time results in noticeable stutter in slow panning shots. It also doesn't support DTS audio formats for passthrough, so for the best sound, you'll need to connect your player directly to your home theater receiver or soundbar.

Pros
  • Near-infinite contrast ratio for perfect blacks.
  • Automatically removes 24p judder from any source.
Cons
  • Doesn't support DTS passthrough or Dolby Vision.
  • Fast response time results in noticeable stutter.
8.8 TV Shows

The Samsung S95C is an excellent TV for watching shows in a bright room. It has superb reflection handling and gets bright enough to overcome glare in a bright room. It also has a fantastic viewing angle, so you can walk around the room and still enjoy a consistent image. The built-in Tizen OS smart interface is easy to use, and it has a great selection of streaming apps in Samsung's app store, so you can easily find your favorite content. Finally, it upscales lower-resolution content well, which is great if you have a bunch of shows on DVD.

Pros
  • Superb reflection handling.
  • Exceptionally wide viewing angle.
  • Good peak brightness in SDR.
Cons
  • Aggressive ABL can get distracting with large areas of brightness.
9.0 Sports

The Samsung S95C OLED is fantastic for watching sports in a bright room. It has superb reflection handling and good peak brightness, so it can easily overcome glare in a bright room. It also has a fantastic wide viewing angle, which is great for watching the big game with a large group of friends, as the image remains consistent when viewed from the sides. Fast action is incredibly clear thanks to its nearly-instantaneous response time. Unfortunately, it can't get very loud, so if you're throwing a party, you'll want an external speaker system or soundbar.

Pros
  • Superb reflection handling.
  • Exceptionally wide viewing angle.
  • Good peak brightness in SDR.
Cons
  • Aggressive ABL can get distracting with large areas of brightness.
9.3 Video Games

The Samsung S95C OLED is a fantastic TV for gaming. It has a nearly-instantaneous response time, resulting in crystal-clear motion with almost no noticeable blur behind fast-moving objects. It also has incredibly low input lag, resulting in a responsive gaming experience. It supports many advanced gaming features, including variable refresh rate support to reduce tearing, and it can take full advantage of the new-gen consoles thanks to its four HDMI 2.1 bandwidth ports.

Pros
  • Superb reflection handling.
  • Incredibly low input lag.
  • Good peak brightness in SDR.
  • HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four ports.
Cons
  • Over brightened in 'Game' Mode.
8.9 HDR Movies

The Samsung S95C OLED is an amazing TV for watching movies in HDR. It has a nearly infinite contrast ratio, resulting in deep, inky blacks in a dark room, with no distracting blooming or haloing around brighter areas of the scene. It has an incredibly wide color gamut, and colors are bright and vibrant. It tracks the PQ EOTF superbly, ensuring most scenes are displayed at the brightness level intended by the content creator. Finally, it has fantastic HDR gradient handling, so there's very little banding in HDR.

Pros
  • Near-infinite contrast ratio for perfect blacks.
  • Automatically removes 24p judder from any source.
  • Incredibly wide color gamut in HDR.
  • Incredibly bright colors.
Cons
  • Aggressive ABL can get distracting with large areas of brightness.
  • Doesn't support DTS passthrough or Dolby Vision.
  • Fast response time results in noticeable stutter.
9.2 HDR Gaming

The Samsung S95C delivers a remarkable HDR gaming experience. Games are smooth and clear, thanks to the low input lag and nearly-instantaneous response time. It supports advanced gaming features like a variable refresh rate, and thanks to its HDMI 2.1 bandwidth it can take full advantage of the new-gen consoles. HDR looks amazing, thanks to its high peak brightness and wide color gamut. With its near-infinite contrast ratio, bright highlights in HDR stand out incredibly well, and there's no distracting blooming around bright specular highlights.

Pros
  • Near-infinite contrast ratio for perfect blacks.
  • Incredibly wide color gamut in HDR.
  • Incredibly low input lag.
  • HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four ports.
Cons
  • Aggressive ABL can get distracting with large areas of brightness.
  • Doesn't support DTS passthrough or Dolby Vision.
  • Over brightened in 'Game' Mode.
9.7 PC Monitor

The Samsung S95C is a fantastic TV for PC gaming, but it's not a good choice for desktop PC use. It has a nearly-instantaneous response time and incredibly low input lag, so games are fluid and responsive, with almost no distracting motion blur behind fast-moving objects. On the other hand, text isn't very clear due to the unusual pixel structure, and there's a risk of permanent burn-in when exposed to static elements, like the UI elements of a computer desktop.

Pros
  • Superb reflection handling.
  • Exceptionally wide viewing angle.
  • Incredibly low input lag.
  • HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four ports.
Cons
  • 9.1 Mixed Usage
  • 9.3 Movies
  • 8.8 TV Shows
  • 9.0 Sports
  • 9.3 Video Games
  • 8.9 HDR Movies
  • 9.2 HDR Gaming
  • 9.7 PC Monitor
  1. Updated Mar 13, 2023: Review published.
  2. Updated Mar 09, 2023: Early access published.

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Differences Between Sizes And Variants

We bought and tested the 77-inch Samsung S95C, and these results are also valid for the 55-inch and 65-inch models. Note that the last five letters in the model number (AFXZA in this case) vary between retailers and individual regions, but there's no difference in performance.

Size US Model  Short Model Code
55" QN55S95CAFXZA QN55S95C
65" QN65S95CAFXZA QN65S95C
77" QN77S95CAFXZA QN77S95C

Our unit was manufactured in January 2023, and you can see the label here.

Compared To Other TVs

The Samsung S95C is an incredible OLED TV and a slight improvement on the first-generation Samsung S95B OLED. It gets brighter and delivers better colors than WOLED models from LG and Sony, but it still lacks a polarizer, and the screen finish has a purple tint in a bright room. Overall, it's an impressive TV that outperforms most similarly-priced models on the market. It has an excellent selection of extra features and delivers fantastic picture quality.

See our recommendations for the best OLED TVs, the best 4k TVs, and the best 70-75-77 inch TVs.

Samsung S95B OLED
55" 65"

The Samsung S95B OLED and the Samsung S95C OLED are very similar overall as far as performance and picture quality are concerned. The S95C gets a bit brighter and now officially supports a 144Hz refresh rate. The S95C also has an updated design that appears to be better built, and it uses an external Slim One Connect input box.

LG C2 OLED
42" 48" 55" 65" 77" 83"

The Samsung S95C OLED is a bit better than the LG C2 OLED. The Samsung has much brighter colors that look more vibrant and life-like in HDR, and it gets a bit brighter, so specular highlights stand out more. Other than that, both TVs deliver fantastic picture quality and offer a great selection of gaming and smart features, so you can't go wrong with either one.

LG B2 OLED
55" 65" 77"

The Samsung S95C OLED is better than the LG B2 OLED. Both TVs deliver fantastic picture quality in a dark room, but the S95C has much brighter colors that look more vibrant and life-like in HDR. The S95C also gets significantly brighter, so specular highlights stand out better. Finally, the Samsung is better equipped for gaming, with four HDMI 2.1 bandwidth ports and a faster refresh rate for PC gamers.

LG G2 OLED
55" 65" 77" 83" 97"

The Samsung S95C OLED is a bit better than the LG G2 OLED. The Samsung has much brighter colors that look more vibrant and life-like in HDR, and specular highlights stand out a bit better thanks to its slightly higher peak brightness. Other than that, both TVs deliver fantastic picture quality, especially in a dark room, and offer a great selection of gaming and smart features, so you can't go wrong with either one.

Sony A95K OLED
55" 65"

The Samsung S95C OLED and the Sony A95K OLED deliver a very similar experience overall. The Sony is a bit better for a home theater setup since it supports Dolby Vision HDR and more advanced audio formats like DTS. The Samsung is a bit more advanced for gaming, as it supports HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on more ports than the Sony, and its variable refresh rate feature is compatible with more sources.

+ Show more

Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
Design
Style
Curved No

The Samsung S95C has a very premium design and looks incredible in any room. The central stand looks great and takes up very little space, and Samsung's decision to switch to the external Slim One Connect box for the inputs results in a more uniform thickness, similar to the LG G3 OLED.

Design
Accelerated Longevity Test
Uniformity Pictures N/A

This TV isn't currently part of our accelerated longevity test, but we're considering adding it. Let us know what you think in the forums.

Design
Stand

The center-mounted stand is very solid and small, and it supports the TV well. Due to the large size of the TV, it wobbles a bit, but it's not bad at all. The stand lifts the display 3.35" above the table, so almost any soundbar fits in front of it without blocking the screen.

Footprint of the 77-inch stand: 14.2" x 11.2"

Design
Back
Wall Mount VESA 400x400

The back of the TV is very different from the 2022 Samsung S95B OLED. Samsung has decided to move the inputs to an external Slim One Connect box, so you can place the input box away from the TV. It's a versatile feature, as you can choose to leave the input box on your table, or you can mount it to the back of the TV or the back of the stand. There are no other clips or anything for cable management, though.

Design
Borders
Borders 0.28" (0.7 cm)
Design
Thickness
Max Thickness 0.47" (1.2 cm)

The TV leans back about 3°, but this isn't noticeable when you're sitting in front of it.

9.0
Design
Build Quality

The Samsung S95C OLED has fantastic build quality. Samsung has redesigned the shell of the TV, resulting in a more uniform thickness, and it feels more solid, so it's unlikely that it'll have the same issue with bent panels that affected the Samsung S95B OLED. The stand is very robust and stable, and even though it still wobbles a bit, it's not bad at all. There's some flex to the back casing, but it's very minor and won't cause any issues.

Picture Quality
10
Picture Quality
Contrast
Contrast
Inf : 1
Native Contrast
Inf : 1

Since OLED displays use self-emissive pixels instead of a backlight, the Samsung S95C has a nearly infinite contrast ratio.

10
Picture Quality
Blooming

Since this TV uses self-emissive OLED technology, there's absolutely no blooming around bright highlights or subtitles in otherwise dark scenes.

7.5
Picture Quality
Black Crush

There's a bit of black crush with SDR content on this TV, but it's not very noticeable. Fine details in shadows are still displayed well, and it looks good overall.

10
Picture Quality
Lighting Zone Transitions
Local Dimming
No
Backlight
No Backlight
Dimming Zones Count Of Tested TV
8,294,400

The Samsung S95C doesn't have a backlight, but thanks to its nearly infinite contrast ratio, it's equivalent to a perfect local dimming feature with no zone transitions. We still film the zone transition video on the TV so you can see how the screen performs and compare it with a TV that has local dimming.

9.5
Picture Quality
Contrast And Dark Details In Game Mode

Switching to the 'Game' picture mode doesn't result in any noticeable difference in contrast or black crush. Contrast is perfect even in 'Game' mode.

7.5
Picture Quality
SDR Brightness
Real Scene Peak Brightness
385 cd/m²
Peak 2% Window
635 cd/m²
Peak 10% Window
638 cd/m²
Peak 25% Window
584 cd/m²
Peak 50% Window
273 cd/m²
Peak 100% Window
176 cd/m²
Sustained 2% Window
619 cd/m²
Sustained 10% Window
600 cd/m²
Sustained 25% Window
524 cd/m²
Sustained 50% Window
246 cd/m²
Sustained 100% Window
171 cd/m²
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
0.086

The Samsung S95C has good peak brightness in SDR. It's bright enough to overcome glare in a bright room. There's a noticeable variation in brightness with different scenes, though, as very bright, high-APL scenes are dimmed considerably by the TV's Automatic Brightness Limiter (ABL). This is mainly distracting when watching sports with bright playing surfaces, like hockey. Setting Peak Brightness to 'Off' effectively disables the ABL feature but also reduces the peak brightness to about 250 cd/m² in all scenes.

These measurements are after calibration with the following settings:

  • Picture Mode: Movie
  • Brightness: Max
  • Peak Brightness: High
  • Color Tone: Warm2

8.4
Picture Quality
HDR Brightness
Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)
1,059 cd/m²
Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)
748 cd/m²
Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)
246 cd/m²
Peak 2% Window
1,321 cd/m²
Peak 10% Window
1,210 cd/m²
Peak 25% Window
532 cd/m²
Peak 50% Window
251 cd/m²
Peak 100% Window
193 cd/m²
Sustained 2% Window
1,257 cd/m²
Sustained 10% Window
1,108 cd/m²
Sustained 25% Window
478 cd/m²
Sustained 50% Window
240 cd/m²
Sustained 100% Window
187 cd/m²
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
0.123

The Samsung S95C has impressive peak brightness in HDR. Unfortunately, large bright scenes are significantly dimmer than smaller specular highlights due to the TV's aggressive Automatic Brightness Limiter (ABL). The TV also can't maintain bright highlights; brightness peaks quickly, but then starts to decrease almost immediately.

You can set Peak Brightness to 'Off' in HDR if the brightness fluctuations bother you, but this just locks the peak brightness much lower, so highlights in HDR don't stand out at all anymore.

These measurements are after calibrating the HDR white point, with the following settings:

  • HDR Picture Mode: FILMMAKER
  • Brightness: Max
  • Contrast: Max
  • Color Tone: Warm2
  • HDR Tone Mapping: Static
  • Peak Brightness: High

8.7
Picture Quality
HDR Brightness In Game Mode
Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)
1,167 cd/m²
Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)
970 cd/m²
Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)
499 cd/m²
Peak 2% Window
1,326 cd/m²
Peak 10% Window
1,281 cd/m²
Peak 25% Window
617 cd/m²
Peak 50% Window
318 cd/m²
Peak 100% Window
211 cd/m²
Sustained 2% Window
1,285 cd/m²
Sustained 10% Window
1,217 cd/m²
Sustained 25% Window
566 cd/m²
Sustained 50% Window
295 cd/m²
Sustained 100% Window
210 cd/m²
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
0.114

Strangely, the TV is a bit brighter in HDR Game Mode. The Game PQ EOTF with the settings listed below shows that the TV is over-brightening almost all scenes, so even though the peak brightness is almost the same, real content is brighter in 'Game' mode than it should be. The other 'Game' settings are even worse for the most part.

These measurements are after calibrating the HDR white point, with the following settings:

  • HDR Picture Mode: Game
  • Brightness: Max
  • Contrast: Max
  • Color Tone: Warm2
  • HDR10+ Gaming:: Basic
  • Game HDR: Off

9.3
Picture Quality
PQ EOTF Tracking
600 Nit Tracking Delta
0.0033
1000 Nit Tracking Delta
0.0044
4000 Nit Tracking Delta
0.0059

With the 'FILMMAKER' and 'Movie' modes in HDR, the Samsung S95C OLED has superb PQ EOTF tracking, ensuring that most content displays at the correct brightness level. There's a sharp cutoff near the TV's peak brightness for content mastered at 600 and 1,000 nits, so there's some clipping in really bright scenes in content mastered at those levels, which is most content. There's a smoother roll-off with content mastered at 4,000 nits, with less clipping, but very little content is mastered at that level.

There's no noticeable difference in PQ EOTF tracking with different test window sizes:

9.3
Picture Quality
HDR Native Gradient
100% Black to 50% Gray
8.0
50% Gray to 100% White
10
100% Black to 50% Red
10
50% Red to 100% Red
10
100% Black to 50% Green
10
50% Green to 100% Green
8.0
100% Black to 50% Blue
10
50% Blue to 100% Blue
8.0

The Samsung S95C OLED has superb gradient handling in HDR. There's some noticeable banding in dark grays and bright blues and greens, but it still looks great.

9.4
Picture Quality
Color Gamut
Wide Color Gamut
Yes
DCI P3 xy
99.98%
DCI P3 uv
99.98%
Rec 2020 xy
86.06%
Rec 2020 uv
91.39%

The Samsung S95C has an incredibly wide color gamut. It can display the full range of colors in the DCI-P3 color space used by most HDR content. Coverage of the wider Rec. 2020 color space isn't as good, and the tone mapping is a bit off, so highly saturated colors aren't displayed accurately.

Unfortunately, the 'Auto' Color Space setting is broken, as it doesn't switch to the correct color space automatically, so you need to manually change it to 'Native' when you start watching HDR content. This setting results in the widest color gamut the TV can display, but it also clips in some places, and many colors appear oversaturated, so it's not very accurate. The 'Auto' setting is more accurate but can't display as many colors. The graphs and numbers posted here are with it set to 'Native'.

9.1
Picture Quality
Color Volume
1,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage ITP
97.8%
10,000 cd/m² Rec 2020 Coverage ITP
54.5%
White Luminance
1,325 cd/m²
Red Luminance
297 cd/m²
Green Luminance
911 cd/m²
Blue Luminance
96 cd/m²
Cyan Luminance
1,006 cd/m²
Magenta Luminance
383 cd/m²
Yellow Luminance
1,211 cd/m²

This TV has exceptional color volume. Thanks to its QD-OLED panel, it displays dark, saturated colors perfectly, and colors are bright and vibrant. Colors are bright relative to pure white, and this is one of the main advantages of QD-OLED panels like this one over WOLED panels like the LG C3 OLED.

8.8
Picture Quality
Pre Calibration
White Balance dE
1.96
Color dE
1.16
Gamma
2.16
Color Temperature
6,767 K
Picture Mode
Movie
Color Temp Setting
Warm 2
Gamma Setting
2.2

Even without calibrating it, the Samsung S95C OLED has excellent accuracy in SDR. The white balance is great, with no noticeable issues, and gamma follows the 2.2 target for a moderately-lit room well. Most colors are displayed well, except for reds which are a bit off, but not noticeably so. The color temperature is very close to the target.

9.6
Picture Quality
Post Calibration
White Balance dE
0.32
Color dE
0.59
Gamma
2.19
Color Temperature
6,523 K
White Balance Calibration
20 point
Color Calibration
Yes

After calibration, the Samsung S95C OLED has fantastic accuracy, with no noticeable issues at all. It's relatively easy to calibrate.

You can see our full calibration settings here.

8.6
Picture Quality
Gray Uniformity
50% Std. Dev.
1.396%
50% DSE
0.117%
5% Std. Dev.
0.430%
5% DSE
0.118%

The Samsung S95C has excellent gray uniformity. There's very little variation in brightness across the screen, which is great for any content. There's also almost no distracting dirty screen effect in the center, which is great for sports fans.

10
Picture Quality
Black Uniformity
Std. Dev.
N/A
Native Std. Dev.
0.168%

Since OLEDs can turn off individual pixels, the Samsung S95C has perfect black uniformity, with no distracting blooming or halo effect around bright areas of the screen in dark scenes.

6.8
Picture Quality
Low-Quality Content Smoothing
Smoothing
6.0
Detail Preservation
8.5

This TV has just okay processing capabilities with low-quality content. It can't smooth out macro blocking very well, so it's still very noticeable, especially in dark scenes. On the other hand, it preserves fine details well.

10
Picture Quality
Viewing Angle
Color Washout
70°
Color Shift
70°
Brightness Loss
70°
Black Level Raise
67°
Gamma Shift
70°

The Samsung S95C has exceptionally wide viewing angles. Although it's close to perfect, the image fades slightly at extremely wide angles. In practice, you can move around the TV and see a consistent image at almost any angle.

9.5
Picture Quality
Reflections
Screen Finish
Glossy
Total Reflections
1.0%
Indirect Reflections
0.7%
Calculated Direct Reflections
0.4%

The Samsung S95C handles direct reflections incredibly well, but like the Samsung S95B OLED before it, there are some flaws. The glossy anti-reflective coating significantly reduces the intensity of direct reflections, but due to the lack of a polarizer, the TV has a pink tint to it even when it's off.

Picture Quality
Pixels
Subpixel Layout
Triangular RGB
Type OLED
Sub-Type
QD-OLED

The Samsung S95C uses a unique subpixel structure. Instead of having all three subpixels in a row, each pixel forms a triangle, with the larger green subpixel at the top. This is especially noticeable when displaying any content with horizontal lines, and it's especially bad when used as a PC monitor. Text has just okay clarity from a PC, as Windows ClearType settings aren't designed for this subpixel structure and can't correct for it. You can see a few examples below:

8.0
Picture Quality
480p Input

The Samsung S95C upscales DVDs and other 480p content well, with no noticeable issues.

8.0
Picture Quality
720p Input

720p content, including most cable TV channels, is upscaled well, with no noticeable artifacts.

9.0
Picture Quality
1080p Input

1080p content, including Blu-rays and some consoles, is upscaled well and looks almost as good as native 4k content.

10
Picture Quality
4k Input

4k content is displayed nearly perfectly. Due to the unusual subpixel structure, some color fringing is noticeable if you look closely. If the content you're watching has black bars, you can see a thin green line below the bar at the top of the screen and a red line along the bottom bar. It's a more significant issue when using the TV as a PC monitor, but it's noticeable even with regular content, especially if you're sitting close to the TV.

0
Picture Quality
8k Input

This is a 4k TV that can't accept or display an 8k signal.

Motion
9.9
Motion
Response Time
80% Response Time
0.2 ms
100% Response Time
1.7 ms

The Samsung S95C has a nearly-instantaneous response time, resulting in incredibly clear motion with almost no blur behind fast-moving objects. Due to the sample-and-hold nature of OLED technology, there's still some noticeable persistence blur when gaming at 60Hz, but it's hardly noticeable at higher refresh rates.

10
Motion
Flicker-Free
Flicker-Free
No
PWM Dimming Frequency
0 Hz

This TV isn't technically flicker-free, as there's a small decrease in brightness that corresponds with the refresh cycle of the display. This is very different from pulse width modulation flicker (PWM) on TVs with LED backlights, and it's not noticeable.

Motion
Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
Optional BFI
Yes
Min Flicker For 60 fps
60 Hz
60Hz For 60 fps
Yes
120Hz For 120 fps
No
Min Flicker for 60 fps in Game Mode
60 Hz

The Samsung S95C has an optional black frame insertion feature (BFI) that reduces the appearance of persistence blur caused by the TV's nearly instantaneous response time. It can only insert black frames at a 60Hz refresh rate.

Motion
Motion Interpolation
Motion Interpolation (30 fps)
Yes
Motion Interpolation (60 fps)
Yes

This TV has an optional motion interpolation feature to improve the clarity of motion. It works well with slower scenes, but in fast-paced action, it can't keep up, and there are noticeable artifacts and haloing.

4.8
Motion
Stutter
Frame Hold Time @ 24 fps
40.0 ms
Frame Hold Time @ 60 fps
15.0 ms

Unfortunately, due to this TV's quick response time, slow-paced motion and panning shots stutter a lot.

10
Motion
24p Judder
Judder-Free 24p
Yes
Judder-Free 24p via 60p
Yes
Judder-Free 24p via 60i
Yes
Judder-Free 24p via Native Apps
Yes

The Samsung S95C is always judder-free when watching 24p movies or TV shows, even from sources that can only send a 60Hz signal, like a cable box. It's even judder-free with the BFI feature enabled on a 60Hz signal.

9.5
Motion
Variable Refresh Rate
Native Refresh Rate
144 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
Yes
HDMI Forum VRR
Yes
FreeSync
Yes
G-SYNC Compatible
Yes
4k VRR Maximum
144 Hz
4k VRR Minimum
< 20 Hz
1080p VRR Maximum
144 Hz
1080p VRR Minimum
< 20 Hz
1440p VRR Maximum
144 Hz
1440p VRR Minimum
< 20 Hz
VRR + Local Dimming No Local Dimming

The Samsung S95C OLED supports variable refresh rate (VRR) technology to reduce screen tearing. It works well across a wide refresh rate range, even when your frame rate drops low, as it also supports Low Framerate Compensation, or LFC. It's also compatible with all three types of VRR, ensuring it's fully compatible with all sources that support VRR.

Inputs
9.7
Inputs
Input Lag
1080p @ 60Hz
9.3 ms
1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
82.1 ms
1080p @ 120Hz
5.1 ms
1080p @ 144Hz
4.6 ms
1440p @ 60Hz
9.4 ms
1440p @ 120Hz
5.2 ms
1440p @ 144Hz
4.2 ms
4k @ 60Hz
9.6 ms
4k @ 60Hz + 10-Bit HDR
9.4 ms
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
9.6 ms
4k @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
63.0 ms
4k @ 60Hz With Interpolation
19.4 ms
4k @ 120Hz
5.1 ms
4k @ 144Hz
4.2 ms
8k @ 60Hz
N/A

This TV has incredibly low input lag, ensuring a very responsive gaming experience with very little delay between your actions with your controller or mouse and the action on-screen.

9.6
Inputs
Supported Resolutions
1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
1080p @ 120Hz
Yes
1080p @ 144Hz
Yes
1440p @ 60Hz
Yes
1440p @ 120Hz
Yes
1440p @ 144Hz
Yes (forced resolution required)
4k @ 60Hz
Yes
Resolution 4k
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
4k @ 120Hz
Yes
4k @ 120Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
4k @ 144Hz
Yes
8k @ 30Hz or 24Hz
No
8k @ 60Hz
No

The Samsung S95C supports all common resolutions up to 4k @ 144Hz. Chroma 4:4:4 signals are displayed properly with all supported resolutions, which is important for text clarity. Unfortunately, even though it can display chroma 4:4:4 properly, text from a PC isn't clear due to the unusual subpixel structure (see the Pixels section of the review for more on this issue). 4k @ 120Hz signals are displayed properly, with no resolution-halving or other issues.

Inputs
PS5 Compatibility
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
Yes
4k @ 120Hz
Yes
1440p @ 120Hz
Yes
1080p @ 120Hz
Yes
HDR
Yes
VRR
Yes

This TV can take full advantage of the PlayStation 5 system. It supports Auto Low Latency Mode, so you don't have to worry about switching to 'Game' mode to get the lowest input lag.

Inputs
Xbox Series X|S Compatibility
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
Yes
4k @ 120Hz
Yes
1440p @ 120Hz
Yes
1080p @ 120Hz
Yes
HDR
Yes
VRR
Yes

This TV can take full advantage of the Xbox Series S|X systems. It supports Auto Low Latency Mode, so you don't have to worry about switching to 'Game' mode to get the lowest input lag.

Inputs
Inputs Specifications
HDR10
Yes
HDR10+
Yes
Dolby Vision
No
HLG
Yes
HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwidth
Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)
HDMI 2.1 Class Bandwidth
Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)
CEC Yes
HDCP 2.2 Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)
ATSC Tuner
3.0 (NEXTGEN TV)
USB 3.0
No
Variable Analog Audio Out Yes
Wi-Fi Support Yes (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)

The Samsung S95C supports the full 48Gbps bandwidth of HDMI 2.1 on all four HDMI ports. This gives you the flexibility to take full advantage of multiple high-bandwidth devices, like if you own both new-gen consoles. Unfortunately, Samsung still doesn't support Dolby Vision, but it supports HDR10+ instead, which is very similar overall but not as widely supported.

Inputs
Input Photos

The TV itself only has two inputs: a USB-C port that appears to be for service only and an input for the OneConnect cable. All the audio/video and USB connections are housed on the external OneConnect box instead.

Inputs
Total Inputs
HDMI 4
USB 3
Digital Optical Audio Out 1
Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 0
Analog Audio Out RCA 0
Component In 0
Composite In 0
Tuner (Cable/Ant) 1
Ethernet 1
DisplayPort 0
IR In 0
Inputs
Audio Passthrough
ARC/eARC Port
eARC
eARC: Dolby Atmos Over Dolby Digital Plus
Yes
eARC: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Yes
eARC: LPCM 7.1 Over Dolby MAT
Yes
eARC: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
Yes
eARC: DTS:X Over DTS-HD MA
No
eARC: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
No
eARC: LPCM Channels (Bitstream)
7.1
ARC: Dolby Digital 5.1
Yes
ARC: DTS 5.1
No
Optical: Dolby Digital 5.1
Yes
Optical: DTS 5.1
No

This TV supports eARC, which lets it pass uncompressed high-quality audio from a connected source through to your soundbar or home theater system without sacrificing audio quality. Sadly, it doesn't support any DTS formats, which is disappointing, as many UHD Blu-rays use DTS for their lossless audio tracks.

Sound Quality
7.0
Sound Quality
Frequency Response
Low-Frequency Extension
106.79 Hz
Std. Dev. @ 70
2.45 dB
Std. Dev. @ 80
2.41 dB
Std. Dev. @ Max
2.44 dB
Max
85.3 dB SPL
Dynamic Range Compression
2.41 dB

Unfortunately, the Samsung S95C has just okay sound quality. It has a well-balanced sound profile, so dialogue is clear and easy to understand, but it's not very loud, and it has horrible bass, with no thump or rumble at all. On the other hand, there's almost no compression at all.

7.4
Sound Quality
Distortion
Weighted THD @ 80
0.511
Weighted THD @ Max
0.868
IMD @ 80
0.77%
IMD @ Max
0.94%

This TV has decent distortion performance. There's very little audible distortion at normal listening levels, and since it can't get very loud anyway, even at max volume, it's not very noticeable.

Smart Features
8.5
Smart Features
Interface
Smart OS Tizen
Version 2023
Ease of Use
Easy
Smoothness
Very Smooth
Time Taken to Select YouTube
2 s
Time Taken to Change Backlight
5 s
Advanced Options
Many

The Samsung S95C runs the 2023 version of Tizen OS, which is fast and easy to use. The Smart Hub interface is smooth and has lots of advanced options, and it's easy to find your favorite content.

0
Smart Features
Ad-Free
Ads
Yes
Opt-out
No
Suggested Content in Home
Yes
Opt-out of Suggested Content
No

Unfortunately, like most TVs on the market, there are ads throughout the interface, and there's no option to disable them completely. There are a few privacy-related options, so you can limit things like ad-tracking, but this doesn't reduce the number of ads you see, as it just makes them less personalized.

8.5
Smart Features
Apps and Features
App Selection
Great
App Smoothness
Average
Cast Capable
Yes
USB Drive Playback
Yes
USB Drive HDR Playback
Yes
HDR in Netflix
Yes
HDR in YouTube
Yes

The included apps cover most of the common streaming services, and there's a great selection of additional apps available in Samsung's app store.

8.5
Smart Features
Remote
Size
Small
Voice Control
Many Features
CEC Menu Control
Yes
Other Smart Features
Yes
Remote App Samsung SmartThings

The remote is very slim and compact and is easy to use. It has a built-in rechargeable battery with a solar panel on the back of the remote. You can also recharge it via USB-C if it dies unexpectedly.

Smart Features
TV Controls

The controls are on the bottom bezel of the TV near the right corner. There's a single button to power the TV on/off and change channels, volume, and inputs.

Smart Features
In The Box

  • One Connect box (not shown)
  • Short One Connect cable (12")
  • Long One Connect cable (94.5")
  • Power cable
  • Remote
  • One Connect cable plug protective caps (x4)
  • Cable management clips
  • Plastic spacers/One Connect anchors (x3)
  • Documentation

Smart Features
Misc
Power Consumption 142 W
Power Consumption (Max) 398 W
Firmware 1100

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