The Samsung S95F was our choose for the perfect OLED TV for vibrant rooms in 2025, because of its anti-glare matte display that eliminates reflections, and its excessive brightness. These mixed to make even darkish motion pictures viewable in actually vibrant rooms on it: one thing most different OLED TVs simply couldn’t obtain — even the S95F’s rival, the LG G5.
It remained the king till the LG G6 arrived this yr. Whereas the G6 nonetheless reveals some mirror-like reflections when the display is turned off, the brightness of those reflections is toned thus far again that they do not actually distract any extra once you’re viewing one thing.
Now you can watch motion pictures — even the super-dark The Batman — in Filmmaker Mode in vibrant circumstances with out distraction, however with the deep black tones OLED is famed for retained. When I in contrast the G6 with the S95F, I really picked the G6 as the brand new king of bright-room OLEDs.
Quick ahead a couple of months and the Samsung S99H (often called the S95H within the US — it is the identical TV with a distinct title) has arrived in our testing lab. It has the newest model of Samsung’s anti-reflection matte layer, so can it reclaim the crown as the most suitable choice for bright-room viewing? I’ve already in contrast the S95H/S99H with the G6 the place I centered on different image high quality components similar to dark-room viewing and colours, they usually got here out principally even. So let’s have a look at how they examine in vibrant circumstances.
Out-and-out reflections
The primary space I made a decision to check was each TVs’ reflection dealing with capabilities. This meant which TV was the outright best at eliminating mirror-like reflections brought on by lights and objects.
Utilizing the overhead lights in our testing lab, after getting the proper angle, it was fairly clear the S95H/S99H was the superior mannequin. Trying on the display, the sunshine from the overhead mild is decreased to haze and the precise form of the sunshine is illegible: excellent in the event you’ve received pesky lights or home windows in your vibrant room which you could’t disguise, and that your eye is drawn to involuntarily deal with.
On the G6, the form of the sunshine, and the sunshine itself, was nonetheless legible. It was actually an enchancment over its predecessor, the LG G5, because the latter had a fairly reflective display — however there was little doubt that the overhead mild was nonetheless seen.
Even wanting on the shut-off, clean display, you would see objects, similar to different TVs we retailer in the identical room, on the display of the G6. The S95H/S99H then again had completely nothing on display, apart from the haze of sunshine from overhead. So for pure reflection-killing, the S95H/S99H is greatest.
Black stage efficiency
Watching a film is a extra difficult story, nevertheless. With each TVs set to Filmmaker Mode, and watching the dark-tone torture check that’s The Batman, the G6 did a greater job sustaining black ranges and delivering extra impactful distinction than the S95H/S99H.
In a scene the place Batman stands in a darkish subway platform, having simply defeated a gang of thugs, the very first thing that was obvious was the S95H/S99H’s Filmmaker Mode was very dim in comparison with the G6. As a result of low perceived brightness and the raised black tones of the mate display, massive elements of the scene have been illegible, with Batman himself partly obscured in black and the element within the partitions in the back of the platform not as clear as they have been on the G6. The G6 additionally has higher shadow element, with extra of Batman’s swimsuit and the creases within the thug’s black jackets extra legible too.
Switching to Alien: Romulus, it was the identical story. Because the crew approached the Nostromo, the blackness of house was a lot inkier and deeper on the G6. The S95H/S99H had a hazy grey sheen over it from the matte display, which affected the integrity of the black tones. It additionally meant the rings across the moon didn’t have fairly as a lot punch because the G6.
I discovered it odd that there was such a perceived brightness distinction between the 2 as once I measured their brightness, the hole wasn’t as massive because the real-world viewing advised. The S95H/S99H clocked in at 2,739 nits of peak HDR brightness (10% window) in Filmmaker Mode, whereas the G6 clocked in at 3,004 nits. Whereas 250 nits is nothing to smell at, the photographs on display advised a much bigger hole.
Actually, fullscreen HDR brightness was about as shut because it will get. In the identical HDR Filmmaker Mode, the S95H/S99H hit a measured fullscreen brightness of 449 nits, whereas the G6 hit 451. The human eye can’t understand that little distinction, but in particular person, the G6 had the extra full image.
Actually, watching in a darker room, the S95H/S99H delivers a richer, stronger image. The identical subway scene from The Batman reveals deeper blacks and appears extra correct to the film’s gloomy tone. On the G6, I discovered that its brightness hampered it barely. Whereas it did display good shadow element, its brightness affected the standard of the darker tones on display, and the picture simply wasn’t as satisfying as on the S95H/S99H.
In equity to each TVs, some settings tweaks can clear up among the points above. On the G6, dropping distinction from 50 to 49 takes away a few of that over-brightness, whereas switching Tone Mapping from the default Static to Lively on the S95H/S99H in Filmmaker Mode provides some brightness, though the picture doesn’t really feel as correct then. However for these assessments, I saved each TVs of their default settings.
The higher TV for vibrant rooms
Actually, each these TVs are unbelievable for bright-room viewing. They each do a fantastic job of eliminating reflections and delivering glorious image high quality regardless of being in a vibrant room. OLED’s nemesis has all the time been vibrant rooms and reflections, and it’s nice to have two TVs that may deal with the sunshine. You’ll be able to’t go unsuitable with both of those TVs for vibrant rooms they usually’re each glorious OLED TVs.
When you’ve got a vibrant room, both of those TVs would work. Your alternative might rely in your circumstances. If you understand you will be watching rather a lot with mild flooding in in the course of the day, the S95H/S99H is the higher choice for conserving reflections to an absolute minimal. Should you can management the sunshine in your room extra, the G6 might be the higher choice.
For me, if I needed to choose one TV for bright-room viewing, I’d go for the G6. Whereas the S95H/S99H is critically good at coping with pesky reflections, and is an enchancment over the very good S95F, I favored the G6’s richer black tones in brighter rooms.
Though the G6 isn’t as full at eradicating mirror-like reflections, so there are some current in darker scenes, it’s efficient sufficient to make watching darker motion pictures in a vibrant room really feel much less like a chore than it did on its predecessor, the G5 — however with the contrasty feeling you need from an OLED TV.
There’s all the time a trade-off with selecting a bright-room TV of reflection discount versus preserving the picture accuracy. Final yr, the steadiness fell in favor of Samsung’s matte show. This yr, the G6’s higher black stage efficiency mixed with drastically decreasing the influence of mirror-like reflections is sufficient to make it my choose for vibrant rooms — however the Samsung S95H/S99H is a superb TV for mild rooms nonetheless.
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