Samsung class S90C OLED 4K Smart TV Review

Design

• Screen sizes, 55, 65 and 77 inches
• 4 x HDMI (all 4K/144Hz)
• Dimensions: 1225.4 x 773.5 x 265.9mm (with stand)

From a looks viewpoint, the Samsung class S90C OLED 4k smart TV provides a sizeable nod to last year's S95B, with a slim silver trim around the verge of the screen, a super slight side profile and a very neat handling of the connections "bump" at the back.

That bump tells us there's no One Connect Box here - that's earmarked for the S95C this year - but the S90C could still easily be wall straddling at just shy of 4cm deep.

On the other hand, if you select to place use the stand, it's this that offers away the Samsung S90C OLED TV true identity. In place of the, arguably prettier, central metal plinth from the S95B (and the S95C for that matter), there are two slender black feet. These are barely placed for easy fitting on even the smallest of TV stands, and simply clip into the TV, making set up quick and easy.

You acquire two remotes in the box, as usual. First up is the standard functional Samsung remote that has been comprised with all of its products since the start of time, as well as the much smaller, simpler Solar Cell remote. This doesn't requirement alkaline batteries and will charge consuming a panel on the back by the light in your home, long-lasting up to two years on a full charge.

This has shortcut buttons for Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and Samsung's TV Plus service, as well as simple controls for volume, channel and navigation. Depending on how big your hands are, some people might find it just a touch too compressed, but it's a small grumble at best.

Features

• 4K Neural Quantum processor
• ALLM and VRR support
• Filmmaker Mode
• Support for HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG

The Samsung class S90C OLED 4k smart TV vs Samsung s95c specs work slightly contrarily to traditional OLEDs. Samsung usages an added layer of quantum dots for the red and green subpixels, technology copied from its QLED range, and a blue OLED light in place of a white one for a pure RGB outcome. Pricier OLEDs like the LG G3 are consuming newer Micro Lens Array tech to try to match it (and doing a good job too), but that's not found in the S90C's more direct rival, the LG C3.

Samsung's 4K Neural Quantum processor supports the image processing and upscaling, and keeps the Tizen OS running comparatively smoothly - if not the fastest. Tizen is back to a full-screen operating system once over this year, with the home screen posing up a rail of available apps - which contains all of the finest streaming services you could want - your up-to-date source, some "On Now" picks and rails of endorsements. It's comparatively simple to navigate, and content surfaced was pertinent and suitable.

Settings are helped up in a swift action bar with simplified choices, and this can be customised to suit your requirements. For instance, burying the "all settings" option right at the end of the settings shortcut menu was annoying for me, so we moved it up to the top to make it calmer to dive in and out.

Off to the side is a slim menu, which can take you to the Game Hub for viewing connected consoles and streamed gaming services. ALLM and VRR is completely supported here, along with FreeSync Premium and Motion Xcelerator Turbo Pro 144Hz for the PC gamers among you. The enthusiastic Games mode will deliver a quick input lag of just over 9ms, although the Game Bar will provide you at-a-glance stats and additional game settings for your TV, and an easy way to tweak them. As ever, Samsung has catered delightfully to anybody purchasing this TV to game on.

HDR support remains the most provocative feature of Samsung TVs, with a sustained blindspot for Dolby Vision and a doubled down commitment to its lesser-used rival, HDR10+. It remains a shame to not see it included and is a consideration you'll have to make if you're going to buy the S90C, or any Samsung TV.

To get the TV up and running and looking its best, Samsung this year is offering a new feature called Smart Calibration Pro. This uses the Samsung SmartThings app and a compatible iOS or Android phone to calibrate the TV's settings using a variety of test patterns on the screen. Once complete it masks those settings to your Movie profile with "(Calibrated)" after it so you know it's been adjusted.

Picture performance

Having not long taken the Element 65 inch 4k UHD Roku TV off the testing bench, one of the things we notice first about the S90C is that it doesn't reflect as much ambient light in our bright testing room. Samsung has comprised a new screen filter on the S90C this year to help against this, and it appears to be doing its job. It's something we notice most in dimmer scenes, and aids to keep black levels looking deeper.

The S90C ships with Eco mode as the default setting out of the box - but for the best performance, you'll need to change that instantaneously. Our endorsement is frequently the Movie or Filmmaker Mode for the most accurate picture, but if you have a bright room like me, you might benefit from tweaking the brighter Standard mode to your tastes (changing the colour tone to Warm2 and turning off the picture processing is a good start) and using that instead.

Colours are also actually well handled too. In a scene at the orangery when Queen Charlotte is sent a letter from George, the red and yellow jackets of the palace staff pack plenty of punch against the backdrop of lush greenery, while the pastel dresses of the ladies in waiting show the S90C can do subtle colours just as well, without ever considering wishy washy.

The colour palette the S90C creates use of is wide and varied, skin tones supremely well-judged and the additional brightness here compared with the LG C3 provides some added colour luminance for sufficient "pop" when it's needed.

This all only steps up a gear when you feed it a 4K Blu-ray, predominantly in the detail department. Extensive landscape shots in Oblivion, for instance, have an added sense of depth and pack all the more cinematic impact - but everything on screen benefits from the extra insight and fine detail that 4K Blu-ray can bring.

Panning shots of decimated Earth landmarks are comparatively stable, but motion processing does need to be switched from the auto setting or you will see some objectively obvious artefacts appear around moving objects. To improve this, you can select to switch it off completely, or go for Custom and select between 1 and 3 on both blur and judder settings for some subtle smoothing and stabilization. It's not as classy, nor as foolproof, as some other motion processing you'll find on competitors - predominantly from the likes of Sony - but it does the job well enough to not be overly distracting.

We might argue that the genuine shadow detail isn't quite as explicitly portrayed as we noticed on its LG rival, but black levels do reach as deep as you'd expect from OLED technology. Add that to the brighter highpoint performance, and it does provide the S90C the edge when it comes to fabricating an impactful HDR performance.

Sound performance

• 2.1ch, 40W
• Samsung's Object Tracking Lite
• Dolby Atmos support

The sound system built into the Samsung 55” class S90C OLED 4k smart TV QN55S90CAFXZA is a 2.1ch array, with support for Dolby Atmos using Samsung's Object Tracking Lite technology. This places sound virtually rather than consuming any upfiring speakers - and in fact, the drivers here face downwards, and are placed at the bottom of the TV.

That makes their performance all the more imposing. Dialogue in The Elephant Whisperers is always clear and direct, but take things up a notch with some action and it can handle that too. The Fast Saga, a shooting scene is transported with relative solidity and can take a decent amount of volume too. It's not as vigorous a performance as you'll hear from a soundbar. Consequently you don't feel the punch and power of each gunshot but there's no brittleness or hollowness here, even at volume.

Sound is fairly localized to the TV though, and doesn't offer a sense of scale much outside the dimensions of the TV itself. Dolby Atmos soundtracks do have a touch more space to their organisation, but you aren't going to be stunned by sound effects being placed around and above you. You'll still require a soundbar for that. You can also find Best 65 Inch TV Black Friday Deals on Walmart as well.

Conclusion

We already know Samsung can make incredible OLED TVs. The Samsung class S90C OLED 4k smart TV doesn't quite match the S95C in brilliance, but it’s still remarkably bright for an OLED, is even more responsive, produces accurate color, and is 700 dollars cheaper. And with nearly no input lag to speak of, the S90C would appeal to gamers looking for a leg up on the competition. For these reasons, the Samsung S90C easily earns our Editors’ Choice award for OLED TVs, presenting a stronger value than its more costly sibling. The LG C3 is the closest competitor to the S90C; we haven't tested it yet, but we plan to have a full review in the near future.