The Samsung S90F QD-OLED is an unequivocally excellent TV. After weeks of testing, I can hardly find a flaw in its performance. And yet, after being wowed by some of the best TVs ever made this cycle, Samsung’s midrange OLED is missing some pizazz. Ho-hum is too strong a word, but for the last few years, what used to be the OLED sweet spot has suffered from a relative lack of premium punch compared to flagships. That’s because Samsung and LG have been saving their most exciting OLED tech for their priciest sets, and unlike a few years ago, there’s a real visual difference.
None of this takes away from the S90F’s ability to deliver a comprehensively phenomenal viewing experience. While it didn’t immediately dazzle in everyday viewing, diving into high-quality content revealed a TV that continues to refine the little things, with deep and nuanced contrast that LED TVs can’t match, splashy yet naturalistic quantum dot colors, and fantastic processing that brings clarity and realism to every minor detail. Now that its price has dropped by several hundred dollars, the S90F is particularly enticing–especially for anyone yet to be spoiled by the top of the market.
Practically Premium
Photograph: Ryan Waniata
The S90F’s stand is the least premium thing about it. Don’t get me wrong, it looks good once you snap it together, but like the previous S90D, the faux pedestal design comprises dual stand legs and a rather flimsy plastic cover, similar to more budget-friendly sets like Hisense’s U7 series LED TVs. Credit where it’s due, the legs are crazy simple to attach, with no tools required, and while the main panel’s ultra-thin top feels like a liability during setup, its width of just an eighth of an inch at the top looks like a million bucks on your console.