Introduction: The two Samsungs in one room
Samsung has steadily expanded its OLED lineup since returning to the OLED market in 2022, culminating in the 2025 S95F flagship. On the other end of the spectrum sits the more affordable S85F. To understand whether the extra money for the S95F buys tangible gains, I placed them side by side in a real-world viewing setup and ran a careful battery of tests, comparing brightness, color, contrast, and practical performance in varied content.
Test setup and what matters
Brightness, glare handling, and color fidelity are the big decision points for most buyers. The goal here was to see if the S95F’s enhancements—especially the Glide Free screen and higher peak brightness—translate into noticeable improvements in everyday viewing, or if the S85F already covers the essentials well enough to justify its lower price.
Brightness and HDR performance
The numbers tell a clear story. In HDR top-peak measurements with Filmmaker Mode 2, the S95F reached about 132 nits, while the S85F topped out around 777 nits. When watching HDR in full-frame content, the S95F delivered roughly 390 nits compared with 147 nits on the S85F, with similar trends in Movie Mode. In practice, the higher brightness on the S95F made bright elements pop—snow in a high-contrast scene, for instance, gained a noticeable gleam and sparkle on the flagship that the S85F could not quite muster.
Color and overall image tone
Both sets produced rich, natural colors, with the S95F often pushing a bit more vibrancy thanks to its stronger light output. In scenes like Wicked’s “Wizard & I,” the S95F displayed more punch in pink florals, deeper greens, and more lifelike skin tones when viewed in brighter content. In Filmmaker Mode, the difference narrowed—color accuracy remained solid on both, with the S95F still delivering the edge in brightness and presence.
Dark scenes, contrast, and texture
In darker sequences, such as a neon-lit Paris wheel scene or tense segments in The Batman, both OLED panels delivered superb contrast and shadow detail, underscoring why OLED remains a go-to for cinematic fidelity. The S95F’s higher brightness slightly sharpened mid-to-dark tonal transitions, giving scenes more impact without sacrificing the deep blacks OLED is known for. While the S85F held its own, the S95F’s extra luminance and stronger overall contrast offered a perceptible advantage in dim rooms with bright highlights.
Glare Free and reflections
A standout feature on Samsung’s flagships is the Glare Free screen. In my tests with ceiling lights on, the S95F effectively eliminated reflective clings that plagued the S85F, preserving contrast and detail even when ambient light was less than ideal. The S85F, while still excellent, showed some reflections that subtly softened highlights in brighter rooms. For viewers who watch in sunlit or bright living rooms, Glare Free can translate into a noticeably more comfortable viewing experience.
Design, sound, and extra features
Beyond raw image quality, the S95F brings a refined design language and enhanced gaming features, including better integrated sound and a preference for a more elegant setup with Samsung’s One Connect Box. The S85F remains a compelling package: strong image performance, satisfying color, and a much friendlier price tag that makes it easier to pair with a solid soundbar or speaker system.
Value: is the premium worth it?
Pricing at 65 inches places the S85F around 30,000 SEK, while the S95F sits higher, around 39,990 SEK. If you crave the highest peak brightness, the most vivid colors in bright rooms, and the per-pixel clarity that comes with superior glare handling, the S95F is unquestionably the better performer and a premium experience. However, the S85F hits a sweet spot for many buyers: it delivers most of OLED’s signature look and feel at a much more approachable price, with enough brightness and color fidelity to keep everyday viewing engaging.
Verdict: the practical recommendation
For viewers who want the ultimate in brightness, reduced reflections, and the premium design and features Samsung offers, the S95F is worth the premium. For those prioritizing value, the S85F offers a near-perfect balance of performance and price, with only modest compromises in peak brightness and glare handling. In short: buy the S95F if budget allows; otherwise, the S85F remains an excellent choice that won’t disappoint OLED fans.
Read on for deeper hands-on details and practical use cases that help you decide which OLED is right for your living room.
