5

Samsung S90C TV Review

Nathan Rizzuti Avatar
Updated Feb 22, 2024 10:51 AM

True Score

92
94
8

Experts

92
4,585

Consumers

Product Awards

Top 5

GR Certified

Customer Favorite

Expert Rankings

While the Samsung S90C lacks support for DTS audio formats, the picture quality and response time are great for games, sports, and movies. Considering the lower cost, the S90C is a compelling OLED budget option for those seeking an excellent TV upgrade.

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Table of Contents

Product Snapshot

Overview

The Samsung S90C OLED series TV is the mid-tier model of Samsung’s 2023 lineup and one of the best TVs available within its price range. Sporting a QD-OLED panel with Quantum HDR technology, it delivers vibrant colors and a near-infinite contrast ratio.

The TV’s display quality is exceptional in dark rooms where its deep, inky blacks shine.

With a motion Xcelerator turbo pro for enhanced motion processing and a very low (8.52ms) input lag, it is one of the best OLED TVs for gamers. It officially supports 4K at 144Hz, catering to hardcore gamers seeking high refresh rates.

The sleek LaserSlim Design adds a touch of elegance to any room, while the Tizen OS smart interface offers a wide selection of apps and games. Available in 55-inch, 65-inch, 77-inch, and a massive 83-inch WOLED-equipped size.

If you want to read about more OLED units, check out our LG G3 OLED review.

Best For

  • 4K

  • 55-inch

  • 65-inch

  • 75-inch

  • 80-inch

  • Best Overall

  • Computer Monitor

  • Gaming

  • HDR Content

  • Home Theater

  • OLED

  • PlayStation

  • Samsung

  • Smart TV

  • Sports

  • The Brand

  • Xbox

Consensus

our Verdict

The Samsung S90C TV’s OLED offers a great viewing experience, providing excellent black levels, a wide color gamut, and eliminating blooming, making it great for casual viewing, gaming, HDR, and sports. The panel provides a near-infinite contrast ratio of Inf :1, delivering perfect blacks and bright highlights without blooming. The color gamut sits at 100%, meaning it provides accurate, detailed colors, which are enhanced by the QD OLED tech.

Additionally, the TV offers exceptional reflection, but its peak brightness at 381 cd/m² is mediocre. It has wide 70-degree viewing angles and a superb 100% response time of 1.2 ms, ensuring clear and sharp motion. Then lastly, it has four HDMI 2.1 ports and two slots for USB cables.

The software, the TizenOS smart interface, also has a great selection of apps, games, and features. However, the aggressive automatic brightness limiter is distracting in rooms with lots of ambient light. Also, it has a tested low input lag and response time of 5.5 ms at 120 Hz, which sits at the higher end of the category.

ReasonS to Buy

  • Excellent picture quality
    • The TV excels for sports, gaming, and HDR content, as it provides stunning details, deeper blacks, and outstanding motion processing.

    • The 99.95% DCI color gamut is super wide, delivering vibrant colors, which places it at the top of the OLED category.

  • The near-infinite contrast ratio for perfect blacks
    • Provides ultra-detailed, near-perfect black levels when viewing content in dark rooms, given its Inf :1 contrast ratio.

  • High peak brightness
    • With a peak brightness tested at 2,000 nits, the TV is suitable for watching in bright rooms without sacrificing visual detail.

    • The brightness sits near the top of the OLED category.

  • Exceptionally wide viewing angle
    • Even at off-viewing angles, the TV displays accurate visuals, as it boasts a wide, 70-degree viewing angle.

  • Low input lag/Response time
    • Gamers can expect fast input commands with the 8.52 ms tested input lag, which is especially useful during fast-paced gameplay.

    • The pixel response time, tested at .2 ms, makes it one of the fastest in the OLED category meaning there’s virtually no blurring during rapid frame changes.

  • Sharp upscaling

Reason to Avoid

  • Aggressive Auto Brightness Limiter (ABL)
    • Overactive ABL is distracting when watching content in bright rooms and even lowers the overall visual quality

  • No support for DTS or Dolby Vision

Samsung S90C TV Specs

Backlight TypeBacklight Typen/a
Display TypeOLED
HDMI Inputs4
HDMI TypeHDMI TypeHDMI 2.1
HDR FormatHDR10+, HLG
HomeKit CompatibleHomeKit CompatibleNo
Max Resolution3840 x 2160 (4k)
Number of Audio ChannelsNumber of Audio Channels2.1
Panel TypePanel TypeOLED
Refresh Rate120 Hz, 144 Hz
Screen size55", 65", 75", 83"
Smart PlatformSmart PlatformTizen
Speaker OutputSpeaker Output40 Watts
Sync TechnologySync TechnologyAMD FreeSync Premium
VRRVRRYes

All Specs

Test Results

Color Gamut % (DCI P3 xy)99.975
Color Gamut % (DCI P3 uv)99.95
Color Gamut % (Rec 2020 xy)86.37
Color Gamut % (Rec 2020 uv)91.59
Color Gamut % (sRGB)0
Color Gamut % (Rec 709)0
Color Gamut % (BT.2020)76
Color Gamut % (Adobe RGB)0
Color Gamut % (BT.709)0
Contrast Ratio (x:1)0
SDR Brightness (nits)373
HDR Brightness (nits)1,058
Input Lag (ms)8.5
Response Time (ms)1.4
Color Washout (Degrees)70
Color Shift (Degrees)70
Brightness Loss (Degrees)70
Reflections (%)1.2
Low-Freq Extension (Hz)84.76
Freq Response StdDev @ 70db2.8
Freq Response StdDev @ 80db3.63
Weighted Total Harmonic Distortion @80db0.133
Intermodulation Distortion @80db2.47
EOTF (600 nit delta)0.0031
EOTF (1000 nit delta)0.0036
EOTF (4000 nit delta)0.0024

All Tests

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    Product Comparison

    Samsung S90C TV Review

    True Score

    92
    89
    88
    89

    Ranking

    #

    5

    /

    158

    #

    17

    /

    158

    #

    24

    /

    158

    #

    20

    /

    158

    Market Context

    The Samsung S90C OLED series TV is the mid-tier model of Samsung’s 2023 lineup and one of the best TVs available within its price range….

    The Samsung S90C OLED series TV is the mid-tier model of Samsung’s 2023 lineup and one of the best TVs available within its price range. Sporting a QD-OLED panel with Quantum HDR technology, it delivers vibrant colors and a near-infinite contrast ratio.

    The TV’s display quality is exceptional in dark rooms where its deep, inky blacks shine.

    With a motion Xcelerator turbo pro for enhanced motion processing and a very low (8.52ms) input lag, it is one of the best OLED TVs for gamers. It officially supports 4K at 144Hz, catering to hardcore gamers seeking high refresh rates.

    The sleek LaserSlim Design adds a touch of elegance to any room, while the Tizen OS smart interface offers a wide selection of apps and games. Available in 55-inch, 65-inch, 77-inch, and a massive 83-inch WOLED-equipped size.

    If you want to read about more OLED units, check out our LG G3 OLED review.

    The key differences between the Samsung S90C OLED series and the Samsung S95C OLED is the picture quality enhancements and gaming support. The S95C is…

    The key differences between the Samsung S90C OLED series and the Samsung S95C OLED is the picture quality enhancements and gaming support. The S95C is the more premium model, and it excels in contrast ratio, peak brightness, and gaming-related features; it also has a slimmer design. On the other hand, the S90C series delivers an excellent QD- OLED display with good reflection handling and smart interface options, great for viewers seeking a high-quality TV but without advanced gaming features. Also, the S95C moves all connection ports to one external box. To check out more of Samsung’s offerings, check out our Samsung TU9010 LED 4K TV review.

    The key differences between the Samsung S90C OLED Series and the LG C3 OLED Series are their picture quality emphasis, gaming features, and smart platforms….

    The key differences between the Samsung S90C OLED Series and the LG C3 OLED Series are their picture quality emphasis, gaming features, and smart platforms. Both TVs have great display quality, but the Samsung S90C has better brightness, whereas the LG C3 has more color accuracy and deeper black levels. The Samsung is also better for maintaining brightness in gaming mode. Another key difference is the refresh rate; the Samsung S90C supports a 144Hz rate, while the LG C3 only supports a 120Hz rate. Also, LG C3 reigns supreme for movies because it supports DTS audio formats as well as Dolby Vision, which the Samsung S90C does not. To learn more, check out our LG C3 OLED TV review.

    The Samsung S95B OLED and S90C are very similar. The main difference is the refresh rate; the S90C boasts a 144Hz rate, whereas the S95B…

    The Samsung S95B OLED and S90C are very similar. The main difference is the refresh rate; the S90C boasts a 144Hz rate, whereas the S95B only supports a 120Hz rate. Also, the S90C has an updated version of Samsung’s Tizen OS. The S90C is also available in larger screen sizes. If you want to learn more about Samsung’s offerings, you can read our Samsung CU8000 review. Or, if you want to check out something smaller, you can read our Sony Bravia X93L Mini LED TV review.

    Backlight Type

    n/a

    No

    No

    No

    Display Type

    OLED

    OLED

    OLED

    OLED

    HDMI Inputs

    4

    4

    4

    4

    HDMI Type

    HDMI 2.1

    HDMI 2.1

    HDMI 2.1

    HDMI 2.1

    HDR Format

    HDR10+, HLG

    HDR10+, HLG

    Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG

    HDR10, HDR10+, HLG

    HomeKit Compatible

    No

    No

    Yes

    No

    Max Resolution

    3840 x 2160 (4k)

    3840 x 2160 (4k)

    3840 x 2160 (4k)

    3840 x 2160 (4k)

    Number of Audio Channels

    2.1

    4.2.2

    7.1.2

    7.1

    Dig Deeper

    Samsung S95C OLED TV Review →

    LG C3 OLED TV Review →

    Samsung S95B OLED TV Review →

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    Score Card

    E

    Expert Score

    94

    *.75

    We place a 75% weighted value on Expert Test Scores

    C

    Customer Score

    92

    *.25

    We place a 25% weighted value on Customer Scores

    True Score

    92

    Any product with a True Score above 80 is a Absolutely Fresh

    Expert Scores

    • Rtings
      101.4

      Category Trust Rating

      89
      The Samsung S90C is a fantastic TV for every usage. It has good SDR peak… Read More

      By:

      Matthew Lopes
    • PC Mag
      95.6

      Category Trust Rating

      90
      The Samsung S90C TV has the lowest input lag we’ve tested and produces a bright,… Read More

      By:

      Will Greenwald
    • Trusted Reviews
      77.5

      Category Trust Rating

      80
      The Samsung S90C OLED is a little underwhelming in terms of picture and sound. Though… Read More

      By:

      Kob Monney
    • Techradar
      67

      Category Trust Rating

      100
      The Samsung S90C is the company’s attempt at making its QD-OLED technology more affordable. While… Read More

      By:

      John Archer
    • Pocket Lint
      65.1

      Category Trust Rating

      100
      Samsung’s S90C delivers a bright, detailed and nuanced picture performance that really packs a punch… Read More

      By:

      VERITY BURNS
    • Expert Reviews UK
      71.7

      Category Trust Rating

      100
      The Samsung S90C is a cracking OLED TV that proves the brand listens to feedback,… Read More

      By:

      Stephen Withers