Samsung S90DD QN77S90DDFXZA 77"

The Samsung S90DD has a stunning 77-inch OLED panel with a 144Hz refresh rate that ranks in the 97th percentile, but the picture processing and HDR performance are only mediocre at the 36th percentile. At $3,698, you're paying a premium for the panel while accepting HDMI 2.0 ports and a mid-tier processor. Gamers with a single console will love it, but home theater enthusiasts should look at the Sony A95L or LG C5 instead.

Let's talk about that display first, because it's genuinely impressive. At the 97th percentile, this is one of the best panels we've tracked. OLED means you get those perfect blacks, and the Pantone validation means colors should look accurate out of the box. The 144Hz refresh rate is a big deal for gaming, especially if you're coming from a 60Hz or even 120Hz set. Motion Xcelerator helps smooth things out, and combined with FreeSync Premium, you're looking at virtually no screen tearing or stutter when your frame rates dip.

But here's where it gets interesting. The picture quality score sits at the 36th percentile, which is mediocre by our standards. That's not a knock on the panel itself, it's about the processing pipeline. The NQ4 AI Gen2 processor is Samsung's mid-tier chip, not the flagship NQ8 AI Gen3 you'd find in the S95D. So while the raw panel is stunning, the upscaling, noise reduction, and motion interpolation aren't quite as refined. For native 4K content, you probably won't notice. For older 1080p stuff or compressed streaming feeds, you might see some softness or artifacts that a higher-end processor would clean up. HDR performance also lands at the 36th percentile, which suggests the peak brightness and tone mapping aren't class-leading. OLED HDR+ sounds fancy, but the numbers tell us it's more middle-of-the-pack than top-tier.

The LG C5 Series is the most direct competitor here. LG's OLEDs have long been the gold standard for gaming, and the C5 typically matches or beats Samsung on processing while often coming in at a lower price. The C5 also gives you four HDMI 2.1 ports, which matters if you've got multiple next-gen consoles and a PC. The S90DD's HDMI 2.0 ports are a real limitation for 4K 120Hz gaming across multiple devices. You'll get 144Hz on the Samsung, which is nice, but the connectivity ceiling is lower.

The Sony BRAVIA XR XR77A95L is the premium alternative. Sony's processing is widely considered the best in the business, and their HDR tone mapping is superb. You'll pay more for the Sony, but if you're a cinephile who cares about accurate picture quality over gaming features, the Sony is the better pick. The Hisense U8 and TCL QM8K are the value plays. Both use mini-LED backlighting, which means they get significantly brighter than any OLED, and they cost a lot less. You sacrifice those perfect blacks and per-pixel contrast, but for bright rooms or HDR content, mini-LED has real advantages. The Roku Pro Series is the budget-friendly smart TV option, but it's not really in the same performance conversation.

At $3,698, the S90DD is priced like a premium OLED but performing like a mid-tier one in some key areas. The display panel itself is worth every penny, that 97th percentile ranking doesn't lie. But you're paying for that panel while accepting compromises on processing, HDR, and smart features. The audio is solid at the 80th percentile, so you're not forced to buy a soundbar immediately, though Samsung would love it if you paired this with one of their Q-series bars for Q-Symphony.

Compared to the competition, the value proposition gets murky. The LG C5 Series is typically priced aggressively and offers strong all-around performance. The Sony BRAVIA XR XR77A95L is more expensive but delivers superior processing and HDR. The Hisense U8 and TCL QM8K are significantly cheaper and offer mini-LED brightness that OLED can't match, though you lose those perfect blacks. If you can find the S90DD on sale below $3,000, it becomes a much more compelling buy. At full retail, you're paying a Samsung premium for a panel that's excellent but a processing pipeline that's just okay.

The Samsung S90DD is one of those TVs that makes you stop and stare at the spec sheet for a second. A 77-inch OLED panel with a 144Hz refresh rate, Pantone-validated color, and Samsung's NQ4 AI Gen2 processor all wrapped in a surprisingly slim chassis. At $3,698, it's not exactly an impulse buy, but it's also not trying to be the most expensive thing in the room. This is Samsung's pitch for people who want OLED contrast without stepping up to the flagship S95D price tag.

Who's this for? Gamers, mostly. The gaming score of 64.1 out of 100 is the strongest use case here, and that 144Hz Motion Xcelerator plus FreeSync Premium tells you Samsung knows exactly who they're courting. If you've got a PS5, Xbox Series X, or a beefy PC rig, this panel wants to be your new best friend. Sports viewing scores a decent 59.4, so Sunday football won't look bad either.

The display itself is the star of the show, ranking in the 97th percentile among all TVs in our database. That's best-in-class territory. But here's the thing: picture quality and HDR both sit at the 36th percentile, which is a bit of a head-scratcher. You've got this gorgeous panel, but the overall picture processing and HDR implementation aren't keeping pace with the hardware. We'll dig into what that actually means for your eyeballs below.

If you're a home theater purist who cares about HDR performance and the best possible picture processing, this TV will frustrate you. The 36th percentile HDR score means bright highlights won't pop the way they do on a Sony A95L or even a good mini-LED set. And if you have multiple HDMI 2.1 devices, like a PS5, Xbox Series X, and a gaming PC all hooked up at once, the HDMI 2.0 ports on the S90DD are a genuine bottleneck. You'd be better off with the LG C5, which offers four HDMI 2.1 ports.

Also, if you're on a tighter budget, the Hisense U8 and TCL QM8K deliver excellent picture quality for significantly less money. You'll lose the perfect OLED blacks, but you'll gain brightness and save a chunk of change. The S90DD makes the most sense for someone who wants a big OLED for gaming and casual viewing, and who doesn't plan to upgrade their entire setup around it.

If you're a gamer with a single next-gen console or a PC, and you want a big, beautiful OLED with a high refresh rate, the S90DD delivers where it counts. That 144Hz panel with FreeSync Premium is a genuine joy for fast-paced games, and the 77-inch size is immersive without being absurd. The display quality is genuinely best-in-class, and you'll notice the difference the moment you fire up a dark scene in a game or movie.

But if you're a home theater enthusiast who cares about HDR performance, upscaling quality, and future-proof connectivity, this TV has some real gaps. The HDMI 2.0 ports are a head-scratcher at this price point, and the mid-tier processor means you're not getting Samsung's best picture processing. For movie lovers, the Sony A95L is worth the extra cash. For value hunters, the LG C5 or even a mini-LED option like the TCL QM8K makes more sense. The S90DD is a great panel in search of a better supporting cast.