Samsung S90F 55"

The S90F nails the smart TV experience with a 94th percentile platform and 89th percentile connectivity, but picture quality lands at a disappointing 36th percentile. Prices swing from USD 658 to USD 1,200, so the deal you get changes everything. Buy it cheap or look elsewhere.

The S90F runs on Samsung's NQ4 AI Gen3 processor with a 144Hz Motion Xcelerator, and the display scores in the 89th percentile. That's a strong showing for motion handling and upscaling. The OLED panel gives you near-infinite contrast since black pixels just turn off, and HDR10+ support is there. But here's the rub: picture quality overall ranks at the 36th percentile. That's mediocre territory for a TV wearing the OLED badge. The 40W 2.1-channel audio setup with Dolby Atmos sits at the 88th percentile, which is well above average for built-in sound. Gaming gets a 79th percentile, which is strong but not top-tier. You get 120Hz, VRR, ALLM, and HDMI 2.1 across four ports. The 110W power draw is reasonable for a 55-inch OLED.

Against the LG C5 Series OLED55C5PUA, the S90F holds its own on smart features and connectivity but likely trails on pure picture processing. The Sony BRAVIA XR XR77A95L is a different beast entirely, bigger and more expensive, but Sony's picture quality reputation is hard to beat. The TCL QM8K Series 75QM8K and Hisense U8 Series 65U8QG both offer larger screens at competitive prices, and TCL and Hisense have been closing the gap on processing. The Roku Plus Series 55R6C7 is the budget alternative, simpler but way cheaper. The S90F's 36th percentile picture quality is the elephant in the room. For an OLED, that's a red flag when LG and Sony are sitting in the same aisle.

Pricing is all over the place. US listings range from USD 658 to USD 1,200 across 10 vendors, which is a USD 542 spread. That's a massive gap for the same TV. If you can snag it near the USD 658 end, the value proposition shifts dramatically. At the high end, you're paying flagship money for a TV with 36th percentile picture quality. The budget score of 84.9 out of 100 suggests this thing shines when the price is right. Shop around. The cheapest US listing is where this TV makes sense.

The Samsung S90F lands in a weird spot. It's got a 94th percentile smart platform, 89th percentile connectivity, and a 4.7-star rating from over 1,700 buyers. But its picture quality score sits at the 36th percentile, which is a strange thing to say about an OLED. The panel tech is there, the processor is Samsung's NQ4 AI Gen3, and the feature list reads like a flagship. The question is whether the numbers add up to a TV that punches above its price or just looks good on a spec sheet.

If picture quality is your top priority, the 36th percentile ranking should give you pause. OLED buyers typically expect best-in-class image performance, and the S90F doesn't deliver that on paper. Outdoor viewing is also rough at 51.2 out of 100, so if this is going in a bright sunroom or patio, look elsewhere. And if you're paying anywhere near the USD 1,200 end of the price range, you're better off with an LG C5 or saving up for a Sony BRAVIA XR. The S90F only makes sense when the price drops hard.

The S90F is a tale of two TVs. On one hand, you get a 94th percentile smart platform, excellent connectivity, strong audio, and a 4.7-star rating from real buyers. On the other, picture quality ranks in the 36th percentile, which is hard to ignore for a TV at this price point. If you find it at the USD 658 end of the spectrum, it's a compelling buy. At USD 1,200, you're overpaying for features you can get elsewhere with better picture performance. The customer love is real, but the benchmark data tells a more complicated story.