Samsung S90F QN42S90FAEXZA 41.5"

The Samsung S90F is a 42-inch 4K OLED TV that's secretly one of the best gaming monitors on the market. With a 144Hz panel, FreeSync Premium, and four HDMI 2.1 ports, it's built for PC and console gamers who want perfect blacks and a compact footprint. Just budget for a soundbar and don't expect Dolby Vision.

Out of the box, the S90F's OLED panel does what OLEDs do best: perfect blacks. Since each pixel emits its own light, contrast is effectively infinite. Dark scenes in a movie or a horror game look stunning, with zero blooming around bright objects. The HDR10+ support helps, though it's worth noting this set skips Dolby Vision, which is a bummer if you're deep in that ecosystem. In our database, the picture quality lands around the 36th percentile, which sounds worse than it looks in practice. It's a solid performer, but it's not going to beat the absolute best flagship OLEDs in raw brightness or color volume.

For gaming, the numbers tell a better story. The 144Hz panel and VRR support put it in the 85th percentile for gaming performance, and that feels right. You're getting a true next-gen experience here. Motion handling is excellent, and the NQ4 processor does a decent job cleaning up lower-resolution content, though native 4K is where it shines. The 20-watt, 2-channel speaker system is fine for casual viewing, sitting in the 77th percentile for audio, but you'll want a soundbar or headphones for anything immersive. Dolby Atmos passthrough via eARC is there, so hooking up external audio is painless.

The LG C4 is the most direct rival, and it's a toss-up. The LG supports Dolby Vision and generally gets a bit brighter, which makes it better for a light-controlled home theater setup. But the Samsung fights back with that 144Hz panel and four HDMI 2.1 ports, where the LG might only give you two or three. If you're a PC gamer who wants to run 4K at high frame rates, the S90F's extra headroom matters. The Sony A90K is another option, with better out-of-the-box color accuracy and processing for movies, but it's usually more expensive and tops out at 120Hz. For pure gaming value, the Samsung is the one to beat. The TCL QM7K and Hisense U7 are Mini-LED alternatives that get much brighter and cost less, but they can't touch the OLED's per-pixel contrast and viewing angles.

At $900 to $1,000, the S90F is one of the most affordable ways to get a current-gen 42-inch OLED. You're getting a lot of the same gaming DNA as Samsung's bigger, pricier sets, just in a smaller package. The main trade-off is peak brightness and the lack of Dolby Vision. If you can live with those, the value is hard to beat. Compared to something like an LG C4 or a Sony A90K in the same size, the Samsung often undercuts them on price while matching or beating them on gaming features. For a mixed-use PC monitor and TV, this is a sweet spot.

The Samsung S90F is one of the few OLEDs you can grab in a 42-inch size, and that alone puts it on a lot of radars. If you're hunting for a premium small screen that doubles as a killer PC monitor, this is basically the shortlist. It runs on Samsung's NQ4 AI Gen3 processor, which handles upscaling and motion, and the self-illuminating OLED panel delivers the kind of perfect blacks and rich contrast you'd expect. Pricing lands around $900 to $1,000, which is aggressive for a 2025 OLED with this feature set.

Samsung loaded this thing with their One UI Tizen smart platform, so you get all the streaming apps, plus Alexa, Bixby, and SmartThings integration. It's clearly aimed at smart home users, and our database shows it scores well there. The design is clean and modern, though you'll want to note it comes with two legs instead of a single pedestal on the 42-inch model. For a desk setup, that might actually be a plus since it gives you a bit more flexibility with cable management and positioning.

But let's be real, the main event here is gaming. With a 144Hz refresh rate, FreeSync Premium, VRR, ALLM, and four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports, this TV is built for a PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, or a high-end PC. The Motion Xcelerator 144Hz keeps things buttery smooth, and input lag is practically nonexistent in game mode. If you've been searching for a TV that's equally good for movies and mouse-and-keyboard gaming, the S90F makes a strong case.

Skip the S90F if you're putting it in a bright, sun-filled room. The screen's reflectivity and modest brightness make it a poor fit for that use case, and our data shows outdoor performance is its weakest area. If you need a bright-room TV, look at a Mini-LED option like the TCL QM7K or Hisense U7 instead. Also, if you're a cinephile who insists on Dolby Vision for your 4K Blu-ray collection, the LG C4 is the better call.

If you want a small OLED that pulls double duty as a high-refresh-rate gaming monitor, buy the Samsung S90F. It's that simple. The 42-inch size is a unicorn, and Samsung nailed the gaming specs. You're getting a true 144Hz experience with VRR and low input lag, plus the smart TV features are snappy and well-integrated. For a bedroom, dorm, or desk setup, it's pretty much ideal.

Should you buy it for a bright living room? Probably not. The screen's reflectivity and modest peak brightness mean it struggles in sun-drenched spaces, and the outdoor score in our database backs that up. But in a dim or dark room, this thing sings. If you can live without Dolby Vision and plan to add a soundbar, the S90F is one of the best small-screen values of the year.