Fast facts
- Samsung's S95D OLED TV is now available for pre-order.
It's available in three sizes, bold, vibrant colors, and a new coating that dramatically reduces reflections. - It's the first OLED TV to promise a “glare-free” view.
In January, Samsung (SSNLF) formally unveiled its new flagship OLED TV, the S95D, with a major update: new “glare-free” technology. It impressed me at the Consumer Electronics Show, and just a few days ago, on March 21, Samsung opened orders and confirmed the starting price of $2,599.99.
Now I can tell you a little more about the experience since I had the opportunity to spend a few hours with Samsung S95D. While it's not a crazy improvement in brightness or a major design change, Samsung is taking a pretty big step here.
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The S95D remains just as striking with colors and marked with deep contrast points; When taking a clip from outer space, it's not that the TV is creating the color black by dimming the mini LEDs, but rather it is turning off the individual pixels. It's a deeply immersive image, which remains the same as Samsung's 2023 S95C OLED flagship.
Jacob Krol/TheStreet
This new “glare-free” property dramatically expands where you can place the S95D OLED TV, as it does a much better job of blocking reflections or diffusing them quickly. This allows you to stay immersed and focus on what you're looking at, rather than having to get up to close the blinds, draw the curtains, or even move reflected objects.
While it's not the same as The Frame TV's anti-glare coating, which also results in a matte finish, Samsung's OLED edition manages to block reflected light quite well. At CES, it was demonstrated next to an artificially created window and quickly disabled or blocked it.
However, in my testing with the S95D at a Samsung site, I used a lamp and a set of overhead lights. Sometimes a subtle white glow can still be seen, but the technology prevents a large ball of reflected light from appearing on the TV.
It's day and night on the generally reflective surface of the average TV, and coupled with the higher maximum brightness, the S95D is capable of battling brighter spaces. OLED TVs, in general, have gotten better at competing with mini LED TVs, as they can get brighter to combat ambient or artificial light while still offering a great picture, and the S95D's excellent panel with anti-glare coating takes this to another level. .
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The big advantage is that you can place the Samsung S95D in more spaces instead of limiting it to a room where you have more control or without windows or opt for a Neo QLED or a competing model like Sony or LG. It's also worth noting that LG is yet to unveil a glare-free OLED equivalent, and Sony is yet to unveil its new 2024 TV lineup, although Sony's A95L is still an impressive OLED that, even without the coating, is probably the best on the market.
Jacob Krol/TheStreet
However, Samsung's S95D is shaping up to be one of the most attractive OLED TVs available. True to form, colors appear vibrant and punchy along with stark points of contrast, and in my brief tests, it was immersive for TV shows, streamed content, a snippet of some movies, and even for games. With the latter, I tried with a connected PS5 and streamed a title through Xbox Game Pass. Like Samsung's 2024 Neo QLED TVs and The Frame, the S95D OLED TV comes out of the box with the brand's Tizen interface for easy access to streaming services.
If you are already sold, Samsung's S95D OLED can now be ordered for $2,599.99 for the 55-inch, $3,399.99 for the 65-inch, and $4,599.99 for the 77-inch.. During the pre-order period, you'll also get a free 65-inch Crystal UHD TV at no additional cost when you purchase a new 2024 Samsung TV.
I'm looking forward to re-engaging more formally and fully reviewing Samsung's S95D OLED, so stay tuned to TheStreet for that. And if you're not sold on anti-glare technology or don't need it in your space, consider Samsung's S90D, the brand's OLED TVs from last year, or even Sony's A95L.
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