I review new TVs every year, and Samsung is consistently one of the top brands I recommend. The company sells a wide range of reliable displays across sizes and budgets, but some models are better than others. The best Samsung TVs provide an excellent balance between picture quality and smart features.
To help narrow your search, I’ve put together a list of the best Samsung TVs you can buy. My top pick is the Samsung S90D, which uses an OLED screen with quantum dots to deliver high contrast and bright colors. Meanwhile, budget-conscious shoppers should consider the Samsung DU7200. Its picture quality is basic, but it provides a solid entry-level smart TV experience on the cheap.
My picks for the best Samsung TVs are based on extensive testing and research informed by more than a decade’s worth of experience covering home entertainment products. Top recommendations also include colorful QLED displays and an anti-glare OLED that’s perfect for watching sports in a bright room. Though several new 2025 Samsung TVs are now available, I still recommend 2024 models since they deliver similar performance for less money.
Our top picks for the best Samsung TVs
Best overall: Samsung S90D OLED 4K TV – See at Amazon
Best budget model: Samsung DU7200 Crystal LED 4K TV – See at Amazon
Best high-end QLED: Samsung QN90D Neo QLED 4K TV – See at Amazon
Best for reducing glare: Samsung S95D OLED 4K TV – See at Amazon
Best for your wall: Samsung LS03D Frame QLED 4K TV – See at Amazon
Best overall
Samsung 65-inch S90D OLED 4K TV
The S90D is our favorite TV overall. Its QD-OLED panel delivers a high-contrast image with vivid colors, wide viewing angles, and impressive brightness for this class.
When looking at overall value for your money, the S90D is the best Samsung TV I’ve tested. In fact, it’s my pick for the best TV you can buy right now from any brand. The S90D replaces my previous recommendation in this category, the S90C, and this newer model offers a slight boost in brightness while carrying over everything else I loved about that older TV.
Thanks to its QD-OLED panel, the S90D delivers an infinite contrast ratio and better color performance than similarly priced OLEDs from LG and Sony. It also boasts a high 144Hz refresh rate when paired with a PC to enable smooth gameplay.
Like all Samsung TVs, the display supports the HDR10 and HDR10+ high-dynamic-range (HDR) formats, and it looks stunning when playing compatible movies and TV shows. Highlights pop off the screen, and the S90D produces deeper, more precise black levels than any of Samsung’s QLED displays. It also has wider viewing angles than a QLED, so you can sit to the side of the TV without any notable loss in image quality.
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The S90D is also very bright for a midrange OLED. I measured a peak of around 1,240 nits, which beats the older S90C by around 200 nits. This makes it an excellent fit for movie-watching in a dark home theater and casual TV viewing in a typical living room.
However, the S90D’s brightness still can’t match the 2,000-nit max of Samsung’s top QLEDs, like the QN90D, or its brand-new S95F OLED. It also has a glossy screen rather than the anti-glare matte screen found on some of Samsung’s other TVs. Higher brightness and a matte screen are both beneficial for viewers who struggle with reflections in rooms with a lot of light and windows. That said, I prefer glossy screens for most use cases since this type of panel preserves contrast better.
All things considered, the S90D is the best Samsung TV for most people with typical viewing needs. Its image quality is nearly on par with sets that cost $1,000 more, and it often gets fantastic discounts during sales.
Buyers should note that Samsung sells a new 2025 edition of this display, the S90F. The new model offers some improvements in performance, but it costs a lot more. With that in mind, the S90D remains the better value.
Note: Samsung’s 42- 48-, and 83-inch S90D models do not feature quantum dots, so their screens can’t match the color performance of other sizes.
Best budget model
Samsung 65-inch DU7200 4K TV
The DU7200 is one of Samsung’s entry-level 4K TV models. It’s a decent budget option for buyers who prefer Samsung, but similarly priced Hisense and TCL TVs deliver much better image quality.
Samsung sells many excellent premium and midrange displays, but its budget models are often a bit overpriced compared to similar options from brands like TCL, Hisense, and Roku. Though you can get better value from one of those companies, Samsung’s DU7200 is a decent entry-level pick for anyone who prefers the Samsung brand.
The DU7200 is the successor to my previous pick in this category, the CU7000, and it shares many of the same specifications. It uses a regular LCD panel with an edge-lit LED backlight, and it’s missing all the step-up picture quality features you’d find on Samsung’s QLED and OLED models.
This means the TV lacks quantum dots, so it has a narrower range of colors than a QLED. It’s also missing local dimming, so its black levels aren’t as deep or uniform across the screen. Likewise, the display is one of the dimmest options in Samsung’s lineup. It can technically process HDR10 and HDR10+ signals, but it’s not capable of showcasing the full benefits of those formats.
On the plus side, the DU7200 still supports full 4K resolution for a clean, sharp image. It plays standard-dynamic-range (SDR) content in both 4K and high definition just fine, so HD cable channels and all of the best live TV streaming services look solid.
This is a fine entry-level model for casual viewers who just want a basic smart TV and don’t care about paying extra for better picture quality. But keep in mind, if you’re willing to go outside Samsung’s lineup, you can find TVs with better contrast and color performance, like the Hisense U6N, for just a bit more money.
For more cheap display recommendations from other brands, check out our guides to the best budget TVs and best TVs under $500.
Best high-end QLED
Samsung 65-inch QN90D Neo QLED 4K TV
Samsung’s premium QN90D QLED offers impressive brightness thanks to its Mini LED backlight. But while it can get brighter than competing OLED sets, its contrast control isn’t as precise.
Though I favor Samsung’s OLED TVs for their superior black-level performance, the company’s QN90D QLED TV is still an excellent high-end display, especially if you want an extra-bright screen.
The QN90D is part of Samsung’s “Neo QLED” series, which means it uses quantum dots for expanded color and a Mini LED backlight with local dimming for improved contrast. The TV’s Mini LEDs enable it to produce deep black levels with more precise brightness control than a typical QLED TV that uses regular-sized LEDs.
However, the QN90D’s dimming isn’t perfect, and it has some flaws that you won’t see on an OLED like the S90D. Some blooming (small halos around bright objects) and vignetting (darkening around the edges of bright objects) cropped up in a few scenes during my evaluation. For instance, one test sequence that featured candles burning against a black background had noticeable halos around the flames.
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But in exchange for those imperfections, the QN90D offers nearly double the brightness of a typical OLED. I measured a peak of around 2,040 nits. This resulted in more impactful HDR highlights compared to what I saw on the S90D. The QN90D’s viewing angles are also solid for a QLED. Colors hold up better from an angle than they do on many competing QLEDs from Hisense, TCL, and Roku.
Ultimately, the QN90D is a great high-end alternative for people who prefer QLED displays over OLEDs. It’s best for viewers who want an especially bright display and never want to think twice about burn-in.
Samsung also sells a new 2025 version of this TV, the QN90F, which offers some small improvements. When I tested the QN90F, it delivered a slightly higher peak brightness of 2,130 nits and produced fewer halos during my dimming tests. It also adds Samsung’s glare-free tech, which greatly reduces screen reflections at the expense of raising black levels in bright rooms.
That said, the QN90F costs a lot more. Given the current price difference, I recommend the QN90D as the better buy.
Best for reducing glare
Samsung 65-inch S95D 4K OLED TV
Samsung’s S95D is the brightest OLED we’ve ever tested. It features a new matte screen that nearly eliminates reflections, making it ideal for rooms that struggle with glare. However, the matte design gives black levels a slightly faded look in direct light.
Samsung’s S95D OLED is one of the few high-end TVs available with an anti-glare matte screen. This feature is designed to significantly reduce reflections in rooms with ambient light.
During my testing, the screen filter lived up to its claims, nearly eliminating glare. This makes the S95D uniquely suited for bright rooms where distracting reflections can be problematic. Sports fans, in particular, should consider this set as it’s great for watching games during the day.
However, the glare-free coating does cause black levels to look a bit elevated in bright rooms, causing the image to lose some of the inkiness that OLEDs are known for. Black levels are still perfect in a dark room, but perceived contrast does take a hit when watching dim scenes with the lights on.
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In addition to its impressive reflection handling, the S95D is one of the brightest OLED TVs I’ve tested. I measured a peak of around 1,700 nits, about 500 nits more than the cheaper S90D. That’s a decent increase, and it can make color and specular highlights (like explosions) pop with a bit more intensity. However, I think the cheaper S90D’s brightness capabilities are sufficient for most use cases.
Like the S90D, the S95D supports up to a 144Hz refresh to get incredibly smooth gameplay when hooked to a PC. The S95D does have a more high-end design than the cheaper S90 series, using a separate One Connect Box to house all its HDMI ports. This gives it a uniformly thin profile of just 0.4 inches all the way down.
If you’re specifically looking for a high-end, glare-free experience, the S95D is the best Samsung TV to get. However, buyers should note that a 2025 version of this display, the S95F, is also available. The S95F can get even brighter, but it costs a lot more. For now, I only recommend the pricier S95F to big TV enthusiasts.
Read our Samsung S95D 4K TV review and our S95F 4K TV review.
Check out our guide to the best sports TVs.
Best for your wall
Samsung 65-inch The Frame (LS03D)
Samsung’s Frame TV can be mounted flush against your wall like a hanging piece of art. It also features a matte screen to make it look more like canvas, and you can purchase optional magnetic frame bezels in different colors and designs.
Samsung’s Frame TV is an excellent choice for anyone planning to wall mount their display. This unique TV is built to look like a piece of art hanging in your living room.
The Frame has a black border by default, but you can pay extra to get different bezel colors for the exact picture-frame look you want. Options include white, brown, teak, red, beige, and more. The add-on bezels magnetically snap onto the display for simple installation.
Like Samsung’s S95 series, the Frame TV uses an external One Connect Box to house its video ports, which enables the panel to maintain a one-inch profile from top to bottom. When paired with the included slim-fit wall mount, the TV can be hung flush on your wall, just like a framed work of art.
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The display uses a matte finish that’s similar but not identical to the one used on Samsung’s flagship S95 series OLEDs. This finish helps prevent reflections and gives the screen a more canvas-like appearance. When you’re not watching TV, you can have it enter “Art Mode,” which will cycle through various paintings and photographs you can pull from Samsung’s Art Store (subscription required) or a USB drive. A built-in motion sensor can even toggle the Art Mode to activate when people are in the room.
While the Frame’s unique design is its main selling point, the TV also benefits from using a QLED panel, albeit without all the bells and whistles that Samsung’s best QLEDs have. The Frame can’t hit the same peak brightness levels as my high-end picks, and it lacks local dimming for precise contrast control.
I don’t recommend this TV for anyone focused on picture quality, but it still delivers a nice enough image for casual viewing. The Frame is really geared toward people who want the best Samsung TV that can double as an attractive design piece to hang in a living room, and in that sense, it excels.
However, shoppers should note that Samsung has a new step-up version of this TV, called the Frame Pro. The new model adds an edge-lit Mini LED backlight for improved picture quality and a wireless connect box so you can pair your media devices without any cables dangling from the display. That said, it costs more than the standard Frame, and its contrast control is still a big step down from the company’s Neo QLEDs, like the QN90D.
Note: The 32-inch Frame TV features a Full-HD 1080p screen rather than a 4K panel.
How we test Samsung TVs
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Our picks for the best Samsung TVs are based on a combination of hands-on testing and research informed by more than a decade’s worth of experience covering the home entertainment market. Our testing consists of several key evaluation points that we use to judge a TV’s overall performance and value, including HDR quality, brightness, color gamut coverage, contrast, local dimming performance (if applicable), viewing angles, navigation speed, design, and price.
When measuring a TV’s brightness and evaluating other technical picture quality attributes, we use a colorimeter with test patterns on the Spears & Munsil UHD HDR Benchmark 4K Blu-ray disc.
However, test patterns only show one part of the equation, so we rely on real-world content and day-to-day viewing to see how Samsung’s TVs look when watching typical programs in bright and dark rooms. Our demo material is selected to feature scenes that show off black levels, highlights, color fidelity, and fine details with 4K Ultra HD, high definition (HD), and standard definition (SD) material. We also use various sources, including streaming services, cable channels, and a 4K Blu-ray player.
General usability and design are also considered. We get a feel for living with a TV for a few weeks while using its basic functions and smart TV features. If a TV has slow navigation or is missing key functions, that impacts our assessment, but we place expectations for each model within the context of its price range.
For more details on our testing methodology, check out our breakdown of how we review tech products.
Samsung TV FAQs
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Are Samsung’s 2025 TV models available?
Yes, Samsung’s 2025 TV models are now shipping. The collection includes new OLED and QLED sets with brighter images, faster refresh rates, and bigger screen sizes. The brand is also emphasizing AI-powered smart features and audio-visual optimizations that it calls “Vision AI.” You can learn more in our full roundup of Samsung 2025 OLED and QLED TV prices and features.
However, Samsung’s 2024 TV models will continue to be available for most of the year, and they’re a lot less expensive than their 2025 counterparts. With that in mind, we’ll continue to recommend 2024 Samsung TVs while they remain the best value.
For more details on this year’s new displays, visit our roundup of top TVs revealed at CES 2025 and our breakdown of 2025 TV trends.
What kind of TVs does Samsung make?
Samsung’s TV lineup can be divided into three categories: OLED, QLED, and Crystal UHD.
Samsung’s OLED TVs use organic light-emitting diode panels with self-illuminating pixels. This means they don’t need a backlight and can produce perfect black levels and an infinite contrast ratio. Most Samsung OLEDs also use quantum dots, which give them an expanded color range. On the downside, in extreme cases, OLED TVs are susceptible to burn-in, and even the best models can’t get quite as bright as top QLED TVs.
Samsung’s QLED TVs use LCD (liquid crystal display) panels with LED backlights and quantum dots. They can’t produce the pixel-level contrast and deep black levels of an OLED, but the best models can get brighter, and there’s no risk of burn-in. Top Samsung QLEDs, branded as Neo QLED, also incorporate Mini LEDs with full-array local dimming, which enables them to get a lot closer to the contrast performance of an OLED.
For more details on how OLED and QLED TVs stack up, check out our full QLED vs. OLED comparison.
Finally, Samsung’s Crystal UHD TVs use entry-level LCD panels with LED backlights. These displays lack the color, brightness, and contrast capabilities of Samsung’s OLED and QLED sets. This series is meant for casual buyers who just want a basic smart TV and don’t care about advanced picture quality.
All of Samsung’s displays are available in multiple sizes, often ranging from as small as 32 inches to as large as 98 inches. For TV recommendations at various screen sizes, check out our size-specific guides:
Does Samsung sell 8K TVs?
Yes, Samsung sells 8K TV models, and we’ve previously included 8K options in this guide. But given the current price and performance differences between the brand’s top 4K and 8K offerings, we recommend that most buyers just stick with 4K.
Though Samsung’s 8K TVs are impressive displays, the benefits of 8K resolution are extremely subtle. Beyond a few YouTube clips, there is no 8K content available, so most of what you watch will just be 4K and HD sources that get upscaled. With upscaling, an extra-large 8K TV can look a bit sharper than a 4K model if you sit close to your screen, but the difference is too small to justify the price premium of an 8K TV. You can simply get better overall performance for your money by opting for one of Samsung’s high-end 4K models.
However, if you’re dead set on buying an 8K TV, the Samsung QN900D and QN990F are the company’s top options. We tested both TVs, and they deliver excellent image quality. The primary difference between them is that the QN990F has a new anti-glare screen. However, we still think most people are better off with Samsung’s cheaper S90D or S95D OLEDs, as they both provide better contrast performance despite their lower 4K resolutions. High contrast offers a more noticeable benefit in overall image quality than 8K resolution.
Are Samsung TVs better than LG TVs?
Samsung and LG both make some of our favorite TVs, and it’s difficult to say that one brand is better than the other. Instead, they both have pros and cons depending on your needs and which specific TV models you’re looking at.
Regarding LCD-based models, the best Samsung TVs are branded as QLED, while LG’s are branded as QNED. There are some differences in the panel technology each uses, but they’re similar in overall capabilities. Samsung’s high-end QLEDs, however, have traditionally had an edge over LG’s best QNEDs thanks to their higher brightness and better local dimming. Though this remains true in 2025, recent LG models, like the QNED 90T, are getting closer to matching the performance of Samsung’s QLEDs.
Both companies also sell some of the best OLED TVs, and the competition gets tougher here. Most of Samsung’s OLEDs use quantum dots, which give them an edge in brightness and color performance over LG’s midrange OLEDs. But LG’s top OLEDs, the G4 and G5, use other technologies to boost peak brightness, enabling them to achieve similar or higher levels than Samsung’s top OLEDs. LG also sells OLEDs across more sizes, with options for more budgets.
No matter what type of TV you get, it’s important to remember that LG’s mid- and high-end displays support Dolby Vision, while Samsung’s support the competing HDR10+ format. Both high-dynamic-range formats offer similar capabilities, with scene-by-scene guidance for displaying contrast and color, but Dolby Vision is used on more streaming services and 4K Blu-ray discs.
What smart TV interface does Samsung use?
Samsung uses a proprietary smart TV interface built using the Tizen operating system (OS). Unlike other interfaces such as Roku OS, Android TV, Fire TV, or Google TV, Samsung’s Tizen platform is not available on smart TV models or streaming devices from other brands.
For many years, Samsung’s Tizen OS featured a pop-up screen that displayed apps across a horizontal bar at the bottom of the screen, but Samsung updated its interface in 2022. Now, Samsung smart TVs use a full-screen homepage that organizes your favorite services and presents you with content recommendations. There’s also a Gaming Hub section that lets you access cloud services like Xbox Game Pass, Nvidia GeForce Now, and Amazon Luna.
Samsung’s smart TV interface works well across its lineup of TVs and offers access to all of the best streaming services, but it’s not the smoothest OS we’ve used. Even high-end models, like the QN90D and S90D, are prone to hiccups and slight lag when navigating menus and content libraries.
Most buyers should be satisfied with Samsung’s smart TV performance, and no major services or features are missing. But if you prefer a different interface with slightly snappier navigation, we recommend checking out our guide to the best streaming devices for other options.
For display recommendations that use other systems, check out our full guide to the best smart TVs.
Are Samsung TVs prone to burn-in?
Samsung’s QLED and Crystal UHD TVs are not susceptible to burn-in, but the company’s OLED models can experience this issue in extreme cases. Burn-in occurs if a static image is left on an OLED screen for hours on end — the CNN or ESPN logo in the corner, for example — which can cause a faint, ghostly image to get stuck on the screen.
Though Samsung OLED buyers should be aware of this risk, OLED TVs have built-in measures to prevent burn-in, including automatic pixel-shift modes and pixel-refreshers. Publications like Rtings have done long-term tests with many OLED TVs, including Samsung’s models, and while results do show that burn-in is possible, the tests show that people with regular viewing habits don’t need to worry about it.
As long as you don’t plan on watching cable news channels all day, burn-in shouldn’t be a factor when deciding whether to buy an OLED TV. But if you tend to watch just one cable channel for several hours daily, you’re better off getting one of Samsung’s QLED or Crystal UHD models so you don’t have to think twice about burn-in.
Do Samsung TVs support Dolby Vision?
Even the best Samsung TVs lack Dolby Vision support. However, they do support a similar format called HDR10+. Dolby Vision and HDR10+ are both dynamic metadata high-dynamic-range formats. This means that compatible content can be encoded with specific instructions that tell your TV how to handle HDR contrast and color on a scene-by-scene basis.
This is in contrast to the standard HDR10 format, a static metadata format that can only include one set of instructions for an entire video rather than scene-by-scene details. In practice, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ can deliver a more refined HDR experience with video quality that better matches the specific capabilities of your TV. However, these benefits over standard HDR10 are often very subtle.
Though Dolby Vision and HDR10+ offer similar capabilities, Dolby Vision is supported on more streaming services and 4K Blu-ray discs, which makes it the more desirable of the two formats.
Check out our HDR TV guide for more information about how these formats stack up.
Are matte screens better than glossy ones?
Most of Samsung’s TVs use a glossy or semi-glossy screen, but the company has started to release more models that use a matte finish instead. They both have pros and cons that make them better suited for specific types of viewers.
Glossy screens are great at preserving high contrast and deep black levels, but they’re prone to mirror-like reflections. This can be a problem if your room has lots of lights or windows. On the other hand, Samsung’s anti-glare matte screens significantly reduce reflections. On the downside, the matte filter causes black levels to look a bit elevated and washed out in a bright room.
Which style is right for you depends on your personal preferences and viewing needs. We tend to favor glossy screens for most uses since high contrast is a big part of preserving good picture quality, but matte screens are better for spaces where you can’t control ambient light.
Notable Samsung TVs that use matte screens include the S95D, S95F, QN90F, and Frame models.