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Samsung is one of the most popular display manufacturers and the company makes some of the best 4K TVs you can buy. The brand has several OLED, QLED, and LED models to choose from, and it even sells 8K TVs for the sharpest image you can get.
All Samsung TVs use the same operating system (OS) with easy access to all of the best streaming services. And every Samsung 4K and 8K TV supports high dynamic range (HDR) using the HDR10 and HDR10+ formats. But, despite similar features across the board, overall picture quality can vary a lot depending on what kind of Samsung TV you get.
On the high-end, Samsung's best OLED TVs and QLED TVs deliver a premium home theater experience with high contrast and industry-leading color volume for a bright, vivid picture. Meanwhile, Samsung's standard LED TVs, branded as Crystal UHD, only offer basic picture features but still deliver capable smart TV streaming.
To help you narrow down which Samsung display is right for you, we rounded up the best Samsung TVs on the market right now. Our picks are based on a combination of hands-on testing and a decade worth of expertise covering home entertainment products.
Our top picks for the best Samsung TVs
Best overall: Samsung S95B OLED 4K TV - See at Amazon
The S95B 4K OLED TV might be a year old, but it still delivers the best balance between image performance and price of any display that Samsung sells.
Best high-end OLED: Samsung S95C OLED 4K TV - See at Amazon
Samsung's S95C is the brand's latest and greatest 4K TV, and it offers the most impressive brightness, color, and gaming performance we've seen on an OLED.
Best high-end QLED: Samsung QN90B Neo QLED 4K TV - See at Amazon
The 2022 QN90B remains one of Samsung's top QLED displays with a Mini LED backlight for high contrast and quantum dots for expanded colors.
Best midrange QLED: Samsung QN85B Neo QLED 4K TV - See at Amazon
Though performance isn't on par with the more expensive QN90B, Samsung's QN85B delivers impressive high dynamic range picture quality for the money.
Best budget: Samsung CU7000 Crystal UHD 4K TV - See at Best Buy
The CU7000 delivers decent performance for budget TV shoppers who favor the Samsung brand, but you can get better picture quality from similarly priced TCL and Hisense TVs.
Best for your wall: The Frame QLED 4K TV - See at Amazon
Designed to look like a piece of art hanging on your wall, Samsung's Frame TV is a QLED display and a gorgeous design piece in one.
Best 8K: Samsung QN900C Neo QLED 8K TV - See at Amazon
Most people don't need an 8K TV, but if you have the cash to spare, there's no denying how impressive Samsung's QN900C is.
Best Buy
Pros: OLED with quantum dots for rich colors and infinite contrast ratio, wide viewing angles, similar performance as 2023 models for a lot less money
Cons: Not as bright as QLED TVs, only two sizes to choose from, risk of burn-in in extreme cases
The S95B might be a year old, but it's still the best Samsung TV you can buy for the money. The display uses an OLED panel with quantum dots, which gives it better color performance than a regular OLED while maintaining an infinite contrast ratio. And it pulls this off at a lower street price than similar options from Sony and LG.
Like all Samsung 4K TVs, the display supports the HDR10 and HDR10+ high dynamic range formats, and it looks stunning when playing compatible movies and TV shows. Highlights sparkle from the screen and the S95B produces deeper, more precise black levels than any of Samsung's QLED TVs.
And though Samsung's high-end QLEDs also have solid viewing angles, the S95B's OLED screen is even better. You can sit far off to the side of the TV without seeing any major loss in image quality. But while the S95B is bright for an OLED, at a peak of around 1,050 nits, it still can't match the 2,000-nit peak of Samsung's top QLEDs, like the QN90B.
However, since the S95B's pixel-level dimming enables much better contrast control than a QLED's backlight, we think this dip in brightness is a more than acceptable tradeoff.
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Pros: Samsung's brightest OLED, 144Hz panel for high frame rate PC gaming, thin design with One Connect Box, comes in a 77-inch screen size
Cons: Pricey compared to the similar S95B, risk of burn-in in extreme cases
When it comes to the best image performance you can buy, the S95C is the current king of Samsung's 4K TV lineup. It takes everything we love about the S95B but pumps up the brightness, dials up the refresh rate, and packs it all in a thin, flat design. But given its high-end performance, it also comes in at an equally high-end price.
Using Samsung's second-gen QD-OLED panel, the S95C manages to deliver a 30% increase in peak brightness over the S95B, with a max of around 1,360 nits. This can make specular highlights and colors pop with a bit more intensity, while still offering perfect black levels.
The TV also supports a 144Hz refresh rate versus the 120Hz rate you'll find on typical high-end TVs from other brands. This means you can connect a gaming PC or gaming laptop to get incredibly smooth gameplay, so long as your computer is powerful enough to output 144 frames per second.
And unlike the S95B, the S95C has a uniformly slim profile. Though the S95B is technically slimmer at its thinnest point, that TV protrudes out toward the bottom to accommodate all of its video ports. The S95C, however, uses a separate One Connect Box to house all of its HDMI ports, so the panel can maintain a profile of just 0.4 inches all the way down.
Though we think the older S95B is still a better overall value, the S95C is the best pick for buyers who want high-end OLED performance and design, but don't mind paying top dollar to get it.
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Pros: Brighter than OLED models, Mini LED panel with full-array local dimming, no burn-in risk
Cons: Contrast can't match an OLED, some blooming visible
Though we do favor OLED TV tech for its superior contrast, QLEDs are still great TVs, especially if you need a really bright screen in your living room. Samsung's QN90B is easily one of the best QLED TVs on the market.
Part of Samsung's "Neo QLED" series, the QN90B uses quantum dots for expanded color and a Mini LED backlight. That latter feature is missing from Samsung's standard QLED TVs. In conjunction with full-array local dimming, the TV's Mini LEDs enable it to produce deep black levels with better contrast and brightness control than a regular LED TV.
The QN90B's dimming still isn't as precise as an OLED like the S95B, so you will see some minor blooming and haloing around bright objects. But, compared to cheaper QLED models, the QN90B gets remarkably close to OLED-level contrast while delivering nearly double the peak brightness of the S95B.
The TV's high brightness capabilities make it an especially good choice for living rooms that let in a lot of ambient light. And though OLEDs still have an edge when it comes to viewing angles, the QN90B has some of the best off-axis image quality we've seen on a TV of this type.
If you don't want one of Samsung's OLED TVs, the QN90B is an excellent QLED alternative for buyers who crave an extra-bright display and never want to think twice about burn-in.
Samsung
Pros: Solid HDR performance, Mini LED backlight, good viewing angles for a QLED, no burn-in risk
Cons: Not as bright as Samsung's top TVs, fewer dimming zones than the QN90B
Buyers on the hunt for a great QLED TV that's a bit cheaper than the QN90B should consider the QN85B. Though brightness and contrast aren't quite as impressive, the QN85B still boasts quantum dots and a Mini LED backlight.
At a current sale price in the $1,000-$1,200 range, this is an upper midrange set that's perfect for buyers who want to save a little cash without sacrificing HDR quality. The S95C and QN90B can both get brighter, but make no mistake, this model is no slouch. You still get about 1,000 nits of peak brightness, which is the standard that a lot of HDR content is designed for, and is enough to deliver a punchy image in a living room that lets in a lot of light.
Contrast and black levels are strong, but this set has fewer dimming zones than the QN90B, so blooming is a bit more noticeable. And like the QN90B, the TV has solid viewing angles, which isn't something you see in a lot of QLED models from other brands.
However, since this is a 2022 model, buyers should keep in mind that this TV will become harder to find as the year goes on. And that's a shame since the rest of Samsung's midrange QLED lineup fails to deliver this kind of performance for the money.
Target
Pros: Affordable, tons of screen size options
Cons: Lacks wide color support, no local dimming, mediocre viewing angles, 60Hz rather than 120Hz
Samsung excels at high- and upper midrange TVs, but its lower midrange and entry-level offerings tend to be a bit overpriced for what you get. At least, compared to more value-friendly options from TCL, Hisense, and Vizio. Though you can get more bang-for-your-buck from one of those companies, the CU7000 is a solid budget pick for anyone who's set on sticking with the Samsung brand.
The CU7000 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 QLED and OLED models. This means the TV isn't capable of a wide color gamut, and black levels won't be as deep or uniform across the screen. The display is also one of the dimmest options in Samsung's lineup. It technically supports HDR10 and HDR10+ processing, but it's just not capable of showing off the true benefits of those formats.
On the plus side, the TV does support full 4K resolution for a sharp, clean image and it plays standard dynamic range content in high definition just fine, so HD cable channels and live TV streaming services will look exactly like they're supposed to. Viewing angles are mediocre, however, so you'll want to sit to the center of the screen to get the best image.
This is a fine entry-level display for casual viewers who just want a capable smart TV and don't care about paying extra for better picture quality. But keep in mind, if you're willing to venture outside of Samsung's lineup, you can find TVs with better contrast and color performance, like the TCL 5 Series, for around the same price.
Samsung
Pros: Unique art-frame design with matte-finish screen, hangs flush on wall, quantum dots for wide color support, customizable bezel options
Cons: Brightness and contrast can't match Neo QLED and OLED TVs
Samsung's Frame TV is an excellent choice for anyone planning to wall mount their display. The unique TV is built to look like a piece of art hanging in your living room.
The Frame comes with 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 S95C OLED, the Frame TV uses an external One Connect Box to house its video ports, which enables the panel to maintain a 1-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.
The display itself uses a matte finish which prevents reflections and helps to give 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 that you can pull from Samsung's Art Store (subscription required) or from a USB drive. A built-in motion sensor can even toggle the Art Mode to only 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 of our high-end picks and it lacks local dimming for precise contrast control, but it does have wide color support.
We don't recommend this TV for anyone focused on the best picture quality, but it still delivers a nice enough image for casual HDR viewing. The Frame is
