I tested Samsung's S90H — and it's a great glare-free OLED TV for the money

OLED panel prices have been coming down (for now), while brightness levels have been coming up…at least when we’re talking about the best OLED TVs. Samsung’s S90H series exemplifies that progress, with bright images, an anti-glare screen, and strong dynamic range, even in a moderately lit room.

That accomplishment comes alongside the traditional strengths of OLED — deep blacks, rich (and in this case, accurate) color, and screens measuring just a few millimeters thick. This TV is well-equipped for gaming, too, with inconsequential input lag through the latest high-throughput HDMI ports.

The biggest challengers to Samsung's S90H line may be its own, cheaper siblings: the impressive new S85H and last year's excellent S90F, which were $600 to $1000 cheaper, at press time, based on discounts. Those are two of the best Samsung TVs, and if you don’t need the new anti-reflective matte screen, those other options deliver a lot of the same features at a more affordable price.

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Samsung S90H review: Pricing and availability

The S90H is Samsung’s mid-range OLED for 2026 that sits between the entry-level Samsung S85H (which we just awarded four stars) and the flagship Samsung S95H (which just earned five). The 55-inch S90H model we reviewed lists for $1,999, and is often discounted at samsung.com and at various retailers like Amazon for $1,797.

Other S90H sizes and list prices are: 42-inch ($1,297), 48-inch ($1,397), 65-inch ($1,997), 77-inch ($2,997), and 83-inch ($4,497).

The step-up S95H lists at $2,299 for a 55-inch screen and adds a brushed-metal frame, Art Store access for using it as a digital picture frame, and powerful OTS+ (70W, 4.2.2-channel) audio. The step-down S85H lists for $1,399; it trades the Samsung Glare Free screen for a standard OLED panel and downgrades audio and gaming features to lower price.

The S90H’s primary competition outside Samsung is the identically priced (at 55 inches) LG C6 OLED. (We reviewed the 65-inch version, which lists for $2,699.) Another close rival is the Sony Bravia 8 II, which features PlayStation-specific integrations. (The 55-inch model lists for $2,599; we tested the 65-inch, $3,299 version.)

Samsung S90H review: Design

The S90H exemplifies the ultra-minimalist panel aesthetic of the day. Its barely-there bezel leaves no room for branding. Without the bulky backlight required for LCD sets, the panel is also incredibly thin, at about 0.15 inches. The bottom-half of the TV protrudes to accommodate all the internals, for a maximum thickness of 1.6 inches.

The one unsubtle feature is a beefy central pedestal stand, with a faux-pewter "Space Titan" plastic finish. Of course, such a thin set is ideal for wall-mounting, using screw holes aligned in the VESA-standard 300mm × 200mm rectangular pattern. The exceptionally petite power cord connector on the back right-side of the TV is well-suited for streamlined mounting.

Even better, because of the new anti-glare screen, you don't have to be careful around windows — it's perfectly capable of dispersing large amounts of light (though you will notice slightly raised black levels as a tradeoff).

Samsung S90H review: Ports

The TV is brimming with high-end connections — all on the left side of the panel, when viewed from behind. Chief among them: a quartet of HDMI 2.1 inputs. They support the highest-grade input: up to 4K/120Hz for sources such as the PS5, Xbox Series X, and many gaming PCs; and up to 4K/165Hz for the most-capable game PCs. The TV supports both NVIDIA G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro variable refresh rate (VRR) standards.

HDMI port 3 supports eARC, which can output high-end digital audio signals to a soundbar or home-theater system. The S90H can decode Dolby Atmos for its built-in sound system or output the signal via the eARC port. It also features a standard optical digital audio S/PDIF output.

Every other type of connection is also present: 3 USB-A ports, LAN for a wired network connection, and RS-232C (which Samsung calls EX-LINK) for access by professional technicians or calibrators. The latter two are basically vestigial organs on consumer TVs these days. You can attach a cable or satellite box or a terrestrial antenna via the RF-in port.

Terrestrial signals are routed to an older-style ATSC 1 tuner that doesn't support new ATSC 3.0 NextGen broadcast standards for 4K resolution, HDR, and wider color gamuts. (These limitations don't apply if you are using other sources, such as modern cable or streaming services.) Its Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E wireless capabilities are not the latest either, but are more than adequate.

How we test

We follow a standard testing protocol for every TV we review at Tom’s Guide. Our benchmarks include a series of technical and subjective tests designed to rate the set’s performance. For our technical tests, we set the TV to Filmmaker mode (usually the most accurate out of the box) and take measurements using a Jeti spectraval 1501-HiRes spectroradiometer, a Klein K10-A colorimeter, a Murideo 8K-SIX-G Metal pattern generator, and Portrait Displays’ Calman TV-calibration software. We also use a Leo Bodnar 4K Video Signal Lag Tester for determining the TV’s gaming prowess.

Subjective tests vary based on the reviewer but usually include anecdotes from a diverse selection of movies, TV shows, and other content. For a more detailed look, check out our “How we test TVs” page.

Samsung S90H review: Performance

I zeroed in on the is-it-worth-it question by evaluating the S90H vs S85H. Long story short: They are very close, with the S90H standing out a little in HDR quality and more in sound quality.

Visually, in a moderately lit room, there were only slight differences between the two models. The S90H's higher brightness helped a tad, and skintones were perhaps a bit too warm on the S85H, but I had to squint to make out any of these differences.

I love "Bridgerton" (Season 1, Ep 3, 17:00-19:00) for testing TVs. It spans a wide range of lighting from brilliant sunshine to dim interiors (rendered in HDR10+), a riot of bright but not garish colors, and the show's hallmark variety of skin tones. The S90H handled the material as well as any TV I have tested. In the deeper shadows, the S90H showed a noticeable improvement over the S85H in clarity — point to the S90H.

Turning on Ariana Grande's "hate that i made you love me," on YouTube showed some other slight differences. For instance, I could see a tad more detail in the wheels of the upturned, burning car, or in Grande's face against various fire scenes. I did not see a clear difference with the S90H's glare-free screen technology in my moderately-lit test environment — but in rooms with uncontrollable ambient light, it's going to make a world of difference.

Of course, we can’t talk about the S90H without talking about its AI features — Samsung has gone all-in for AI enhancement, powered by its NQ4 AI Gen3 processor. AI Mode is on by default for both video and audio. The audio effects are subtle. The video ones can be dramatic. Sometimes AI Mode produces a little extra clarity; often, it just makes everything super-bright and slightly blue-tinted (which increases the perception of brightness). For bright videos in a bright room, you won't notice it too much. With higher grade content, it can be a detriment.

I liked Samsung's AI enhancement in my review of its QN70F Neo QLED TV because it made up for the TVs shortcomings, such as murkiness in HDR content like "Dune" or "Stranger Things," but here it can actually make the image worse.

For example, AI Mode was rather brutal for the HDR-10 "Blade Runner 2049" Blu-ray (Chapter 5). It did maintain strong blacks, but it also blew out (and blue-d out) some scenes. This could help in a very bright room. But for film-night viewing, the set's Filmmaker mode preserved the nuance of Denis Villeneuve's vision (even though this TV doesn't support the Dolby Vision standard for image fidelity).

If you find Filmmaker mode too dim, you can get similar quality and a bit more brightness in the adjacent Movie mode. I had no choice but to use it when watching the extremely dim night scenes in the "Sinners" Blu-ray. Eco was also a good, even brighter, option. But AI Mode made a bright, blue mess of it.

When I turned off AI Mode, the TV defaulted into the Eco Mode, which was the right choice for most content. It produced the best colors across most content types, and it was certainly the best for displaying photos. In a challenging picture I took of three women sitting before a fountain on a brilliant day, the S90H captured colors with subtle accuracy and toned down a heavily overexposed portion of the image about as well as can be expected.

But here's the thing: The S85H performed equally well. They were also matched for a photo testing extreme light and dark: a bright-blue neon sign against a black background. OLED is the master of black levels, and even a lower-cost model is a solid performer.

Samsung S90H review: Test results

*As measured in Filmmaker mode.

In a battle among high-performance TVs, the differentiating factor is often brightness, especially with HDR content. This is where you generally get what you pay for, as in Samsung's own OLED lineup. We measured HDR brightness of 771 nits for the S85H, 1,497 nits for the S90H, and 2,721 nits for the S95H (not pictured in the chart above, but tested in the same way).

The S90H we reviewed is one of the only 55-inch OLED models we've tested; most have been 65-inch screens. So our comparisons inevitably span screen sizes. The S90H's HDR brightness is well above average for all 65-inch OLEDs we've tested (1,104 nits) and a tad above average for newer models from 2025 and 2026 (1,331 nits). Newer 65-inch LCD TVs, by comparison, average out to just a bit more, at 1,507 nits — showing that the performance gap between TV technologies is narrowing (excluding some new LCDs that target blinding brightness like the TCL QM9K).

These and other rival TVs are either quite close, or inconsequentially different, in most other measures. The cheaper S85H already reproduces 100% of the Rec. 709 color gamut; comparatively, the 109.61% of the S90H and 113.30% for the S95H are only of theoretical benefit. Here specs take a backseat to a practical question: How does the color look?

Delta-E is a measure of how far the colors on the screen diverge from what the signal sent to the panel calls for. The lower the number, the better the accuracy. This TV's Delta-E of 1.65 (in Filmmaker mode) is quite good. It's in the lower (better) half of results, ranging from 0.8 to 3.6, for the OLEDs we've tested (with an average of 1.9). More importantly, it's far below a level at which a person, rather than a color meter, would notice a difference.

For yet more perspective, this TV's performance is indistinguishable from that of its cheaper sibling, the S85H, which posts a Delta-E of 1.69. Curiously, it's also better than that of the pricier S95H, at 2.24.

Samsung S90H review: Audio

Sometimes there is a clear correlation between specs and experience, and built-in audio is one of those cases. The 20W, 2.0-channel speakers in the S85H didn't sound bad: I found the quality of the trumpets and guitar playing on the Bruno Mars "Risk It All" YouTube video to sound faithful. But the audio lacked a sense of presence. (Raising the volume didn't make a meaningful difference.)

By contrast, the 40W, 2.1-channel system in the S90H provides enough oomph for a respectable audio experience. It puts the spatial audio capabilities of Dolby Atmos to good effect in "Blade Runner 2049."

Even the YouTube music videos had a more enveloping quality: Switching from Standard to Amplify mode definitely expanded the soundstage in both the Bruno Mars and Arianna Grande music videos.

Keep in mind: This is grading on a curve. You will get a substantially fuller experience, especially in bass, with external speakers. If sound is a priority for you, it may not matter much that the S90H has better built-in audio than the S85H. You'll be adding home theater speakers or one of the best soundbars, anyway. But if you don't want peripherals to distract from this TV's slim, minimalist design, you'll appreciate the built-in 40W, 2.1 system.

Samsung S90H review: Interface and remote

Samsung's One UI Tizen smart platform exemplifies the bloat that is endemic in smart TV software. The setup screens push you hard to install the SmartThings app — a hub for Samsung's smart home device universe, which hogged 866MB on my iPhone 13. What's more: Popups encouraging me to use SmartThings plagued my navigation of the TV interface. I was able to bypass the app for setting up the TV, but it was still a long, complex process, requiring me to click through a wall of permissions screens to set up a mandatory account. (I had been kinder to Tizen in my review of the QN70F, but the more time I spend with it, the more frustrated I get.)

The overall interface is pretty standard. From top-to-bottom: a bunch of promoted content, some clusters of content (such as soccer coverage), a thin band of installed streaming app icons, and clusters of recommendations (such as "New on TV" or "4th of July Favorites"). After I connected a Blu-ray player, an icon for the device was scuttled to the end of the apps bar, which took a while for me to locate. The set includes access to Samsung TV Plus, with over 400 content channels.

Samsung's Bixby voice interface could handle basic queries, such as "What are the top five movies with Tom Cruise?" I got options like "Top Gun: Maverick" and various Missions Impossible, and the options to select services to play them on, such as Pluto TV. The experience was not consistent, though. I didn't always get the same movie recommendations, or not recommendations in the same order. And I didn't always get the same options for where to play them. (The TV also offers Alexa as an assistant.)

When I asked the TV to "play 'Bridgerton' on Netflix," all I got was a Wikipedia-like description of the show and options for "related content." (That's despite having just watched the show in the Netflix app on this TV.)

Going the tactile route, this TV provides Samsung's standard slim remote — small enough for most people to operate one-handed. It has the ubiquitous four-direction ring and central button, shortcuts to select video apps, and a button for the TV's shortcut settings menu. The remote charges via USB-C or a solar panel on the back.

Samsung S90H review: Verdict

If it existed in a vacuum, the S90H would be one of the best OLED TVs of 2026. Unfortunately it has to share shelf space with the brand’s cheaper S85H and step-up S95H OLEDs that are, in my opinion, either a better value or a better performer overall.

That’s not to say that the S90H is a bad value, though. Factors such as relatively high brightness, relatively good sound, and top-tier gaming capabilities justify the cost of the S90H.

If you want good anti-glare matte coating and a better-than-average sound system, this TV's price is justified. If your budget isn't as high as your aspirations, however, look to the S85H or discounts on recent predecessor models, especially the S90F.