Samsung's glare-free S95D OLED is seriously impressive…

Samsung's glare-free S95D OLED is seriously impressive — here's why

Fast Facts

Samsung's S95D OLED TV is up for preorder now.
It's available in three sizes, punchy, vibrant colors, and a new coating that drastically reduces reflections.
It's the first OLED TV with the promise of a "Glare-Free" view.

Back in January, Samsung (SSNLF) formally unveiled its new flagship OLED TV—the S95D—with one major upgrade: a new “glare-free” technology. It impressed me on the ground at the Consumer Electronics Show, and just a few days ago, on Mar. 21, Samsung opened up orders and confirmed the $2,599.99 starting price.

Now, I can tell you a bit more about the experience as I had the chance to spend a few hours with Samsung’s S95D. While it’s not a crazy brightness improvement or a major design change, Samsung is taking a pretty major step here.

The S95D is still just as punchy with colors and stark with deep contrast points; when taking in a clip from outer space, it’s not that the TV is creating the color black by dimming mini LEDs but instead is turning off individual pixels. It’s a deeply immersive image, which remains the same as Samsung’s 2023 flagship S95C OLED.

A look at Samsung's new for 2024 S95D OLED TV.
Jacob Krol/TheStreet

This new “glare-free” property drastically expands where you can place the S95D OLED TV, as it does a much better job of outright blocking reflections or quickly diffusing them. This allows you to stay immersed and focus on whatever you’re watching, versus having to get up to shut the blinds, draw the drapes, or even move reflected objects.

While it’s not the same as the anti-glare coating on The Frame TV, which also results in a matte finish, Samsung’s OLED edition manages to block out reflected light quite well. At CES, it was demoed next to an artificially created window, and it quickly defused or blocked that.

However, in my testing with the S95D at a Samsung site, I used a lamp and an overhead set of lights. At times, you can still see a subtle white glow, but the technology stops a big glob of light from appearing as reflected on the TV.

It’s night and day over the generally reflective surface of the average TV, and paired with the higher peak brightness, the S95D is able to battle brighter spaces. OLED TVs, in general, have gotten better at rivaling mini LED sets since they can get brighter to combat environmental or artificial light while still delivering a great picture, and the excellent panel on the S95D with the glare-free coating steps this up another notch.

The big advantage is that you could place Samsung’s S95D in more spaces rather than limiting it to a room where you have more control or free of windows or opting for a Neo QLED or a competing model from the likes of Sony or LG. It’s also worth noting that LG hasn’t introduced a glare-free OLED equivalent as of yet, and Sony hasn’t yet unveiled its new TV lineup for 2024 — though Sony’s A95L is still a stunning OLED that, even without the glare-free coating, is likely the best on the market.

However, Samsung’s S95D sets itself up to be one of the most compelling OLED TVs available. True to form, colors appear vibrant and punchy alongside stark contrast points, and in my brief testing, it was immersive for TV shows, streamed content, a snippet of a few movies, and even for gaming. With the latter, I tested with a PS5 connected and streamed a title via 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’re already sold, Samsung’s S95D OLED is up for order now at $2,599.99 for the 55-inch, $3,399.99 for the 65-inch, and $4,599.99 for the 77-inch. During the preorder window, you’ll also score a free 65-inch Crystal UHD TV at no additional cost when you purchase a new 2024 TV from Samsung.

I’m eager to go hands-on more formally again and fully review Samsung’s S95D OLED, so stay tuned to TheStreet for that. And if you’re not sold on the glare-free technology or don’t need it in your space, consider the S90D from Samsung, last year’s OLED TVs from the brand, or even Sony’s A95L.

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