The Samsung S95C OLED is the company’s second take on QD-OLED. This time around, however, Samsung is going for more size (77-inches compared to the 65- and 55-inch models we saw last year) and a faster 144Hz refresh rate for PC gamers.
While Samsung hasn’t been very open about changes to the TV’s performance — we’re told there will be some bump in brightness — the company is doubling down on the design this time around. To wit, the Samsung S95C measures just 10mm from front to back and will include Samsung’s own OneConnect box to help hide cables.
These innovations are interesting, but, like some of the other TVs we’ve seen so far at CES 2023, the Samsung S95C seems to be experiencing a bit of a slump in its second year in terms of innovation. This may not matter if you’re buying a QD-OLED for the first time – a situation most people are likely to be in – so treat these criticisms with a grain of salt.
Price forecast and release date
As of now, there is no exact price or release date for the Samsung S95C OLED. However, based on previous years’ releases, it’s safe to assume that it will be released in the spring or early summer here in North America (April to June) for the same price as last year’s Samsung S95B OLED.
We’ll be able to confirm this later in the year when we get closer to the TV’s potential launch, but that should be a decent guess based on previous models.
Design
After speaking with a Samsung representative about the Samsung S95C at length, the design appears to be where the real innovation happens in 2023. Not only is the TV thinner this year (just 10mm) but it will also be available in a larger screen size as well.
There’s no denying that the demand for larger TVs is growing every year, so this seems like a smart move for Samsung to make.
Another new piece in the puzzle is the integration of the OneConnect Box which allows you to connect all of your devices in one place instead of hunching them behind your TV. If you are someone who cares about the look of your home entertainment center, this is a huge plus.
performance
When we saw the S95C OLED, it was positioned close to the new Samsung QN95C. While it was easy to see that the QN95C was the brighter of the two, it was incredibly close in terms of overall performance.
In terms of clarity in the details of the objects on the screen, both devices did an excellent job of producing clear, clean, and vibrant images. Image processing plays a major role in this – which helps explain why the two TVs look alike from afar – with both devices using Samsung’s latest Quantum Processor.
However, for gamers, the big news here is support for a 144Hz refresh rate when connected to a gaming PC. This is the most common refresh rate on gaming monitors and a feature inherited from Samsung’s work in this area. Pair that refresh rate with AMD’s FreeSync Premium Pro and we could be looking at one The best gaming TVs of the year.
The bad news here is that Samsung didn’t have much new information to share about the actual improvements made to the panel inside the S95C — only saying that it was brighter than last year’s model. That means we’ll have to wait until we can get the OLED into our labs to see how much brighter it is than last year’s Samsung S95B.
smart tv
Another area where we don’t see a lot of improvement year-on-year is Samsung’s Tizen smart platform. The reason Samsung hasn’t made major changes, according to a rep we spoke to, is because it wants people to recognize the new look.
Here again you will see some new improvements for gamers such as GameBar 3.0 with MiniMap Sharing 3 and Virtual Aim Point. According to Samsung, “Sharing a MiniMap allows players to see a game thumbnail at a glance on any screen while Virtual Aim Point, designed for first-person shooter (FPS) games, allows players to see more noticeable crosshairs in a game. The perfect shot.”
These certainly seem like decent improvements, but until we can put them into practice ourselves, we can’t say much about them one way or the other.
prospects
For gamers, the Samsung S95C seems to be a home run. Features like AMD’s new 144Hz refresh rate and FreeSync Premium Pro will make it an enticing purchase for anyone with a gaming PC in their living room. However, for TV and movie fans, there appears to be a slight improvement in the actual picture quality of Samsung’s only OLED model year-over-year.
Is there any other good news? Sure, if you bought a Samsung S95B OLED last year, this year’s model is less likely to give you FOMO.
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