Choosing a television set these days can make picking a new car or pair of running shoes seem easy. Cars and shoes and, well, nearly every other consumer product go out of their way to stand out in terms of design, but modern TVs all pretty much look the same. Sure, they may have different stands or port locations or other minutia, but the push to maximize screen size and minimize everything else has left them largely all looking like anonymous black mirrors (yes, that's where that came from) when off — and more or less invisible when on.
Standing out, then, falls to the tech inside — and mostly, to finding new ways to highlight the differences. That's the sort of thing that can be easier determined when stacking your impressions up against one another in short order — i.e. seeing multiple options in short order, ideally in similar locales.
To aid in that, in late February, the folks at Samsung gave me the chance to head out to a secretive installation in New Jersey to score a little hands-on time with three of the brand's newest televisions: the QN95C Neo QLED 4K, the QN900C Neo QLED 8K, and the S95C OLED. It was a brief encounter, but enough of one to form some initial impressions. Here's what I found.
First Impressions of Samsung's New 2023 Flagship Televisions
Samsung QN95C Neo QLED 4K: The Everyman Model
Note: while the QN95C is officially on sale, it isn't listed on Samsung or any third-party retailer's website as of this story's initial publish date. We'll update this piece with a link to it when it becomes available.
4K resolution has largely become the default among high-end televisions these days. You can stroll into Best Buy tomorrow and pick up a decent 43-inch 4K TV for a shade over $200. But that ease of purchase makes it easy to forget just how far we've come in such a short time: it was just 2012 when 4K televisions first hit the shelves, and 2014 when Netflix started streaming in such resolution. Even those cheap TVs of today make the expensive ones from a decade and a half ago look like 1980s GM instrument panels by comparison.
To justify its significant price difference over those bare bones TVs, Samsung cites all sorts of details: its ability to upscale content to 4K levels of quality even if filmed in lesser formats, its mini-LEDs' ability to provide greater control over light levels, 120Hz refresh rate, Pantone-validated colors and integral Dolby Atmos sound (though I'd still suggest opting for a soundbar).
The QN95C I tested wasn't connected to broadcast or cable, but streaming test footage over YouTube and other apps proved its display to be nothing short of impressive; the mini-LED technology that's integral to the QLED line that splits the display into 30 million points of light for extreme control does a stellar job making whatever you're watching look good.
Samsung QN900C Neo QLED 8K: A Solid Step Up, If You're Future-Minded
Last year, I had the chance to test out the QN900C's predecessor, the 2022-model QN900B, so I was curious to see just how much of a leap the new model would be. The marquee attraction here is, of course, 8K resolution — something Samsung has been pushing hard in the last couple years. Again, I wasn't comparing them in identical circumstances — one was in a conference room, the other in my apartment — so it's hard to make a direct comparison, but generally speaking it seems like a solid mid-life refresh of an already-good model.
The brightness of the QN900C is damn impressive; I was watching it in a harshly-lit conference room and the image was clear as day. Much like last year's model or the QN95C, there's almost no glare, and the picture can be easily seen from practically any angle (well, y'know, unless you're behind or directly beside it).
Now, of course, there's one little issue there that's endemic to both 2022 and 2023 models: 8K content is hardly ubiquitous. You can find some on YouTube, and Samsung includes some generic stuff — fancy screensavers that make the TV look like wall art, things like that — on the TV's Smart Hub OS, but pretty much anything you're gonna be watching is coming in as 4K resolution at best. Of course, that's where the built in A.I. comes in; the TV's "Neural Quantum Processor" upscales 4K content to 8K, giving that already-high-quality footage a noticeable leg up.
The 900C's advantage over the 95C, then, largely comes down to a) how much you value having the new hotness in your living room, b) you really love watching soothing space and animal content, or c) you don't plan on buying another TV for a while and want to future-proof your next one. Still, that future this TV is proofing for may be here sooner than you'd expect — and until then, it'll be happy to upscale your 4K movies and shows to as close to 8K as it can.
Samsung S95C OLED 4K: When Only OLED Will Do
Samsung's QLED tech is certainly impressive, but when it comes to vivid colors and — in particular — the pure blacks that define them, it still comes a close second to the OLED model. Granted, I probably wouldn't have realized what I'd been missing in those other models if I hadn't been hopping from one TV directly to the other, but there's no disputing that the OLEDs put the S95C ever-so-slightly past its QLED brethren. In addition to slightly richer colors, the OLED model also seemed a bit smoother, with a hair less shuddering.
The only times it ever felt anything close to compromised was when trying to display one short burst of 8K content — which stands to reason, obviously, as it isn't meant to show 8K TV. But again, given how rare 8K content is these days, that's no real issue. And while it's awfully bright for an OLED TV, it still can't quite compare to the QLED models — something to keep in mind, depending on where you plan on putting your television.
Samsung's 2023 Flagship TVs: The Initial Verdict
Bottom line: if you're looking for the best contrast and colors in the line, the S95C will probably be the best bet for you. If you want to make sure you have a great television that will be able to show the best possible quality content for a long while (or just want maximum Ks), the QN900C will take care of you. And if you just want a feature-packed television that'll look great in your living room and provide a great viewing experience, well, the QN95C is for you.
QN900C: BUY NOW (AMAZON) BUY NOW (SAMSUNG)
S95C: BUY NOW (AMAZON) BUY NOW (SAMSUNG)
