Best Samsung TVs Buying Guide: Welcome to What Hi-Fi?'s guide to the best Samsung TVs you can buy in 2022.
Obviously it makes sense to shop around when buying a new TV, but if you've previously owned a Samsung and want to stick with what you know, we're here to help. From monster sets to moderately-sized models, affordable to expensive, Samsung has TVs to suit all tastes, spaces and budgets.
How to choose the best Samsung TV for you
Before you lay down your cash, there are a few things to consider. 4K and HDR will improve the picture quality drastically, but only when fed compatible content, so check your source. And do remember that no Samsung sets support Dolby Vision – they plump for Samsung's own format, HDR10+.
Samsung was the first to sell 8K sets in the UK, and while there's still no 8K content available, 8K sets are worth considering. This is because they upscale 4K content using Samsung's processing tech, and generally do it very well. As for size, measure where you'll put your TV and see which set will suit your space best. Bigger isn't always better – if it towers over your sofa, you might want to reconsider.
Keen gamers will require a TV with HDMI 2.1. Also worth knowing: Samsung's first QD-OLED TV, featuring a hybrid QLED-OLED panel, is our now. It doesn't come cheap but we raved about the S95B's "spectacularly vibrant" picture.
Right, now for the fun bit – choosing your next Samsung TV.
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- Which Samsung QLED TV should you buy?
Samsung’s first flush of Neo QLED TVs has been nothing short of revolutionary to date. The extra-fine level of lighting control that mini LED brings has put LCD’s high peak brightness to sophisticated use. It’s added a care with contrast that’s led to a more nuanced on-screen image, with a more solid, three-dimensional depth than ever before. We’ve every reason to expect the same from the QN94A. (known as the QN90A in the US).
One of Samsung’s top 4K TV for 2021s, it's practically bursting with features as well as raw performance power. From next-generation gaming potential to a full suite of apps and services, it’s more than ready to impress. Picture quality is compelling and the sound is decent enough. There’s still no Dolby Vision support (Samsung backs it's own HDR10+ format) but you’ll be getting so much from HDR10 alone that it will hardly be on your mind. This is a great TV and a terrific buy at this price.
We tested the QN94A in its 55- and 65-inch sizes. It's also available as a 50-inch, 75-inch and 85-inch model. We've not yet reviewed these versions but you'll see the latest, lowest prices below.
Read the full Samsung QN55QN94A review
Read the full Samsung QN65QN94A review
The 50QN90A proves that Samsung’s Mini LED-driven Neo QLED technology is capable of elevating the brand’s TVs to new OLED-challenging performance heights even at a manageable size.
As ever with Samsung TVs, the 50QN90A supports neither Dolby Vision HDR nor Dolby Atmos sound. However, you do get HDR10+, Samsung’s home-grown rival for Dolby Vision.
This set's combination of brightness and contrast does a great job of unlocking the extreme range of the QLED colour system, achieving volumes of saturation that leave almost all rivals feeling muted and flat by comparison.
These talents make the 50QN90A a seriously compelling gaming display, too. It offers an exceptionally low 9.2ms (at 60Hz) input lag time when running in its Game picture mode.
All in all, this model delivers a premium picture and sound performance to rival bigger sets.
Read the full Samsung QE50QN90A review
The Samsung S95B is one of the world’s first Quantum Dot OLED TVs (along with the excellent Sony A95K). So if you like the idea of immersing yourself in a brand new TV technology, the Samsung QN65S95B is well worth considering.
While not always the most subtle performer, the S95B QD-OLED delivers thrills aplenty. It's incredibly thin over the vast majority of its rear – just a couple of millimetres deep. It's also displays a wide selection of digital artworks on the screen when not watching TV.
But, why would you not be watching TV when the S95B serves up such phenomenal contrast, delivering the sort of immaculate, ultra deep blacks long associated with the best of the OLED world. Better yet, it offers a level of brightness that we haven’t seen before on any regular OLED TV.
Connectivity is superb, audio quality is pleasant enough, and Samsung has included no less than three built-in voice assistants (Bixby, Google Assistant and Alexa). The new Tizen interface feels a tad cumbersome compared to previous versions, but it's still extremely good.
All in all, the S95B is a brilliant argument for QD-OLED TV technology. If it's within budget, there's very little to disappoint the early adopter.
Read our full Samsung QN65S95B review
Samsung’s second generation of Mini LED TVs, as represented here by the QN95B, arrives with the weight of serious expectation on its shoulders. Can it improve on the already high standards we saw in 2021? And does it hold its own against the ever-swelling ranks of premium OLED-based opposition? It's a resounding yes on both counts.
The QN95B produces the finest picture quality we’ve ever seen from a 4K LCD TV. In fact, if you’re into the sort of brightness levels and colour volumes that are currently exclusively the domain of high-end LCD TVs, it’s the finest picture quality of any TV, period.
The set also looks beautiful, it has a standalone OneConnect box for connections that can be attached to or detached from the TV as desired, gaming features are plentiful, sound is decent and the operating system, while less user-friendly than before, is second-to-none for streaming service apps.
So while we remain rather baffled at this point by Samsung’s oddly noncommittal approach to its new and very impressive QD-OLED TV above, on the evidence of the QN95B it’s easy to see why it has no intention of quitting on Mini LED any time soon.
Read the full Samsung QE65QN95B review
The QN900B is Samsung’s flagship TV for 2022. A situation it justifies in all sorts of ways, but most notably with an 8K resolution, a premium metallic design that features speakers built into its edges, a high-end implementation of Samsung’s Mini LED backlighting technology, and specialist AI-supported picture processing.
Samsung has thrown a confusing spanner in the works once again by making its latest 8K high-end TV even better, by a margin, than its excellent 4K flagship for 2022 (the QN95B above). In fact, the QN900B is a truly spectacular viewing experience that continues what feels like an annual Samsung theme of redefining what we consider LCD TVs to be capable of.
The lack of actual 8K content remains a serious issue, of course, but the QN900B makes 4K look sharper and more detailed than it does from any native 4K TV, putting its extra pixels to good use even in the pre-8K age. It goes brighter than any other TV we've tested, too.
Add the usual Samsung gaming features and streaming smarts, plus a truly gorgeous design, and you've got a TV worthy of serious consideration regardless of whether native 8K content ever materialises.
Read the full Samsung QE75QN900B review
This set features Mini LED technology, combined with the company's existing Quantum Dot tech to create a range of premium TVs called Neo QLEDs. The QE65QN95A is the first Neo QLED we tested and Samsung's flagship 4K set for 2021.
Performance is spectacular. The overall contrast offered is staggering, and the QN95A combines near-OLED black levels with awesomely crisp white highlights and fabulously vibrant colours, all while retaining an effortless sense of naturalism.
Throw in solid sound, the most app-packed operating system in the business and a full set of next-gen HDMI sockets and this is (a lack of Dolby Vision support aside) as complete a package as can be imagined. VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) is supported in all three options, so it's great choice for gamers too.
The QN95A is not quite as slim as some OLED sets and the 2022 QN95B (above) is better still, but the elegant design and exceptional picture are a real delight. Still one of the best Samsung TVs you can buy.
Read the full Samsung QE65QN95A review
This 2020 model is one of Samsung's cheapest 4K TVs. But fear not, it still boasts the company's core performance and feature set, at a smaller size and a lower price. In short, it's one of the best cheap TVs you can buy today.
Most 43in TVs offer about a tenth of the features of a bigger set, but not this one. The Tizen operating system is identical to that found on pricier sets, with the same winning UI and stacked app selection. It's 4K, naturally, HDR formats are well catered for (with the exception of Dolby Vision, which no Samsung sets support), and it supports Auto Low Latency Mode, which switches the TV to game mode when it detects a gaming signal.
The contrast ratio isn't as impressive as an OLED or QLED TV, of course, but that's to be expected. The blacks are actually surprisingly deep for a TV this affordable, and there's a hefty amount of punch. The TU7100 is a sharp and detailed performer, too, and it handles motion with a good balance of smoothing and authenticity. It's an excellent picture performance for a TV of this size, and you'd have to spend a fair bit more to get a significant improvement.
Read the full Samsung UE43TU7100 review
This new Samsung QLED set a formidable benchmark for mid-range TVs in 2020, offering a high-end performance at a fairly mid-range price.
The Q80T looks much like any other Samsung QLED, although it is a little bit chunkier than the Q90T. There's nothing wrong with the specs of the connections, either: the four HDMI inputs support the key features of HDMI 2.1, such as eARC, VRR and HFR.
4K HDR streaming is available via the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Apple TV+. In fact, the app support is superb, with pretty much every video and music streaming site you can think of on offer here.
A simple TV to set-up when it comes to getting the best possible picture, the Q80T ultimately delivers a brilliantly dynamic image with deep black levels, excellent contrast and neutral but vibrant colours. While there are rare occasions when watching HDR that a skin tone seems slightly overcooked, the colour balance is a great strength overall, while motion is handled confidently and smoothly throughout our testing. And while we'd recommend a soundbar or some speakers, Samsung's Object Tracking Sound technology provides open, engaging audio.
As well as being great at 55 inches, we've also now tested the 65-inch version of the Q80T and it's equally great at that size.
Read the full Samsung QE55Q80T review
Read the full Samsung QE65Q80T review
This monster 75-inch Neo QLED 8K TV is proof that you don’t need 8K footage to enjoy an 8K TV. The Mini LED lighting system and increased resolution means that this fabulous TV manages an awesome sense of scale but with a crispness of detail that we’d normally associate with a smaller 4K set.
Samsung has one of the best TV operating systems in Tizen. There's now a Smart Trainer app to go with Samsung Health platform to give you feedback on your home workout sessions, plus a choice of three smart voice assistants (Bixby, Google Assistant and Alexa).
The design features an impressive edge-to-edge glass pane and a Samsung's brilliant One Connect box, meaning you’ll only need one small cable running between the TV and the box with all of your HDMIs. It even comes with a solar-powered remote control.
As we said in our review, this What Hi-Fi? Award winner is one of the first 8K TVs we'd actually like to own. It's now been usurped by the 2022 N900B, which means that prices have dropped and you could bag yourself a bargain.
Read our full Samsung QE75QN900A review
Right now, 8K content is thin on the ground. But if you're happy to spend the money, an 8K set could be a sound investment – it'll also play 4K content, after all, and if you don't want to buy another TV when 8K takes off, paying once could be the smart option.
The 2020 Samsung QE75Q950TS is not only a wise investment for 8K, it also manages to improve on 4K content thanks thanks to Samsung's Quantum Processor 8K and its 8K AI Upscaling feature, which succeed in making non-8K content look better than ever: watching a 4K Blu-ray, we can’t recall a sharper 4K picture, with nothing looking artificially enhanced or exaggerated – it simply pops from the screen more than we’ve previously seen.
Blacks are deep and insightful, while motion is handled with aplomb. Away from the picture, the TV itself is stylish, super slim, and the bezels are amazingly thin. The new 75-inch QE75QN900A (above) is better still thanks to its Mini LED display, but it's also twice the price.
Read the full Samsung QE75Q950TS review
The Q95T shares the top spot in Samsung's 2020 4K TV range with the Q90T. The only differences between the two are that the Q95T gets a more stylish, metal remote and the One Connect system, which sees all connections (including power) routed through a separate box that can be easily hidden away.
Somewhat disappointingly, the Q95T and Q90T have fewer dimming zones and go less bright than the Q90R, but they're otherwise better in every meaningful way. They deliver a richer, more solid and more natural picture, as well as better sound.
The Tizen operating system is largely unchanged, and that's no bad thing. No other operating system has as much content or more quickly gets you to what you want to watch.
If you're after Samsung's top 4K model, the sensible money would be spend on the Q90T, but if you like the idea of extremely clever and neat One Connect solution, there's nothing wrong with spending the extra money on the Q95T.
Read the full Samsung QE65Q95T review
How we test TVs
Here at What Hi-Fi? we review hundreds of products every year – and that includes many of the best Samsung TVs. So how do we come to our review verdicts? And why can you trust them?
We have state-of-the-art testing facilities in London, Bath and Reading, where our team of expert reviewers do all of our testing. This gives us complete control over the testing process, ensuring consistency.
All products are tested in comparison with rival products in the same price category, and all review verdicts are agreed upon by the team as a whole rather than an individual reviewer, again helping to ensure consistency and avoid any personal preference.
The What Hi-Fi? team has more than 100 years experience of reviewing, testing and writing about consumer electronics.
From all of our reviews, we choose the best products to feature in our Best Buys. That's why if you take the plunge and buy one of the products recommended below, or on any other Best Buy page, you can be assured you're getting a What Hi-Fi? approved product.
MORE:
Our guide to the Samsung 2022 TV lineup
Our pick of the best Sony TVs: LCD, OLED, HD, 4K HDR
And the best LG TVs: LCD, OLED, 4K HDR