Tempted by Samsung’s five-star OLED during Black Friday? We have one word of caution

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Did our TV and AV editor stutter when he said “best OLED TV I’ve ever tested”

Samsung S95F OLED TV
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi? / Netflix, Life On Our Planet)

If you’re shopping for a new flagship OLED TV this Black Friday, then there’s a strong chance you’re considering pulling the trigger on a fancy new Samsung S95F.

And why not? The 65-inch S95F we reviewed earlier this year is a five-star OLED that’s had its price slashed from £2699 to £2099 at Richer Sounds (save £600).

Samsung QE65S95F
Samsung QE65S95F: was £2,699 now £2,099 at Richer Sounds

The Samsung S95F is the best Samsung TV we’ve reviewed and a great option for gamers and movie fans who like their picture to have a lot of pop. And at its current price, it is a very tempting option for premium shoppers.

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And if you are, we 100 per cent stand by our review, which openly describes it as “the best Samsung OLED” money can buy.

But, you know what beats the best Samsung OLED ever? The best OLED TV ever, that’s what.

And that’s exactly why we’re recommending movie fans looking for the best picture quality possible on an OLED this year consider the Bravia 8 II instead.

The 65-inch Sony Bravia 8 II is available on Richer Sounds for £1999 (save £700) right now. As well as being cheaper, it’s also the one we holistically recommend to serious movie fans.

Sony Bravia 8 II 65-inch
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Sony Bravia 8 II 65-inch: was £2,999 now £1,999 at Richer Sounds

The 65-inch version of the Bravia 8 II performs just like the 55-inch model, but with a small loss of sharpness (due to the same number of pixels being stretched over a larger area) and a fairly big increase in cinematic epicness. It also sounds even better, thanks to the larger size. If you're umming and ahing over whether to go for the 55- or 65-inch model, I recommend going for the bigger one.

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Our TV and AV editor openly describes the Sony Bravia 8 II as the best OLED TV he’s ever tested, period. That’s why, after we ran all of this year’s flagship OLEDs head-to-head in our viewing rooms, it was the Bravia 8 II that walked away with the Product of the Year trophy at the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2025.

The next-generation QD-OLED may not be as good for gamers, featuring two full-speed HDMI inputs to the Samsung S95F’s four, but its picture is more authentic and three-dimensional. So if you mainly plan to watch films and TV on your fancy new QD-OLED, we feel it's the better option.

We said as much in our review, where we reported: “The Sony Bravia 8 II is a truly exceptional TV. Its combination of sizzling brightness, vibrant colours through all degrees of light, terrific shadow detail and razor-like sharpness combine to produce an image with regularly astonishing dynamism, depth and realism.”

So if you have the cash and care about picture quality first and foremost, it’s the one to get right now, even if rivals are also on deal.

Alastair Stevenson
Alastair Stevenson
Editor in Chief

Alastair is What Hi-Fi?’s editor in chief. He has well over a decade’s experience as a journalist working in both B2C and B2B press. During this time he’s covered everything from the launch of the first Amazon Echo to government cyber security policy. Prior to joining What Hi-Fi? he served as Trusted Reviews’ editor-in-chief. Outside of tech, he has a Masters from King’s College London in Ethics and the Philosophy of Religion, is an enthusiastic, but untalented, guitar player and runs a webcomic in his spare time. 

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