Samsung S85H review: a great OLED TV for a lower price

Samsung S85H review: Two-minute review

The Samsung S85H is great entry-level OLED TV that can compete with the best TVs of 2026. It offers a near-full feature set, with brilliant performance at a competitive price. While its closest rival, the LG B6, is cheaper at the moment, and arguably the better buy — as I found when I compared it and the S85H side-by-side — this is still a very capable TV.

The S85H’s picture quality is excellent overall. It delivers punchy, vibrant colors, strong contrast, crisp, realistic textures and good motion handling. It does have a reflective screen, an issue the step-up Samsung S90H doesn’t suffer from, and there are sometimes black-crush issues in darker scenes, but the S85H’s picture is competitive with the best OLED TVs.

Sound quality in the S85H is a mixed bag. It has great accuracy, and at times punchy bass, but generally its limited two-channel speaker system can only do so much. Sound feels contained to the back of the screen, and while there is some extension beyond the TV’s frame, it doesn’t offer what one of the best soundbars could. It’s fine for day-to-day viewing, but you’ll want a soundbar if you’re after a more cinematic experience.

For gaming, the S85H is a fantastic budget-OLED option. It has a suite full of features up there with the best gaming TVs — 4K 120Hz, FreeSync and G-Sync, HDR10+ gaming and ALLM — as well as ultra-low input lag and four HDMI 2.1 ports. Its performance is responsive and smooth, and it serves as a superb gaming TV.

The S85H is good value for money. The 55-inch model I tested costs $999 / £999 / AU$1,999, putting it in the more affordable OLED bracket. While its nearest rival, the LG B6, is cheaper ($799 / £999 / AU$1,699 for the 55-inch), making it the better-value buy, the S85H still offers brilliant performance and features for the price, and that price is only going to get cheaper.

Samsung S85H review: Prices & release date

(Image credit: Future)

• Release date: June 2026
• 48-inch: $799 / £899 / AU$1,399
• 55-inch: $999 / £999 / AU$1,999
• 65-inch: $1,199 / £1,399 / AU$2,299
• 77-inch: $1,799 / £1,999 / AU$3,299
• 83-inch: $2,799 / £2,699 / AU$4,999

The Samsung S85H is the entry-level model in Samsung’s 2026 OLED TV lineup, sitting below the mid-range S90H and flagship S95H/S99H. It’s available in sizes 48-83-inch, with the 55-inch model I tested launching for $1,499 / £1,399 / AU$2,499 in May-June 2026 (depending on region).

Since its release, the S85H’s prices have dropped across all sizes and in all regions. The 55-inch is now available (November 2026) for around $999 / £999 / AU$1,899, though you can find it for less at some retailers in some regions. The rival LG B6 55-inch is cheaper at the moment in the US and Australia, costing $799 / £999 / AU$1,699, but it’s likely that the ‘cheaper’ title will change hands a few times during these TV’s life cycles.

Samsung S85H review: Specs

Screen type

OLED

Refresh rate

120Hz

HDR support

HDR10, HDR10+, HLG

Audio support

Dolby Atmos

Smart TV

Tizen

HDMI ports

4 x HDMI 2.1

Built-in tuner

ATSC 1.0

Samsung S85H review: Benchmark results

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Brightness

HDR Filmmaker ModeHDR StandardSDR Filmmaker ModeSDR StandardSamsung S85HHDR Filmmaker Mode (10% window)833HDR Filmmaker Mode (Fullscreen)158LG B6HDR Filmmaker Mode (10% window)835HDR Filmmaker Mode (Fullscreen)150TCL QM7LHDR Filmmaker Mode (10% window)2270HDR Filmmaker Mode (Fullscreen)72307501,5002,2503,000nitsHDR Filmmaker Mode DataProductHDR Filmmaker Mode (10% window) (nits)HDR Filmmaker Mode (Fullscreen) (nits)Samsung S85H833158LG B6835150TCL QM7L2270723Samsung S85HHDR Standard Mode (10% window)854HDR Standard Mode (Fullscreen)153LG B6HDR Standard Mode (10% window)740HDR Standard Mode (Fullscreen)150TCL QM7LHDR Standard Mode (10% window)2419HDR Standard Mode (Fullscreen)77407501,5002,2503,000nitsHDR Standard DataProductHDR Standard Mode (10% window) (nits)HDR Standard Mode (Fullscreen) (nits)Samsung S85H854153LG B6740150TCL QM7L2419774Samsung S85HSDR Filmmaker Mode (10% window)242SDR Filmmaker Mode (Fullscreen)100LG B6SDR Filmmaker Mode (10% window)192SDR Filmmaker Mode (Fullscreen)183TCL QM7LSDR Filmmaker Mode (10% window)196SDR Filmmaker Mode (Fullscreen)0075150225300nitsSDR Filmmaker Mode DataProductSDR Filmmaker Mode (10% window) (nits)SDR Filmmaker Mode (Fullscreen) (nits)Samsung S85H242100LG B6192183TCL QM7L196N/ASamsung S85HSDR Standard Mode (10% window)327SDR Standard Mode (Fullscreen)141LG B6SDR Standard Mode (10% window)230SDR Standard Mode (Fullscreen)196TCL QM7LSDR Standard Mode (10% window)463SDR Standard Mode (Fullscreen)00150300450600nitsSDR Standard DataProductSDR Standard Mode (10% window) (nits)SDR Standard Mode (Fullscreen) (nits)Samsung S85H327141LG B6230196TCL QM7L463N/A

HDR color gamut

Closer to 100% is better. Taken using a colorimeter and test pattern generator.

Samsung S85HUHDA-P397.9BT.202073.4LG B6UHDA-P397.4BT.202072.5TCL QM7LUHDA-P397.6BT.202090.30255075100HDR Filmmaker Mode DataProductUHDA-P3 ()BT.2020 ()Samsung S85H97.973.4LG B697.472.5TCL QM7L97.690.3

Picture accuracy

A lower score is better. Taken using a colorimeter and test pattern generator.

SDR Delta-E

Samsung S85H1.7LG B61.1TCL QM7L2.60123SDR Delta-E DataProductValueSamsung S85H1.7LG B61.1TCL QM7L2.6

Input lag

Lower is better. Taken using a Leo Bodnar 4K HDMI Video Signal Lag Tester.

Samsung S85H4K 60Hz9.21080p 120Hz4.5LG B64K 60Hz8.91080p 120Hz4.9TCL QM7L4K 60Hz9.41080p 120Hz0012345678910msHDR Filmmaker Mode DataProduct4K 60Hz (ms)1080p 120Hz (ms)Samsung S85H9.24.5LG B68.94.9TCL QM7L9.4N/A

The above EOTF graphs show the Samsung S85H's accuracy in hitting different HDR brightness levels in grayscale. The closer to the yellow line, the more accurate a TV is. As with all our tests, these results are out of the box, without calibration, to demonstrate the performance most people will get. As you can see, the S85H was in-line with the reference target, showing great HDR EOTF accuracy. (Image credit: Future)

Spectral power distribution refers to the intensity of light that a source will display at various wavelengths of color. It can reveal how accurately a source shows color at different light levels and help to understand how a TV handles color.  (Image credit: Future)

Samsung S85H review: Features

The Samsung S85H has four HDMI 2.1 ports, which all support the S85H's full suite of gaming features. (Image credit: Future)

• WOLED panel
• NQ4 AI Gen 2 Processor
• Tizen smart TV platform and Vision AI

The S85H uses a WOLED panel, the same one as in the rival LG B6 and the same as the step-up S90H, though some sizes are reported to have QD-OLED. The S90H benefits from the upgraded NQ4 AI Gen 3 Processor, which allows for higher brightness and better color performance, while the S85H has the older NQ4 AI Gen 2 Processor built in. The Gen 2 is no slouch, though, and supports picture features such as 4K AI Upscaling and Real Depth Enhancer Pro.

The S85H supports HDR10+, including the new HDR10+ Advanced, HDR10 and HLG HDR formats, but as usual with Samsung TVs, there’s no support for Dolby Vision.

For audio, the S85H has a 2-channel, 20W speaker system with support for Dolby Atmos. A number of AI sound features are included too, such as AI Sound Pro, as well as Object Tracking Sound (OTS) Lite. Q-Symphony, where the TV’s speakers can be used in conjunction with a supported Samsung soundbar, is also featured.

The S85H supports 4K 120Hz, full VRR including AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync, ALLM and HDR10+ gaming, which works across all of the S85H’s four HDMI 2.1 ports. There’s also a Game Hub, where cloud gaming apps are housed.

Tizen serves as the S85H’s smart TV platform, supporting all major streaming apps such as Netflix and Disney Plus. Tizen also features the Vision AI companion, which uses multiple AI agents to make content and even lifestyle recommendations you may ask such as recommended places for dinner.

• Features score: 5 / 5

Samsung S85H review: Picture quality

The S85H delivers punchy, vibrant colors that look great for movies like Elemental: even in its Filmmaker Mode. (Image credit: Disney / Future)

• Great color reproduction
• Strong contrast
• Somewhat reflective screen

As the S85H uses a standard WOLED panel, its brightness doesn’t match that of step-up OLEDs like the S90H or LG C6. In my testing it clocked a peak HDR brightness (on a 10% window pattern) of 833 nits and 854 nits in Filmmaker Mode and Standard respectively. Those scores put it in line with the rival LG B6E (which hit 808 nits and 727 nits in the same respective modes), but are much lower than those achieved by the step-up S90H, which measured 1,689 and 1677 in the same two modes.

As for fullscreen brightness, the S85H hit just over 150 nits in both Filmmaker and Standard, which is about right for WOLED, but it’s still a significant drop compared to rival mini-LEDs such as the TCL QM7L/C7L, which hit over 600 nits. This means the S85H can struggle in bright rooms, and without an effective anti-glare coating, dark scenes can be hard to watch in brighter conditions, so this TV is best suited to viewing in ambient or dark conditions. Samsung’s step-up S90H OLED, on the other hand, easily handles bright rooms.

Starting with SDR content, the S85H does a good job of upscaling textures. Watching various programs on Samsung TV Plus, textures did look cleaner and sharpened than you’d get on some standard LED and mini-LED TVs, and with bolder colors. While the step-up S90H did a better job with upscaling, the S85H’s was still impressive nonetheless.

Switching to 4K HDR content, the S85H delivers excellent colors. Watching Elemental on Disney Plus in HDR10+, the bold oranges of the fire people and blues of the water people pop throughout the movie, even in the slightly dimmer Filmmaker Mode. Putting the S85H in Movie mode adds more brightness and a bit more color depth which works well for the animation. As Ember runs across multi-colored minerals, colors have a nice shine to them, showing the S85H’s punchy HDR highlights.

The S85H also displays natural, realistic colors in real-world movies like The Sound of Music (Image credit: Disney / Future )

Watching a live-action movie, The Sound of Music, the S85H shows it can render realistic-looking colors too. The green fields and blue skies of Austria look wonderfully natural whenever they’re on screen, and the S85H shows true-to-life skin tones in the people as well.

Measuring the S85H’s HDR color-gamut coverage, it registered 97.9% of the UHDA-P3 and 73.4% of the BT.2020 color spaces. These numbers are about right for a WOLED TV, but are starting to fall behind those of more premium OLEDs and RGB mini-LED TVs. Still the S85H’s colors were great overall.

The S85H also demonstrates strong contrast. In The Batman, which includes lots of scenes with lights cutting through the dark environments, such as in the Batcave and in aerial shots of Gotham, the S85H shows an excellent balance between these light and dark tones to create an authentic image. The same is true in Project Hail Mary, with both shots of space and scenes inside the ship showing the S85H’s powerful contrast and deep black levels.

The S85H shows strong contrast with movies like The Batman, but can show signs of black crush in very dark scenes. (Image credit: Warner Bros / Future)

Shadow detail is also great, with details and textures legible in challenging dark scenes, such as frames on the wall of Mayor Mitchell’s house in The Batman. I did notice during some particularly dark shots that the S85H was prone to some black crush, even in pitch-black viewing conditions. For the most part however, its contrast was impressive.

The S85H also demonstrated crisp textures in nearly every scene I watched, with people in particular looking true-to-life. This 3D-like level of detail was one of the S85H’s strengths over the LG B6E when I tested the two side-by-side, showcasing the effectiveness of the Real Depth Enhancer feature.