Samsung OLED TVs Improve Anti-Glare Screen for Bright Rooms
The 2024 OLEDs are also brighter than last year, according to Samsung.
- Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
The 77-inch glare-free OLED TV, Model S95D, did a very good job reducing reflections.
The best TVs today use OLED screen technology, and for 2024, Samsung is selling two different series of OLED TVs, both of which range in size from 55 to 77 inches. The highest-end series, the S95D, is the successor to the second-best-performing TV I've ever tested, the Samsung S95C. And one standout innovation could make it even better.
That innovation is a new anti-reflective screen finish Samsung is calling glare-free. Every TV in a well-lit room is subject to glare from windows, lights and other sources of brightness that can reflect in the big screen and distract from what you're watching. Samsung says its OLED glare-free technology reduces reflections to help improve the picture in bright rooms and does so without affecting color or viewing angle.
I checked out the TVs in person at Samsung's demo and it was really impressive. The glare-free screen finish did a remarkable job of making reflections in the screen, including a light I held up, look dimmer and less intrusive. A standard OLED TV was set up next to the glare-free version and reflections were much worse: brighter and distracting, as usual. I'll need more time to test the finish in person, but so far it seems excellent.
A side-by-side demo showing Samsung's glare-free OLED TV (right) and a standard-screen OLED TV.
In my tests of the S95C last year, one comparative weaknesses was its screen finish, which didn't reduce reflections as much as competing models like the LG G3. That said, its overall image quality was tremendous, and one I liked was its superb brightness. For 2024, Samsung claims its OLED TVs are brighter than ever before. And of course, I expect the same best-in-class color reproduction thanks to Samsung's QD-OLED technology.
The S95D is no slouch in the design department either. Like its predecessor, it has an external one-connect box into which you can plug your gear. Offloading the HDMI ports and other guts allows the TV to be remarkably thin -- just 11mm thick.
Samsung's other 2024 OLED TV series is the S90D, which lacks the glare-free screen and OneConnect design.
In addition to these OLED TVs, Samsung also introduced a range of QLED TVs at CES 2024. It didn't announce pricing on any of its TVs yet, and I expect them to ship later this spring. I look forward to reviewing them in person.