There are beautiful ones There are few things Samsung’s S90D TV doesn’t do well. As one of the brightest and most advanced OLEDs around, its picture quality is almost unbeatable for the price, marked by perfect black levels, fantastic viewing angles, and endlessly appealing colors. It’s fully equipped for both console and cloud gaming, and its design is simple yet elegant, with a pedestal-style stand supporting an incredibly thin panel.
The most notable drawbacks to this ornate display are those inherent to all Samsung TVs, including a sometimes annoying Tizen smart interface and a persistent lack of support for common technology like Dolby Vision HDR, the more prevalent of the two more advanced HDR formats.
These are certainly things to consider, but they wouldn’t stop me from buying an S90D. From its impressively well-rounded performance to its solid features and premium looks, Samsung’s second-tier OLED is one of the best TVs you can buy.
Simply impressive
It may seem counterintuitive, but the most sophisticated TVs are sometimes the hardest to set up. Not so with the S90D; its screwless legs snap into place in seconds, while a faux metal cover plate creates a pedestal-like center stand. It’s a bit more wobbly than the S95D’s hefty metal stand (8/10, WIRED recommends it), but it’s sturdy enough and provides a subtle aesthetic upgrade over last year’s two-prong stand. S90C. Like most center stands, it may interfere with larger sound bars, in which case it may need to be mounted.
Photography: Ryan Waniata
The hardest part of setting up the hardware may be moving the S90D’s ultra-thin panel, but lifting it carefully (and from the center of the back) ensures success. The 65-inch model’s relatively light weight, at just under 50 pounds, makes it easy for two people to lift it into place. Once that’s done, you might want to take a moment to admire the style; the TV’s micro-thin panel is paired with an equally thin bezel for a clean look both on and off. Only a few TVs, like the exorbitantly expensive QN900C (8/10, WIRED Recommends) and its “floating screen” design, offer a noticeable improvement in this regard.
Next, you’ll have to rely on Samsung’s sometimes clunky Tizen smart interface to get things up and running. Word of advice: don’t be fooled into using the smartphone setup option. In the last four or five Samsung TVs I’ve set up, this hasn’t worked for me once, due to a mid-process error. Thankfully, the on-screen option is fast, including a near-instant scan for streaming channels and relatively quick setup of apps, connected devices, and even room-based sound optimization for surprisingly solid performance.
I’ve had my issues with Tizen, but it’s improved subtly over the years. The Settings layout is still too cluttered and you’ll want to turn off the useless Smart Mode and Eco settings, but it’s fast and gives you the option to choose between Amazon Alexa or Bixby smart assistants. My main complaint remains the difficulty in adding new apps. Searching for apps is harder than it should be and there’s no good reason to add an app and not add it to the home screen, which Samsung makes you do manually. Other than that, and a weird Paramount+ app crash while you’re back to watching TV, Top Gun: Maverick—Tizen worked fine for several days.
Gaming Guru
Tizen’s best feature is its dedicated gaming hub, which offers a beautiful design and console-free cloud gaming from services like Xbox, Nvidia GeForce Now, Luna, and more. Four HDMI 2.1 inputs deliver top-of-the-line gaming features like ALLM (auto low latency mode) and VRR (variable refresh rate) for tear-free gaming at up to 144Hz with select PCs, or 120Hz with PS5 and Xbox Series S/X.
Photography: Ryan Waniata