The Samsung S90C is a premium OLED TV which provides outstanding overall picture quality, great for gaming due to low input lag and rapid response time, and offers perfect blacks for a superior dark room experience. However, it may not be as bright in sunny rooms compared to some other models.
The Sony X90K is a more affordably priced upper midrange LCD TV that has good picture quality and performs well for gaming too. Its screen may not deliver the same level of deep blacks as an OLED but has a higher brightness, making it better suited for bright rooms.
Consider the Samsung S90C if picture quality, especially for gaming and dark room viewing, is your priority and you're okay with a higher cost. If you're looking for a more budget-friendly option that performs better in bright rooms, the Sony X90K could be a good fit. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Samsung S90C (OLED)
Excellent for dark room
Best in class for gaming
Excellent for movies & TV
Very good for sports
Excellent for news, talk, & other TV
Excellent for cartoons & animation
Excellent for use as monitor
Best in class viewing angle
Best in class reflections
Advantages of the Sony X90K (LCD)
Best in class for upscaling
Best in class motion processing
Key differences
Picture Quality
9.4/10
7.7/10
10.00/10
CONTRAST
7.38/10
9.2/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
7.8/10
RGB OLED
PANEL TYPE
LED FALD
QD-OLED
PANEL SUB-TYPE
TBD
The Samsung S90C (OLED) has excellent picture quality, while the Sony X90K (LCD) has good picture quality.
Movies & TV
9.4/10
7.5/10
10.00/10
CONTRAST
7.38/10
10.0/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
6.1/10
8.0/10
UPSCALING
10.0/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
HDR10+ SUPPORT
No
No
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
Yes
The Samsung S90C (OLED) is excellent for movies & TV, while the Sony X90K (LCD) is good.
The Samsung S90C OLED excels in contrast, local dimming, and black uniformity which are crucial for a cinematic experience, enhancing deep black scenes and providing a wide range of brightness levels, whereas the Sony X90K LCD, although good, cannot match the performance of OLED in these areas.
Sports
8.7/10
7.1/10
8.2/10
MOTION PROCESSING
10.0/10
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
10.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
7.0/10
8.0/10
UPSCALING
10.0/10
7.8/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.7/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
The Samsung S90C (OLED) is very good for sports, while the Sony X90K (LCD) is good.
The Samsung S90C is very good for sports due to its excellent response time and motion processing, which reduces blur in fast-moving scenes, and better handling of reflections and wider viewing angles, making it suitable for group watching. In comparison, the Sony X90K is good for sports with very good motion processing and response time, but it falls short with fair reflection handling and a more limited viewing angle, making it less ideal for bright rooms and off-angle viewing.
Gaming
10.0/10
8.1/10
10.0/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
8.0/10
10.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
7.0/10
8.2/10
MOTION PROCESSING
10.0/10
100.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
76.0/100
8.4/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.6/10
The Samsung S90C (OLED) is best in class for gaming, while the Sony X90K (LCD) is very good.
The Samsung S90C offers superior gaming performance with the best response time and input lag scores, making it ideal for fast-paced games, while the Sony X90K, though very good in these aspects, falls slightly behind, making it more suitable for less demanding gaming experiences.
Cartoons & Animation
9.3/10
8.0/10
9.2/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
7.7/10
9.2/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
7.8/10
7.8/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.7/10
8.8/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
7.0/10
9.8/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
6.6/10
The Samsung S90C (OLED) is excellent for cartoons & animation, while the Sony X90K (LCD) is very good.
The Samsung S90C OLED boasts excellent colors out of the box and a superior color gamut, which makes it stand out for cartoons and animation by providing vibrant and accurate colors. Conversely, the Sony X90K LCD has very good performance in both aspects, but it doesn't match the Samsung's color richness and consistency, which could be noticeable when viewing animated content.
Bright Room
8.5/10
8.0/10
10.0/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.4/10
7.8/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.7/10
8.0/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.3/10
10.0/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
6.3/10
The Samsung S90C (OLED) and Sony X90K (LCD) are both very good for bright room, though the Samsung S90C (OLED) is somewhat better.
The Samsung S90C (OLED) offers a better experience in bright rooms mainly due to its exceptional ability to handle reflections and very good HDR brightness, which makes it suitable for vibrant HDR content in well-lit environments. In contrast, the Sony X90K (LCD), while also having very good SDR brightness for standard dynamic range content, does not handle reflections as effectively, which could affect viewing in very bright rooms.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Samsung S90C (OLED) to be excellent for news, talk, & other TV, while the Sony X90K (LCD) is very good.
The Samsung S90C excels in upscaling lower resolution content and provides very good SDR brightness, which is crucial for clear viewing in programs that typically broadcast in less than 4K, such as news and talk shows. On the other hand, while the Sony X90K also demonstrates very good performance in these areas, it doesn't quite match the Samsung in upscaling and SDR brightness but compensates with good color reproduction and contrast, contributing to a pleasing image for everyday TV programs.
Cost
$1,388
$1,478
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Samsung S90C (OLED) has a price of $1,388 and the Sony X90K (LCD) costs $1,478.
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How the Samsung S90C (OLED) and the Sony X90K (LCD) compare to other TVs
"Samsung S90C is the company's attempt at making its QD-OLED technology more affordable. You get high-end pictures, great processing, top gaming tech, and a sharp design."
"As Sony’s next-to-flagship LCD TV, the X90K series delivers impressive performance for the price. The XR90K had fairly accurate out-of-box color. The TV’s multi-position stand lets you either set the screen flush with any stand its mounted on or elevate it to clear space for a soundbar. With the latter option, you get around 3 inches of clearance enough to accommodate most soundbars. The X90K’s excellent suite of gaming features ranks it up there with the best 120 Hz 4K TVs."
Get a great deal on the Samsung S90C (OLED) or the Sony X90K (LCD)
About Samsung
Samsung, a South Korean electronics manufacturer, holds the title of being the largest global TV vendor in terms of units sold. They offer a diverse lineup of TV products that cater to various budget ranges. A notable achievement in recent years is the development of Quantum Dots, a technology that enhances color reproduction, resulting in richer and more vibrant hues. Samsung TVs are well-regarded for their high manufacturing quality and user-friendly software, making them an excellent choice for consumers seeking an intuitive viewing experience.
About Sony
Sony stands as a highly experienced and widely trusted TV manufacturer, earning a reputation that surpasses all others. A Japanese company, Sony has been making TVs for far longs than it has been making Playstation game consoles. Sony's high-end TVs are often regarded as the ultimate choice for videophiles, representing the epitome of quality, albeit at a premium price point. Renowned for their advanced and precise motion handling, as well as their cutting-edge local dimming algorithms, Sony consistently delivers unparalleled performance in these areas. They include Google TV software with all their TV sets, which grants access to the largest selection of apps available and they also include Bravia Core which is a movie streaming platform specifically for Sony TVs that offers higher picture quality by using more bandwidth.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec TVs team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest TV information and makes it digestible for you.
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About the TV team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and TVs Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Jaime Roldán
TVs Expert
Jaime is a Colombia-based TV expert. He is an electronics engineer with 8 years of experience in the telecom sector and has been making TV recommendations for 12 years.