If you value picture quality for movies in darker environments, the Sony A80K with its OLED display will provide deeper blacks and more uniform colors. However, the Samsung QN95B makes up for its deficit in black level with a superior bright-room performance thanks to its higher brightness levels and mini LED backlighting, which is ideal if you often watch TV in well-lit rooms or daytime.
The Samsung QN95B also has a slight edge for gaming, with a higher response time score, which can be important if you play fast-paced games. Both TVs are at a premium price point, with the Sony often being somewhat less expensive.
Both models have great speakers and a similar range of smart features. So, your choice might ultimately hinge on whether you prioritize viewing in bright rooms and gaming responsiveness (Samsung) or superior movie experiences in darker settings (Sony). 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 QN95B (LCD)
Best in class for bright room
Excellent for news, talk, & other TV
Excellent for cartoons & animation
Excellent reflections
Advantages of the Sony A80K (OLED)
Excellent for dark room
Excellent for movies & TV
Excellent for sports
Best in class for upscaling
Best in class motion processing
Excellent viewing angle
Key differences
Movies & TV
8.1/10
9.1/10
7.00/10
CONTRAST
10.00/10
7.2/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
10.0/10
8.0/10
UPSCALING
10.0/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
HDR10+ SUPPORT
No
No
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
Yes
The Sony A80K (OLED) is excellent for movies & TV, while the Samsung QN95B (LCD) is very good.
The Samsung QN95B (LCD) offers very good performance for movies and cinematic TV with its high contrast and effective local dimming contributing to excellent black uniformity, essential for deep blacks in dark scenes; however, it is somewhat limited by its narrow viewing angles. In contrast, the Sony A80K (OLED) provides an excellent viewing experience for similar content due to its perfect black levels, absence of blooming thanks to OLED technology, and wider viewing angles, with colors that are vibrant right out of the box, although it might not be as bright as the Samsung in a well-lit room.
Sports
7.2/10
9.2/10
8.0/10
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
10.0/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.0/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
The Sony A80K (OLED) is excellent for sports, while the Samsung QN95B (LCD) is good.
The Samsung QN95B is well-suited for sports due to its excellent response time that reduces motion blur and handles reflections effectively, ensuring a clear picture in bright rooms; however, it has a narrower viewing angle which might limit the viewing experience from different positions. On the other hand, the Sony A80K excels in sports viewing primarily because of its outstanding motion processing capability and wider viewing angles, providing a consistent picture quality across different seating positions, though its handling of reflections is slightly less effective than the QN95B.
Cartoons & Animation
9.0/10
8.5/10
8.0/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
8.1/10
8.3/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
7.4/10
10.0/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.0/10
9.5/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
8.0/10
7.7/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
9.6/10
The Samsung QN95B (LCD) is excellent for cartoons & animation, while the Sony A80K (OLED) is very good.
The Samsung QN95B is preferred for cartoons and animation as it exhibits better "Colors Out of the Box", meaning it displays vibrant and accurate colors without needing adjustments, while also having a very good "Color Gamut" which ensures a wide range of colors are portrayed. On the other hand, the Sony A80K, while still providing very good performance in these areas, may not match the Samsung's initial color accuracy or gamut breadth, although both TVs have a good "Color Volume" which is crucial for maintaining color accuracy in different shades.
Bright Room
9.8/10
7.0/10
6.8/10
VIEWING ANGLE
9.1/10
10.0/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.0/10
9.4/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.8/10
9.2/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
8.9/10
The Samsung QN95B (LCD) is best in class for bright room, while the Sony A80K (OLED) is good.
The Samsung QN95B boasts excellent SDR and HDR brightness, making it ideal for bright rooms, while also offering excellent reflection handling; however, it may not match the perfect contrast and rich color volume of the Sony A80K OLED, which is still good for bright rooms with fair HDR brightness and very good reflection handling. While the QN95B excels in well-lit environments, the A80K provides better visual depth and colors due to its intrinsic OLED contrast and color properties, yet might not appear as bright as the QN95B in the same conditions.
Cost
$2,198
$1,698
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
The Samsung QN95B (LCD) has a price of $2,198 and the Sony A80K (OLED) costs $1,698.
The Sony A80K (OLED) and Samsung QN95B (LCD) both have very good picture quality.
Gaming
8.8/10
8.8/10
8.3/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
9.4/10
10.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
7.0/10
8.0/10
MOTION PROCESSING
10.0/10
70.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
100.0/100
9.3/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.0/10
The Samsung QN95B (LCD) and Sony A80K (OLED) are both very good for gaming.
The Samsung QN95B is highly regarded for gaming due to its superb response time and minimal input lag, ensuring fast and fluid on-screen action, while the OLED technology of the Sony A80K delivers exceptional response time for crisp motion, but with slightly higher input lag compared to the Samsung.
News, Talk, & Other TV
9.0/10
8.9/10
10.0/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.0/10
8.0/10
UPSCALING
10.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Samsung QN95B (LCD) to be excellent for news, talk, & other TV, while the Sony A80K (OLED) is very good.
The Samsung QN95B excels in upscaling lower resolution content and displaying it brightly, making it well-suited for news and talk shows typically broadcast in standard definition, while its robust colors straight out of the box ensure a vibrant picture without the need for calibration. On the other hand, the Sony A80K delivers very good upscaling and SDR brightness, with a wide color gamut that produces rich and accurate colors, alongside superior contrast contributing to deep blacks due to its OLED technology.
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How the Samsung QN95B (LCD) and the Sony A80K (OLED) compare to other TVs
"Picture quality is fantastic truly mind-bogglingly good. It also plays into the screen’s gorgeous color performance, as spectacularly rich, vibrant tones now look both more consistently natural and balanced. With its extreme brightness and vibrant Quantum Dot color system, the QN95B delivers a dazzling demonstration of just how much of a difference HDR can make to picture quality."
"It’s a high-end TV through and through something that becomes clear the moment you glance at its stunning picture. The A80K’s surgically precise contrast control is likely the first thing you’ll notice about its picture ... every piece of content looks better when this amount of precision is available. Color accuracy is another strong suit; the A80K features fantastic out-of-the-box color accuracy in the Custom picture mode."
Get a great deal on the Samsung QN95B (LCD) or the Sony A80K (OLED)
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
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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TVs Expert
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