Samsung S95D OLED vs LG G4 OLED: Battle of the best OLED TVs

If you have the money to spend, there are really only two options when choosing the best OLED TV of 2024: Either the Samsung S95D OLED or the LG G4 OLED. That makes sense. Both are incredible TVs with stunning picture quality and modern premium design. They’re also similarly priced and offer high-end features that gamers and movie watchers alike can enjoy.

The LG G4 OLED is obviously an OLED TV, and uses LG Display’s latest Micro Lens Array (MLA) OLED panels. Although it’s based on a slightly different design, the Samsung S95D also uses an OLED panel, albeit one that uses a quantum dot filter to enhance colors and brightness. The result is that both TVs can deliver those deep, natural, inky blacks with pixel-by-pixel control of the lighting.

But is one of these actually better than the other? We ran a series of tests in our lab to find out if the Samsung S95D or the LG G4 OLED is better. Here’s a look.

Samsung S95D vs. LG G4 OLED: Technical data in comparison

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Row 0 – Cell 0	SamsungS95D	LG G4 OLED
Sizes	55”, 65”, 77”	55″, 65″, 77″, 83″, 97″
Ports	4 HDMI 2.1	4 HDMI 2.1
resolution	3,840 x 2,160	3,840 x 2,160
HDR	HDR10, HDR10+	HDR10, Dolby Vision
Smart TV software	Samsung Tizen	LG WebOS
ATSC 3.0 support?	NO	NO
processor	NQ4 AI Gen2 processor	Alpha 11 AI processor
Price for a 65-inch screen	$3,399	$3,399

Samsung S95D vs. LG G4 OLED: Design

Both the Samsung S95D and LG G4 OLED offer premium designs that will look great in any living room, but the design approach is slightly different.

When LG released the LG Wallpaper TV, I thought the company would go in that direction with more of their TVs. But the LG G4 OLED is a bit more traditional. The TV is very thin, but it’s a single TV with the HDMI ports on the left side when you look at the display. It can be mounted on a wall and looks great, or you can use it with the included stand, which also looks premium and modern.

Samsung S95D OLED TV

(Image credit: Future)

Samsung has taken a slightly different approach, however. If you set the TV up with the stand, it looks very similar to the LG G4 OLED, with a foot in the middle of the display. In recent years, however, Samsung has started to take the external box approach with its OneConnect box. The OneConnect box essentially houses everything except the actual display technology needed in the screen itself, including the processor and all the ports. The result? The screen is incredibly thin and looks very premium when mounted on a wall, and sits very flush.

Even if you don’t mount the display on a wall, this approach still allows for a very premium look. In this situation, the OneConnect box simply sits on the back of the stand and you still get the benefits of a very thin TV.

LG G4 OLED in the living room

(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)

Don’t get me wrong, the LG G4 OLED is a very premium looking TV. But Samsung’s approach to premium TV design with the OneConnect box makes the S95D a bit more versatile and looks a bit more modern.

Of course, there is another important point where the TVs differ in design. The Samsung S95D is available in 55, 65 and 77-inch sizes. The LG G4 OLED is also available in these sizes, as well as 83 and 97-inch sizes. In other words, if you’re looking for a really big TV, you might have to go with the LG.

Winner: Samsung S95D

Samsung S95D vs. LG G4 OLED: Performance

In terms of performance, these TVs differ in how they achieve higher levels of brightness. LG uses a combination of AI and Next Generation Micro Lens Array (MLA technology) to achieve higher levels of brightness. Samsung, on the other hand, uses quantum dot technology to achieve more brightness and more vibrant colors. Both approaches are effective.

LG G4 OLED in the living room

(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)

However, there are some differences in the way the TVs handle HDR. Samsung famously does not license Dolby Vision for its TVs, and so the Samsung S95D does not support Dolby’s HDR format. Still, you get excellent HDR performance with HDR10+. The LG G4 OLED supports Dolby Vision.

To put the two TVs through their paces, we use an X-Rite i1 Pro spectrophotometer, a SpectraCal VideoForge Pro pattern generator and Portrait Displays’ Calman TV calibration software.

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Row 0 – Cell 0	SamsungS95D	LG G4 OLED
SDR brightness (10%, in nits)	276	358
Delta-E (lower is better)	3.5085	1.4041
Rec. 709 color space coverage	99,8042	98.5546
HDR brightness (10%, in nits)	1777	1488
UHDA-P3 color space coverage	99.97	97.17
Rec. 2020 color space coverage	89.73	72.91
Input delay (ms)	9.2	9.2

Most modern streaming content supports HDR, but you will still watch SDR content from time to time, especially if you enjoy older movies or older sitcoms like The office or Seinfeld. Our testing showed that LG’s approach of higher OLED brightness is more effective when displaying SDR content, and the LG G4 OLED delivered 358 nits of brightness compared to the S95D’s 276 nits.

Samsung S95D OLED TV in a living room

(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)

When viewing HDR content, however, Samsung was able to boost the brightness. The S95D managed to hit 1,777 nits in our HDR brightness test, compared to 1,488 nits for the LG G4 OLED. This means those HDR highlights will stand out a little more, which should contribute to a more impressive picture overall.

However, Samsung’s quantum dot technology also has other advantages. In particular, the Samsung S95D more colors, delivering 89.73% of the REC 2020 color gamut compared to 72.91% for the LG G4 OLED. But while the Samsung S95D delivered more colors, the colors the LG G4 OLED produced were more accurate — and it performed better in our Delta-E test, which measures overall color accuracy.

This is all to say that the LG G4 OLED offers higher brightness for SDR content and displays colors a little more accurately, but the Samsung S95D produces more brightness in the highlights in HDR mode, which makes for a higher contrast level.

Winner: Draw

Samsung S95D vs. LG G4 OLED: Outlook

You really can’t go wrong with any of these TVs. They’re both some of the best TVs you can buy in 2024, and both deliver a stunning picture overall. They’re also similarly priced, so it’s a real challenge as to which one to choose.

While there’s no clear winner, based on our testing, the Samsung S95D may be the better choice for most users. The improved HDR brightness will make a difference when watching modern content, and the TV’s ability to produce more colors will contribute to a more immersive viewing experience. And we’re taken with Samsung’s design approach for this generation of TVs. But again, both are stunning TVs.

The big exception to this rule, of course, is if you want a really big TV. While the largest Samsung S95D model is 77 inches, the LG G4 OLED goes up to 97 inches. It’s not cheap, but if you have some money to spend and want a huge TV with a stunning picture, the LG G4 OLED is the way to go.

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