Samsung 90T LCD vs LG OLED. My experience, I own both.

[Hulk]

I couple of years ago I purchased an LG 65" OLED TV based on the review at rtings.com. It was my first experience with OLED and it was very impressive. A few weeks ago we picked up a Samsung 2020 model 65" 90T, which at the time was their best 4k LCD unit. I got it for $997 on Amazon when the price dropped for a day for some reason.

After having lived with the Samsung for a month or so and the LG for 2 years I have to say that I prefer the Samsung LED. I don't notice any difference in shadow detail and ultimate black levels but the increased output of the Samsung make it look so much more punchy. The off-angle viewing of the top of the in Samsung sets are also really good. Not as good as OLED but good enough not to matter in my obviously subjective opinion.

My old school of thought was bright room go with a top of the line local dimming LCD, darker room go with OLED. Now I simply prefer a really good local dimming LCD TV.

Just thought I'd post my experience in case anyone was trying to make this decision and was looking for opinions from people who actually own both. The local dimming Samsung 90 series TV are really excellent. I know there is unit-to-unit variation so perhaps I got a good one?

 

[Muadib]

What model LG do you have? In my case I got an LG 48" C1 last year, which I'm using as a monitor. I also plan to hook a PS5 to it. I also have a 2018 75" Samsung Q9FN in my man cave in my home in NC. To me it's not close. The C1 blows the Samsung away in every way except for brightness. I have yet to use HDR on the C1 though, so the gap may be shorter than I think.

 

[Hulk]

What model LG do you have? In my case I got an LG 48" C1 last year, which I'm using as a monitor. I also plan to hook a PS5 to it. I also have a 2018 75" Samsung Q9FN in my man cave in my home in NC. To me it's not close. The C1 blows the Samsung away in every way except for brightness. I have yet to use HDR on the C1 though, so the gap may be shorter than I think.

I have the LG 65OLEDC9 and the Samsung QN65Q90TAFXZA.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0851NMSC6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Of course viewing is ultimately a subjective experience. That being said I am a critical viewer having been a writer of a couple of video "how to" computer books in the 2000's. I'm not saying that to put forth the idea that my opinion is more or less valuable than anyone else's but rather to say I do know how to look for shadow detail, blooming, and other display artifacts.

I have looked critically at high contrast scenes with the Q90T, star fields and such and am blown away by the contrast, punch, and shadow detail of that set.

Severe off-angle viewing with the LG is better but you'd have to be at a crazy angle for it to be a problem so that is essentially a non issue in my opinion.

In a well lit room I'll take the Q90T over the C9 every time. In a dark room it's a toss up. The C9 has slightly better shadow detail (I think), but the highlights have so much punch on the Q90T.

Honestly you can't go wrong either way these sets both deliver the amazing performance that is more limited by the video production rather than the viewing device.

 

[Muadib]

I agree with you! I love both of my TV sets. I do however have plans to replace the Q9FN with a QD Oled once I can get one at least 75".

 

[Hulk]

I agree with you! I love both of my TV sets. I do however have plans to replace the Q9FN with a QD Oled once I can get one at least 75".

Yes. The promise of high quality, affordable, large, flat screen displays, which was made by manufacturers and tech site 20+ years ago is finally a reality.

I recently took my 52" Sony XBR LCD from 2009, for which I paid $3000 to the dump. What amazed me in 2009 actually looks pretty crappy today. I assume there was some degradation in the display but also current tech just got too far away from it to make it worth keeping around, even for a kids play area. Too big, too heavy, and crappy display by modern standards.

 

[Muadib]

Yes. The promise of high quality, affordable, large, flat screen displays, which was made by manufacturers and tech site 20+ years ago is finally a reality.

I recently took my 52" Sony XBR LCD from 2009, for which I paid $3000 to the dump. What amazed me in 2009 actually looks pretty crappy today. I assume there was some degradation in the display but also current tech just got too far away from it to make it worth keeping around, even for a kids play area. Too big, too heavy, and crappy display by modern standards.

What kills me is I can't give away my 60" 1080P set. Believe me I've tried, but it seems that everyone I know wants the latest & greatest. I had a 36" Sony that I gave to my now mother in law. She used it in her basement for about 5 years, and recently had it hauled away. She got a TCL set from Walmart to replace it. It's a Roku TV, and it looks pretty good. She paid less than $300 for it.

 

[Hulk]

What kills me is I can't give away my 60" 1080P set. Believe me I've tried, but it seems that everyone I know wants the latest & greatest. I had a 36" Sony that I gave to my now mother in law. She used it in her basement for about 5 years, and recently had it hauled away. She got a TCL set from Walmart to replace it. It's a Roku TV, and it looks pretty good. She paid less than $300 for it.

I hear ya. The cost of being an early adopter of new tech

 

[igor_kavinski]

Samsung Q90/Q90T QLED Review (QN55Q90TAFXZA, QN65Q90TAFXZA, QN75Q90TAFXZA, QN85Q90TAFXZA)

The Samsung Q90T is an excellent 4k QLED TV. It's feature-rich, and it delivers stunning picture quality in nearly every type of content. Its simple and elegant ...

www.rtings.com

Color gamut is lower than OLED. Have you done a side-by-side comparison? I'm really surprised that the Samsung wouldn't come out the weaker unit when viewing starfields or night time cityscapes. I have the LG C8. It has 1000 nits peak brightness. Your C9 goes up to max maybe 800 nits? Could be why you are finding Samsung better.

 

[Hulk]

Samsung Q90/Q90T QLED Review (QN55Q90TAFXZA, QN65Q90TAFXZA, QN75Q90TAFXZA, QN85Q90TAFXZA)

The Samsung Q90T is an excellent 4k QLED TV. It's feature-rich, and it delivers stunning picture quality in nearly every type of content. Its simple and elegant ...

www.rtings.com

Color gamut is lower than OLED. Have you done a side-by-side comparison? I'm really surprised that the Samsung wouldn't come out the weaker unit when viewing starfields or night time cityscapes. I have the LG C8. It has 1000 nits peak brightness. Your C9 goes up to max maybe 800 nits? Could be why you are finding Samsung better.

I have not done a side-by-side comparison. One is upstairs, the other down. "Better" might not be the word for it. It's more ...different. The Samsung has such vibrancy and punch, while the LG is smoother and (hate to say it) more organic. For most content I prefer the Samsung but both are amazing.

When the production of the video is done right and the delivery (not overly compressed) then both are stellar.

I only purchased the Q90T because it went down to $997 briefly on Amazon and I wanted to check it out for a new HT display. I thought I was going to be completely spoiled by the C9 but the Q90T is a keeper. These top of the line units have gotten really great.

 

[igor_kavinski]

The Samsung has such vibrancy and punch

It has crazy high brightness for the 5% and 10% highlights. That's why you are liking it so much. OLED can't match that. Maybe QD-OLED can.

 

[Hulk]

It has crazy high brightness for the 5% and 10% highlights. That's why you are liking it so much. OLED can't match that. Maybe QD-OLED can.

Don't get me wrong, love my LG C9 as well! For me the decision comes down to price and application.. bright or dark room. They are both that good.

After a month with the Q90T earlier this morning I saw one scene that exposed the dimming zones. It was showing white paper with text in an episode of season 3 "All American" on Netflix. I could faintly see the zones! It's the only time I've noticed them in hundreds of hours of viewing.