Samsung S90F OLED vs LG B5 OLED: Which Budget TV Wins?
The Samsung S90F OLED and LG B5 OLED are two of the most compelling budget-friendly OLED TVs you can buy, but they target slightly different priorities. The S90F generally offers a brighter, more color-rich picture thanks to its QD-OLED panel, while the B5 is a more traditional WOLED that excels in shadow detail and value. For most people, the Samsung S90F is the better all-around budget TV because of its superior brightness and color volume, but the LG B5 is the smarter pick if you want the lowest price and prefer LG’s webOS smart platform.
Background: How OLED TV Panels Differ
Both TVs use OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) technology, where each pixel produces its own light and can turn off completely for true black. This is fundamentally different from LED/LCD TVs that rely on a backlight. The key difference between these two models lies in the type of OLED panel they use.
- QD-OLED (Samsung): Uses a blue OLED layer with a quantum dot color conversion layer on top. This produces purer, more saturated reds and greens, and allows for higher peak brightness in small highlights.
- WOLED (LG): Uses a white OLED layer with a color filter on top. It’s the more mature and often cheaper technology, with excellent uniformity and near-perfect viewing angles, but it typically caps out at lower brightness than QD-OLED.
This panel difference is the single biggest factor separating the S90F and B5, and it explains most of the performance gap between them.
How the Panels Perform: Brightness and Color
In real-world viewing, the S90F’s QD-OLED panel gives it a noticeable edge in bright rooms. It can sustain higher full-screen brightness and produce more impactful highlights in HDR content, like sun glints on water or explosions in action movies. The color volume is also higher, meaning colors stay accurate and vivid even as the picture gets brighter.
The LG B5, using a WOLED panel, is no slouch. It still delivers perfect blacks and excellent contrast, and in a dark room the difference in brightness is less obvious. However, in a bright living room with windows, the S90F will look punchier and more vibrant. The B5 also tends to have a slight pinkish tint on white screens at very low brightness levels, a quirk of the WOLED design that most people only notice on a blank white test slide.
Gaming Features: Which One Is Better for Consoles?
Both TVs are excellent for gaming, supporting 4K at 120Hz, variable refresh rate (VRR), and auto low latency mode (ALLM). Both also have four HDMI 2.1 ports, which is rare at this price point and great for connecting multiple consoles or a PC.
The Samsung S90F has a slight edge for gamers because it supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and has a faster response time, which can reduce motion blur in fast-paced games. It also has a dedicated Game Bar overlay that makes adjusting settings easy mid-game. The LG B5 supports Nvidia G-Sync Compatible and FreeSync, and its Game Optimizer menu is equally functional. For most console gamers, the experience will be nearly identical, but PC gamers with Nvidia GPUs might prefer the LG’s G-Sync support.
Smart TV Platform and Daily Use
The operating system is a major differentiator. Samsung uses its Tizen platform, while LG uses webOS. Both are fast and support all the major streaming apps, but they look and feel very different.
- Tizen (Samsung): Clean, app-focused layout with a row of recommended content. It’s easy to navigate and has a robust app store. Some users find the ads on the home screen annoying.
- webOS (LG): Known for its bottom-launcher bar and Magic Remote with a point-and-click cursor. It’s very intuitive and has a slightly more premium feel. LG has reduced ads in recent versions.
There’s no clear winner here – it’s a matter of personal preference. If you already use Samsung or LG phones, you might prefer the corresponding TV platform for easier screen mirroring and smart home integration.
Common Problems and How to Avoid Them
OLED TVs are prone to a few common issues. The most talked-about is burn-in, which is permanent image retention from static elements like news channel logos or video game HUDs. Both the S90F and B5 have built-in protections like pixel shifting and logo dimming, but it’s still wise to vary your content and avoid leaving static images on screen for hours at a time.
Another issue is vertical banding, which shows up as faint dark stripes on uniform gray backgrounds. This is a manufacturing lottery and can affect any OLED. It’s usually only visible in very dark scenes and often fades after the first 100 hours of use.
Finally, some users report auto-dimming (ASBL) where the TV gradually reduces brightness during a long static scene. This is a protective feature and can’t be fully disabled on either model, though it rarely bothers most viewers.
How to Choose Between the S90F and B5
To decide, think about your viewing environment and priorities.
- Room brightness: If your TV sits in a bright room, the S90F’s higher brightness will make a big difference. If you watch mostly in a dark, dedicated theater room, the B5’s lower brightness is less of a drawback.
- Budget: The B5 is almost always cheaper than the S90F. If saving money is your top priority, the B5 is the better value.
- Gaming: Both are great, but the S90F’s slightly faster response and FreeSync support might tip the scales for competitive gamers.
- Smart platform: If you have a strong preference for either Tizen or webOS, let that guide you.
- Future-proofing: The S90F’s QD-OLED panel is a newer technology and may hold its color performance better over time, though both are rated for many years of use.
Cost and Value Considerations
OLED TVs have come down in price dramatically, and both of these models represent the entry point for the technology. The LG B5 is typically the cheapest OLED you can buy from a major brand, making it the default budget pick. The Samsung S90F usually costs a bit more but offers a tangible improvement in picture quality that many enthusiasts find worth the premium.
Don’t forget to factor in the cost of a soundbar, as both TVs have relatively weak built-in speakers. Also, consider the warranty – some retailers offer extended warranties that cover burn-in, which can be worth the peace of mind for an OLED.
Alternatives to Consider
If neither of these TVs feels right, there are a few other options in the same budget bracket. The LG C4 is a step up from the B5 with a brighter panel and a better processor, and it’s often available at a similar price during sales. The Samsung QN90D is a mini-LED LCD TV that gets even brighter than the S90F and has no burn-in risk, but it can’t match OLED’s perfect blacks. Finally, the Hisense U8N is a budget mini-LED that offers excellent value for money, though its viewing angles and contrast are not as good as any OLED.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Samsung S90F worth the extra money over the LG B5?
If you watch a lot of HDR content in a bright room, yes. The S90F’s brightness and color volume are clearly better, and that translates to a more immersive picture. If you mostly watch SDR content in a dark room, the B5 is 90% of the performance for less money.
Which TV has better black levels?
Both have perfect black levels – each pixel can turn off completely, so there’s no light bleed. The difference is in how they handle near-black gradients. The B5’s WOLED panel is slightly more prone to black crush (losing detail in shadows), while the S90F tends to preserve more shadow detail.
Do these TVs support Dolby Vision?
The LG B5 supports Dolby Vision, while the Samsung S90F does not – it uses HDR10+ instead. Most streaming services and discs support both formats, but if you have a large Dolby Vision library, the LG is the safer choice.
Will I get burn-in if I play games with a static HUD?
There’s a risk, but it’s low with modern OLEDs. Both TVs have pixel-shifting and logo-dimming features. To be safe, avoid playing the same game for hundreds of hours without mixing in other content, and consider turning down the OLED brightness for static elements.
Which TV is better for PC gaming?
The LG B5 has Nvidia G-Sync support, which is a plus for Nvidia GPU owners. The Samsung S90F supports FreeSync Premium Pro, which is better for AMD GPUs. Both have 4K 120Hz inputs and low input lag, so either will work well for PC gaming.
Can I mount these TVs on a wall?
Yes, both are VESA-compatible and come with a standard 300x200mm mounting pattern. They’re also both quite thin, so they’ll look sleek on a wall. Just make sure your wall mount is rated for the TV’s weight.
Related
Method: the standard formula for this calculation, rounded as each result states. See how the calculators work or report an error.