Samsung QE65S85H

Price

The 65-inch version of the S85H featured here sells for £1,999, or $1,899 Stateside. In Australia, you’ll pay AUD $2,765, or thereabouts. This makes it considerably more expensive than its principal rival, the LG C6, so I would expect to see some elasticity in these prices going forward.

Design

• Solar cell remote control
• Adjustable feet position
• Ultra-thin bezel

Samsung calls the S85H’s styling ‘Contour Design’, referring to the subtle wave profile of the rear panel (it’s not flat). From the front, however, it’s every inch the cookie cutter OLED. Finished in Graphite Black, the bezel is barely evident.

I like that the supplied pedestal feet slot into position (so no fiddly screws required), and can be either close together or wide apart, making installation easier whether you’re using a compact AV cabinet or a wider media unit.

Build quality is fine. Nothing creaks or flexes; everything feels well made.

Samsung includes two remote controls in the box. Along with a conventional handset sits the company’s familiar SolarCell Remote, which charges using ambient indoor lighting or sunlight. I typically gravitate to the traditional zapper, but that’s only because I’m old school and rather like having lots of buttons to press.

Connectivity

• Four HDMI 2.1
• Bluetooth 5.3

While not a flagship, it’s certainly well connected. All four HDMI inputs support 4K 120Hz, making the TV an attractive option for gamers running multiple gaming consoles. One HDMI port also supports eARC to connect a soundbar or AV receiver.

Additional physical connections comprise two USB-A ports, Ethernet, and an optical digital audio output. Wireless connectivity is comprehensive, with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.

Features

• Tizen smart TV OS
• NQ4 AI Gen2 processor
• Pantone Validation

The brain behind this screen is Samsung’s NQ4 AI Gen2 processor. Powered by 20 neural networks, Samsung claims the silicon offers twice the graphics performance and a 42 per cent faster CPU than its predecessor. Consider me impressed.

Upscaling of HD content seems the obvious beneficiary. 1080p exhibits excellent detail while avoiding excessive sharpening. Samsung’s Auto HDR Remastering is also worth engaging, as it gives Standard Dynamic Range material a tasteful pseudo-HDR lift that can add extra visual impact without appearing over-wrought.

And there are other tricks in the books. AI Colour Booster Pro adjusts colours scene by scene, while a Real Depth Enhancer selectively increases contrast where the human eye naturally focuses, subtly improving image depth.

The set has also earned Pantone Validation. This isn’t a certification likely to set hearts a flutter, but it does apparently confirm the accurate reproduction of more than 2,000 colours and over 100 skin tones. If you want natural hues you’re probably in the right place.

HDR compatibility includes HDR10+, HDR10+ Adaptive and HDR10+ Gaming. Dolby Vision remains absent, as is customary across Samsung’s TV range. It would have been nice to have, but it’s not a deal breaker.

Arguably the S85H’s most important attribute is the one most easily glossed over. Tizen is the GOAT when it comes to smart TV OS. It’s packed with useful features, and comes with most of the key premium streaming apps, as well as catch-up services.

ITVX, Channel 4, and 5 are present, but BBC iPlayer is hidden somewhere in the app store.

Picture Quality

• AI Picture mode
• Effective HDR
• Colour Booster Pro

It’s all too easy to become preoccupied with metrics when it comes to picture quality. But alone they are often no guarantee of a great viewing experience – I’d argue the most important characteristic is simply balance, and the S85H has this in spades.

What we have here is an image where colour, contrast, motion and detail work together with remarkable consistency. The result is a joy to watch.

HDR performance is inevitably more restrained than Samsung’s flagship QD-OLED offerings, yet it remains satisfying. I measured small, specular highlights (in a 2 per cent window) at 967 nits in Dynamic mode. A more traditional 10 per cent measurement window recorded 775 nits in Movie mode. The upshot is the S85H has enough HDR juice to give explosions, reflections and sunlight convincing sparkle.

Yes, premium QD-OLED displays deliver greater brightness and wider colour volume. Yet during normal viewing the difference proves less dramatic than specification sheets might suggest.

Watching Korean superhero drama The Wonderfools quickly demonstrates what the panel does really well.

The opening episode continually mixes shadow-filled landscapes and dimly lit set pieces with brightly lit exteriors. The S85H does a great job with both. Around the central toxic waste dump, where a pool of oily black liquid takes centre stage, the S85H preserves subtle gradations within the darkness rather than crushing black. The ooze is satisfyingly inky, while shadows have plenty of detail.

Colour reproduction is equally assured.

Samsung’s AI Colour Booster Pro analyses images scene-by-scene, enhancing saturation where appropriate without tipping into exaggeration. Reds are rich without becoming fluorescent, blues remain vibrant but naturalistic.

Skin tones are particularly impressive. Whether depicting healthy complexions or the rather less healthy cadavers in The Wonderfools, flesh tones remain believable. Pantone would be proud.

Motion handling is another strength. Live sport looks superb. Fast action remains stable, with few visible artefacts to distract.

Picture presets include Standard, Dynamic, Eco, Movie and Filmmaker Mode. For most viewing, my first choice would be Standard.

I also found myself impressed by the AI Picture option. Normally I’d prefer to do my own menu diving. Yet Samsung’s implementation is genuinely persuasive. The TV analyses both content type and viewing conditions before making subtle picture adjustments that consistently improve perceived contrast and colour without looking forced.

Sound Quality

• 2 x 10W stereo sound
• Dolby Atmos passthrough
• Object Tracking Sound Lite

OK. The jig is up. Audio is where the S85H reveals its cheap shoes.

Onboard, there’s a conventional 2.0-channel downward firing configuration offering 2 x 10W of amplification. Nothing special. But not necessarily bad.

Dialogue is clear, while Object Tracking Sound Lite creates a modest impression of movement around the screen, although expectations should remain realistic. There’s also support for Dolby Atmos, although the real benefit is bitstream pass-through to a compatible soundbar or AV receiver.

If you need to combat ambient room noise, there’s AI Sound Pro processing, which analyses programme material in order to make dialogue easier to follow.

The most obvious limitation lies in bass performance.

I measured no meaningful output below 100Hz (at 100 per cent volume), leaving explosions, orchestral scores and cinematic soundtracks all a tad lightweight. Action sequences are diminished, while music lacks warmth.

Helpfully, pairing the television with a compatible Samsung soundbar enables Q-Symphony, which allows TV speakers and soundbar to work together. Alternatively, an AV receiver transforms the S85H into a thoroughly capable home cinema display.

Gaming

• Cloud gaming
• Universal high-frame rate support
• ALLM and VRR

The S85H is a cracking gaming display. It’s comprehensively featured, and looks terrific in action.

All four HDMI inputs support 4K 120Hz, which immediately gives the set an advantage over rivals that limit high-bandwidth connectivity to two sockets (one of which is invariably the only eARC connection).

Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support joins AMD FreeSync Premium and NVIDIA G-Sync compatibility, helping eliminate tearing and stutter during gameplay, while HGiG HDR support allows compatible games to display HDR as intended by developers.

There’s also the pop-up Game Bar. This overlay reveals frame rate, HDR status, input lag, VRR, aspect ratio settings and more, without interrupting play. 

Latency is exemplary. I measured input lag at just 9.4ms (1080p/60) in Game Mode. Whether you’re playing competitive shooters or fast-paced racers, play feels nice and smooth.

I settled back for some Overwatch in 4K 120FPS, and quickly became completely absorbed. Image quality in the auto-selecting Game mode is lush.

Samsung Gaming Hub is also a key attraction, providing access to cloud gaming platforms including Xbox, Amazon Luna and GeForce Now. You can have a quick session without powering up your console at all.

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Should you buy it?