LG and Samsung have been locked in an OLED TV battle for plenty of years, ever since Samsung reentered the OLED TV market in 2022 with the Samsung S95B.
Samsung has since been our TV of the yr winner for 2 years in a row, with the Samsung S90C taking the crown in 2023 and the Samsung S95D taking the title in 2024. Even so, a number of LG OLED fashions nonetheless sit on our record for the best OLED TV.
I’ve already tested both brands’ 2025 flagship models, the LG G5 and Samsung S95F, side-by-side. Recently, nonetheless, I additionally had the possibility to do a side-by-side take a look at of their entry-level OLEDs, the LG B5 and Samsung S85F.
It’s value noting that each these TVs use the identical customary W-OLED show panel. So they will’t actually be that completely different, proper? Well, let’s take a look at the outcomes of my comparability to seek out out.
Brightness and contrast
With both TVs using the same panel, I expected their brightness measurements to be similar, and that did turn out to be the case. When I measured peak HDR brightness for each TVs, the LG B5 clocked in at 668 nits, and the S85F at 777 nits. I assumed a distinction of simply over 100 nits wouldn’t make an influence on the image, however I used to be flawed.
Although the distinction was refined, the S85F’s image did have bolder highlights in particular film scenes. Watching The Batman, highlights from mild sources comparable to lamps and torches within the opening subway battle and crime scene sections had been certainly brighter on the S85F. The B5 nonetheless demonstrated strong brightness, however I discovered my eye extra drawn to the S85F’s image.
In demo footage from the Spears & Munsil UHD Benchmark 4K Blu-ray, with photos such because the solar behind a satellite tv for pc dish or a horizon at sundown, the S85F had a bit extra vibrancy, which made these spotlight areas look extra hanging.
Both the B5 and S85F demonstrated wonderful distinction all through testing. In The Batman, mild sources balanced properly with darkish tones on display, creating a great sense of distinction, although the S85F’s increased brightness gave it an edge.
Both TVs additionally had refined shadow element when watching The Batman, however the B5 displayed deeper, richer black tones, and it higher maintained shadow element, with the S85F displaying minor black crush. In Oppenheimer’s black and white scenes, each TVs once more confirmed a great vary of grey tones, however right here once more, the B5 maintained particulars in darker areas extra precisely than the S85F.
I observed that whereas Filmmaker Mode was the extra correct mode for darker motion pictures comparable to Oppenheimer and The Batman, the variations between the 2 TVs had been extra apparent in Cinema mode, particularly when it got here to brightness, distinction and shadow element.
Color profile
Where the B5 and S85F really differed was in their color. Although both use the same OLED panel type, the S85F’s colors had a greater visual punch, especially when evaluating both TVs with their Cinema picture preset active.
In Wicked, during the Wizard & I scene where Elphaba stands under some pink flowers, the flowers looked more vibrant on the S85F than the B5, giving them an eye-popping quality. Elphaba’s green skin also appeared brighter, and later in the Emerald City, the greens appeared more dazzling on the S85F.
Where the B5 differed here was in its color depth. The B5’s deeper blacks had the effect of making the pink flowers and Elphaba’s green skin look richer and more lifelike compared to the S85F.
In the same Spears & Munsil footage, shots of colorful butterflies and flowers looked rich and refined on both TVs, but once again, the B5 displayed deeper, richer, and more subtle hues, whereas the S85F had more outright colorful images. I found myself more drawn to the S85F, especially with both TVs in Cinema mode.
Sports
One thing I wanted to test on these TVs was sports viewing. OLEDs typically have very good motion handling, which is why they always feature in our best TVs for sport information. I’ve discovered that Samsung TVs require extra setup effort with regards to sports activities than LG TVs, and it was no completely different with the S85F.
In Standard mode (colour within the B5’s Sports mode is simply too oversaturated, so I most popular to not use it), the LG B5 displayed superior movement dealing with. An MLS soccer recreation I watched through Prime Video on this mode seemed fluid and easy all through viewing, with no settings modifications required.
The S85F, additionally in its Standard preset, confirmed a number of movement artifacts, comparable to a ghosting ball and a few stuttering. Changing blur and judder discount to 5 did assist, however even then, there was some image judder in comparison with the B5.
Of the 2 TVs, the B5 was the clear winner when it got here to movement dealing with.
Which TV should you choose?
After testing both the LG B5 and Samsung S85F side-by-side, the differences are generally subtle, so which one you should buy will likely come down to personal preference.
If you want a brighter, bolder-looking TV with more vibrant color, opt for the S85F. If you want a more natural-looking TV with richer blacks, opt for the B5.
Both TVs have the full suite of gaming features we look for on the best gaming TVs, and each have nice sensible TV platforms. But sports activities followers will wish to go for the B5 as a consequence of its superior movement dealing with.
During my testing, I in the end discovered myself extra drawn to the S85F. So that’s the one I’d select, however it was very shut.
Honestly, it might all come right down to reductions. The 55-inch B5 prices $1,499.99 / £1,399 / AU$1,995, and the 55-inch Samsung S85F prices $1,499.99 / £1,399 / AU$2,495, so within the US and UK, there’s at the moment nothing between them. But as we strategy the top of the yr, each TVs will inevitably obtain reductions, and the quantity of these reductions might decide which TV is the higher general worth.