Deal-Hunting Guides

LG C5 vs Samsung S90F: Which OLED TV Wins in 2026?

By Rowan Keller·Published November 11, 2026

Has been buying open-box and returned stock for over a decade, and built Warehouse Watcher to stop losing track of it.

LG C5 vs Samsung S90F is the OLED argument filling r/4kTV right now, and it is the right argument to have. Both are 2025 65-inch OLEDs, both sit in the same $1,300 to $1,500 street-price band on Amazon in early November 2026, and both will make your current TV look like a relic. But they are built on different panel technology, they support opposite HDR formats, and they win for opposite reasons. Thesis: buy the C5 if you stream movies and want Dolby Vision; buy the S90F if you want the punchier, more colourful picture. Most buyers should let their streaming apps decide.

The short version: the Samsung is the brighter, more vivid TV. The LG is the safer, more compatible TV. The price gap is small enough that neither wins on value alone, so the decision comes down to your room and your remote.

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LG C5 vs Samsung S90F panel tech: WOLED vs QD-OLED

The two TVs start from different physics. The LG C5 uses a WOLED panel: white OLED light passed through a colour filter, with LG's Brightness Booster pushing highlights harder than last year's C4. The Samsung S90F uses a QD-OLED panel: a pure blue OLED light source with a quantum-dot layer that creates colour without a filter. In practice that means the Samsung holds colour saturation as highlights get bright, while the LG's colour stays calmer and more natural.

Both deliver true OLED blacks with no backlight bloom. Where they split is personality. The S90F looks more vivid and attention-grabbing on sports, animation and HDR demos. The C5 looks more like a cinema screen: controlled, accurate, and easier to watch for three hours straight.

One warning before you shop: Samsung's S90F panel varies by size. In North America the 55, 65 and 77-inch models use QD-OLED, but the 42, 48 and 83-inch versions use WOLED panels. This guide compares the 65-inch models, so if you are buying a different size, confirm the exact model number and panel type on the listing first.

LG C5 vs Samsung S90F picture quality and HDR: the Dolby Vision problem

This is the section that decides the purchase for most people, and it comes down to one format. The LG C5 supports Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG. The Samsung S90F supports HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG, but no Dolby Vision, because Samsung has never licensed the format. Netflix, Disney+ and Apple TV+ grade most of their prestige shows in Dolby Vision, so the C5 plays them exactly as intended. The S90F falls back to standard HDR10 on those titles, which still looks good, but you lose the scene-by-scene tone mapping that makes Dolby Vision special.

The Samsung answers with brightness. Independent lab tests put the S90F ahead on HDR highlights, with peak brightness around 1,400 nits on a 10 percent window and close to 2,000 nits on tiny specular highlights like fireworks or glinting metal. The C5 measures around 1,100 to 1,200 nits on the same window, a big jump from the C4 but still behind the Samsung. In a dark room the difference is subtle. In a bright living room, the S90F's extra punch is visible.

The reviewers split the same way. RTINGS rated the C5 8.7 out of 10, praising its HDR brightness, motion handling and build quality. Consumer Reports scored the 65-inch S90F 91 points and put it at the top of its 2026 individual TV rankings, with near-perfect marks across the board. Neither review is wrong. They are measuring different strengths.

Verdict on picture: movie fans who stream Dolby Vision content buy the C5. Viewers who want the most vivid, brightest HDR image, especially in a room with windows, buy the S90F.

LG C5 vs Samsung S90F gaming: a near tie with one small edge

Gamers can relax: both TVs are superb, and the spec sheets are nearly identical. Four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports, 4K at 144Hz, variable refresh rate, auto low-latency mode, a 0.1ms response time, and support for both G-Sync and FreeSync. A PS5, an Xbox Series X and a gaming PC can all live on either TV at once with a port to spare.

The differences are small but real. The S90F's brighter HDR highlights make explosions and sunlit scenes pop a little harder, and its NQ4 AI Gen3 processor upscales lower-resolution content cleanly. The C5 adds Dolby Vision Gaming and LG's Game Optimizer dashboard, which puts frame rate, VRR status and black stabilizer settings one button away.

Verdict on gaming: a draw for practical purposes. Buy on picture quality and price, not on the gaming spec sheet, because neither TV gives up anything that matters.

Smart TV, sound and living with them

The LG C5 runs webOS 25 with LG's Magic Remote, which doubles as a pointer, and the α9 AI Processor Gen8 handles voice control and content recommendations. The Samsung S90F runs Tizen with Vision AI and a SolarCell remote that charges from room light, so you never hunt for batteries. Both have Alexa built in, both support AirPlay and screen mirroring, and both will feel familiar within a day. Platform preference is personal, not a reason to pick one TV over the other.

Sound is the shared weak spot. Both TVs support Dolby Atmos processing, but their thin built-in speakers cannot deliver it. Budget for a soundbar either way.

Two honest caveats. First, the S90F's glossy QD-OLED panel reflects more in a bright room than the C5's anti-glare coating, so if your TV faces a window, the LG copes better with daylight. Second, owner forums carry a recurring thread of power-supply failures on some S90F units a few months after purchase. It is not universal, and Samsung's warranty covers it, but it is worth knowing before you buy, and it is one more reason to buy from a retailer with a straightforward return policy.

LG C5 vs Samsung S90F prices and value across the 7 countries

US: the 65-inch LG C5 on Amazon was about $1,295 on Amazon.com in early November 2026, against a $1,797 list price, and it has dipped as low as $1,199 in sale events. The 65-inch Samsung S90F on Amazon was about $1,398 to $1,498, against a $1,698 list price, with bundles dipping to $1,298 and standalone lows near $1,038. Watch the US deals feed around Black Friday, when both TVs historically hit their lows, and read our Black Friday TV timing guide before trusting a big markdown.

Canada: the 65-inch C5 was $1,797.99 CAD on Amazon.ca, down from $1,995.99, and the 65-inch S90F was $1,799.98 CAD, down from $2,196.98. Check the Canada deals feed before paying list, and remember open-box units of both TVs appear regularly on Amazon Resale, so read our Amazon Warehouse condition grades first.

UK and Europe: both 65-inch models launched at £2,699 in the UK, and both are now trading well below that through Amazon UK, Currys and MediaMarkt in Germany and Spain. Confirm the exact model locally and check the UK deals feed. Wherever you buy, verify the price history before you believe a discount: read how to spot fake discounts first. WarehouseWatcher tracks open-box, sales and lightning deals across all seven countries, so the cheapest legitimate price is usually a day away, not a month.

LG C5 vs Samsung S90F pros and cons, and the verdict

LG C5, the case for it:

• Full Dolby Vision support, so Netflix, Disney+ and Apple TV+ play as graded
• Calmer, more cinematic picture with excellent near-black detail
• Better anti-glare coating for bright rooms and windows
• Four HDMI 2.1 ports, 144Hz, VRR and Dolby Vision Gaming
• Cheaper right now in the US at about $1,295 for the 65-inch model
• RTINGS rated it 8.7 out of 10 with praise for motion and HDR

LG C5, the case against it:

• Lower peak HDR brightness than the S90F, around 1,100 to 1,200 nits
• No HDR10+ support, so Amazon Prime Video's HDR format falls back to HDR10
• Colour is less saturated than QD-OLED on vivid HDR content
• webOS pushes more ads and recommendations than some buyers like

Samsung S90F, the case for it:

• Brighter HDR highlights, around 1,400 nits, with vivid QD-OLED colour
• Consumer Reports put it at the top of its 2026 TV rankings with 91 points
• HDR10+ support for Amazon Prime Video's best streams
• Four HDMI 2.1 ports, 144Hz, VRR and excellent motion handling
• SolarCell remote charges from room light, no batteries to buy
• Strongest picture for sports, animation and bright-room viewing

Samsung S90F, the case against it:

• No Dolby Vision, the format most prestige streaming uses
• Glossy panel reflects more in bright rooms than the C5
• Panel type varies by size: 42, 48 and 83-inch models use WOLED, not QD-OLED
• Owner forums report occasional power-supply failures a few months in
• Costs a little more than the C5 right now in the US
• Tizen's app layout and ads divide opinion

The verdict, buyer by buyer. Movie fans who stream Netflix, Disney+ or Apple TV+ in a dark or dim room: buy the LG C5. Its Dolby Vision support and cinematic picture are the right tools for the job, and it is cheaper right now. Sports fans, gamers and anyone whose TV faces a window and wants the brightest, most vivid picture: buy the Samsung S90F. Its QD-OLED colour and HDR punch win in daylight. Budget buyers: watch both on the WarehouseWatcher US deals and Canada deals feeds through Black Friday, because the gap between these two is usually decided by whichever one drops $200 first.