We Tried Samsung’s $4,500 77-inch OLED, and It’s Stunning

Back in 2022, Samsung surprised everyone with two OLED TVs—a 55-inch and 65-inch—that delivered "a chef's kiss" picture with millions of pixels. For 2023, the brand is doubling down on one new size with improved brightness in a slimmer build.

A massive 77-inch screen is joining the 55-inch and 65-inch models. Why 77-inches? Well, it will directly compete with similarly sized TVs from LG and Sony.

At $4,499.99, it’s not cheap; but for the price, Samsung is promising an immersive viewing experience that can lead your home entertainment space. We got to spend a little time with the 77-inch S95C OLED to see if Samsung's latest TV lives up to expectations.

• 77-inch S95C OLED ($4,499.99 at Samsung)

Samsung’s 77-inch S95C OLED: What You Need to Know

From a design standpoint, the 77-inch S95C is almost entirely screen with a remarkably thin panel. Seriously, from the side, the TV is thinner than some smartphones. This isn’t necessarily a new trait for OLEDs, but Samsung’s largest size is definitely a looker.

The hefty metal stand included with the TV is quite sturdy and does a good job of keeping the S95C in place. It also can act as a home for the slim One Connect box, which is normally coupled with The Frame but also comes with the S95C as it doesn't have much room on the back for ports.

One thin cable runs from the TV to the box, which should make cord management a bit easier. You'll find your HDMI ports alongside all the others on this box. If you opt to wall mount the TV with a standard VESA mount, you could even run the cable through the wall and hide the box below in an entertainment cabinet. Just be sure to consult an electrician or a professional installer to ensure it’s done correctly and safely.

Related: Samsung Unveils It's 2023 The Frame, Neo QLED and OLED TVs

The rear of the S95C is home to four visible speakers and it does produce pretty well rounded sound. Out of the box it supports Dolby Atmos for content that is made with this in mind, but the TV also did a good job of placing sound spatially with non-Dolby content. For the $4,500 price you're getting good sound ... though you could improve upon it with an external sound system or bar.

The included remote is a bit more compact, but features all the necessary buttons including some quick launchers for a few streaming services. Sticking with Samsung’s eco-friendly guidelines, the remote charges via a solar panel array on the back and through RF harvesting (radio waves like the Wi-Fi in your house). All of this to say, you likely won’t need to plug it in via the USB-C port.

In terms of picture quality, the old adage of an OLED being better for a room where you have more control of the light is getting less important. Even though this TV doesn’t feature a tripling of LEDs or mini LEDs behind the panel, the QD-OLED here is noticeably brighter and leads to a big improvement for viewing the screen in any lighting conditions. It leads to a brighter and more vibrant picture, which was evident even from our hands-on time of about an hour taking in some content.

With Thor Ragnarok streaming in 4K via Disney+ the electrifying lightning filled conclusion was quite immersive with the S95C properly balancing the brighter white and blue strikes over at times a darker background. It was similarly immersive with a brighter character in the foreground, and thunderous gray storm clouds in the rear. 

We’ll need to do proper side by side testing with the 2022 Samsung OLED, but they’re saying it’s a 30% jump in brightness. Of course, this will likely vary by content a bit, but the win here is that this TV can properly craft visuals with a high-level of control.

If a spot needs to be extremely bright directly next to an area of darkness, the individual pixels along with Samsung’s custom processor correctly create it. Unlike with an LED or Mini LED, there is minimal blooming or light leakage as well.

This all comes together for an immersive picture. Whether it was a feature film, the latest episode of Below Deck or a rewatching Ted Lasso, the S95C was enjoyable to watch.

The other improvement year over year is raising the refresh rate up to 144Hz, which should be a big win for folks who like to game. Imagine Gran Turismo 7 on a PlayStation 5 or Forza Horizon off of an Xbox Series X, the content should just glide smoothly here.

Additionally, the S95C supports up to a full 4K resolution and if you're streaming content of lesser quality, it will automatically upscale that content to make sure it shines on this 77-inch TV. 

Let’s Recap

So this isn’t a full review and we’ll still need more time to test the S95C OLED, but after a short hands-on time it’s clear that Samsung has slimmed the design father and boosted the overall vibrancy.

OLEDs are known for an immersive viewing experience with excellent contrast points and the ability to really make colors pop. It all comes together for a stunning visual experience.

It is not cheap at $4,499.99, though. Even as far as 77-inch OLEDs go, this is at the top of the mountain. For instance, LG’s 77-inch OLED evo costs $3,499 and Sony’s 77-inch A80K is $3,199. As of now though, this quality should trickle down to the hopefully more affordable 55-inch and 65-inch 2023 versions, which should arrive in the coming months.

If you want the best OLED Samsung makes, the 77-inch S95C is worth a consideration and you likely won’t be disappointed. Additionally, Samsung’s 2022 55-inch and 65-inch S95B OLEDs are up to $1,100 off right now.

Prices are accurate and items in stock at time of publishing.