We spent two weeks running Samsung's 2026 TV lineup through its paces at our Montreal store. All six models, side by side on the wall, from the Crystal UHD to the S95F. If you're looking for the best Samsung TV 2026 has to offer, this is the kind of head-to-head test you actually need: every TV compared on live hockey, HDR movies, gaming, even YouTube cooking videos (yeah, that counts too). Samsung dropped so many new models this year that somebody had to sort through the noise. Might as well be us.
Here are our picks. What I'd tell my buddy if he texted me at 9 PM on a Sunday asking what TV to buy.
Our #1: Samsung S90F 65" - Best Samsung TV 2026
This is the one.
The S90F 65" is our top recommendation this year, and it's not a default pick. What makes the 65-inch special is its QD-OLED panel. Samsung uses Quantum Dot OLED technology at this size, which gives it peak brightness around 1,400 nits, near-perfect DCI-P3 coverage, and a colour volume that's significantly wider than a conventional OLED. Every pixel lights up or shuts off independently, the refresh rate hits 144Hz, and the NQ4 AI Gen 3 processor handles 1080p upscaling with remarkable precision.
We ran it at the store with Sicario in HDR. The gap with a standard QLED is obvious within seconds. Blacks are absolute, night scenes hold detail in the shadows, and colours have a richness and saturation that only QD-OLED delivers. Deep reds, electric blues, everything comes through with an intensity you won't find on a standard OLED panel. Our favourite store demo: throw on a live hockey game, then flip to Netflix. The processor adjusts automatically, no manual tweaking needed.
The built-in 40W 2.1-channel audio system with Dolby Atmos does a solid job for a TV. It won't replace a dedicated soundbar, but for everyday watching, it's more than enough. If you want to take the sound further, check out our soundbar buying guide for the best pairings.
Best Premium OLED: Samsung S95F 65"
If the budget's there, the S95F 65" is the top of Samsung's 2026 mountain. QD-OLED pushes colour even further than the S90F, reds and blues with an intensity we haven't seen on any living room screen before. We had a customer come in to see a Dune: Part Two demo last week and he was pricing one out on his phone before the scene ended.
Peak brightness is noticeably higher than the S90F. In practical terms, that means HDR scenes stay punchy even in a living room with windows, no curtain-closing required. The anti-glare coating's improved too. And the 165Hz is a nice bonus for serious gamers.
The audio tells a different story: 70W across 4.2.2 channels. It fills a room without breaking a sweat.
Who's it for? The movie lover who wants the absolute best Samsung makes in 2026, the best samsung tv for movies, period. The 55" is there if your room's on the smaller side.
Best Value: Samsung S90F 55"
Every time a customer walks in and asks "what TV should I buy if I don't want to overthink it or overspend," the whole team points to the S90F 55".
The 55-inch uses a WOLED panel, an OLED technology that delivers great blacks, superb contrast, and a genuinely beautiful picture for everyday viewing. It's not the QD-OLED you get on the 65-inch, but it's still pure OLED with 144Hz, the NQ4 AI Gen 3 processor, and Dolby Atmos built in. Three years ago, a 55" OLED in this price range didn't exist. Now it does.
If you want access to Samsung OLED without the 65-inch budget, this is the entry point. My advice after 20-plus years in the business: nobody ever regrets going a size up. The opposite happens all the time. But if the budget dictates the call, the S90F 55" is still a rock-solid buy.
Best for Bright Rooms: Samsung QN90F 65" Neo QLED
Got a downtown condo with floor-to-ceiling windows? Gorgeous setup. Absolute nightmare for watching TV during the day. The QN90F is built for exactly that situation.
Neo QLED uses mini-LEDs for backlighting, thousands of tiny light zones controlled independently. The result: absurd peak brightness, contrast that holds up even when the afternoon sun is blasting through, and colours that stay accurate regardless of ambient light. 144Hz is on board for gaming too.
We put one in our street-facing window last month. Even with the March sun hitting the glass, the image stayed crisp and punchy. The 65" is the sweet spot. If you've got a seriously large room, the 75" is worth every dollar.
Best Large Screen: Samsung QN80F 85"
Eighty-five inches. That's over seven feet of diagonal screen. It's not really a TV at that point, it's a home cinema that happens to mount on a wall.
One of our customers grabbed the QN80F 85" for his finished basement. The effect is borderline absurd. He had eight guys over for the playoffs and everybody could see the score, the puck, the replays. Nobody squinting from the recliner in the back row.
The QN80F is a step below the QN90F in backlighting (fewer dimming zones), but it's still Neo QLED with mini-LEDs. For an 85" at this price point? That's a steal. The 100" is also an option if you're ready to rebuild your entertainment unit.
Best for Gaming: Samsung S90F 55"
The S90F 55" is still our gaming pick for the best performance-to-price ratio. No compromises needed.
144Hz native: zero motion blur on fast-paced games. Response time on OLED is practically instant compared to LCD, and you genuinely feel that difference in online play. We tested with Fortnite, racing titles, cinematic RPGs, the picture's fluid and responsive across the board.
4 HDMI 2.1 ports: plug in your PS5, your Xbox, your gaming PC, and you've still got a port left. No HDMI switch needed.
VRR, ALLM, FreeSync Premium Pro: if those acronyms mean nothing to you, the short version is that the screen automatically adapts to whatever your console or PC is outputting. No tearing, no stuttering.
The S90F 65" with its QD-OLED panel takes the gaming experience up another level if the budget allows, same input lag, same 144Hz, but a brighter image and more vivid colours. For cinematic single-player titles like Horizon and Final Fantasy, the S95F 65" with its QD-OLED and 165Hz looks absolutely spectacular. But the S90F 55" remains the best TV for gaming when you put performance and price on the same scale.
Best Design TV: Samsung The Frame Pro 65"
Samsung The Frame Pro 65" Neo QLED
We hear it all the time at the store. "I don't want a giant black rectangle on my living room wall." Fair enough. The Frame is Samsung's answer, and honestly, it's a good one.
When the TV's off, or rather in Art Mode, it displays artwork. Monet, Basquiat, nature photography, your own family photos. With the magnetic bezel that matches your decor, most guests genuinely think it's a framed print. We had an interior designer come back to the store three times before believing it was a TV.
The Frame Pro 2026 is a major step up from older versions. The Neo QLED panel delivers noticeably better picture quality for actual content. Brighter, better contrast. This isn't a pretty frame with a passable screen anymore. It's a legitimately good television that also happens to look like art when you're not watching it.
The 75" makes an even bigger statement on a large wall.
Best Budget: Samsung Crystal UHD
Need a TV for the guest room, the home office, the cottage? The Crystal UHD gets the job done without putting a dent in your wallet. It's 4K, it's Samsung, you get Tizen with all the apps (Netflix, Disney+, Crave, Apple TV+), and the whole thing costs less than a decent pair of hockey skates. The range starts at 43" and goes all the way up to 98".
We're not talking the same league as the S90F or the QN90F here, obviously. It's standard LED, 60Hz. But for a second or third TV in the house, for the kids' rooms, for the treadmill setup in the basement, it's exactly right. The picture quality is there, the apps are the same, the system's identical. That's what makes it the best budget TV 2026 pick in Samsung's lineup, and honestly one of the best value 4K TVs you can buy in Canada right now.
The Crystal UHD range goes up to the 75" if you want big-screen territory without the big-screen price tag.
Comparison Table
| Pick | Model | Tech | Sizes | Budget | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 Overall | S90F 65" | QD-OLED 4K 144Hz | 65" | $$ | All-rounder: movies, gaming, sports |
| Premium OLED | S95F | QD-OLED 4K 165Hz | 55", 65" | $$$ | Movie buffs, reference-grade picture |
| Bright Rooms | QN90F | Neo QLED 4K 144Hz | 50" to 85" | $$ | Condos, open-concept living rooms |
| Large Screen | QN80F | Neo QLED 4K | 85", 100" | $$ | Basement theatres, big living rooms |
| Design | Frame Pro | Neo QLED 4K | 65", 75", 85" | $$ | Style-conscious living rooms |
| Budget | Crystal UHD | LED 4K 60Hz | 43" to 98" | $ | Guest room, office, cottage |
What About Sound? Dolby Atmos and Your New TV
Here's the question people forget to ask at the store. They'll spend three weeks comparing OLED panels, refresh rates, and screen sizes, then plug in their new TV and never think twice about the built-in speakers.
Good news: the Samsung 2026 TV lineup makes a real effort on audio. The S90F packs a 2.1-channel 40W system with Dolby Atmos built in. For a TV, that's respectable. Dialogue comes through clean, hockey games are watchable without cranking the volume to max. The S95F goes further with a 4.2.2-channel 70W system, also Dolby Atmos. You actually start feeling spatial audio there, real depth to the sound. It's one of the few TVs where the built-in audio gives you a genuinely convincing result.
But let's be honest: even the best built-in speakers are limited by physics. A screen that's two inches thick can't reproduce deep bass. For 90% of people, the single best upgrade after buying a new TV is a soundbar. The jump in audio quality is immediate and dramatic.
The technical detail worth remembering: make sure your TV has an HDMI eARC port. Every Samsung 2026 model listed here has one. HDMI eARC lets you pass an uncompressed Dolby Atmos signal to your soundbar or home theatre system. That's the connection that makes the difference between decent sound and sound that fills the room.
If you want to go deeper on the topic, we wrote a full guide on how to choose a soundbar. It covers formats, budgets, and compatibility with Samsung TVs.
Quick Tech Primer: OLED vs Neo QLED vs QLED vs Crystal UHD
Short version, because you're here to buy a TV, not study for an exam.
OLED: Every pixel makes its own light. When a pixel needs to be black, it turns off completely. Result: absolute blacks, infinite contrast, colour accuracy that'll make your jaw drop. It's the most advanced display tech available right now. The S90F and S95F use it.
Neo QLED: LED-based, but with thousands of mini-LEDs for backlighting that are controlled in individual zones. You get higher peak brightness than OLED and very respectable contrast. Ideal for bright rooms. The QN90F and QN80F fall here.
QLED: Standard LED improved with Quantum Dots for more vivid colours and better brightness than basic LED. This is Samsung's mid-range, the Q6F, Q7F, Q8F series. Solid value, but a notch below Neo QLED in performance.
Crystal UHD: Classic LED, 4K, with Samsung's image processing. Entry-level. Does the job at a floor price.
The Neo QLED vs OLED decision really comes down to your room. Dark or controlled space? OLED wins with its absolute blacks and contrast. Open living room with lots of natural light? Neo QLED takes the edge thanks to superior brightness. And the classic OLED vs QLED debate? The image quality gap has widened in recent years. OLED's become accessible with the S90F, which makes standard QLED harder to justify outside of entry-level budgets. Samsung breaks down the technologies on their official site if you want to dig into the specs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between OLED, QLED, and Neo QLED?
OLED produces its own light pixel by pixel, giving you perfect blacks and unbeatable contrast. QLED uses LED backlighting with Quantum Dots to improve colour and brightness. Neo QLED is QLED upgraded with mini-LEDs for higher brightness and better local contrast. Dark basement? OLED. Sun-drenched living room? Neo QLED. Tight budget? QLED.
What's the best Samsung TV in 2026?
The Samsung S90F 65" QD-OLED. It's our number-one pick this year thanks to its QD-OLED panel, which delivers superior brightness and colour volume. If budget allows, the S95F 65" remains the best Samsung TV across the board. And the S90F 55" WOLED is a strong choice if you want OLED at a more accessible price.
What size TV should I get based on my viewing distance?
Rule of thumb: divide your viewing distance by 1.5 for the ideal screen size. At 8 feet, aim for 55" to 65". At 10 feet, 65" to 75" is the range. At 12 feet, go big, 75" to 85". My advice: always go slightly bigger than you think you need. Nobody's ever said "my TV is too big" after the first week.
Is OLED worth the price in 2026?
Yes. The S90F 55" proves OLED isn't reserved for deep pockets anymore. For movies and gaming, the difference with a standard QLED is visible to the naked eye. Perfect blacks, infinite contrast, it genuinely changes the viewing experience.
What's the best TV for gaming in 2026?
The Samsung S90F 55" OLED. 144Hz native, near-instant response time, 4 HDMI 2.1 ports, VRR, ALLM, FreeSync Premium Pro. Everything your PS5 or Xbox needs. The Neo QLED QN90F is a strong alternative if your setup's in a very bright room.
Is Samsung The Frame worth it?
If the look of your living room matters to you (or to whoever you share it with), absolutely. The Frame Pro 2026 with its Neo QLED panel delivers noticeably better picture quality than older models. It's a genuinely good TV that looks like a framed print on your wall, not just a novelty.
How much should a good 4K TV cost in 2026?
Depends on what you're after. A decent Crystal UHD, under $500. A solid QLED mid-ranger, $500 to $1,200. A high-end Neo QLED, $1,500 to $3,000. A quality OLED, starting around $1,500. The sweet spot in 2026 is between $1,500 and $2,000, that's where you get access to OLED or top-tier Neo QLED.
We've been selling and advising on TVs since 1998, with shipping across Canada.
To sum it up by use case: the best Samsung TV 2026 for all-around performance is the S90F 65" QD-OLED for its versatility. The best Samsung TV for pure cinema is the S95F. For bright rooms, the QN90F. For big-screen impact, the QN80F. And for the best 4K TV Canada shoppers can grab without emptying the account, the Crystal UHD gets it done. That's the Samsung TV 2026 lineup in a nutshell, and it's one of the strongest we've seen.
One last tip: whatever model you go with, make sure your cables keep up. HDMI 2.1 is the standard for getting 4K at 120Hz and VRR. And if you really want to get the most out of your new TV on the audio side, take a look at our full soundbar buying guide.
For questions about a specific model or to compare in person, the team at our Montreal store is here. Check out our full Samsung TV collection to see all sizes and pricing. This is hands down the best TV 2026 Canada has to offer from a single brand.
