Since May 2023 I’ve been enjoying the Samsung OLED S95C as I am the first pre-order purchasers of the new OLED TV brand in the Philippines. Of course with the brought of the pandemic, I am also one of the people who invested in their own Home Entertainment system to watch movies in cinematic quality at the comfort of the home back in 2020.
I upgraded from a Samsung Q60R QLED TV and Q70R Soundbar to achieve the pitch black display whether gaming or entertainment. From 2021 to 2023, there are a lot of advances in Home Entertainment indeed and here are my top 4 things I love since upgrading.
1. Immersive Content Anytime
We bought the OLED S95C with the intention as a more immersive pair with our PS5, though Final Fantasy XVI is just 60fps, the details on the S95C’s OLED display plus HDR10+ is simply more immersive. Colors are definitely more bouncier, blacks are more deeper where we really like it especially on FFXVI’s more mature content.
Even taking direct photos from the TV can definitely show great details in 4K and was almost mistaken like I was taking screenshots of the game itself.
Non-gaming content will simply more bouncy in colors as we like the settings in Dynamic with the clarity settings activatied for the artificial 120fps movement is always on. Giving that more-than usual feel watching content in YouTube. Though this isn’t a taste of everyone as they like natural colors, this the big consideration I got in an OLED panel since the display is glossy vs the matte in the QLED series. Giving saturation, vibrance and simply overall immersion much better.
2. Dolby Atmos Ready with Proper-Bass
The 5.1.2 Speakers of the Samsung Q800C Soundbar by far is the best soundbar for my room of 20sqm, it’s not that big that I dedicated needed surround speakers at the rear, given that my home is also made of wood since its an ancestral setup. Given the total power of 360W for both the speakers and woofers, adjusting the settings properly with the SpaceFit SoundPro feature is ensuring enough to deliver a soundbar experience that isn’t too bouncy in echo.
The Q800C is adequate for the size we want on a 65″ OLED TV, though we wished that risers are available so we can place the soundbar underneath the base of the S95C directly to save up more space.
We just finished watching Black Panther: Wakanda Forever using the Q800C soundbar, with proper calibration it was able to produce the right surround sound that is worthy for a home cinema experience. We liked the especially the strong instrumental gestures in Black Panther given emphasis, from the dance music to even unqiue call outs of Wakanda and Tolokan people in fight scenes are properly produced without the annoying overpowering tones.
Modes like Dolby Atmos automatically activates when the content played is compatible, it gives you unique notes or even moments that you’ll really feel some scenes are more immersive like the first dramatic scene in this movie.
The important here is the true bass experience that is rich on power, it’s not the usual cheap soundbars that uses software enhancement to push the bass frequency for that unusual cheap and non-warmth “oomph”.
3. Love and Hate Experience with the Solar Remote
The S95C has a unique solar powered remote that is light and smooth, control is very intuitve to use as its just a simple toggle and press of shortcuts when possible. Though for me it’s also a double edged sword for being symmetrical in shape, cause of no distinction in touch can be felt when its upside down, you can tend to mistakenly press the app shortcuts that can derail your viewing experience.
Nevertheless, it will take you some time to experience this but you’ll eventually get used to it. But the most amazing yet here is the capability to charge the solar remote via USB Type-C, just in case there is no sufficient sunlight to charge the remote, but honestly I didn’t needed to do this in my experience since having the TV.
4. Smart Home Ready – Google, Matter, Zigbee, Alexa
The Samsung S95C and Q800C are both SmartThings compatible which can be paired to Google and Alexa for smart home expansion. Or you can simply use the Samsung SmartThings in standalone if you want.
The Q800C soundbar also have Alexa compatibility so you can save money for not buying another alexa smart speaker. Plus, the great thing I liked here is that the S95C is also Matter and Zigbee compatible so it can be the hub for my other smart devices via bluetooth, future proofing my smarthome for years to come.
Overall investing on your entertainment hub at home is definitely an important experience and decision. I didn’t let budget hinder my experience to level up from a QLED display and I didn’t compromise in software based enhancements to produce smooth-like visuals.
Both the Samsung S95C and Q800C Soundbar are a delightful combination that works hand in hand, it seems that there is merit to get all of your devices within the same brand for that ecosystem effect. From the visuals, sound, software and connectivity, Samsung surely made sure this year’s iteration of their audio and visual products are worth the buy.
You can check out the official online store of Samsung for the latest deals and offers about their products, but if still want to visit in-store we recommend visiting Abenson for the complete lineup to see and experience. Just make sure to ask for special deals as there will always be a good deal especially for Smart TVs and Audio like this one.
