It has been a truly phenomenal year for OLED TVs. I’ve personally tested many of the best OLED TVs from 2025, and I also managed to test four flagship models side-by-side: the LG G5, Samsung S95F, Sony Bravia 8 II and Panasonic Z95B. All four sets had a strong showing, proving just how tough the competition is.
With Black Friday around the corner, and early Black Friday deals going live as we speak, I’m already seeing big discounts on these flagship models. But, for many, these prices, even discounted, are still high. But what about the mid-range OLED TV category?
Brightness
Both the flagship LG G5 and Samsung S95F have a distinct brightness advantage over the LG C5. When we measured these TVs, peak HDR brightness for the G5 and S95F was 2,268 nits and 2,198 nits, respectively, and 1,180 nits for the C5 (measurements taken in Filmmaker Mode).
For fullscreen brightness, the G5 hit 331 nits, the S95F 390 nits, and the C5 195 nits (measurements once again taken in Filmmaker Mode).
But how does this brightness difference translate to real-world viewing? During testing, I found that scenes such as snowy landscapes appeared much punchier and brighter on the two flagship models. The C5’s picture looked well-balanced, but it didn’t stand up against the two flagship models when it came to brightness.
HDR highlights, such as the sun on a horizon in demo footage on the Spears & Munsil UHD Benchmark 4K Blu-ray, also looked brighter and more vivid on the G5 and S95F compared to the C5, giving the picture more pop on screen and better engaging the eye.
High fullscreen brightness helps to counter screen reflections when viewing in bright rooms, and the S95F is the clear winner here, edging out the flagship G5 thanks to its OLED Glare Free screen. Samsung’s screen created some loss of shadow detail (more on that below), but it was still the best model for bright room viewing.
Color
Color reproduction is exceptional on all of these TVs. I found that colors on the S95F had the best balance between vibrancy and naturalness, something that could be seen during the market scene in The Sound of Music where Maria and the children stand in front of a fruit and veg stall. Colors appeared brighter on the G5 but looked a touch oversaturated at times, while the C5’s colors were dimmer but still looked authentic.
As Maria and the children make their way into the hills, greens looked punchier on the G5 and C5, but again the S95F’s color appeared more natural. In Filmmaker Mode, the C5’s colors were pretty close to those of the other two TVs. When I switched from Filmmaker Mode to Movie/Cinema mode, the two flagship TVs gained a brightness advantage. Still, the C5 did an admirable job considering the brightness difference.
Switching to an animated movie, The Wild Robot, all three TVs continued to demonstrate excellent color. The G5 and S95F’s colors looked brighter and had greater saturation, while the C5’s lower brightness gave colors a more neutral tone at times, which I found appealing. As butterflies flew away from Roz the robot, the yellows of their wings and the greens of the surrounding forest had the most pop on the S95F, something our test panel also noted during TechRadar’s four-way, blind OLED TV showdown. Even so, I was impressed by the C5’s ability to compete well with the more premium models.
Contrast, dark and bright room viewing
Unlike QLED TVs, which rely on a backlight to create images, OLED displays use self-dimming pixels that can turn off completely, which lets them create the deepest and most accurate blacks, and in turn, the highest contrast.
To test contrast and shadow detail on TVs, I use scenes from The Batman. This movie not only has plenty of high contrast scenes, but is a sort of ‘torture test’, as some of its darker images can be challenging for TVs to display.
All three TVs demonstrated excellent contrast throughout my testing, with a good balance between light and dark tones. The G5 and S95F’s higher brightness gave both an advantage over the C5, however, with lamps and torches in the crime scene investigation at Mayor Mitchell’s house showing stronger contrast against the dark wood floors and walls.
In bright viewing conditions, all three TVs benefited from being set to the brighter Movie/Cinema mode, as darker scenes became difficult to view with the overhead lighting in our testing lab turned on. Both the G5 and C5 had an issue with reflections in such conditions. With its Glare Free matte screen, the S95F was the best at eliminating reflections, though blacks weren’t as deep and detailed as they were on the C5, and especially the G5.
When watching The Batman and Alien: Romulus in dark viewing conditions, I found that the S95F and the C5 had the more accurate picture, as the G5’s higher brightness raised some darker tones in the picture. The S95F arguably had the richest blacks here, but the C5 again did a great job compared to the two more premium models.
The Black Friday winner
While it was clear throughout my testing that the S95F and G5 were the superior TVs, thanks to their higher brightness, stronger overall contrast and richer colors, I was surprised by just how well the C5 competed.
Beyond picture quality, all three TVs carry a complete set of gaming features and deliver performance that ranks up there with the best gaming TVs. Each also has a solid, intuitive smart TV interface.
All three are phenomenal TVs, and choosing between them really will come down to budget and what deals Black Friday has in store. Right now, the 55-inch LG G5 is selling for $1,799 / £1,499 / AU$3,299, the 55-inch S95F for around $1,899 / £1,599 / AU$3,999, and the 55-inch C5 for $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$1,999.
If you think you’ll be missing out by opting for the LG C5, the answer is no. If you can spend extra for the more premium models, the performance difference will be worth it, but you certainly won’t be let down by LG’s mid-range OLED. When you consider the C5’s combination of picture quality, features, and value, there are good reasons why it ranks as the best overall choice in many of our best-of TV lists!
The best TVs for all budgets
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james.davidson@futurenet.com (James Davidson)
