LG C6 OLED vs Samsung S90H OLED: Which is Better?

You want OLED for the obvious reason, true black that makes movies and games look like they have depth, not just brightness. Then real life shows up: sunlight hits your screen at 3 pm, your streaming apps don’t all support the same HDR format, and you’d like one TV that can handle both Friday night films and competitive gaming.

That’s why the LG C6 OLED vs Samsung S90H OLED debate matters in 2026. They sit in the same mid-range lane, but they’re built around different priorities. In this guide, you’ll compare them the way you’ll actually use them: picture in bright rooms, picture in dark rooms and accuracy, HDR formats, gaming performance, smart TV experience, plus sound and design.

RELATED: LG G6 OLED vs LG G5 OLED: Is it worth Upgrading?

Specifications Comparison

A few specs here affect your day-to-day more than people admit:

• Screen finish changes everything if you watch with lamps on or windows nearby. Matte can hide reflections, glossy can look richer when reflections are controlled.
• HDR format support decides what you see on streaming apps, even when you’re paying for the best plan.
• Four HDMI 2.1 ports saves you from cable swapping if you run a PS5, Xbox, and a soundbar at the same time.

For a broader look at how the 2026 mid-range fight is shaping up, you can compare industry takes like Samsung vs LG OLED TVs in 2026.

Picture quality and HDR

Both TVs can produce the signature OLED look, deep blacks, strong contrast, and wide viewing angles. Where the experience splits is your room, your content, and how picky you are about film-like accuracy versus everyday usability.

A useful way to think about it is like choosing sunglasses versus a camera lens. Samsung’s approach is more like sunglasses, it tries to control the environment by reducing glare. LG’s approach is more like a clean lens, it can look stunning, but it asks you to manage reflections and lighting.

You’ll also run into a second reality in 2026: model sizes can change the story. Early CES reporting suggests the LG C6 lineup may have brighter performance in larger variants than smaller ones. Meanwhile, the Samsung S90H pitch is that its key upgrades, including its glare control and next-gen HDR10+ support, aren’t limited to a flagship tier.

If you like keeping up with CES trendlines beyond just these two models, this roundup of CES 2026 OLED and RGB TVs helps explain why mid-range TVs are getting features that used to be gated to premium lines.

Bright rooms and glare

If your TV sits opposite a window, or you have a lamp that always seems to hit the panel, Samsung’s glare-free finish is the headline feature you’ll feel immediately. Instead of acting like a mirror, the matte surface scatters reflections, so you see less of your room and more of the picture.

That matters for sports, daytime streaming, and casual gaming sessions where you don’t want to close curtains just to watch a match. It also reduces the “bright blob” effect from direct light sources, which can be more distracting than general room brightness.

The trade-off is the part enthusiasts argue about: matte finishes can make OLED blacks look a little less inky in some lighting. You might notice dark scenes shift from pitch black to a very dark gray, mainly when your room is moderately lit and the TV isn’t the brightest thing in view.

Samsung is also pushing performance and format support in this tier. The S90H is positioned as a mid-range OLED that still gets newer features like HDR10+ Advanced (more on that later). Combined with strong peak highlights, it can look punchy for bright-room content, vivid jerseys, sparkling water in travel shows, and animated films that rely on bright color.

If you want a preview of how people are reacting to the design change, this Samsung S90H first-look review captures why the glare-free choice is both appealing and divisive.

Dark-room movie nights and accuracy

When you control reflections, OLED looks its best. In a dim room, a glossy OLED panel can appear to have higher perceived contrast because blacks stay deep and the panel doesn’t diffuse light the same way a matte finish can.

That’s the LG C6’s comfort zone. If your typical use is films, prestige TV, and HDR series at night, LG’s support for Dolby Vision is a practical advantage. Dolby Vision uses dynamic metadata, meaning the TV can adjust HDR scene by scene (and sometimes frame by frame) based on how the content was mastered. In plain terms, bright highlights and shadow detail tend to look more intentional, less like the TV is guessing.

LG’s processing also matters in a quiet way. With the C6 line, you’re getting an updated Alpha-series processor (often cited as Alpha 11 Gen 3 in early coverage). That typically helps with cleaner edges in upscaling and more confident tone mapping when the source quality varies. It won’t turn a bad stream into a Blu-ray, but it can reduce the “muddy” look you sometimes get in compressed dark scenes.

The size question matters here. Some reporting suggests larger C6 variants may use a brighter panel configuration than the smaller sizes. If you’re buying a 42-inch or 48-inch for a bedroom or desk setup, you should expect a more “classic C-series” brightness profile. If you’re going 65 inches and up, you may see more headroom for HDR highlights, depending on the exact sub-model and region.

A helpful way to decide without obsessing over charts is to run a simple mental test:

• If your room is bright most of the day, glare control can beat raw contrast on paper.
• If you watch mostly at night with lights low, the glossy OLED look plus Dolby Vision often feels more like a theater screen.

Gaming and everyday speed

Good news first: you’re not choosing between a “gaming TV” and a “movie TV” anymore. Both the LG C6 and Samsung S90H are built to be high-end gaming displays, even though they’re priced below the true flagships.

The question is which one matches your setup. A PS5 or Xbox Series X player cares about responsiveness, stable HDR, and easy switching. A PC gamer cares about high refresh rates, variable refresh behavior, and how clean motion looks at 120 fps plus. A Switch owner cares more about upscaling and handling of 1080p.

Your biggest wins come from three things both TVs share: 4K at high refresh, VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) to reduce tearing, and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) so the TV drops into a lower-lag preset when it detects a console.

Next-gen console and PC gaming

Both sets are advertised to hit up to 165Hz, which is most relevant for PC gamers. Consoles usually top out at 120Hz today, but you still benefit from smooth VRR behavior and low input lag.

The underrated feature here is four HDMI 2.1 ports. It means you can run a PS5 and Xbox Series X plus a gaming PC, then still have room for a soundbar or AVR using eARC, without living the cable-swap life.

Samsung has traditionally done well with PC-focused gaming support, and the S90H is expected to continue that with compatibility features like NVIDIA G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro. If you play competitive shooters on PC and care about keeping frames and refresh in sync, those badges can translate to fewer stutters and a more consistent feel during fast camera pans.

LG tends to feel “console-friendly” because its game dashboards and picture modes are straightforward, and Dolby Vision support can matter if you play titles mastered for it (availability varies by platform and game).

If you’re choosing a TV that’s going to pull double duty as a monitor, it’s worth reading a broader OLED gaming perspective too. Oasthar’s Sony Bravia 8 II QD-OLED review is a useful reference point for how modern OLED and QD-OLED sets approach gaming features and processing, even if you’re not buying Sony.

Motion, upscaling and menus

Upscaling is the TV taking a lower-res source (like 1080p YouTube or older games) and rebuilding it to fit a 4K panel. You’ll notice it most with cable sports, older consoles, and any stream that isn’t a top-tier 4K encode.

LG’s latest Alpha processing is often praised for making edges look cleaner and keeping motion stable without adding weird artifacts. Samsung’s processing tends to favor bold color and strong perceived sharpness, which can look great, but sometimes needs a little menu work to avoid over-sharpening.

Either way, plan to spend ten minutes on setup. These are the tweaks that usually pay off right away:

• Turn on Game Mode for consoles and PC inputs, so lag stays low.
• Turn off motion smoothing for movies, unless you truly like the soap-opera effect.
• Check HDR tone mapping settings, then pick the one that preserves highlight detail without dimming the whole image.

If you do that, both TVs can feel “instant” in gameplay. The difference becomes more about your room light and HDR ecosystem than about raw speed.

Smart TV, sound and which one fits your life

You don’t buy a TV just for the panel. You live with the menus, the home screen, app support, and the built-in speakers for those times you don’t want to power on a full audio setup.

This is also where brand philosophy shows. LG’s webOS is built around quick access, profiles, and a familiar app grid. Samsung’s Tizen is fast and polished too, but it tends to push Samsung’s own content lanes more aggressively. Neither is “bad,” but you’ll feel the difference if you care about simplicity.

Streaming experience and HDR format support

Here’s the simplest way to understand the HDR split:

• Dolby Vision (LG C6) is widely used on major streaming services and is often the format you see on premium originals.
• HDR10+ Advanced (Samsung S90H) is Samsung’s bet on a royalty-free path, with newer capabilities aimed at modern high-brightness displays.

In 2026, the practical impact is that the same movie can look different depending on where you watch it and which HDR master is available. If your household lives on Netflix and Disney+ style libraries, Dolby Vision support can feel like the safer choice. If you watch a lot of Prime Video and other HDR10+ friendly sources, Samsung’s approach may align better.

HDR10+ Advanced is also new enough that it carries a “future catalog” angle. Early coverage points to improvements that can help motion handling and scene-by-scene brightness behavior, but content has to be mastered for it before you see the full benefit. For a higher-level comparison of where this mid-range battle is heading, this CES take on LG and Samsung mid-range OLEDs is a good snapshot of the enthusiasm around both lineups.

Sound, design and value

Built-in TV audio is always a compromise, but some compromises are easier to live with.

LG’s C6 is often described with a 40W 4.0-channel system tuned with harman/kardon. In real use, that usually means clearer dialogue placement and a wider sound field than you’d expect from a thin panel. Samsung’s S90H is commonly listed as 40W 2.1 with Dolby Atmos support. That can give you a more “cinema branded” effect, but the number of physical channels and the cabinet design still limit bass and true height effects.

If you care about sound, you’ll still want a soundbar. If you don’t, prioritize what’s hardest to fake:

• Choose LG if you’re sensitive to dialogue clarity and you watch a lot of dramas.
• Choose Samsung if you want impact for casual action viewing and you plan to add a soundbar later anyway.

Pros and cons: LG C6 OLED

• Pros: Dolby Vision support for common streaming HDR, glossy panel can look richer in dark rooms, strong processing for upscaling and motion, robust built-in speaker layout for TV audio.
• Cons: Glossy finish reflects more in bright rooms, size-specific brightness differences may complicate shopping, no HDR10+ path if your library leans that way.

Pros and cons: Samsung S90H OLED

• Pros: Glare-free matte finish reduces reflections, HDR10+ Advanced support, strong gaming feature set for PC players, punchy look for bright-room viewing.
• Cons: Matte finish can lift blacks a bit in certain lighting, no Dolby Vision, some buyers dislike the “less glossy” OLED look for cinema nights.

Who is it for? (quick profiles)

• Bright-room viewer: Samsung S90H, because glare control changes the whole experience.
• Movie purist: LG C6, because Dolby Vision plus a glossy panel fits night viewing.
• Competitive gamer: Slight edge to Samsung S90H if you’re on PC and care about G-SYNC and FreeSync behavior.
• Mixed family use: Pick based on your biggest pain point, reflections (Samsung) or Dolby Vision streaming (LG).

Final verdict (no single winner): If glare is your constant enemy, the S90H’s matte finish is the feature you’ll thank yourself for every day. If your priority is cinematic HDR across major streaming libraries and you watch mostly at night, the C6’s Dolby Vision focus can feel more “correct” scene to scene. Price and size will still decide the value winner, so compare the exact size you’re buying, not just the series name.

LG C6 OLED vs Samsung S90H OLED FAQ

Conclusion

If you’re choosing between the LG C6 OLED and Samsung S90H OLED in February 2026, your decision should start with two questions: how much glare you fight, and which HDR format your favorite apps use most. The S90H is the safer pick for bright rooms and reflection-heavy setups, while the C6 is the better match for Dolby Vision movie nights and a glossy, high-contrast look when you control lighting.

Before you buy, double-check size-specific differences, since bigger models can behave differently than smaller ones. Then budget for a soundbar if audio matters. Your next step is simple: write down your top three uses (movies, sports, gaming), then buy the TV that’s best at your number one.