Sony Bravia 9 II vs Samsung R95H: which flagship RGB TV is best, and can they compete with OLED?

Date:
Sat, 26 Sep 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Description:
A side-by-side comparison of Sony and Samsung's flagship 2026 RGB TVs using reference 4K Blu-rays: which one comes out on top?

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter RGB mini-LED (and its other various names) continues to be the talk of the TV world, with nearly every brand getting involved with the new tech in 2026. Ive tested several RGB mini-LED/Micro RGB TVs and while its been a mixed bag, the new tech shows promise. While these TVs still cant quite beat the best OLED TVs for the
place at the top of the TV food chain, theres certainly been some impressive RGB models.

One of those is the flagship Samsung R95H , which earned 4.5 stars out of 5
in my recent review. Another is the mid-range Sony Bravia 7 II . When I compared both the R95H and Bravia 7 II , I was impressed by the fight the
much cheaper Bravia 7 II put up: especially with its picture quality. Well, now the Bravia 9 II, the Bravia 7 IIs step-up sibling and Sony s flagship RGB TV, has arrived in our testing lab and since I still have the Samsung R95H
in, I thought Id compare the two to see which flagship RGB model is the top dog. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

A quick note on photos: the R95H appears to have a red tint in some images below, but this is the camera interacting with the R95H's matte screen. This red tint does not appear in-person. Color Both TVs deliver vibrant colors, shown here in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie . The Bravia 9 II (left) has more vibrant colors, while the R95H (right) has brighter colors (Image credit: Nintendo / Univeral Pictures / Future) The big selling point of RGB is its color reproduction. And as expected from two flagship models, colors look
very impressive on both the Bravia 9 II and the R95H. Watching The Super
Mario Galaxy Movie , any scenes involving the Lumas showcases RGBs excellent colors. While the R95H demonstrated higher color luminance, meaning color looked brighter, the Bravia 9 IIs colors appeared much richer and deeper, giving the Lumas themselves a perceived crisper texture. You may like Sony Bravia 7 II vs Samsung R95H: which RGB TV comes out on top and can they
topple OLED? LG G6 OLED vs Samsung R95H Micro RGB: which tech comes out on top? LG C6 vs Sony Bravia 7 II: I tested these TVs side by side, and OLED had better watch its back

As for the characters outfits throughout the movie, it varied from scene-to-scene which TV produced better colors. Peachs pink dress benefitted from the R95Hs higher perceived brightness in some scenes, while in others, the Bravia 9 IIs bolder colors made it pop more. The same was true with the reds of Marios overalls and Luigi and Yoshis greens. In Speed Racer , the Bravia 9 II (left) again has bolder colors, while the R95H's (right) are brighter (Image credit: Warner Bros / Future) Switching to a real-world
movie, Speed Racer , it was more of what Id found when watching the Mario Galaxy movie. During the breakfast scene at the Racer home, I found some colors, such as yellow, looked better on the Bravia 9 II with the added color depth, while some paler colors such as orange looked more natural on the
R95H. The R95Hs higher perceived brightness definitely made colors more impactful, but overall I found myself drawn to the Bravia 9 IIs deeper color profile. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

In terms of skin tones, both TVs showed excellent accuracy, making characters on screen look lifelike. In this scenario, I did find the R95Hs brightness made people look more true-to-life, which I preferred. But the Bravia 9 II
did use shadows and contrast in an interesting way to make people look dynamic. Contrast Both TVs demonstrate strong contrast with a good balance between dark and light tones. (Image credit: Warner Bros / Future) One of
RGBs other selling points compared to other backlit TVs is better backlight control and OLED -rivaling black levels and while this has been a mixed bag
in my previous testing of other RGB TVs, these two flagship models
demonstrate excellent contrast and backlight control.

Watching The Batman , both TVs demonstrated strong contrast. As Bruce works
in the Batcave at his desk, the light tones of the bright monitors and desk lamps around him contrasted well with the dark tones of the environment and the crevices around the desk. While the R95Hs higher brightness meant some dark areas were more legible, the Bravia 9 II demonstrated richer blacks that created stronger perceived contrast. What to read next I compared LG's latest OLED TVs side-by-side and I know which one I'd buy with my own money Is Samsung S95H/S99H or the LG G6 better for bright rooms? I tested both OLED
TVs side by side I tested Samsung and LG's best OLED TVs side-by-side, and we've never been more spoiled for choice here are the key ways each one
beats the other in the real world

Although both TVs were able to render the often challenging picture of The Batman , due to its low brightness, in bright conditions, it was definitely best viewed in ambient or dark, home theater conditions. I also found the R95Hs Movie mode could over-do its brightness, resulting in clipping of
bright objects. For The Batman, it was best to use Filmmaker Mode. The Bravia 9 II looked great in Movie mode and Professional mode (its name for Filmmaker Mode), although it lost some of the impact in its contrast when viewed in the dimmer Professional mode. Image 1 of 2 Both TVs deliver excellent black
levels for backlit TVs, but the Bravia 9 II's (left) are deeper (Image
credit: Amazon / Future) Project Hail Mary is another showcase for contrast
on both these TVs (Image credit: Amazon / Future) Image 1 of 2 View Original Image 2 of 2 View Original Switching to Project Hail Mary , both scenes delivered inky black tones during exterior shots of space, as well as demonstrating strong shadows as Ryland Grace explored the Hail Mary. I did find that the Bravia 9 IIs local dimming could be aggressive in places, resulting in some black crush in certain scenes. Still, black tones and contrast were incredibly impressive for a backlit TV, and the lack of
blooming showed just how good the Bravia 9 IIs backlight control. Though not as impressive, the R95H also showed brilliant backlight control: much better than most backlit TVs Ive tested.

While the same movies still had more dynamic contrast on the OLED TVs Ive tested such as the LG G6 and Samsung S95H/S99H, this is certainly a big step in the right direction for backlit TVs. Brightness and reflections Despite large differences in measured brightness, the R95H (right) actually looks brighter in some scenes, such as this desert scene from Lawrence of Arabia (Image credit: Sony Pictures / Future) Starting with brightness measurements, I was surprised by how big the gap was between these two TVs: and which was brighter based on testing. The R95H hit 1,977 nits and 612 nits peak and fullscreen HDR brightness respectively in Filmmaker Mode, while the Bravia 9 II registered a much higher 4,414 nits and 974 nits peak and fullscreen HDR brightnrss respectively in its Professional mode. This is a much wider gap than I expected, made all the more interesting on how these TVs rendered brightness in practice with real-world movies.

In the majority of scenes I watched, the R95H delivered higher perceived brightness in both large areas and highlights in high-contrast scenes, such
as the lights in the Batcave in The Batman , despite its much lower measured brightness.

Watching a real-world bright scene from Lawrence of Arabia , as Lawrence and his guide were fetching water from a well in the desert, the white sand
around them was brighter on the R95H than the Bravia 9 II. HDR highlights in other movies, such as the white paint job of the Mach 5 in Speed Racer or the lights of all the consoles and switches of the ship in Project Hail Mary were closer in brightness and would sometimes alternate on which was brighter but for the majority, the R95H was much more impactful.

This is something I've found in the past when measuring TVs: measurements don't always match up in practice, and I'm noticing that RGB TVs tend to have the biggest difference between results and real-world application. Still,
both TVs did deliver impressive brightness overall. Image 1 of 2 While I expected the R95H (right) to handle mirror-like reflections well, I didn't expect the Bravia 9 II (left) to match it (Image credit: Future) Both TVs can even render very dark scenes from The Batman in bright rooms (Image credit: Warner Bros / Future) Image 1 of 2 View Original Image 2 of 2 View Original One area where both these TVs really impressed me was in their reflection handling. The R95H obviously uses Samsungs Glare Free matte screen, which has proven to be incredibly effective at eliminating mirror-like reflections. The Bravia 9 II is also equipped with an anti-reflective screen, and its a big improvement over the step-down Bravia 7 II. Watching darker scenes, I was surprised at how little mirror-like reflections were on the Bravia 9 II.
Which TV is the best buy? (Image credit: Future) Both the Bravia 9 II and
R95H are fantastic TVs. They show a clear evolution of what is capable from a backlit TV and while again I still think OLED is the best TV panel tech, its
a positive sign of whats to come from RGB if this is how it performs in its infancy.

When it comes to which TV is best out of the two, I personally preferred the Bravia 9 IIs picture, thanks to its richer, OLED-like colors and richer black tones. The R95H has the brightness battle won and delivers amazing pictures
in its own right, but for me the Bravia 9 II takes what I loved about the Bravia 7 II and builds on it.

That being said, price is a factor. For a 65-inch Samsung R95H, youll be looking to pay roughly $2,799 / 2,799 / AU$4,495 (though Ive seen the R95H drop to as low as AU$3,499 in Australia). A 65-inch Sony Bravia 9 II will currently set you back $3,499 / 3,499 / AU$5,999. Considering the R95H is actually packed with more features for gaming, such as four HDMI 2.1 ports, and has a better interface, the extra money is a tough ask.

At the moment, the R95H is the better buy, but if the Bravia 9 IIs prices can be more in-line with its rival, then the Bravia 9 IIs picture is worth the sacrifice of some features. That being said, Id still recommend OLED right now, as you can get flagship OLEDs from both Sony and Samsung that are the same price or cheaper. Today's best Sony Bravia 9 II RGB LED 4K TV (2026) deals 3,499 View Deal 3,499 View Deal voucher gift 3,499 View Deal Show more We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Today's best Samsung R95H Micro RGB 4K TV deals voucher gift 3,099 2,899 View Deal 2,899 View Deal 2,899 View Deal Show more We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Thinking of buying a new TV? Try our TV size and
model finder! You tell it how far you sit from your TV, we'll tell you what size to buy based on viewing angle advice from image quality experts, and we'll recommend our three top TVs at that size for different prices. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/televisions/i-tested-sony-and-samsungs-2026-flagship -rgb-tvs-side-by-side-and-while-i-know-which-one-id-pick-both-are-positive-sig ns-of-whats-to-come


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)