Compare Samsung S85H OLED vs TCL RM9L

Perfect blacks, punchy color and crisp textures give the S85H a compelling picture for its price. Premium OLEDs can look brighter, more natural and more finely detailed.

The best scenes look spectacularly bright, colorful, and three-dimensional. Some lower-quality content, color errors, and inconsistent processing stop the performance from being uniformly excellent.

Ordinary daylight is manageable, but very bright rooms expose the S85H’s limited light output and reflective screen. Windows facing the panel are particularly troublesome.

Sunlit rooms are no match for the RM9L's enormous brightness reserve. Some direct reflections remain visible despite the panel's anti-glare treatment.

Some Blu-ray audio formats cannot be passed through.

Major surround formats can pass to a compatible receiver or soundbar, making the TV easy to fit into a more serious audio setup.

Overall SDR accuracy is strong with some HDR deviations.

The factory picture can be too cool, with blue-heavy grayscale and HDR midtones brighter than intended. Accurate reproduction needs a carefully chosen preset or calibration.

Brightness is respectable for a basic OLED, especially in smaller bright areas. It struggles to maintain punch when much of the picture is bright.

Enormous peak luminance is one of the TV's defining advantages, making bright highlights and daytime scenes exceptionally punchy.

HDR highlights can look striking against perfect blacks, but the S85H lacks the full intensity of pricier OLEDs. Large bright scenes are especially restrained.

Extremely bright highlights and vivid daylight scenes give HDR films tremendous impact. Long sustained highlights, however, can dim over time.

Out-of-box SDR whites are close to reference, with only a small cool cast. Filmmaker settings help deliver a natural-looking image.

The factory white balance can lean blue, though other presets and professional calibration improve it substantially.

Artifacts remain after the TV processes low-quality material.

Low-bitrate streaming artifacts are handled effectively, with a small sacrifice in fine texture at heavier smoothing levels.

Self-emissive pixels create flawless local dimming-like precision.

A large number of effective dimming zones preserves intense highlights without washing out adjacent blacks. Very bright settings can still create visible halos.

Built-in sound is adequate for casual programs, but several tests find it muffled, underpowered or lacking cinematic impact. A soundbar is a worthwhile addition.

Built-in audio divides opinion: it can sound clear and balanced for everyday television, yet lacks the punch and refinement expected beside such a large picture.

Explosions, engines and other low-frequency effects lack force, making action-heavy movies feel much smaller than they look.

Deep bass is a repeated limitation, and built-in low-frequency weight trails the scale of the screen. An external subwoofer helps.

Filmmaker mode gives the most faithful colors and can look excellent without calibration. Default presets and some HDR scenes exaggerate warm tones, reds or blues.

Color is beautifully saturated, but accuracy assessments vary by picture preset. Factory blues can be too cool, while Filmmaker Mode and calibration give much better balance.

The S85H looks its best in a dim room, where its inky blacks and vivid HDR effects make films and games feel immersive.

Dark-room movies benefit from very deep blacks and intense pinpoints of light. Viewers sensitive to blooming may need to lower peak-brightness settings.

Most HDR movies and games look vivid and contrasty, but the image lacks flagship brightness and sometimes renders highlights too aggressively.

Bright HDR material can be strikingly vivid and immersive, with strong blacks and saturated color. Tracking inaccuracies and mode inconsistencies limit its faithfulness to the source.

Near-infinite OLED contrast makes bright highlights stand out sharply against rich dark backgrounds, producing a convincing sense of depth.

The strong native panel contrast and precise backlight create excellent separation between deep shadows and bright highlights.

A larger bright area causes the image to dim considerably, limiting the impact of snowfields, bright skies and full-screen highlights.

Peak highlights are spectacular, but brightness falls noticeably if those bright elements remain on screen for a sustained period.

Fast inputs, nearly instantaneous response and flexible sync make this a standout entry-level gaming TV. Dolby Vision gaming is unavailable.

Games look brilliant, expansive, and responsive on this screen. Slight trailing and the occasional picture-mode quirk keep it short of flawless.

There is some useful separation and direction between sounds, though weak dynamics and bass limit the overall sense of space.

Despite side- and rear-mounted speakers, the sound spreads convincingly across the width of the screen.

Sports and games appear clean and crisp thanks to fast pixel response. Low-frame-rate material can still show stutter or persistence blur.

Sports and gaming generally look smooth and controlled, with better performance than older models. Some sources still show blur or uneven cadence.

Game Mode delivers extremely quick controls, with measurements around single-digit milliseconds. Optional game interpolation adds substantial latency.

Controls generally feel responsive, especially at high refresh rates. Sixty-hertz lag is somewhat less competitive but still satisfactory for everyday gaming.

Static logos and HUD elements carry a risk of permanent burn-in over time. Built-in protections help, and varied viewing is less concerning.

The LCD panel avoids permanent OLED-style burn-in, helping ease concerns about static interfaces and long gaming sessions.

Slow frame-rate motion can stutter noticeably.

Low levels of interpolation reduce the hold-time stutter that can appear in slow panning shots.

Direct lamps and windows remain clearly visible on the screen. The S85H cannot match the anti-glare coatings on Samsung’s step-up OLEDs.

Immense light output does much of the work against room glare. Direct reflections and some diffraction effects still show up under challenging lighting.

Two foot positions make it easier to fit the TV on narrower furniture or make space for a soundbar.

The far-apart feet require a very wide TV unit. They offer stable support but little flexibility for smaller furniture.

OLED pixels transition almost instantly, leaving fast objects with very little trailing blur. Minor overshoot is generally hard to see.

Motion response is generally respectable, but transitions between dark and bright shades can be slow enough to create light trails.

Near-black scenes can reveal vertical bands, even though ordinary bright and dark content often looks uniform.

Near-black scenes are impressively even, while large gray or bright areas show some darker edges and modest uniformity issues.

The TV can preserve bright effects with careful tone mapping, but overly bright skin highlights and demanding HDR masters sometimes lose subtle detail.

Small sparks, bright reflections, and camera flashes pop sharply against darker scenes. Only the most extreme peaks occasionally lose subtle shading.

Adjustable feet support different cabinet widths, but the plastic pieces feel cheap and can wobble slightly.

The two blade-style feet look neat and support the large panel effectively, although they offer no narrow mounting position.

Bright subtitles and small highlights sit cleanly against dark backgrounds without the glowing halos that can surround them on many LCD TVs.

Local dimming usually keeps halos modest, particularly head-on, but increasing brightness makes blooming more visible. Fully suppressing halos costs substantial light output.

Smoothing helps but brings a soap-opera effect.

Gentle smoothing improves camera pans, but stronger settings can make films look artificially processed.

Off-center seating retains convincing color and contrast, making the panel a good fit for wider couches or seating arrangements.

Side-viewing performance is contentious, ranging from impressively steady at moderate angles to obvious color and brightness shifts farther off-axis.

Colors are lively for an entry OLED, but highly saturated HDR highlights can look washed out compared with stronger QD-OLED or tandem panels.

Brilliant colors retain impressive intensity as brightness rises. Some white-adjacent colors and saturated scenes reveal the technology's limits.

Glossy reflections are a major weakness compared with Samsung’s S90H and S95H. A controllable, moderately lit room is the safest setting.

The screen reduces indirect glare reasonably well but can still show mirror-like reflections and rainbow artifacts from bright light sources.

OLED blacks create atmosphere, but fine detail in nearly black scenes can be crushed or swallowed. Results depend on the content and processing settings.

Strong contrast can reveal excellent dark-scene texture, though some factory modes crush shadows and need adjustment.

Older movies and low-resolution streams generally look clear and well defined. Some competing models preserve more sharpness and texture from weaker sources.

High-definition and lower-resolution sources upscale to a clean, detailed image, making even older shows convincing at 85 inches.

Minor refresh-linked brightness pulsing remains.

Backlight zone transitions track moving objects smoothly with little visible flicker or instability.

Color gradients are generally smooth with some darker banding. Dark gradients can show posterization.

Most color transitions are smooth with only minor, barely noticeable steps outside the problematic Dolby Vision examples.

Fast-moving objects stay sharp, making dynamic games and sport broadcasts particularly satisfying.

Games and action scenes remain fairly sharp, although darker pixel transitions sometimes leave mild blur trails behind fast objects.

Everyday movies show rich, saturated color, with strong DCI-P3 coverage. Extreme Rec.2020 reds and greens are not as intense as on premium OLEDs.

The RGB backlight covers an exceptionally broad range of color, producing vivid reds, greens, and fine variations that standard televisions struggle to match.

Speech is generally audible at moderate levels, but the sound can become muffled or compressed when the volume climbs.

Speech can sound clean and suitably full, although uneven speaker response sometimes makes dialogue less consistent.

The set can be mounted using standard VESA hardware, but recessed ports are harder to reach when installed flush against a wall.

Wall mounting is possible, but the thicker rear profile looks less sleek than TCL's slimmer SQD flagship.

Calibration is easy but changes little for SDR.

Careful calibration can transform color accuracy into one of the TV's strengths. The process is awkward because menus and local dimming interfere with measurements.

Processing is competent for everyday sources, and crisp textures help the picture look detailed. Compression cleanup, over-sharpening and aggressive HDR treatment are less consistent.

Upscaling and optional detail enhancement can improve ordinary material, but automatic adjustments sometimes produce inconsistent colors between inputs and presets.

Game Mode offers useful tools and responsiveness.

Automatic game detection and intuitive settings reduce friction, although the most accurate HDR Game Mode can look dimmer than other modes.

Minimal buttons keep the remote tidy, but it can be easy to lose and difficult to use in darkness. Some common functions require on-screen menus.

Useful shortcuts speed up picture changes, but the off-center Home key and reversed brightness rocker may take getting used to.

120Hz OLED motion is crisp for consoles and most PC gaming, but fast competitive PCs can benefit from higher refresh rates offered elsewhere.

The combination of 4K/144Hz inputs and even faster lower-resolution modes makes high-frame-rate gaming flexible and enjoyable.

Black areas look genuinely inky, with individual OLED pixels switching fully off. This is one of the TV’s clearest advantages over comparable LCD displays.

Deep blacks remain convincing beside small bright objects, often approaching OLED-like depth. Extreme peak-brightness settings can lift black levels.

The S85H earns strong praise for its OLED picture, extensive gaming features and accessible pricing. Bright-room visibility and audio quality remain the most common reservations.

The RM9L earns enthusiasm for extraordinary color, brightness, and immersive gaming, but its price and inconsistent picture behavior prevent universal endorsement.

Interface ads cannot be removed entirely.

Google TV continues showing ads even when personalization is disabled. Avoiding them requires a basic setup that sacrifices many smart functions.

Pure black regions are impressively uniform and free of haloing around bright objects. Some near-black scenes still reveal vertical bands.

Near-black pictures look clean with almost no visible banding or backlight bleed. Mild clouding is present when local dimming is disabled.

Included foot clips help organize exposed cables.

Rear cable guides and a stand notch help route multiple connections without leaving an untidy trail.

Some panel variations are difficult to notice from normal distance.

The center of the screen stays relatively clean during sports, but darker edges can be distracting on large, uniform fields.

High volume creates compression that hurts intelligibility.

The internal speakers cannot get especially loud, limiting how well their sound fills a large entertainment room.

The RGWB arrangement improves computer text rendering.

Full chroma support and an RGB subpixel layout keep desktop text well defined, making occasional PC display use practical.

Adaptive synchronization remains effective across the refresh range, including lower frame rates when compensation is available.

Low-frame-rate compensation helps maintain tear-free play even when games drop well below their target frame rates.

Abundant AI extras fail to add obvious utility.

Automatic picture adjustment can leave the TV looking different after a source or mode change. An occasional incorrect transition makes the result difficult to trust.

Automatic low-latency switching removes a gaming setup step.

Compatible consoles automatically trigger the low-lag gaming settings, avoiding manual switching each time a game starts.

Adaptive refresh works smoothly across much of the panel’s range and helps keep gameplay free of tearing.

VRR works smoothly across compatible sources and helps avoid tearing even through sharp frame-rate drops.

DVDs and standard-definition streams remain watchable, though the picture can be somewhat soft and fine details may disappear.

Compressed streams lose much of their blockiness, though aggressive cleanup can soften tiny details and make textures seem waxy.

The compact SolarCell remote is a favorite for its simple controls and rechargeable battery. Missing backlighting and small size can be inconvenient.

The backlit metal-look remote feels premium, with convenient programmable and picture-adjustment buttons.

Dark gray and green show mild banding.

Most gradients look smooth, but one assessment found serious banding in certain Dolby Vision scenes. Changing to Dolby Vision Dark can resolve that specific issue.

Samsung’s Game Bar puts VRR information and gaming controls close at hand, while the Gaming Hub helps with console-free cloud play.

The Game Bar is easy to reach and provides useful signal readouts, frame-rate information, and practical adjustments during play.

All four HDMI ports offer full gaming bandwidth, making the S85H practical for households with several consoles or a gaming PC.

Four full-featured HDMI 2.1 ports remove a common flagship-TV compromise, making it easy to connect several high-end gaming devices.

Four capable HDMI sockets provide plenty of room for consoles, streaming hardware and other sources.

Four well-equipped HDMI inputs provide ample room for a console, gaming PC, sound system, and additional streaming devices.

Most film cadence is handled cleanly.

Movies play with very little judder across most sources, though unusual frame-rate combinations can show small timing issues.

Most panel problems are not expected to occur quickly, but potential burn-in and eventual edge-pixel defects deserve consideration.

Panel risk factors appear favorable in theory, yet an actual dead-zone failure and changing image output raise legitimate concerns.

Available HDR formats are useful, but Dolby Vision is excluded.

The range of supported HDR formats is broad enough to avoid choosing a TV around one preferred HDR standard.

Premium-looking OLED contrast and a broad gaming toolset come at an appealing entry-level price. LG B6 deals or discounted older Samsung models can sometimes offer stronger value.

The visual quality is impressive, yet flagship pricing makes standard Mini LED and OLED alternatives hard to ignore. Value improves only for buyers who specifically want this RGB technology and scale.

Sharing Galaxy media to the TV is straightforward.

Streaming from an iPhone worked smoothly, with reliable playback and no observed control glitches.

Audio connectivity accommodates external soundbars.

The eARC connection handles high-quality uncompressed audio to compatible external receivers or soundbars.

Dolby Vision is missing for both movies and games, although HDR10 and HDR10+ are available. This is a real consideration for Dolby Vision-heavy libraries.

Dolby Vision is available, but some Dolby Vision picture modes have produced troublesome banding. Dark mode can be a safer choice than brighter presets.

FreeSync provides tear-free play.

Broad variable-refresh support helps reduce screen tearing and works with low-frame-rate compensation for smoother games.

Installation benefits from another person and careful handling.

Attaching the feet is straightforward, but the huge, heavy panel is awkward to lift, position, or bring through narrow doors.

Current-generation consoles can run at 4K and 120Hz with VRR support. Enthusiast PC gamers may miss a higher 144Hz or 165Hz ceiling.

PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles can use their full 4K/120Hz output with responsive motion and VRR support.

4K console play is strongly supported aside from Dolby Vision.

Modern 4K games look detailed, colorful, and smooth on the gigantic panel. Full-rate HDMI connectivity makes the large screen particularly capable.

All HDMI sockets carry the full gaming bandwidth.

Modern HDMI features are available across every input, including high-refresh 4K signals and the gaming modes buyers expect.

Sizes from 48 to 83 inches cover everything from smaller rooms to large living rooms, adding flexibility within the entry-level OLED range.

The range favors enormous 85-, 98-, and 115-inch installations rather than common 55- to 75-inch living-room sizes.

The thin design looks attractive from the front but uses fairly inexpensive plastic, with some fragility during handling.

The set feels solid and premium overall, with reassuring stand stability. The rear panel is less rigid than the rest of the construction.

The thin borders keep attention on the image.

The fine border keeps the emphasis on the picture and makes the large display feel cleaner and more immersive.

A very thin panel and narrow bezels make the S85H attractive from the front, while the plastic stand and rear are less premium.

The slim-bezel, dark-metal presentation looks upscale from the front, but the thicker rear body is less graceful from the side or on a wall.

Bright effects are controlled effectively. Tone mapping sometimes flattens image depth.

HDR midtones and bright scenes are often pushed too high, so the picture looks more intense than the mastered signal intended.

Overall tonal tracking can be impressive, though some scenes expose exaggerated highlights and loss of shadow detail. A brighter setting can further trade accuracy for punch.

HDR midtones and bright scenes can be pushed far above the intended brightness. Calibration and more restrained picture settings matter for accurate reproduction.

Switching inputs and settings is intuitive.

Navigation is snappy, with Google TV responding quickly to directional inputs.

Navigation feels brisk. Tizen improves organization rather than raw speed.

Google TV feels fast and responsive when opening menus and moving through the interface.

The redesigned Tizen layout feels improved.

Google TV brings a familiar layout, user profiles, and plentiful content options. Advertising remains a nuisance unless the set is configured with fewer smart functions.

The major streaming platforms are present, with services such as Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and Apple TV working well.

The Google TV ecosystem covers a very wide range of services, including major catch-up and subscription streaming apps.

Ad targeting can be disabled, but ads themselves remain.

Personalized ad targeting can be disabled, but ordinary Google TV ads remain unless smart functions are restricted.

Settings and apps are easier to navigate.

The soccer preset brightens the pitch and can enhance stadium sound, but it can also make colors look excessive and needs manual switching on this model.

BFI helps only at 60Hz and leaves some blur.

Low frequencies fail to convey crashes and engines.

Bright saturated objects can tint neighboring white or pale areas, especially in demanding scenes. It is barely noticeable in some viewing, yet a recurring flaw at high brightness.

Personalized recommendations are better integrated.

AI energy settings can cut power use.

G-SYNC compatibility is effective with supported sources.

Optional interpolation makes 30fps single-player games look smoother, but it substantially raises latency and is less suitable for competitive action.

The 85-inch panel makes movie characters, racing environments, and game landscapes feel almost life-size. Its scale can also overwhelm a modest room.

Moving or positioning the exceptionally large panel is difficult and may require multiple people and an oversized route into the room.

120Hz capability suits console gaming.

Backlighting, a programmable shortcut, and direct picture controls are convenient. Some button placements and the brightness rocker direction are less intuitive.

4K resolution shows strong detail on large panels.

The wide feet keep the massive display surprisingly steady, with minimal wobble.

Traditional broadcast viewers cannot record tuner programs directly to a USB drive.

Several demanding devices can stay connected simultaneously.

Wireless satellite and subwoofer support provide a practical way to build bigger audio than the built-in speakers can deliver.

Every HDMI port handles 4K at 144Hz, giving high-refresh PCs and consoles flexible connection options without needing a special input.

The Gaming Hub makes supported titles accessible without connecting a console, though a compatible service subscription is needed.

DTS tracks are unsupported, which can complicate lossless surround audio from Blu-ray discs.

HDR10+ mitigates some of the missing Dolby Vision functionality.

No ATSC 3.0 option for next-gen broadcasts.

AI speech mode helps intermittently, at times making sound thin.

Artwork can look impressive at this size, with automatic dimming in screensaver mode. The glossy panel and fixed bezels do not replicate a dedicated art television.

Simple controls let users shift between brighter, warmer, and more energetic sound profiles without mastering an equalizer.

RGB Mini LED delivers unusually pure, bright color, making its benefits obvious with vivid source material. Color bleeding and a thicker backlight structure remain compromises.

Picture-in-picture is missing, preventing two sources from sharing the screen at once.

Switching sources or picture modes can produce different colors and light output despite returning to the same calibrated preset. This unpredictability is especially frustrating at flagship pricing.

High-quality footage reveals remarkable textures, from animal hair to intricate movie effects. Compressed feeds sometimes expose softness or blotchy artifacts instead.

Picture settings have an unusually large effect on the result: good choices reveal beautiful images, while aggressive defaults can skew color or create artifacts.

Foot placement leaves practical soundbar space.

Streaming apps work reliably.

Bluetooth soundbar pairing works smoothly.

Built-in smart home control is versatile.

Samsung’s promise of up to seven years of Tizen updates is a welcome long-term benefit.

Modern wireless compatibility is a welcome upgrade.

Very slim side borders help the display seem almost frameless. The thicker lower edge and somewhat bulky back are easier to notice from certain angles.

Solar recharging and a USB-C backup eliminate regular battery changes, a convenience rarely found on budget televisions.