I review TVs for a living – here's why my 2025 favourite is Samsung's flagship

I've had a blast testing out all of the best TVs throughout 2025 (although there's still more to come). At the top-end of the market, I've already covered an LG versus Panasonic versus Philips OLED test – but my favourite set of the year is none of those.

It's actually Samsung's flagship, the S95F, which OLED purists might not consider in the same bracket – because it's a Quantum Dot OLED, or QD-OLED – but that in various ways blows away its competition thanks to super-bright images.

Check out the Samsung S95F deal at Samsung Store

Too pricey? See Amazon's Hisense Mini-LED offer for £499

But the one key reason that I think the S95F is the best of the year (aside from it winning a T3 Award 2025 for Best TV) is down to its 'Glare Free' panel, which has a coating that negates reflections almost completely.

Save 28% (£550)

Samsung S95F (55-inch): was £1,999 now £1,449 at Samsung UK

Use code PAYPAL and pay using PayPal for a further £50 discount to apply at Samsung Store checkout

During the Black Friday sales, Samsung's top-tier telly has tumbled by £500, but there's an extra 10% discount bonus on that sum if you pay using PayPal. It even applies if you're spreading payments with PayPal Pay Later credit.

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Don't be crazy, I can't afford that!

Save 50% (£500)

Hisense U7QT (55-inch) Mini-LED TV: was £999 now £499 at Amazon

Well, if the Samsung is too rich for your blood (or, more importantly, bank balance) then Amazon's deal on this Hisense Mini-LED set is still at a great price. It won't match the Samsung's deep blacks or picture nuance, but it's very bright – so also good for light room conditions.

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Should I buy the Samsung S95F?

Now, the Anti Glare panel brings great benefit when watching in dark room conditions, should there be other light sources that enter the room, but it's particularly good in daylight – so covers the full range of setup lighting conditions.

This coating does find its comeuppance if you shine very bright light at it, though, which is when the perception of contrast just doesn't carry forward. But nobody's going to do that intentionally, so I think it's a very savvy solution – and better than Samsung's previous efforts, where it affected the black level somewhat.

There's plenty more reasons to love the S95F, too, in particular its premium design, which makes it feel like a proper object in the room. The tiny bezel, metal edging around the frame, and minimalist stand all look great. And I know you buy a TV to watch the picture, but this set looks great even when it's switched off.

You needn't clutter beneath the set with a soundbar either, becaue it actually sounds very good straight out of the box – and this is a rare thing indeed for most modern tellies. Sure, adding a HW-Q990F system wouldn't go amiss for full-on surround sound, but if minimalism is your goal then you'll be happy with the sound.

Then there's the technical aspect, where Samsung beats the majority of its competitors by furnishing the S95F with HDMI 2.1 compliance on all four of its ports. That's ideal for future-proofing – just as LG does with its OLED G5 – meaning consoles and other A/V kit capable of 4K resolution at 120Hz refresh can be plugged into any port. Lesser TVs won't carry that higher refresh rate.

Sure, the S95F isn't a budget TV, but if you're a movie fan, sports fan, gamer, or all of those, there's no stone unturned where the TV's picture processing abilities apply. It might sit below Samsung's 8K models, but I think the S95F is better than those too – indeed, it's my favourite TV of 2025 for good reason.

I've highlighted the 55-inch model above, but it's also available in 65- and 77-inch panel sizes. There's even an 83-inch version, although this uses a different (classic) OLED panel type, so can't be seen as precisely the same TV type, despite the name...