The Z95B features 4K resolution, a 144Hz refresh rate, and VRR with AMD FreeSync Premium certification and Nvidia G-Sync compatibility. It supports Dolby Vision, HDR10, and hybrid log gamma (HLG) HDR content, and has an ATSC 3.0 tuner for receiving 1080p and 4K over-the-air broadcasts when available.
According to my tests, the Z95B rivals the LG G5 as one of the brightest OLED TVs I’ve tested. Using a Klein K-10A colorimeter, a Murideo SIX-G signal generator, and Portrait Displays’ Calman software, I measured a full-screen peak brightness of 368 nits with an HDR10 signal in the True Cinema picture mode, jumping to 1,013 nits with an 18% white field and, oddly, a slightly lower 971 nits with a 10% white field. That’s with the default luminance settings for the mode, which seems to intentionally limit peak brightness to around 1,000 nits (a standard level for mastering HDR content). Manually pushing luminance to 100% changes that considerably: Full-screen peak brightness stays close to the same, but with an 18% white field it hits 1,775 nits, and with a 10% field it reaches 2,015 nits. That’s better than the LG G5 at 18% (1,608 nits), though lower with a 10% field (2,386 nits). Either way, that’s a ton of light for any OLED TV to put out, largely edging out the Samsung S95F (1,451 nits 18%, 2,138 nits 10%) and decisively beating both the LG C5 (994 nits 18%, 1,269 nits 10%) and Sony Bravia 8 II (991 nits 18%, 1,567 nits 10%). Whether you crank the luminance to full or not, make sure the ambient light sensor is disabled on the TV; it’s enabled by default in both Cinema and Filmmaker modes.
(Credit: PCMag)
Colors on the Z95B are excellent overall, with one odd quirk. Typically, the Cinema or Movie mode on a TV sets the picture to the warmest available color temperature by default, for the most accurate hues without further calibration. That isn’t the case here, and the Cinema mode with both SDR and HDR signals is actually quite cool for its size. It isn’t the extreme blueish tinge that most TVs’ Standard and Vivid modes can do, but it’s still noticeable. Fortunately, the Filmmaker and True Cinema picture modes set the TV’s color balance much closer to ideal. Filmmaker, in particular, is the most accurate, so the above charts reflect performance in Filmmaker mode with SDR and HDR10 signals, and in Dolby Vision IQ with a Dolby Vision signal. In all three cases, white levels are spot-on, and colors are all very close to ideal.
SDR Filmmaker mode supports the Rec.709 broadcast color space, and Dolby Vision IQ covers the DCI-P3 digital cinema color space almost perfectly. HDR10 Filmmaker exceeds the DCI-P3 standard slightly while remaining nicely balanced. The only complaint I can really find is that magentas in HDR10 Filmmaker are just a tiny bit warm, and even then, it’s pretty negligible. This is some of the best color performance I’ve seen in a TV in terms of accuracy, beating out the LG G5’s much warmer magentas, and comparing favorably with the excellent Samsung S95F on that front.
BBC’s Planet Earth II looks gorgeous on the Z95B. Colors are vibrant, with the blues of water and sky and the greens of plants in the “Island” episode appearing varied and natural. Flashes of sunlight peeking through trees or reflecting on water pop out brightly, while shaded and backlit animals look properly dark and retain plenty of fine fur detail. It’s a balanced, lifelike picture that really shows off how good OLEDs can look.
The party scenes in The Great Gatsby demonstrate the Z95B’s excellent contrast, with black suit jackets retaining fine details like cuts and contours while staying incredibly dark. Many different shades of white come through clearly, with cool balloons and much warmer shirts, neither of which skew or tint significantly. Skin tones also look natural and well-saturated.
Demonstration footage on the Spears & Munsil Ultra HD benchmark disc is reproduced very well on the Z95B. Both shadow details of dusky landscapes and highlight details in snowy skies are preserved, and the edges of dark trees, wispy clouds, and falling snow are all remaining visible. Shots of bright, colorful objects against completely black backgrounds are vibrant and, thanks to the OLED panel’s per-pixel control, don’t show a hint of the light bloom that can be seen on LED TVs. Like with Planet Earth II, shots of animals and plants consistently look lifelike.
As an OLED TV with a 144Hz native refresh rate and both AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync compatibility, the Z95B is ready for gaming. Using a Leo Bodnar 4K video signal lag tester, I measured an input lag of 12.6 milliseconds with a 4K60 signal and 4.8 milliseconds with a 1080p120 signal. In both cases, that’s a latency of less than 1 frame, which means the TVs are definitely responsive enough for gamers.
