I measured Samsung's Micro RGB TV color accuracy in a lab - and it's perceptually perfect

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

ZDNET's key takeaways

• The Samsung R95H's display tech minimizes color bleed and sharpens contrast.
• SDR color accuracy rivals that of premium OLED models, according to lab tests.
• HDR performance is less consistent out of the box, requiring calibration.

The Samsung R95H marks a significant entry into the display market, claiming chromatic fidelity and luminance performance comparable to those of established Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) technology. 

I'll admit that in my nearly 10 years of testing and reviewing TVs, I thought that OLED was as good as it was going to get. The color accuracy, contrast, and detailing have been unmatched and well worth the high asking price. But Samsung has seemingly done the impossible: surprise me.

Also: Samsung Micro RGB vs. QLED vs. OLED

The Samsung R95H, which features the company's latest Micro RGB display technology, features redesigned focusing lenses for the separate red, green, and blue LED backlights, enabling what should be significantly reduced color bleed and blooming. This, in turn, means that you'll get sharp contrast and the ability to reproduce up to 100% of the BT.2020 color gamut. 

To help you better understand what makes the Micro RGB panel special, I'll walk you through our latest lab results, which paint a good picture of how the technology impacts the TV's SDR and HDR output.

The rundown

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

For ZDNET's inaugural Data Bytes technical evaluation series, our engineering team subjected the TV to standardized empirical testing at our Louisville lab, utilizing Calman calibration software, a Murideo 6G 8K Metal Generator, and specialized spectroradiometric equipment to quantify the panel's baseline performance.

Since Samsung made specific claims about the R95H's ability to recreate the BT.2020 color spectrum, that's where we focused our testing. You can find some key data points pulled from our benchmarking below, with the TV set to filmmaker mode, brightness optimization (dynamic/environmental brightness) off, and a 10% pattern used in Calman.

SDR results

Matthew Murray/ZDNET

• SDR (Rec. 709 color space, ITU BT.1886 gamma)
• Luminance (Default TV settings) - 191 nits
• Luminance (Local Dimming high, brightness maxed) - 2,095 nits
• Peak Luminance vs. Window Size Screenshot
• Color Accuracy - Delta-E: 1.84; Delta-E-ITP: 5.85
• Rec. 709 Gamut Coverage (1976 uv) - 97.28%
• Rec. 709 Color Volume - L*a*b*: 113.6823%; ICtCp: 9.012 million distinguishable colors (MDC)

Takeaway: A Delta-E score of 1.84 for color accuracy is very strong and can generally be considered perceptually perfect to the human eye. In standard viewing, you're unlikely to notice any color shifts or inaccuracies with the Samsung R95H.

Also: Sony Bravia 9 II vs. Bravia 9: I've seen both TV models, and True RGB LED is a major leap

The white squares on the graphic represent target colors, and the individual dots are the actual results. As you can see, the Samsung R95H has some impressive color accuracy, with a typical blue shift that is just part of the nature of LED displays. Aside from the very deep blues, the R95H handles the BT.2020 color spectrum beautifully, hitting the mark more often than not and getting very close when it misses. 

HDR results

Matthew Murray/ZDNET

• HDR (Rec. 2020 color space, ST 2084 HDR gamma)
• Luminance (Default settings) - 2,353 nits
• Peak Luminance vs. Window Size Screenshot
• Color Accuracy - Delta-E: 4.26; Delta-E-ITP: 17.87
• Rec. 2020 Gamut Coverage (1976 uv): 94.38%
• Rec. 2020 Color Volume - L*a*b*: 109.449%; ICtCp: 32.904 MDC

Takeaway: Once the Samsung R95H switches to HDR for handling your everyday 4K content (streaming, live TV, etc.), the color accuracy is a little less consistent, with the Delta-E score going above the ideal 3.0 rating, meaning you'll likely notice that certain skin tones, skies, or saturated objects can look slightly off or overly vibrant.

However, over 94% of Rec. 2020 gamut coverage is highly commendable, as most modern premium TVs only hit around 70-85% -- often tracking DCI-P3 coverage instead. The higher percentage suggests that the display can reproduce incredibly deep, saturated greens and reds that most TVs cannot. It easily has the widest color range we've seen in a TV.

While its colors may be technically inaccurate, the R95H's "wow factor" approach, which pushes default brightness and saturation levels beyond their intended limits, can make darker scenes in movies and TV shows, sports, and action scenes appear more visually stimulating. Just don't expect reference monitor-level reproduction -- not out of the box, at least.

ZDNET's verdict

The Samsung R95H features impressive display technology that helps reduce color bleed and bloom, resulting in sharper contrast, finer detailing, and better color accuracy compared to previous LED TV iterations. 

If you're after the best color output from the TV, a calibration would easily clean up its HDR tracking error. As for the rest, the underlying hardware panel capabilities (color volume and gamut coverage) are elite; the R95H delivers some of the best SDR color accuracy numbers we've seen at the lab, rivaling its OLED cousin, the Samsung S95H, as well as competitors from LG and Sony. 

Also: 60Hz vs. 120Hz vs. 165Hz: I've tested dozens of TVs, and here's what's best for your home

Given enough time and refinement, Micro RGB technology might even outstrip OLED TVs in terms of picture quality and color accuracy. All of this advancement comes at a steep retail cost, though, with the base 65-inch model costing $3,200. 

But as the tech is refined and improved, the production costs and final prices will hopefully come down to a more comfortable level. And if Micro RGB is ever the cheaper option over OLED, I don't think there will be any question about which TV tech will be the top.