Published 2026-04-08 by James Maxwell
Two of the most talked-about mid-range OLEDs of 2026 are going head-to-head, and the answer to which one wins depends almost entirely on what you watch and how much you care about colour volume. We’ve been tracking both since launch and the picture is clearer than most reviews let on.
The LG B6 is the safer, more established choice. The Samsung S85H fights back with brighter highlights and a more aggressive price point in larger sizes. Here’s how they actually stack up.
The consensus from display specialists is that LG’s B6 holds the edge on pure OLED fundamentals. The panel produces deep, consistent blacks across the whole screen, and LG’s a.i. Processor Pro handles motion well enough for Premier League football without the soap-opera effect that plagues cheaper sets. Reviewers at Tom’s Guide noted the B6 delivers “excellent dark room performance,” which is a polite way of saying it’s the better TV if you watch films after dark with the lights off.
Samsung’s S85H uses a QD-OLED panel rather than LG’s WOLED technology. That distinction matters. QD-OLED layers quantum dots over the OLED base, which pushes peak brightness significantly higher and makes colours — particularly reds and greens — noticeably more saturated. Sports and HDR gaming look spectacular. The trade-off is that very bright rooms can reveal slight uniformity issues, and the S85H’s off-angle viewing isn’t quite as consistent as the B6’s.
Both TVs support HDMI 2.1, 4K at 144Hz for gaming, and Dolby Vision. The B6 adds Dolby Atmos passthrough out of the box; the S85H leans on its own Object Tracking Sound system instead.
Model | Screen Size | Approx. UK Price | Panel Type | Peak Brightness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
LG B6 OLED | 55-inch | £1,099 | WOLED | ~1,000 nits |
LG B6 OLED | 65-inch | £1,499 | WOLED | ~1,000 nits |
Samsung S85H OLED | 55-inch | £1,049 | QD-OLED | ~1,500 nits |
Samsung S85H OLED | 65-inch | £1,399 | QD-OLED | ~1,500 nits |
Prices are correct at time of writing and vary by retailer.
The Samsung undercuts the LG by £50-£100 at both sizes, which is worth noting because a year ago the QD-OLED premium ran the other way. For context, the previous-generation LG B4 can now be found around £799 for the 55-inch, so buyers willing to step back a generation save roughly £300 for a set that still beats most LCD rivals.
If you’re comparing outside the OLED category, the Hisense U8N Mini-LED hits similar brightness numbers to the S85H for around £749 at 55 inches, though it can’t match either OLED for black levels.
Both TVs are available across major UK retailers right now. At the time of writing, the price spread between retailers is wider than usual, so it’s worth checking before you commit.
For the LG B6: John Lewis currently has the 55-inch at £1,099 with a two-year guarantee included, which beats the standard one-year warranty offered elsewhere. Currys is competitive on the 65-inch and regularly bundles a soundbar during promotional periods. Very offers 0% finance over 12 months on orders above £99, which makes the larger screen more manageable at around £125 a month.
For the Samsung S85H: Samsung’s own site lists the 55-inch at £1,049, but Amazon UK has been fluctuating between £999 and £1,049 depending on the day. Richer Sounds is worth a call , they’re often competitive on larger panels and their staff will negotiate on demonstration stock.
We’re tracking prices across UK retailers in real time. Compare all current prices on Shopping.co.uk before you buy.
Yes, with one caveat. Spring is historically a reasonable time to buy a TV. Retailers are clearing post-January stock ahead of summer ranges, and neither of these models is due a direct successor before late 2026 at the earliest. You’re not buying at the top of the pricing curve.
The caveat: Black Friday tends to bring 15-20% reductions on Samsung TVs in particular, based on the last three years of pricing data. If you can wait until November and don’t need a new TV right now, the S85H could realistically drop to £850-£900 for the 55-inch. LG discounts less aggressively at launch but follows a similar pattern by Q4.
If you’re replacing a broken set or upgrading from a pre-2020 TV, don’t wait. The improvement over anything LCD-based from five years ago is significant enough that the current price is easily justified.
At £1,049 for the 55-inch, the Samsung S85H is the sharper value proposition right now, undercutting the LG B6 by £50 while delivering ly higher peak brightness that most buyers will notice in everyday viewing.
Best place to buy: John Lewis , for the LG B6, their two-year guarantee adds real value over Currys and Amazon; for the S85H, check Amazon UK, where we’ve seen the price dip to £999 in recent weeks.
vs. the previous model: The LG B4 at around £799 for the 55-inch is now the standout budget OLED deal; if you’re not a serious gamer or HDR obsessive, it does 90% of what the B6 does for £300 less.
Our take: Buy the Samsung S85H if you watch a lot of sport or HDR films in a bright room; buy the LG B6 if you’re a film purist who watches in the dark and values the reassurance of LG’s longer OLED track record.
Is QD-OLED better than WOLED?
For brightness and colour saturation, yes. For consistent black levels and off-angle viewing, WOLED (as used in the LG B6) has the edge. Which matters more depends on your room and viewing habits.
Can both TVs handle PS5 and Xbox Series X gaming?
Both support 4K at 120Hz with VRR and ALLM over HDMI 2.1. The S85H’s higher peak brightness gives it a slight advantage in HDR gaming titles, but both are excellent gaming monitors by any practical measure.
Will these TVs get software updates?
LG’s webOS platform has a strong update history, with most sets receiving support for three to four years post-launch. Samsung’s Tizen OS is similar. Neither company has committed to a specific update window for 2026 models yet.
Is the 65-inch worth the extra cost?
At a £300-£400 premium over the 55-inch, the 65-inch makes sense if you’re sitting more than 2.5 metres from the screen. Closer than that and the 55-inch delivers the same picture quality without the size feeling overwhelming.