ndpoint security company McAfee warns of five malicious Chrome extensions designed to track users’ browsing activity and inject code into ecommerce platforms.
With a total install base of over 1.4 million, the extensions can modify cookies on ecommerce websites so that their creator receives affiliate payments for the purchased items, without the victim’s knowledge.
The five malicious extensions help users watch Netflix shows together (Netflix Party and Netflix Party 2, with a combined install base of 1.1 million), enable them to track online prices and coupons (FlipShope – Price Tracker Extension and AutoBuy Flash Sales, with 100,000 installs), and capture screenshots (Full Page Screenshot Capture – Screenshotting, with 200,000 installs).
McAfee’s analysis of the extensions has revealed that the user tracking and code injection behavior resides in a script named ‘b0.js’, which contains many other functions as well.
The extensions subscribe to events triggered when the user accesses a new URL in a tab, so they can send tracking data to the creator’s server (at langhort.com), which checks if the user navigates to a site for which an affiliate ID exists.
Based on the response received from the server, the extension can inject into the website a URL as an iframe and a cookie containing the affiliate ID of the extension developer, who receives a commission for any purchase the user makes on the target website.
According to McAfee, this mechanism essentially allows the extensions to “add any cookie to any website”, as they had permissions to do so.
The security firm also noticed that the extensions contained an evasion mechanism: they checked whether 15 days had passed since installation before beginning the malicious behavior.
The extensions are still available in the Chrome Web Store at the time of writing.
McAfee encourages users to thoroughly check extensions before installing them, even if they already have a large install base, and to pay close attention to the permissions the extensions ask for, such as the permission to run on any website the user visits.
Apple is only a couple of days away from its next generation iPhone series the iPhone 14. While the unofficial details about the iPhone 14 series have been doing the rounds for quite some time now, the final details will only be revealed once Apple makes the phones official in the market. Interestingly, as we approach the iPhone 14 launch day, the retail stores as well as the e-commerce websites are offering huge discounts on the existing iPhone 13 series to attract the buyers. The deals on the iPhone 13 are compelling buyers to ask a tricky question Should we buy the iPhone 13 or wait for the iPhone 14?
Things you should keep in mind before buying iPhone 14
There are a couple of things that are completely subjective as far as the iPhone 14 is concerned. The first thing that you should consider is your budget. Considering the iPhone 14 series will be the newest in the line-up, it will come with upgraded specifications, an advanced chipset and some tweaks are expected in the design language too. So all these upgrades put together would cost you a lot of money. No iPhone comes cheap, so the iPhone 14 won’t either.
As per reports, the iPhone 14 is expected to carry the same price tag as the iPhone 13, which is Rs 79,900. However, if you are eyeing the pro variants, you may have to shell out a lot of money. If budget is not a constraint for you, you should wait for the iPhone 14, no matter how juicy a deal you get on the iPhone 13. You may exchange your old phone and get some discounts on the iPhone 14. The upcoming smartphone is expected to feature an A16 bionic chipset, which will undoubtedly be the most powerful chipset available in a smartphone. Currently, the A15 chipset is touted as the most powerful processor.
Another factor that you should know before spending on the iPhone 14 is that there will be no offers or deals on the iPhone 14 for at least three or four months after it is launched. You may have to wait for the Amazon or Flipkart festive sales to get some discounts on the newest iPhone 14 series.
The iPhone 14 may get noticeable upgrades in terms of processor, camera or charging technology, but the design language is expected to remain the same as the iPhone 12. That said, Apple may move the notch but that’s the only major change you can expect. The Cupertino-giant will stick to its tried and tested design language.
Should you consider buying the iPhone 13 then?
For now, we are completely oblivious to the price of the iPhone 14 series, but we are well aware of all the deals and discounts that are available on the iPhone 13. The phone which was launched for Rs 79,900 for the 128GB variant is now selling at Rs 65,900 on Flipkart. Buyers can further bring the price down by selling their old phone and getting up to Rs 19,000 in return. Similarly, Amazon and Croma are also selling the device at discounted rates.
iPhone 13 is still the most powerful device you can own right now. It is powered by the A15 Bionic chipset, and features a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a resolution of 2532×1170 pixels and a pixel density of 460ppi.
In terms of optics, the iPhone 13 features a dual-camera setup on the rear which includes a 12MP-primary camera along with a 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens. On the front, there is a 12-megapixel lens for selfies and video calls. Although Apple doesn't reveal the battery specs of the iPhones, the iPhone 13 is believed to house a 3240mAh battery that comes with support for up to 20W fast charging.
If you have an old iPhone 11 or iPhone 12, you can even get the iPhone 13 for around Rs 50,000, which is very good value for a powerful phone like the iPhone 13.
Crypto-mining malware is being hidden in fake versions of popular software distributed via free download sites and is avoiding detection by waiting for a month before it runs in a campaign that has infected Windows PCs around the world.
Crypto miners – also known as cryptojackers – are a form of malware that secretly exploit the computing power of infected devices to mine for cryptocurrency.
The process often goes undetected and the victim of the attack doesn't receive the cryptocurrency, which is sent to the malware operator, who is likely using a large network of infected devices to generate as much cryptocurrency as possible, without the cost of using their own computing power or electricity.
Nitrokod is distributed via free software download sites that researchers say can be found easily using search engines. The software downloads claim to be desktop versions of popular web applications even though they don't actually have desktop versions.
"The malware is dropped from applications that are popular, but don't have an actual desktop version such as Google Translate, keeping the malware versions in demand and exclusive," Check Point said.
But anyone who downloads these trojan applications will unwittingly find themselves infected with crypto-mining malware – but not for a month after the first download, due to a multi-stage process that delays the infection process to help ensure the attack isn't discovered.
The infection process begins when the application is downloaded via a web installer, which in turn downloads and runs a .exe installer that is used to maintain persistence on the infected machine, as well as sending information about it back to the attacker.
Five days after this, the next stage of the process delivers a dropper that monitors when the machine is restarted and, after the fourth instance, extracts another installer from an encrypted RAR file. Taking this multi-stage approach helps the malware avoid being detected in a sandbox set up by security researchers.
At this point, evidence of the previous stages are removed from log files to avoid the installation being tracked and a scheduled task is set up to trigger after 15 days.
At that point, another encrypted RAR file is downloaded that delivers another dropper, which in turn delivers another dropper from an encrypted file and executes it – installing the crypto miner on the infected PC, a month after the initial software download.
According to Check Point, the campaign stayed hidden under the radar for years and victims around the world have inadvertently infected their machines with malware.
"What's most interesting to me is the fact that the malicious software is so popular, yet went under the radar for so long," said Maya Horowitz, VP of research at Check Point Software.
Anyone who has downloaded the applications is urged to uninstall them and remove the malicious files. To avoid falling victim to this and other trojanised software downloads, it's recommended that users only download legitimate software from trusted websites.
While cryptojackers are arguably among the least damaging forms of malware, falling victim should still be considered a risk – particularly as the same methods used to install it could be exploited to install other, more damaging forms of malware, including ransomware and password-stealing trojans.
"Currently, the threat we identified was unknowingly installing a cryptocurrency miner, which steals computer resources and leverages them for the attacker to monetize on," said Horowitz.
"Using the same attack flow, the attacker can easily choose to alter the final payload of the attack, changing it from a crypto miner to, say, ransomware or banking Trojan," she added.
The Vivo Y35 launched in India with some notable specs such as 50MP camera, 44W charging and much more. Check out this smartphone under 20000 that packs 50MP camera, 44W charging support.
Vivo has launched a new Y-series smartphone in the Indian market. This smartphone under 20000 offers a number of benefits. The newly launched smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 chipset, 50MP triple camera setup and 44W fast charging support. At this price, the new Vivo Y35 competes with some other smartphones of this segment such as the Realme 9 5G, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro, and Vivo T1. Let's have a quick look at the price, specs and features of this latest budget smartphone.
Vivo Y35: Specs and features at a glance
The new Vivo Y35 smartphone features a 6.58-inch FHD+ water-drop notch screen, that offers a refresh rate of up to 90Hz. For security purposes, it has a side mounted fingerprint scanner and supports face unlock as well. It packs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 chipset coupled with 8GB RAM which is expandable to another RAM 3.0. It runs on Vivo's Funtouch OS 12 based on Android 12. The phone is powered by a 5000mAh battery which supports 44W of flash charging technology.
For photography, Vivo Y35 boasts a triple camera setup with a 50MP primary camera with f/1.8 aperture, coupled with two 2MP secondary sensors with f/2.4 aperture. While on the front, it comes with a 16MP selfie snapper with f/2.2 aperture.
Vivo Y35 Price
Vivo launched the new Y-series smartphone, Vivo Y35 in a single 8GB of RAM and 128GB storage variant at a price of Rs. 18,499. You can buy this phone from Vivo India e-store and across all partner retail stores. However, as part of the launch, you will be eligible to get Rs. 1000 cashback while using ICICI Bank, SBI, Kotak and OneCard until September 30, 2022. It is available in Agate Black and Dawn Gold colours.
Other smartphones with Snapdragon 680 chipset
The Qualcomm's Snapdragon 680 chipset is purpose-built for extended multimedia play, offering optimized gaming, brilliant photography, smooth streaming, and rich audio—all day. Other smartphones which packs the same chipset are Redmi Note 11, Realme 9i, latest Moto G42, and more.
Apple Event may unveil the Apple Watch 8 with the iPhone 13 Pro design cues. Here’s how it may look.
The iPhone 14 will surely seize the spotlight during the “Far Out” event - the Apple fall event on September 7. But the new AirPods Pro 2 and Apple Watch 8 are some of the other highlights that may be launched too and it looks like they will bring some exciting surprises for Apple fans. Leaks and rumours hint that Apple's update to the new Apple Watch 8 will include a new “Pro” model aimed at athletes, hikers, and all sports enthusiasts.
This premium, or we should say, rugged version of the Apple Watch Series 8 is expected to launch. It is expected to be launched along with the standard Apple Watch 8 and a low-cost Apple Watch SE this fall. Now, just ahead of the launch, a new report by AppleInsider claims that the new rugged version of Apple Watch Pro will have a flat screen and an updated exterior design. It is believed to be bigger and more rugged than the rest of the models - as mentioned before, it is intended for very active users. Let's delve into the details of what the new Apple Watch Series 8 Pro may look like.
Apple Watch Series 8 Pro expected design, features and more
A roundup of rumors on Apple Watch Series 8 Pro (rugged) model will be bigger by 7 percent than the largest standard Apple Watch model, AppleInsider said citing a Macotakara report. While another report mentioned the use of a 1.99-inch display. Surprisingly, the new version of the Watch will use a flat display with a metal casing just “like the iPhone 13 Pro”. However, this model may be available in a 47mm size only. Some previous reports claim that the Apple Watch Pro may include the use of an all-new design with the use of titanium for strength.
The Apple Watch 8 is expected to feature an S8 chip that is said to have the same specs as the S7. Earlier, Analyst Mark Gurman tipped that it may feature a dedicated body temperature sensor. The Pro model is tipped to get a price tag of around $900.
However, you will need to wait till the launch of the Apple Watch Series 8 along with iPhone 14 lineup on September 8 to see whether there is any truth in all these leaks.
According to Weibo user “Venom Warlock Marvin” AMD’s next-gen desktop CPU flagship Ryzen 9 7950X might have support to boost clocks up to 5.85 GHz.
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 16-core CPU might boost up to 5.85 GHz, which is the limit of the built-in Fmax frequency. This would be the highest frequency for TSMC N5 silicon thus far. To reach F-max, users can use one of the available AMD technologies, such as PBO (Precision Boost Overdrive). This technology increases the power limits depending on sensor data (temperature, power consumption or workload type).
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X up to 5.8 GHz (F-max), Source: Weibo
Importantly, for Ryzen 5000 series, the F-max frequency can still be modified with F-max Offset, meaning Ryzen 7000 series can still clock higher unless AMD somehow changed the underlying technology for Zen4 architecture. The F-max frequency of 5.85 GHz was first mentioned by Angstronomics in May this year. At the time, though, this frequency was not attached to any SKU.
AMD Ryzen 7000 F-max, Source: Angstronomics
The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X is a 16-core CPU featuring Zen4 micro architecture. It reportedly features two Durango CCDs with 16 cores codenamed “Persephone”. The leaker claims that the battle for the top CPUs will be between 7950X’s 5.85 GHz and i9-13900K supposedly boosting up to 5.8 GHz with Thermal Velocity Boost. The sample that was described by “Venom” is not the top bin CPU.
Along with those claims, leaker provided a screenshot featuring Ryzen 9 7950X CPU, which is not yet fully supported by the software. It shows 16 cores with core sped of 4848 MHz clock, but unclear under what workload. We can also see AVX512 support listed in the instructions.
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X up to 5.8 GHz, Source: Weibo
AMD is set to announce its Ryzen 7000 series tomorrow. AMD might not share all the details though, such as PBO/XFR capability for Zen4 desktop, but this information should become available once independent reviews are out in mid-September.
Washington [US], August 27 (ANI): Photo and video sharing platform Instagram's CEO Adam Mosseri and its social media team have refuted claims that their app is tracking location data and sharing it with followers looking for your exact location.
According to GSM Arena, a viral post claimed "a recent iOS update" has made it so that "people can now find your exact location from Instagram". This prompted several people to go into their phone's Instagram app settings and disable location permissions for the app. Instagram's Comms Twitter posted about the viral post, clarifying what Instagram's policies on location data are. They wrote, "People can manage Location Services via their device settings, and tag locations on their posts if they want to share that information."
In another tweet, they added, "To be clear, we don't share your location with others. Similar to other social media companies, we use a precise location for things like location tags and maps features."
Apart from that Mosseri explained that Instagram device location powers location tag features but the app won't a user's location with other people.
A viral Instagram post isn't always the best place to find reliable information, a verification of that information is vital. The original post never mentioned whether such a location feature was Instagram's doing, instead it refers to "a recent iOS update" with no basis, as per GSM Arena. (ANI)
Tech giant Apple is all set to launch its much-awaited product of the year-- iPhone 14. The company has announced its 'far out' event which will take place in September this year. During the event, the tech giant is expected to unveil new iPhones and other products as well. Meanwhile, ahead of the launch of the smartphone, the images and videos of the iPhone 14 are doing rounds on the internet. The images have been of both the back and front of the smartphone have been leaked online.
To kill the excitement of people, the iPhone 14 Pro will have the same design as the earlier Pro models. This year as well the iPhone 14 pro model will be dubbed into iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. However, the iPhone 14 Pro Max will have a larger screen this time. Not only iPhone 14 Pro Max will have a larger screen, but iPhone 14 Max will also come with a larger screen.
iPhone 14 Max is expected to replace the mini model as it created an impact on the sale of the SE models of smartphones.
Talking about the design of the iPhone 14 Pro, the leaked pictures reveal that the phone will have a slight change in terms of design and look. The upcoming phone has a notch style and has a pill-shaped in design.
On the other hand, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max are expected to come with a wide notch as same as iPhone 13 series. The phone now has slim bezels as compared to iPhone 13. The company is yet to reveal the details about the camera.
In the video, iPhone 14 can be seen in purple colour. It is expected that the company will introduce the phone in different colours.
The back panel of the smartphone consists of three cameras inside a square-shaped module just like the iPhone 13 pro. Rumours suggest that this time the tech giant will introduce iPhone 14 Pro models with a 48-megapixel primary camera.
People are eagerly waiting for the tech giant to officially unveil the features of the iPhone 14 series.
The Samsung S95B is an impressive OLED with high levels of brightness and, at times, very good picture performance. Its picture does need tweaking out the box, and the new smart interface feels like a step back rather than a step forward. Gamers will enjoy the level of features for a high-quality gaming experience.
ProcessorNeural Quantum Processor 4K for brightness/upscaling
Introduction
The Samsung S95B is one of the first in a new wave of OLED TVs to hit the market, aiming to take panel technology beyond its current limitations.
It’s a QD-OLED (which stands for Quantum Dot OLED), and the S95B and Sony’s A95K are the first TVs to adopt the panel technology. The panels are made by Samsung Display, an about turn for the South Korean company, who left the OLED market after one attempt to forge their own path with its QLED TVs.
QD-OLED does everything an OLED does but, it claims it can do it better. We were wowed by the A95K, but how does Samsung’s S95B fare?
Design
Thin panel screen
Elegant appearance
Stand with cable feature
I’ve read elsewhere that the S95B’s build quality isn’t as robust as the A95K’s. While it’s not as hefty I don’t feel the S95B’s construction is as diminished; the slight bendiness to the panel won’t play a factor unless you brush past with force.
From an aesthetic perspective, the S95B is an elegantly thin-looking TV. The panel is amazingly narrow in most areas, though the rear packaging that holds the processor, speakers and connections means the overall depth of the screen juts out at 39.9mm – by comparison, the LG G2 is 24.3mm.
With its thin bezel trim that frames the screen, the QE65S95B sports a minimalist sleek appearance from a head-on view. This is a superb-looking screen whether it’s on a stand or wall-mounted.
The stand takes a to the screen, but provides robust support. There are various areas in the back of the stand to route cables through and keep the rear area tidy, with the cover helping to conceal it. The S95B offers a tidy and neat installation for those who dislike cables trailing everywhere.
Interface
Sluggish smart remote
Lots of streaming apps
Free access to TV Plus channels
The new form of Tizen has graduated to a full-screen interface, and while I don’t mind the appearance as much as some, even though it does lack the simplicity of the previous version’s ‘shelves’. It’s easy enough to navigate, though it does feel as if some features take a few more presses to reach than they did before.
Two remotes are provided, one a standard, chunkier remote and the other is slim, slender and eco-friendly smart version that can be charged by ambient room light (or USB-C). Its face features minimal buttons with a navigational d-pad, shortcuts, voice control access, and quick buttons for opening apps such as Disney+ and Netflix. Curiously, there’s no support for checking the current battery life of the smart remote in the settings like there is on other Samsung sets.
Presses on the smart remote don’t produce a swift enough response on screen. Initially I thought I wasn’t pointing towards the right area on the TV. But even finding the sweet spot, it can still take a few jabs for it to respond. The normal battery-powered remote is much faster to navigate the interface by comparison.
The interface has been divided into five sections: Search, Ambient, Gaming, Media and Menu. Media has access to streaming apps; Gaming is full of cloud gaming services and is also where you can track what games/devices have been played.
Ambient features designs that act as a wallpaper in the TV’s Ambient+ mode, while Search is for browsing content on the Tizen platform (you can use the microphone on the remote to perform a voice search too). Menu is where the TV’s settings are found, as well as features such as Multi View.
Like LG’s webOS, the roster of apps that Samsung’s Tizen includes is wide and varied. All the big popular apps such as Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and Apple TV are here, as are all the UK catch-up and on-demand apps in their individual form. Samsung doesn’t support the Freeview Play umbrella, presenting its own TV Plus service as an alternative.
Samsung’s TV Plus is an Internet-based content service that is free to use and offers access to live and on-demand channels. The service differs slightly in different regions (due to rights issues), with around 100 channels to choose from that include CNN, Bloomberg, Comedy Hub, Tastemade and America’s Got Talent, which is an exclusive in the UK.
Features
Cloud gaming integration
Low input lag
Four HDMI 2.1 inputs
Like most new Samsung’s smart TVs, the S95B supports the SmartThings app that can be used as another means of operating the TV over the remote, and there’s also integration with services such as Ring, Arlo, Philips Hue and Nanoleaf.
If you have a SmartThings account it makes setting the TV up an easier and faster process, as it can carry over stored backups of previous Samsung TVs owned and restore them on the S95B.
With the Multi-View feature, two screens can be watched simultaneously. Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Samsung’s Bixby provide voice assistant support, and there’s Google Duo support if you have a webcam to connect to the TV.
When it comes to gaming there’s plenty for console and PC gamers to take in. ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) puts the S95B QD-OLED into its lowest latency state, and I measured latency at 9.2ms (at 60Hz). With VRR enabled that figure can drop for even more responsive gaming with compatible games up to 4K/120Hz.
HDMI VRR and AMD FreeSync Premium are supported for console and PC respectively, producing a more consistent visual performance. The Game Motion Plus mode adds a several seconds of latency but offers settings for reducing blur and judder and is best used with games that don’t require quick inputs like RPGs. The S95B also supports the Super Ultra Wide Game View feature for PC that changes the aspect ratio from 16:9 to widescreen 21:9 or 32:9.
With the Samsung Gaming Hub, the S95B includes the likes of Xbox Game Pass, Twitch, Google Stadia, Nvidia GeForce Now and (in the US) Amazon’s Luna cloud/subscription services.
ALLM and VRR are supported across all four HDMI 2.1 inputs, which brings flexibility in which device you want to plug to which input – eARC input is HDMI 3 for connecting a Dolby Atmos soundbar. There are two USB 2.0 ports (surprisingly no USB 3.0), ethernet, digital audio out, two satellites, antennae, and CI+ 1.4 slot. Wi-Fi (AirPlay 2, Chromecast, DLNA, Wireless Dex) and Bluetooth 5.2 cover the wireless options.
Picture Quality
Picture modes need tweaking out the box
Excellent black levels and good shadow detail
Expressive HDR performance (in the right mode)
Great viewing angles/reflective technology
Since QD-OLED was first announced, it was speculated it’d rectify the relative lack of brightness that OLED faces against its LCD counterparts, combining the black levels, contrast and pixel level control over the image with a higher brightness to produce a wider range of colours than ‘standard’ WRGB OLEDs (which LG manufactures) can do.
The difference between the Samsung S95B and the LG G2 isn’t massive in that respect. On a 10% HDR window I measured the S95B at a peak brightness of 1044 nits, but it’s enough to be the brightest OLED I’ve encountered. But brightness is only part of the recipe and there are other ingredients that go into the cooking. The Samsung S95B is enjoyable meal, but enjoying it does feel a little harder in certain areas.
The QE65S95B’s upscaling performance is consistent with Samsung’s QLEDs, which is to say it’s very good. HD broadcasts are supplied with good clarity and detail, the S95B is able to extract fine detail and good levels of sharpness that keep images looking natural and not overly processed. Allied with a punchy colour performance and varied complexions, it’s a bright and colourful image.
Detail levels can fall short in close ups of faces during Tipping Point on ITV, giving them a slightly soft and fuzzy look. In general textures are well conveyed, the S95B draws out finer details in clothing and food, with refined and clear edges that don’t produce any noticeable noise.
Upscaling of standard definition images is decent and watchable considering what the S95B QD-OLED is working with. There’s a shortfall of detail, clarity and sharpness in the drop to 480p broadcasts, with noise a more noticeable in the signal. You wouldn’t want to watch in SD too often, but it’s handled fairly well nonetheless.
Motion is still an area where Samsung trails behind Sony, Panasonic and LG. The Auto setting in the Auto Motion Clarity section is too strong with distracting stutter and judder right from the onset of the opening credits in 1917. There are artefacts noticeable with the hands of Lance Corporal Blake and Schofield as they exchange some bread, along with noise and pixelation around their rifles and around their helmets.
The Custom setting resolves motion in a better, smoother way with no noticeable artefacts. There’s some blurriness later in 1927 during faster camera pans, but it’s a much better performance overall.
With 4K HDR content, the Samsung S95B delivers some beautiful images, full of contrast and lovely, varied colours that look accurate. But I feel the S95B’s picture modes could be tuned slightly better. For instance, The Matrix Resurrections looks gorgeously colourful and saturated in the Standard picture preset, with details such as the blue tint of The Analyst’s glasses look really strong, but watching Star Trek Beyond in the same mode sees the reds and blues expressed a little too strongly.
Watch both films in Movie preset and Resurrections fares worse, its colours lacking punch and vim, while Beyond is more accurate and balanced. The Dark Knight Rises looks on point in Filmmaker mode but less so in Movie and the blue tilt in Standard skews the film’s more realistic photography towards a more garish look. A little bit finessing and fine-tuning is needed to get the best from the S95B’s picture.
Movie along with Filmmaker the most accurate out of the box, but there can be a shortage of shadow detail in the darkest parts of the image along with a lack of outright brightness that makes for a dim-looking image, which is most easily rectified by turning Contrast Enhancer up to High.
Watching Ridley Road on iPlayer in 4K HLG (Standard mode) and while its performance is undeniably colourful in places, the red/orange push to complexions are overcooked – every character looks like they’ve been sunbathing in Marbella. The G2 is more natural in appearance, in other scenes the S95B looks plainer than the G2, while LG’s OLED reveals more detail and looks a little sharper too. The S95B’s performance feels up and down at times.
Shadow detail is better conveyed on the S95B than it is on the G2 with V for Vendetta, but the advantage is slight, with further tweaking in the (Shadow Detail) settings needed to reveal the creases and lines of V’s cloak. Watching a stream of Birds of Prey (Prime Video, Filmmaker mode) and the QE65S95B looks the more accurate, especially with white, red and blue colours (the white door of Harley Quinn’s apartment has a strange blue tint on the LG).
When the S95B is firing on all cylinders, pictures look tremendous. Films like Allied and The Matrix Resurrections look great, with superb levels of detail, wringing out all the textures from the production design and costuming in both films, while faces are rendered razor sharp and clear. The stubble on Neo’s face is to the point where you can start counting the individual hairs.
Black levels have excellent depth and solidity, the extra headroom for brightness produces striking contrast in Super 8 (4K Blu-ray) helping colours pop off the screen, the explosions of the train wreck against the night sky are fabulously bright and colourful, and the lens flare shines bright. Viewing angles are superb, colours maintain their consistency better than on WRGB OLEDs at extreme angles, and the S95B’s Anti Reflection technology bats away most light sources and reflections from distracting what’s happening on screen.
Ultimately, it feels as if the S95B requires a few too many tweaks out the box to find the best picture, but when it’s in the right mood, the images the S95B delivers look fantastic.
Sound Quality
Good levels of detail, clarity and definition
Surprisingly big in scope
Struggles with bass
The S95B’s sound is surprisingly big in size, punchier and more impactful than the G2 with voices described with better clarity and solidity watching Moon Knight. There’s dynamism to the S95B’s 40W speaker setup that outclasses its restrained LG counterparts with better detail and definition. There’s Dolby Atmos support and its OTS (Object Tracking Sound) arrangement is not as clear or as sharp as Sony’s Acoustic Sound system, but it is not far off.
Where it struggles is dealing with bass. While the fights between Bane and Batman carry a good deal of weight with the punches, there were times when Bane speaking incurred distortion. Bass-heavy sequences in The Gray Man also produced some distortion, as did some scenes in Disney+ shows such as Hawkeye and She Hulk: Attorney At Law. It’s absolutely worth thinking about a soundbar to go with this TV.
There’s the option of two sound modes in Standard and Amplify, and the latter does offer a step up in loudness and detail, but the bass issue is present in both modes. On its own the S95B is capable, but the distortion is a distraction.
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Should you buy it?
For the brightest OLED yet The S95B is the brightest OLED we’ve tested and its picture quality is largely excellent but does require tweaking in its HDR modes.
If you want a more consistent picture performance In some regards the LG G2 is more consistent than the Samsung and the Sony A95K produces brilliant 4K HDR images and better motion processing. The S95B is very good but not the best.
Final Thoughts
As a new breed of TV, the Samsung S95B QD-OLED does impress but could use some more fine tuning to balance its picture modes with a little too much tweaking needed to get the best from the TV.
The audio performance is better than expected, though beset by distortion in the lower frequencies, while the new Tizen interface is sluggish in response. In the battle of the QD-OLEDs, the Samsung offers better value, especially for gamers. But for picture, the Sony A95K emerges ahead.
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How we test
We test every televisions we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Tested for a month
Tested with real world use
Benchmarked with discs and software
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FAQs
Does the Samsung S95B support Dolby Vision HDR?
Samsung does not support Dolby Vision on any of its TV models.
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As part of this mission, whenever we review a product we send the company a series of questions to help us gauge and make transparent the impact the device has on the environment.
We currently haven’t received answers to the questions on this product, but will update this page the moment we do. You can see a detailed breakdown of the questions we ask and why in our sustainability info page.
Jargon buster
QD-OLED
QD-OLED or Quantum Dot display is an emissive display that combines Quantum Dot colour technology and OLED-like contrast, viewing angles and perfect blacks. QD-OLED can also hit brighter overall and peak levels for HDR content
HDR10+
HDR10+ is a HDR format supported by Panasonic and Samsung as a free to use, open platform alternative to Dolby Vision. It adds dynamic metadata on top of the core HDR10 signal that tells a TV how it should adjust the brightness, colours and contrast of content for the most optimal picture quality.
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