Samsung showed off an impressive line of Micro RGB TVs at CES 2026 earlier this year, in sizes up to its massive 130-incher! But one of the most accessible in the line is the R85H series TV, which comes in 55-, 65-, 75-, and 85-inch screen sizes. I had the chance to review the 65-inch Samsung R85H Micro RGB TV at Samsung Canada’s headquarters in Toronto. While I didn’t have it set up at my home, I was able to replicate the setting as best as possible.
The showroom is much bigger than my living room, of course, but the TV was on a stand at eye level, as it would be at home. I pulled up a comfortable chair to sit at the proper viewing distance. And I spent several hours relaxing and watching. I had full capabilities to adjust settings, watch different types of content, crank up the volume, and play around with the UI.
What is Micro RGB?
First, it’s important to understand the difference between Micro RGB TVs and other TV types. Micro RGB TVs have individual red, green, and blue LED backlights behind the panel, each emitting light independently. The result is better contrast, colour, brightness, and local dimming. It’s the same idea as Mini-LED TVs, except the backlights are even smaller in size to achieve greater precision. Samsung markets its Mini-LED TVs under the Neo QLED name, improving on traditional QLED by introducing Mini-LED backlighting.
The Samsung R85H Micro RGB TV puts certification behind its claims, verified by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) standard VDE to achieve 100% coverage of the BT.2020 colour area.
Is the Samsung R85H Micro RGB TV right for your home?
Here’s my evaluation of the TV based on the most important aspects and key benefits of Micro RGB TVs.
Colour accuracy and contrast: Beauty shines through
Driven by the Micro RGB AI Engine, Samsung promises “lifelike colour with exceptional depth and vibrancy.” It recognizes scenes with dull colours and intelligently enhances them using features like Micro RGB Color Booster Pro. Bright highlights are added to the equation using Micro RGB HDR+. The TV also supports HDR10+, the royalty-free standard that rivals Dolby Vision 2.
I found that colours are wonderfully produced with natural and realistic skin tones, dark blacks, and good contrast in scenes, like one when lights come through a window in The Night Agent, which I watched streaming in 4K on Netflix. In another scene, the brightness of a blazing fire is nicely contrasted by the dark of night outside. In a brighter flashback scene, colours don’t appear blown out. Compared to OLED TVs, including Samsung’s own models I had the chance to demo in New Jersey in 2025, black levels aren’t quite as deep and intense. But they’re a cut above traditional LED TVs.
Enhanced clarity: Crisp and clear
Overall, the picture was crisp and clear. Facial details were natural, realistic, and detailed, right down to flyaway hairs surrounding a character’s face. During a dark scene with an explosion in The Night Agent, I got a sense of not just clarity but depth as well, like I was right there in the action.
In an episode of the much brighter and more light-hearted series Love on the Spectrum, a scene showing a close-up of a bee pollinating a flower was beautifully in focus, every intricate detail on the insect detectable. In another scene, blades of grass in the foreground look like they’re right in front of you in the room. I viewed animated content as well, including scenes from Shrek, and the picture was sharp such that I could see intricate hairs in Donkey’s fur and every nuance of the green ogre’s lovable face.
Of course, not everything you watch is going to be in 4K. So, I put on classic content from Samsung TV Plus to see how this would look as well. The old westerns were impressive, likely thanks to the AI magic of Auto HDR Remastering. While the picture expectedly wasn’t as clear or detailed as modern-day content, the experience was better than I expected. I didn’t see as much pixilation as is often the case when watching old sitcoms, westerns, or other low-res content, especially on screens as big as this one.
Brightness: Beautiful scene rendering
Back to Love on the Spectrum, I flipped right to a scene I had watched at home that I know has close-ups of a lovely, colourful garden on a sunny day. From the cast members’ loud shirts to flowers of all colours, they were beautifully rendered, popping from the screen as though I was looking out a window to the scene of a beautiful spring day.
In Spider-Man: Far From Home, there are two scenes that demonstrated this TV’s ability to handle high brightness without washing out an image: one where Tom Holland is sitting on a roof and a light illuminates behind him, and another when he’s in his bedroom with light coming through the window onto his crisp white shirt. I was impressed.
Wide-angle viewing: Decent off-axis performance
The step-up Samsung R95H Micro RGB TV boasts a Glare-Free panel, and looking at them side-by-side, which I had the chance to do (stay tuned for my comparison), there’s a noticeable difference when viewing off-axis. The R95H does a much better job. But the R85H still has pretty good wide viewing angles such that you can sit off axis on either side and comfortably still see the picture. You may notice some reflections if you’re in a well-lit room with pot lights (as the one I was in) or nearby a window with the curtains or shades open during the day. But you can adjust your room’s settings to accommodate.
The design and navigation: Sleek and slim
Samsung has a reputation for producing gorgeous-looking TVs, and this one is no exception. It has a “bezel-less” look with more screen-to-body ratio and a 2-inch thin frame so it can sit flush to the wall using the Slim Fit Wall Mount. You can also place it on a stand, as was the setup with the unit I reviewed, and it still looks sleek. You can access the Samsung Art Store, previously only reserved for The Frame TVs, for displaying works of art when it’s off.
The menu is easy to navigate, the intuitive remote comfortable and lightweight in the hand. It has logically placed buttons and raised up/down toggles for volume and channel control. Convenient hot keys instantly open popular streaming services, and there’s a one-touch button for an AI voice assistant.
Motion: Smooth in action, sports, gaming
The inclusion of the up to 144Hz refresh rate should provide a smooth picture with no blur or lag, even with fast-moving action movie scenes, sports, and gaming. Is this the case? I found it was, with no evident motion blur in any of the scenes I watched. Even in challenging scenes like with Spider-Man flying through the air at warp speed, or car chases and intense fights in The Night Agent, the TV handled motion quite well.
Audio: Immersive enough until you upgrade
Dolby Atmos audio provides a sense of realism, even without separate speakers or a sound bar. Once you’re ready to enhance audio, combine up to five Samsung speakers with the TV using Q-Symphony for seamlessly synced sound. I listened from the TV’s built-in speakers alone, cranking the volume to a level I might listen at home.
From the clangs and bangs in scenes of The Night Agent and Spider-Man: Far From Home, to the subtle sounds of Spider-Man’s webs shooting from his hands, water splashing, or rain pouring in a Love on the Spectrum scene, it was immersive and engaging. What I especially appreciated was how balanced background audio was with dialogue, a pain point I often deal with at home. Keep in mind that you can tweak the balance in settings or use features within other home theatre gear as well.
Screen sizes: go big
This Micro RGB TV comes in a wide range of sizes. The fact that Samsung has Micro RGB TVs as big as 115 inches and even showed off a 130-inch model at CES 2026 solidifies how crisp and clear the picture is with this TV type, even at such massive screen sizes. While I reviewed the smaller 65-inch model, I was able to see the 115-incher at CES and another event in Toronto, the 130-inch Samsung TV at CES. Both were, in a word, stunning.
AI integration: Features sports lovers will appreciate
Samsung Vision AI Companion includes large language model (LLM) powered intelligence and natural conversation with the Bixby assistant. Access Microsoft Copilot and Perplexity as well.
Standout features include AI Soccer Mode, specially designed to enhance the experience while watching sports. AI Soccer Mode recognizes the game via the ball, playing field, and crowd and boosts colours and sounds, like the roar of the fans or the voice of the commentator. You can also independently control voices, music, and sound effects. Maybe you want to quiet the commentator or remove the sound of the crowd so you can focus on the in-game action.
I did not test this feature during this review. But I have witnessed several demos, including at Samsung’s exhibit at CES 2026 and a quieter, more recent demo in Toronto where I saw it in action on one of the company’s new Neo QLED TVs. There’s a noticeable difference in brightness, and the sound adjustments really provide a stadium feel. It allows you to focus on the parts of the game that are most important to you. Note that you need to disable default AI mode for this to work, and it currently only works when listening through the TV’s built-in speakers or a Samsung-connected soundbar. But it works across various providers and apps.
Smart TV OS: Intuitive with extras
The Samsung R85H Micro RGB TV, like all other Samsung smart TVs, runs the One UI Tizen OS, one of the most popular smart TV operating systems, with access to all your favourite streaming apps plus Samsung TV Plus with free streaming channels, and Samsung Gaming Hub. With up to seven years of OS updates, there’s reassurance that the smart TV interface will be supported with new features for years to come.
If you have used Samsung TVs in the past, you’ll be familiar with the Tizen OS. It’s simple to navigate, scrolling through menus with convenient features like a “now playing” window to quickly go back to what you were last watching. It’s easy to source content all in one convenient place.
Who should buy the Samsung R85H Micro RGB TV?
The Samsung R85H Micro RGB TV is a good option for those who want the latest and greatest TV type. It’s a step-up from Samsung’s Neo QLED models with richer colours, better contrast and brightness thanks to the micro-sized pixels that allow for more precise control. You won’t get black levels that are as deep as with OLED, but Micro RGB is a good option for those who watch a variety of content in different ambient lighting conditions, day and night.
It can keep up with fast-moving action, even gaming. The sound is immersive enough that you can make-do with the built-in speakers until you’re ready to invest in a sound bar or surround sound speaker system. The AI features will come in handy, especially if you have other Samsung smart products and want the display to be the smart hub of your home.
If you’re looking for something suitable for intense gaming with a glare-free screen for brighter environments, you can step up to the Samsung R95H, but it’s twice the price. For everyday family viewing in a primary room like the living room, the Samsung R85H Micro RGB TV is a solid choice that balances picture quality and performance with budget, and gives you the best new technology, to boot.
