Three OLED televisions are splitting the gaming-display conversation in September 2026: the LG G5, the Samsung S95F, and the Sony Bravia 8 II. All three chase the same buyer, someone running a PS5 Pro, an Xbox Series X, and possibly a docked Nintendo Switch 2 off the same set, who wants the lowest input lag and the highest refresh rate a living room TV can deliver. The catch is that these three panels solve the problem in different ways, and the gaps between them are large enough to change which console feels best on your couch. LG ships a four-layer Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel with four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports. Samsung counters with QD-OLED color volume and a nearly identical port count. Sony sticks with two HDMI 2.1 ports out of four total, a decision that reshapes how you’d wire a soundbar and two consoles at once. This comparison breaks down the specs, the independently tested benchmarks, the pricing as of September 10, 2026, and which television actually fits your setup.
Why These Three OLED TVs Lead the 2026 Gaming Display Race
Gaming TVs used to mean whatever set had the lowest input lag number in a spec sheet nobody checked. That changed once PS5 Pro, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch 2 all started shipping console-side VRR and 4K120 output as standard, not premium, features. A gaming TV in 2026 needs four things: HDMI 2.1 bandwidth that doesn’t bottleneck a console, a refresh rate that outpaces 120Hz console output with headroom for PC gaming, HDR handling that matches whichever format your favorite platform uses, and firmware-level input lag low enough that competitive titles feel responsive rather than mushy.
LG G5, Samsung S95F, and Sony Bravia 8 II all launched as 2025-generation flagships that are still the current top-tier OLED gaming option heading into late 2026, since none of the three manufacturers has shipped a direct successor yet. RTINGS, What Hi-Fi, TechRadar, Clubic, and PCGuide have all re-tested or re-reviewed these sets through mid-2026, and the picture that emerges is consistent: LG and Samsung are neck-and-neck on raw gaming spec sheets, while Sony trades HDMI 2.1 port count for its own processing and color science. That single HDMI decision is the biggest practical difference buyers run into, and it’s the reason this comparison spends as much time on port layout as it does on panel technology.
The keyword “lg g5 vs samsung s95f” pulls roughly 880 searches a month in the US alone, and it’s easy to see why. Both TVs sit at nearly identical price points, both claim 165Hz refresh rates, and both target the same PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X crowd. Sony’s Bravia 8 II gets pulled into the conversation constantly too, since RTINGS maintains a dedicated head-to-head comparison tool pitting the S95F directly against it. None of these three is a bad television. The differences that matter are narrower and more specific than “which one is better,” and that’s exactly where this guide is headed.
LG G5: Specs and Gaming Features
LG’s G5 is the first television in the Gallery series to ship with a four-layer Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel rather than the white-subpixel WOLED design LG used for a decade. The tandem structure stacks two OLED emission layers instead of one, and the practical result is a jump in peak brightness. One 2026 lab retest measured roughly 2,200 to 2,300 nits in a 10% HDR window, a figure that puts the G5 ahead of most OLEDs on the market, LG’s own prior generation included.
On the gaming side, the G5 ships with four HDMI 2.1 ports, and RTINGS’ review specifically notes that all four carry the full 48Gbps bandwidth, meaning there’s no “one good port and three compromised ones” tax to worry about. Every port supports 4K at up to 165Hz, VRR, and ALLM. LG pairs that with its Alpha 11 AI Processor Gen 2, runs webOS as the smart platform, and includes a dedicated Dolby Vision game mode, a detail What Hi-Fi called out specifically in its September 2026 re-test as a differentiator against Samsung’s set. Measured input lag came in around 9.2ms with the TV’s Boost setting engaged and 12.9ms without it, both comfortably inside the range competitive gamers look for.
Screen sizes run from 55 inches up through a 97-inch flagship model, with 55, 65, 77, 83, and 97-inch options available at retail. The 97-inch variant caps out at 120Hz rather than 165Hz, worth knowing if you’re chasing the highest refresh tier specifically. For anyone running a PS5 Pro and an Xbox Series X off the same set, the G5’s four full-bandwidth ports and Dolby Vision Gaming support make it the pick most reviewers point to first, and PCGuide’s write-up frames the connectivity as functionally unchanged and still class-leading versus the prior G4 generation.
Samsung S95F: Specs and Gaming Features
Samsung’s S95F sticks with QD-OLED, the quantum-dot-enhanced panel design Samsung has refined since 2022. Where LG chased brightness through a new panel structure, Samsung leaned on its NQ4 AI Gen 3 processor and quantum dot layer to push color volume and saturation, particularly in HDR content. Reviewers at Clubic and Mirlook both singled out the S95F’s color performance as the standout trait against its rivals, with Mirlook specifically calling it a future-proof choice for both PS5 Pro and high-end PC gaming rigs.
The gaming spec sheet mirrors LG’s almost feature for feature. Four HDMI 2.1 ports, all at full 48Gbps bandwidth, support 4K output up to 165Hz with VRR and ALLM active on every port. RTINGS’ review describes the S95F’s responsiveness in strong terms, noting incredibly low input lag up through its maximum 165Hz refresh rate and support for all three major VRR formats: HDMI Forum VRR, AMD FreeSync, and Nvidia G-Sync Compatible. A third-party summary of RTINGS’ lab data puts the measured figure at roughly 9.4 to 9.5ms, essentially a dead heat with the LG G5’s Boost-mode number.
Where the S95F loses ground is HDR format support. Samsung has never licensed Dolby Vision for its TVs, and the 2026 S95F carries that policy forward unchanged. RTINGS’ review states plainly that, like all Samsung TVs, the S95F skips Dolby Vision in favor of HDR10 and HDR10+. That matters specifically for Xbox Series X owners, since Xbox is the one major console with native Dolby Vision Gaming support, and S95F buyers running Xbox titles that support the format will fall back to standard HDR10 rendering instead. Samsung offers the S95F in 65-inch and 77-inch configurations broadly, with an 83-inch QA83S95F variant available through regional retailers. Samsung runs Tizen OS as its smart platform, the same interface Samsung has used across its TV lineup for years.
Sony Bravia 8 II: Specs and Gaming Features
Sony’s direct QD-OLED answer to the G5 and S95F is the Bravia 8 II, not the pricier Bravia 9 II, which RTINGS actually classifies as a QLED/LED set rather than an OLED. The 8 II uses a QD-OLED panel paired with Sony’s XR Processor in its 2026 edition, which adds what Sony markets as AI Scene Recognition for tone mapping. It ships in 55-inch and 65-inch configurations globally, with a 77-inch model available in the US market specifically.
The gaming spec sheet is where Sony pulls back. The Bravia 8 II has four HDMI ports total, but only two of them run at full HDMI 2.1 48Gbps bandwidth, the other two remain HDMI 2.0. Worse for anyone building a full home theater setup, one of those two HDMI 2.1 ports doubles as the eARC connection for a soundbar. Plug in an AV receiver or soundbar and you’re left with exactly one high-speed port for a console, meaning PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X owners can’t both get full-bandwidth 4K120 VRR simultaneously unless they add an HDMI 2.1-capable switcher. TechRadar’s comparison table calls this out directly, listing the Bravia 8 II’s HDMI count as “4 (2x HDMI 2.1)” against 4x HDMI 2.1 on both the LG and Samsung sets.
Refresh rate tells a similar story. The Bravia 8 II sits in the 120Hz class rather than matching the 165Hz ceiling LG and Samsung both hit, a meaningful gap for PC gamers chasing the highest refresh tier, though it’s a non-issue for console gaming since neither PS5 Pro nor Xbox Series X outputs above 120Hz anyway. Sony runs Google TV as its smart platform, a departure from Samsung’s Tizen and LG’s webOS that some buyers prefer for its broader app ecosystem and Google Cast integration. Sony’s Bravia lineup has carried Dolby Vision support across its high-end OLED sets for years, and the 8 II continues that positioning, giving Xbox owners the HDR format compatibility that Samsung’s S95F lacks, even with the more limited HDMI 2.1 port count.
Full Specs Comparison Table
| Spec | LG G5 | Samsung S95F | Sony Bravia 8 II |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panel type | 4-layer Primary RGB Tandem OLED | QD-OLED | QD-OLED |
| Screen sizes | 55, 65, 77, 83, 97″ | 65, 77, 83″ | 55, 65, 77″ (US) |
| Peak HDR brightness | ~2,200-2,300 nits (10% window) | Not independently disclosed in nits | Not independently disclosed in nits |
| Max refresh rate | 165Hz (120Hz on 97″) | 165Hz | 120Hz-class |
| HDMI 2.1 ports (48Gbps) | 4 of 4 | 4 of 4 | 2 of 4 (1 shared with eARC) |
| VRR support | HDMI VRR, FreeSync, G-Sync Compatible | HDMI VRR, FreeSync, G-Sync Compatible | HDMI Forum VRR |
| Measured input lag | ~9.2ms (Boost on) / 12.9ms (off) | ~9.4-9.5ms | Not independently published |
| Dolby Vision Gaming | Yes, dedicated game mode | No (HDR10, HDR10+, HLG only) | Yes, standard Bravia HDR support |
| Processor | Alpha 11 AI Processor Gen 2 | NQ4 AI Gen 3 | XR Processor (2026 Edition) |
| Smart platform | webOS | Tizen OS | Google TV |
| ALLM | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Launch MSRP (65″) | $3,399 | ~$3,300 | $3,299.99 |
HDMI 2.1 Ports and Console Compatibility
Every console generation eventually runs into a bandwidth wall, and HDMI 2.1’s 48Gbps ceiling is the current one. A PS5 Pro pushing 4K at 120Hz with VRR active needs the full pipe. So does an Xbox Series X running the same settings. Plug either into a port that’s secretly HDMI 2.0 dressed up in a 2.1 shell, a trick some budget TVs still pull, and you’ll lose either the resolution, the frame rate, or VRR entirely without any warning on screen.
LG and Samsung solve this the expensive way: four ports, all full bandwidth, no compromises regardless of which port you plug into. That means a PS5 Pro, an Xbox Series X, a docked Nintendo Switch 2, and a PC can all live on the same TV simultaneously, each one getting full 4K120 VRR without fighting over a single “good” port. It’s a genuinely meaningful advantage for anyone running a multi-console setup, which describes a large share of the audience actually shopping in this price bracket.
Sony’s math is different. Two full-bandwidth ports sounds fine until you remember that one of them typically also carries eARC duty for a soundbar or AV receiver. Add a soundbar to a Bravia 8 II and you’ve effectively got one HDMI 2.1 port left for consoles. Most households running a Bravia 8 II with a soundbar end up hard-choosing which console gets the full-bandwidth treatment and which one runs at a lower refresh rate or drops VRR through the remaining HDMI 2.0 port. It’s not a dealbreaker for single-console households, but it’s a real limitation for anyone with a PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X in the same entertainment center, and TechRadar’s side-by-side testing flagged it as the clearest practical differentiator in the entire comparison.
Input Lag and Refresh Rate Benchmarks
Benchmark numbers from three independent testing sources tell a consistent story. RTINGS’ lab measurements, later summarized by a third-party comparison site, put the Samsung S95F at roughly 9.4 to 9.5ms of input lag at its maximum 165Hz refresh rate. A separate 2026 retest of the LG G5 measured 9.2ms with the TV’s Boost input-lag setting active, climbing to 12.9ms with Boost disabled. Both numbers sit well under the 20ms threshold most competitive gamers treat as the ceiling for responsive play, and the gap between LG’s best-case and Samsung’s measured figure is functionally a rounding error, roughly two-tenths of a millisecond.
Refresh rate is where the real split shows up. LG and Samsung both cap out at 165Hz across all four HDMI 2.1 ports, a spec aimed squarely at PC gamers running a high-end graphics card rather than console owners, since neither the PS5 Pro nor Xbox Series X outputs above 120Hz. Sony’s Bravia 8 II sits in the 120Hz class instead, which RTINGS and other reviewers describe as solid for gaming without matching the headline number LG and Samsung advertise. For a PS5 Pro or Xbox Series X-only household, that 120Hz ceiling changes nothing in practice. For anyone who also games on PC or is future-proofing against a hypothetical next-gen console with a higher output ceiling, the 165Hz sets have real headroom the Bravia doesn’t.
VRR support follows a similar pattern. Both LG and Samsung support all three major variable refresh rate standards, meaning they’ll sync properly whether the source is a PS5 Pro’s native VRR implementation, an Nvidia G-Sync-certified PC, or an AMD FreeSync graphics card. Sony’s Bravia 8 II supports HDMI Forum VRR, which covers PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X output, but detailed public confirmation of FreeSync or G-Sync Compatible certification is thinner in the available review data, which matters more for PC-first buyers than console-only households.
HDR and Dolby Vision Gaming Support
HDR format support turns out to be the single most polarizing spec in this comparison, and it splits cleanly along console lines. Xbox Series X is the only major console with native Dolby Vision Gaming support, a format that adds dynamic, scene-by-scene metadata on top of standard HDR10’s static baseline. LG’s G5 ships with a dedicated Dolby Vision game mode, something What Hi-Fi specifically flagged in its September 2026 re-review as a gaming-relevant feature most rivals skip. Sony’s Bravia 8 II also carries Dolby Vision support across its Bravia lineup, continuing a policy Sony has maintained for years on its higher-end OLED sets.
Samsung is the outlier, and deliberately so. RTINGS’ S95F review states directly that the TV skips Dolby Vision entirely, just like every other Samsung television, relying instead on HDR10 and Samsung’s own HDR10+ format. That’s a real consideration for anyone whose game library leans Xbox, since Dolby Vision Gaming titles will fall back to standard HDR10 rendering on an S95F, losing the scene-by-scene brightness and color metadata Dolby Vision provides. For PS5 Pro owners, this matters far less, since PlayStation’s ecosystem has never supported Dolby Vision Gaming and relies on HDR10 across the board, meaning the S95F’s HDR ceiling and the PS5 Pro’s HDR output line up perfectly regardless of the missing format.
None of this makes the S95F a worse HDR performer in absolute terms. Reviewers at Clubic and Mirlook both praised the set’s color volume and brightness in HDR10 content specifically, crediting the QD-OLED panel’s quantum dot layer for wider color coverage than a traditional OLED delivers. The takeaway isn’t that Samsung’s HDR is weak, it’s that the format compatibility question depends entirely on which console dominates your library, and Xbox owners specifically should weigh that gap before buying.
Panel Technology: RGB Tandem OLED vs QD-OLED Explained
Both panel technologies solve the same core OLED weakness, limited peak brightness, using different chemistry. Traditional WOLED panels, which LG used for a decade before the G5, layer a white OLED emitter under a color filter, which throws away a meaningful chunk of light output in the filtering process. LG’s answer in the G5 is a four-layer Primary RGB Tandem structure that stacks two separate OLED emission layers, red-green-blue and again red-green-blue, doubling the light-generating material without doubling the filter losses. The result, per independent lab testing, is a jump to roughly 2,200 to 2,300 nits in a 10% HDR window, among the brightest OLED figures on the market as of September 2026.
Samsung and Sony both use QD-OLED instead, a design Samsung Display pioneered and now supplies to both companies’ TV divisions. QD-OLED replaces the white-plus-color-filter approach with a blue OLED emitter layer topped by a quantum dot layer that converts blue light into pure red and green wavelengths. That process loses less light than traditional color filtering and produces a much wider color volume, which is why Clubic and Mirlook both zeroed in on the S95F’s color performance as its calling card. The tradeoff historically has been peak brightness ceiling versus WOLED-based designs, though Samsung’s NQ4 AI Gen 3 processor and panel refinements have narrowed that gap significantly in the S95F generation.
For gaming specifically, the panel technology debate matters less than the marketing suggests. Both RGB Tandem OLED and QD-OLED deliver near-instant pixel response times, which is the actual driver behind low input lag and motion clarity, not the color-generation method. The measured input lag numbers bear this out: LG’s Tandem panel and Samsung’s QD-OLED panel land within two-tenths of a millisecond of each other. Buyers chasing the best gaming responsiveness can treat panel technology as a wash and focus on the HDMI port layout and HDR format support instead, since those are the specs that actually create daylight between these three sets.
Pricing Comparison: Launch vs September 2026 Street Prices
| Model / Size | Launch MSRP | September 2026 Price | Discount |
|---|---|---|---|
| LG G5 55″ | $2,499 | Discounted below MSRP at major sale events | Varies by retailer |
| LG G5 65″ | $3,399 | Discounted below MSRP at major sale events | Varies by retailer |
| LG G5 77″ | $4,499 | $2,999.99 (Best Buy, Sept 2026) | ~33% off MSRP |
| Samsung S95F 55″ | ~$2,300 | Discounted below MSRP at major sale events | Varies by retailer |
| Samsung S95F 65″ | ~$3,300 | Discounted below MSRP at major sale events | Varies by retailer |
| Samsung S95F 77″ | ~$4,500 | UK equivalent dropped from £3,399 to £1,879 | ~45% off (UK market) |
| Sony Bravia 8 II 65″ | $3,299.99 | $2,499.99 (Sony US store, Aug 2026) | ~24% off MSRP |
| Sony Bravia 9 II 65″ (context, non-OLED) | N/A | $3,600 | N/A |
Pricing across all three lines follows the pattern typical of second-half-of-cycle flagship OLEDs: none of the launch MSRPs from early-to-mid 2025 have held, and by September 2026 all three brands are running meaningful promotions ahead of the next generation’s expected reveal. LG’s 77-inch G5 dropping to $2,999.99 at Best Buy represents roughly a third off its $4,499 launch price, making the largest available size the most aggressively discounted option in the lineup. Samsung’s UK pricing data shows an even steeper cut, with the S95F falling from a launch-equivalent £3,399 to £1,879 by late July 2026, a discount of close to 45%.
Sony’s Bravia 8 II shows the smallest percentage discount of the three at its most commonly cited size, with Sony’s own US storefront cutting the 65-inch model from $3,299.99 to $2,499.99, a reduction of about 24%. That’s still a meaningful markdown, but it means the Bravia 8 II holds its value closer to MSRP than either competitor, likely reflecting Sony’s smaller production volume and narrower retail distribution compared to LG and Samsung’s mass-market push. Shoppers comparing all three at the 65-inch size in September 2026 will typically find LG and Samsung trading blows in the same $2,500-$3,000 discounted range, with Sony’s Bravia 8 II landing in a similar band once its own sale pricing kicks in, making size and specific retailer promotions the deciding factor more than brand-level pricing strategy.
Real-World Gaming Examples Across All Three TVs
- Competitive shooters at 165Hz. A PC gamer running Counter-Strike 2 or Valorant at 165Hz benefits directly from the LG G5 or Samsung S95F’s full refresh ceiling, something the Bravia 8 II’s 120Hz-class panel can’t match regardless of GPU horsepower behind it.
- Xbox Series X Dolby Vision titles. Games that ship with Dolby Vision Gaming metadata render their intended dynamic HDR range correctly on the LG G5 or Sony Bravia 8 II, while a Samsung S95F falls back to standard HDR10 for the same content.
- PS5 Pro HDR10 gaming. Since PlayStation’s entire ecosystem runs on HDR10 rather than Dolby Vision, PS5 Pro owners see zero practical HDR compatibility difference between any of the three TVs, making price and port layout the deciding factors instead.
- Multi-console households running a soundbar. A living room with a PS5 Pro, an Xbox Series X, and a soundbar hits the Sony Bravia 8 II’s HDMI limitation immediately, since the soundbar’s eARC connection consumes one of only two full-bandwidth ports, leaving one console on a compromised HDMI 2.0 connection.
- Nintendo Switch 2 docked play. Switch 2’s docked output tops out well under any of these TVs’ refresh ceilings, so all three deliver equivalent results for Nintendo’s console specifically, making this use case a non-factor in the buying decision.
- HDR-heavy single-player games. Titles built around rich, high-contrast HDR scenes benefit most from the Samsung S95F’s QD-OLED color volume, which reviewers at Clubic and Mirlook both cited as the panel’s standout trait even without Dolby Vision support.
Migration Guide: Switching From an Older Gaming TV or Monitor
Moving from an older 4K60 television, or from a dedicated gaming monitor, to any of these three sets involves the same basic checklist, though the order matters if you want to avoid buying the wrong TV for your actual setup.
- Step 1: Audit your HDMI cable inventory. Full-bandwidth 48Gbps HDMI 2.1 requires certified Ultra High Speed HDMI cables. Cables rated for older HDMI 2.0 gear will bottleneck a PS5 Pro or Xbox Series X even on a fully capable port.
- Step 2: Count your simultaneous sources. If you’re running two consoles plus a soundbar or AV receiver, the Sony Bravia 8 II’s two-port HDMI 2.1 limitation becomes a real constraint. LG and Samsung’s four-port layout avoids this entirely.
- Step 3: Check which HDR format your library favors. Xbox-heavy libraries benefit from Dolby Vision Gaming support on the LG G5 or Sony Bravia 8 II. PlayStation-only households can ignore this factor entirely.
- Step 4: Enable Game Mode and the correct input-lag preset immediately. LG’s Boost setting cut measured input lag from 12.9ms to 9.2ms in independent testing, a difference worth activating on day one rather than discovering months later.
- Step 5: Set VRR and ALLM to automatic in the console’s display settings. All three TVs support ALLM, which should switch the set into low-latency Game Mode automatically the moment a console boots, removing the need to toggle picture modes manually.
- Step 6: Recalibrate HDR brightness targets in-game. Console HDR calibration menus assume specific peak brightness figures. Since the LG G5 measures brighter than most WOLED predecessors, replaying each game’s HDR calibration screen after the TV swap prevents blown-out highlights.
- Step 7: Update console firmware before the first HDMI handshake. Both Sony and Microsoft have shipped firmware updates through 2026 specifically improving VRR handshake reliability with newer TV panels, and updating first avoids troubleshooting a problem that a patch already fixed.
LG G5 Pros and Cons
Pros: Four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports with no compromises across any of them. Class-leading peak brightness from the new RGB Tandem panel. Dedicated Dolby Vision game mode, a genuine advantage for Xbox Series X owners. Sub-10ms measured input lag with Boost enabled. Widest size range of the three, from 55 up to 97 inches.
Cons: Premium pricing that tracks closely with Samsung’s flagship rather than undercutting it. The 97-inch model drops to 120Hz, losing the headline refresh spec at the largest size. webOS’s ad-supported home screen draws mixed reactions from reviewers compared to rival smart platforms.
Samsung S95F Pros and Cons
Pros: Four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports matching LG’s layout. Best-in-class color volume from the QD-OLED panel and NQ4 AI Gen 3 processor, according to Clubic and Mirlook’s independent testing. Measured input lag essentially tied with the LG G5 at roughly 9.4-9.5ms. Steepest observed price cuts of the three sets by September 2026.
Cons: No Dolby Vision support at all, a real gap for Xbox Series X owners whose game library includes Dolby Vision Gaming titles. Peak brightness in nits isn’t independently disclosed in the sources reviewed here, making a direct brightness comparison against the G5 harder to verify. Smaller size range than LG, with no confirmed sub-65-inch flagship model in most markets.
Sony Bravia 8 II Pros and Cons
Pros: Dolby Vision support carried over from Sony’s long-standing Bravia HDR strategy, covering Xbox Series X’s Dolby Vision Gaming titles. Google TV smart platform offers a broader app and Cast ecosystem than Tizen or webOS for some households. Sony’s processing and color science have a loyal following among home theater enthusiasts, independent of the gaming-specific spec sheet.
Cons: Only two of four HDMI ports run at full HDMI 2.1 48Gbps bandwidth, and one of those doubles as the eARC connection, effectively limiting multi-console-plus-soundbar setups to a single full-bandwidth port. Refresh rate tops out in the 120Hz class rather than matching the 165Hz ceiling on LG and Samsung’s flagships. Smallest confirmed size range of the three, with the 77-inch model limited to the US market. Independent, publicly cited input-lag figures in milliseconds are thinner than what’s available for the LG and Samsung sets.
Use-Case Recommendations: Which TV Fits Your Setup
- Multi-console household with a soundbar: Choose the LG G5 or Samsung S95F. Both provide four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports, so a soundbar’s eARC connection never forces a console onto a compromised port.
- Primarily Xbox Series X library: Choose the LG G5. Its dedicated Dolby Vision game mode delivers the full dynamic HDR experience Xbox’s Dolby Vision Gaming titles are built around, something Samsung’s S95F cannot replicate.
- Primarily PS5 Pro library with a tight budget: Choose whichever of the three is discounted deepest at the time of purchase. PlayStation’s HDR10-only ecosystem means the Dolby Vision gap is irrelevant, so price becomes the deciding factor.
- PC gaming alongside console gaming: Choose the LG G5 or Samsung S95F. Their 165Hz ceiling and triple-VRR-format support give PC gamers headroom the Bravia 8 II’s 120Hz-class panel doesn’t offer.
- HDR-focused single-player gaming and movies: Choose the Samsung S95F. Its QD-OLED color volume drew specific praise from Clubic and Mirlook for HDR10 content, and that same panel benefits cinematic gaming just as much as film and TV.
- Sony ecosystem loyalists with a single console: Choose the Sony Bravia 8 II. Its two-port HDMI 2.1 limitation is a non-issue for a single-console, no-soundbar setup, and it delivers Sony’s processing strengths alongside solid gaming fundamentals.
The Verdict: Which Gaming TV Wins in 2026
On raw gaming specifications, the LG G5 and Samsung S95F are effectively tied, and the data backs that up directly. Input lag lands within two-tenths of a millisecond of each other, both hit 165Hz across all four HDMI 2.1 ports, and both support the full trio of VRR standards. The decision between them comes down to two factors that have nothing to do with panel technology: whether your game library includes Dolby Vision Gaming titles, which tips the scale to LG, and whether HDR color volume in non-Dolby-Vision content matters more to you, which tips it to Samsung. For most Xbox Series X owners specifically, the G5’s dedicated Dolby Vision game mode is the deciding spec.
Sony’s Bravia 8 II is the harder sell purely on the numbers, not because it’s a bad television, but because its two-port HDMI 2.1 layout is a genuine functional limitation for the multi-console-plus-soundbar households this price bracket typically serves. A single-console living room won’t notice the gap. A household juggling a PS5 Pro, an Xbox Series X, and a soundbar will hit it on day one. Combined with a 120Hz-class refresh ceiling instead of 165Hz, the Bravia 8 II reads as the choice for Sony ecosystem loyalists and simpler setups rather than the default pick for gaming-first buyers comparing all three from scratch.
Pricing tips things further toward LG and Samsung by September 2026, with both showing steeper percentage discounts off launch MSRP than Sony’s Bravia 8 II. For a buyer with no strong brand loyalty, comparing all three at the same screen size and waiting for a sale event puts the LG G5 or Samsung S95F ahead on both specs and value, with the final call coming down to Dolby Vision support versus HDR color volume based on which consoles and games actually fill your library.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the LG G5 or Samsung S95F better for gaming?
Both measure within two-tenths of a millisecond of each other on input lag and both support 165Hz across all four HDMI 2.1 ports. The LG G5 adds a dedicated Dolby Vision game mode that benefits Xbox Series X owners specifically, while the Samsung S95F’s QD-OLED panel delivers stronger HDR10 color volume according to independent reviewers at Clubic and Mirlook.
Does the Samsung S95F support Dolby Vision in 2026?
No. RTINGS’ review confirms the S95F skips Dolby Vision entirely, continuing Samsung’s long-standing policy across its entire TV lineup, and relies on HDR10 and HDR10+ instead.
How many HDMI 2.1 ports does the Sony Bravia 8 II have?
Two of its four total HDMI ports run at full HDMI 2.1 48Gbps bandwidth, with the other two remaining HDMI 2.0. One of the two HDMI 2.1 ports also serves as the eARC connection for a soundbar, leaving effectively one high-speed port free for a console in a home theater setup.
Can these TVs run PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X at the same time at full specs?
On the LG G5 and Samsung S95F, yes, since all four HDMI 2.1 ports carry full 48Gbps bandwidth. On the Sony Bravia 8 II, only if you skip a soundbar’s eARC connection, since that connection typically consumes one of just two full-bandwidth ports.
Do PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X actually output at 165Hz?
No. Both consoles top out at 4K120 output. The 165Hz ceiling on the LG G5 and Samsung S95F is aimed at PC gaming rather than either console, though it adds headroom that doesn’t hurt console performance in any way.
What’s the difference between Sony Bravia 8 II and Bravia 9 II?
The Bravia 8 II uses a QD-OLED panel and is Sony’s direct gaming-focused competitor to the LG G5 and Samsung S95F. The Bravia 9 II is a separate, pricier tier that RTINGS classifies as a QLED/LED television rather than an OLED, positioned more toward brightness and mixed movie-and-gaming use than as a direct OLED gaming rival.
Which of these three TVs has dropped the most in price by September 2026?
Samsung’s S95F shows the steepest observed discount, with UK pricing data showing a drop from a launch-equivalent £3,399 to £1,879, close to a 45% cut. LG’s 77-inch G5 fell roughly 33% at Best Buy, from $4,499 to $2,999.99. Sony’s Bravia 8 II showed a smaller cut of about 24% on its 65-inch model through Sony’s own US store.
Is a 165Hz gaming TV worth it if I only own consoles?
Not for refresh rate alone, since no current console outputs above 120Hz. It’s still worth considering if you also game on PC, plan to keep the TV through a future console generation, or simply want the input-lag and VRR benefits that tend to come bundled with the higher-tier panels offering 165Hz support.