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Brightness and Contrast

To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

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Samsung M9 M90SF — (Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The M9 doesn’t include variable brightness for SDR content. That means full white field patterns measure the same as 25% windows. Samsung rates the panel at 250 nits, and I confirmed that with a 260-nit result. There is a Contrast Enhancer option in Expert Settings that tweaks dynamic range, but it doesn’t increase peak output. Black levels and contrast are unmeasurable in any case.

After Calibration to 200 nits

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Calibration was a simple matter of adjusting the peak to 200 nits and setting gamma to BT.1886 +1. This did not change black levels or contrast, which were still unmeasurable. The ANSI test yielded the same result.

Test Takeaway: The M9 delivers the same infinite contrast I’ve observed from all OLED displays. Black levels cannot be measured, so the difference is only in peak output. That is also about average for monitors with constant brightness at just over 260 nits. This is the same excellent performance that you will find from any OLED monitor.

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Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.