Samsung's new flagship OLED TV has a secret simultaneous upgrade and downgrade

Samsung has just unveiled its new OLED TVs at CES 2026, including the flagship Samsung S95H OLED TV.

Like the previous model, this comes in 55, 65, 77 and 83-inch sizes, and Samsung is promising that it's up to 35% brighter than the previous Samsung S95F, which was already the brightest OLED TV on the market. It'll have a new generation of image processor to help improve the picture, too.

It'll also have a metal frame around the bezel, and will support Samsung's Art Mode – a first for the company's OLED TVs.

But one of the most notable changes is much more hidden: Samsung confirmed to me that the new model will no longer use the One Connect box by default. This is an external box that housed the processing, power management and connections for the TV, with a single cable running over to the screen itself.

This gave the TV a beautifully slim frame, and made it great for wall-mounting, since just a single cable running to the display.

Instead, the new model will just have the connections on back, like most TVs do.

It's a real shame to lose this for people who were looking for a super-neat solution, and if Samsung keeps the same price for the S95H as for the S95F, this feels like a downgrade in value.

However, some PC enthusiasts will welcome the change, since the One Connect box has an HDMI bandwidth limitation that could be a problem in some cases (though made no difference for general TV use).

Samsung taketh, but Samsung giveth

But it's not all bad news. This change also means that Samsung is introducing a new option to the S95H: you can optionally buy and use Samsung's new Wireless One Connect box, and in doing so, double the number of HDMI ports you have.

The wireless box first appeared on Samsung The Frame Pro and Samsung QN990F TVs last year, and is capable of beaming lossless 4K 165Hz HDR images to the screen from its range of HDMI connections; it works very much like the One Connect box, but wirelessly.

But it's not going wireless that's the upgrade here (though some will love it): it's the fact that you can combine the built-in HDMI ports on the TV with the box on the Wireless One Connect.

That means you can have eight(!) full-power HDMI 2.1 ports connected to the Samsung S95H without having to screw around with switcher boxes. You'll have to pay for the privilege, but some people will happily cough up for a really seamless solution to HDMI crunch.

I have six devices I want to connect to my TV's four HDMI ports at home, for example: a soundbar, two streaming boxes (that serve different purposes), a PS5, a Switch and a 4K Blu-ray player. It's a lot, but at the same time, it isn't – I'm not that weird to have accumulated this stuff over time.

So while my first reaction to Samsung pulling the (single) plug on the One Connect box on the S95H was negative, when the company told me it meant the potential to have eight HDMI ports all accessible just as normal ports in the TV's menu, I think I'm now overall on board with the whole affair.

The Samsung S95H doesn't have a price or release date yet, but Samsung usually launches its flagship OLED TVs in February or March.

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