HDR10+ on Netflix? Yes… but only on new Samsung devices. Something's not right here.

Samsung and Netflix have loudly announced their collaboration: the streaming platform officially supports the HDR10+ format. For many, this sounds like a solid alternative to Dolby Vision, especially since HDR10+ is an open and free format. There's no need to pay for a license, everything works dynamically, and metadata is transferred scene by scene – theoretically, it's all positives.

But as is often the case, the deeper you go into the forest, the more surprises there are.

New models yes, older ones... no more?

According to the press release, support for HDR10+ on Netflix includes Samsung TV models from 2025 and monitors from 2024 and 2025, and unofficially – also TVs from 2024. And here’s where the problem begins. When on March 26 we wrote about this news, one of our editors launched Netflix on his personal Samsung S95C (the predecessor of the tested S95D) from 2023 – and what? HDR10+ worked perfectly.

The problem is that... a few days later it no longer worked.

Overnight, with no warning, after a software update, HDR10+ support disappeared. The TV still technically supports the AV1 codec, Netflix launches, but the image runs in standard HDR10 without dynamic metadata. No message, no explanation. Simply put: it was there and now it’s gone.

Is "Netflix Ready" just a marketing trick?

Honestly, it’s hard not to feel that this decision was made deliberately to boost sales of the 2025 series models. Because if the flagship OLED from 2023 supports HDR10+, and it was working for a few days, then suddenly someone turned it off, well… it doesn’t look good. Samsung, in its official statement, doesn’t mention older models at all. There’s no compatibility list, no support plan, nothing. And users who paid a fair bit for their gear just a year ago now have to watch content without a feature that was available for a moment.

Voices of dissatisfied users are starting to appear online. On Reddit, you can find reports from owners of 2023 models who noticed the same thing – HDR10+ support was there and suddenly disappeared. Many of these posts are questions without answers: is it a bug? A deliberate action? Or perhaps some temporary restriction?

What do we know at this point?

• Support for HDR10+ officially works only on Samsung TVs from 2025.

• Some models from 2024 also have active support – but this has never been officially confirmed.

• Models from 2023, like S95C, briefly supported HDR10+, but after the update, the feature was turned off.

• Samsung has not publicly addressed this change.

Quoting Samsung's press release: "HDR10+ content offered by Netflix will be available on Samsung Neo QLED Mini LED, OLED, and Lifestyle TVs from the 2025 model range, as well as on monitors from 2025 and 2024. In the future, this standard will also be supported on subsequent device models." - The question is what does this mean? In the future for newer devices, or does it also apply to older equipment?

The situation is highly dynamic

HDR10+ on Netflix is undoubtedly an important step – especially in the context of market monopolisation by Dolby Vision. However, the way this change has been implemented leaves a lot to be desired. A lack of transparency, sudden updates, quietly disabling features on older models – these are not things that build trust in a brand.

If the aim is indeed to artificially push customers into buying "the latest, Netflix-ready" models – this is a particularly inelegant move. It's a shame, because technically HDR10+ should work on those older devices and could be a solid alternative, even on older equipment.

We will monitor the situation – and check if support returns. For now: if you have a Samsung TV from 2023 or earlier and dynamic HDR10+ metadata is working for you – it's best not to update the software.