Samsung QN90A Neo QLED 4K TV review: An ideal TV for affordable big-screen gaming

(Pocket-lint) - The Samsung QN90 is simply a mid-range Neo QLED 4K TV, utilizing an LCD sheet with a Quantum Dot filter and a Mini LED backlight to summation the fig of dimmable zones – which is each designed to marque for much close backlighting, without haloing oregon different irksome undesirables. 

There's a Tizen-powered operating system, on with enactment for a assortment of precocious dynamic scope format – HDR10, HLG, HDR10+, but not Dolby Vision – portion each the main streaming platforms are contiguous and correct, positive a bevvy of gaming-related features that we'll get into successful this review.

Design, connections and control

• 4x HDMI inputs with eARC; 2x USB; Ethernet
• Wi-Fi; Bluetooth; AirPlay 2

The Samsung QN90 retains galore of the aforesaid plan cues recovered further up the Neo QLED range, with a minimalist appearance, astir bezel-less screen, and cleverly hidden speakers. The basal is good made, provides coagulated support, and measures 465 x 205mm – truthful is perfect for narrower surfaces.

It's astonishing that Samsung tin cram a full-array backlight into a sheet lone 15mm deep, but it means the QN90 looks gorgeous erstwhile wall-mounted (especially utilizing the optional 'slim-fit' bracket). As a effect it's perfect for installing successful a chamber arsenic a 2nd TV.

The main quality betwixt the QN90 and the higher-end QN95 is the deficiency of a One Connect container – which, successful the second set, houses each the connections distant from the sheet itself. With the QN90, however, each the connections are alternatively located astatine the rear, with 4 HDMI inputs, 1 of which supports eARC, and each of which are susceptible of handling 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM.

• What is ALLM and VRR? TV gaming tech explained
• What is HDMI eARC? Why is it antithetic to HDMI ARC?

There are besides 2 USB 2.0 inputs, duplicate tuners for terrestrial and outer broadcasts, a CI slot, an optical integer output, and an Ethernet port. In presumption of wireless connections, there's Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and enactment for Apple AirPlay 2.

In summation to the modular controller, Samsung has included the caller Solar Cell remote. It's remains sleek, metallic and ergonomically-shaped, but present this intuitive zapper sports a star sheet connected the backmost to recharge the batteries – making it eco-friendly and economical arsenic well.

Features

• HDR Support: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ Adaptive
• Processing engine: Neo Quantum 4K Processor with AI
• Anti-reflection surface and Ultra Viewing Angle
• Filmmaker Mode

The Samsung QN90 uses a Mini LED backlight that's based connected a newly-designed micro furniture that eliminates the protective packaging and lens astir an LED, resulting successful thinner panels, much LEDs, and an accrued fig of zones. In full determination are 448 independently dimmable zones, each of which are coordinated by the Quantum Matrix system.

Samsung's Neo Quantum Processor increases the processing powerfulness by employing "multi-intelligence heavy learning". Instead of a azygous neural network, this processor combines up 16 to make a neural analyser that's specialised for upscaling and processing video. This processing automatically adjusts the brightness, sharpens the contrast, and upscales non-4K images.

High dynamic scope (HDR) is supported successful the signifier of HDR10, HLG (hybrid log-gamma), and HDR10+ Adaptive – the past of which uses dynamic metadata designed to accommodate the tone-mapping connected a scene-by-scene basis, and employs a sensor to customise the show based connected the ambient lighting conditions successful your room.

Sadly, Samsung inactive refuses to enactment Dolby Vision – which is simply a shame, arsenic it's possibly the astir utilised HDR format.

The operation of Mini LED and Quantum Dot exertion produces accrued brightness and a wider colour gamut, which should effect successful a amended HDR experience. The QN90's highest brightness hits 750nits successful Dynamic Mode, and 650nits successful the much close Filmmaker Mode, portion the colour gamut covers 94 per cent of the DCI-P3 colour gamut (as tested utilizing Portrait Displays Calman Color Calibration Software).

• What is QLED and Neo QLED? Samsung's TV tech explained

Another diagnostic is an anti-reflection furniture connected the surface to trim the interaction of ambient airy successful the room, making this an effectual TV for daytime viewing. Finally, there's ultra viewing space exertion to trim the colour and opposition drop-off experienced erstwhile viewing LCD TVs astatine utmost angles.

Picture quality

The Samsung QN90 mightiness beryllium a mid-range model, but its show is comparable to the higher-end TVs successful the Neo QLED line-up. It surely puts those section dimming zones to bully use, coordinating them successful a mode that delivers heavy blacks and agleam peaks without clipping the highlights oregon crushing the shadiness details.

• Samsung 4K and 8K TV choices: Pick the champion TV for your needs

The QN90 besides handles 4K images with precision, ensuring each pixel of item is finely rendered. As a effect a high-quality root volition look exceptional, though acknowledgment to the AI-enhanced processing it tin besides get the champion retired of little solution and much compressed content. So immoderate your viewing habits, this TV has you covered. 

The acceptable is arsenic awesome erstwhile it comes to question handling, with 24p contented looking smooth, escaped of judder oregon unwanted artefacts. The Picture Clarity question settings use framework interpolation to creaseless things out, making them utile with sports content, portion LED Clear Motion uses achromatic framework insertion, darkening the image, but improving the perceived motion.

Running done a scope of trial scenes, the QN90 proves to beryllium a precise susceptible performer. It displays the nighttime sequences successful Planet Earth II without introducing noticeable blooming, and reproducing each pixel successful the fantastic 4K photography. The agleam and elaborate Italian vistas successful Luca are besides delivered utilizing a saturated palette that's bursting with superior colours.

The QN90 renders modular dynamic scope (SDR) contented with authorization and accuracy, especially successful Filmmaker Mode, ensuring the archetypal creator intentions are retained. The aforesaid goes for HDR, wherever the space-bound sequences successful Passengers are tone-mapped with precision, portion the HDR10+ visuals successful Looper are besides handled correctly.

Since the QN90 uses an LCD panel, there's nary information of surface pain (as you tin find with OLED), and it includes a big of features aimed astatine next-gen gamers, specified arsenic 4K/120Hz, adaptable refresh complaint (VRR) with AMD Freesync Premium Pro, and car low-latency mode (ALLM). The Game Mode delivers a 9.8ms input lag, and there's adjacent enactment for the 21:9 and 32:9 ultra-wide facet ratios offered by a fig of PC games.

To assistance users optimise their gaming experience, Samsung has added the caller Game Bar feature. This provides each the cardinal gaming accusation astatine a glance, specified arsenic whether there's HDR, the framework rate, and if VRR has been engaged. It besides provides nonstop entree to each the gaming settings and adjustments, which makes this a genuinely utile feature.

Whether you're catching up connected your favourite TV show, watching the latest Hollywood blockbuster, oregon indulging successful a marathon gaming session, the QN90 has you covered with an accomplished all-round show that won't disappoint.

Smart features

• Tizen OS
• SmartThings app
• Alexa/Bixby dependable assistants built-in

The Samsung QN90 uses the Tizen-powered astute platform, which is responsive, intuitive and casual to navigate. There's a launcher barroom on the bottommost and a 2nd furniture that provides faster entree to the video streaming services, which are broad and see Netflix, Amazon, Now TV, Disney+, Apple TV+, Rakuten, YouTube, and each the UK TV catch-up services.

The Universal Guide helps you support way of each this contented by presenting it successful a user-friendly interface. It uses AI instrumentality learning to analyse your viewing habits and contiguous personalised contented connected a azygous page. The Digital Butler allows for speedy and casual transportation by scanning for adjacent devices and representing them successful an easy-to-understand graphical fashion.

The QN90 offers a prime of astute assistants, too, with Samsung's ain Bixby and Amazon's Alexa some built-in – positive you tin besides entree Siri via Apple's AirPlay 2. Bixby and Alexa connection a grade of dependable control, portion the SmartThings app not lone makes setup speedy and easy, but provides a grade of power if you don't fancy utilizing the see remotes oregon your voice.

Sound quality

The QN90 is competitively priced, disposable successful 50-, 55-, 65- and 75-inch surface sizes. The portion reviewed present is the 50-inch (QE50QN90A) model, which is important to enactment due to the fact that it has the 'Lite' versions of Samsung's dependable technologies (Object Tracking Sound (OTS; which enhances the beingness of dependable positioning comparative to screen) and Q Symphony (which pairs the TV speakers with a abstracted soundbar system)) – whereas each the larger panels person the full-fat variants.

As a effect the audio show is really rather good, with an unfastened soundstage, coagulated bass, wide dialog and decent amplification. There's an optimisation diagnostic to good tune the audio based connected the acoustic situation and whether the TV is stand- oregon wall-mounted, and portion there's nary on-board Dolby Atmos decoding, the QN90 tin nonstop Atmos backmost via eARC from its interior apps.

Writing by Steve Withers. Editing by Mike Lowe. Originally published connected 28 September 2021.