Samsung QN90C 4K TV Review | Tom's Guide

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The Samsung QN90C Neo QLED TV has all the hallmarks of a premium TV: best-in-class HDR brightness, great viewing angles and strong picture performance. Despite minor qualms, this is the QLED TV to beat this year. It might not be as exciting as the company’s QD-OLED innovations, but if you're looking for the best TV and brightest TV right now, look no further than this.

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Transcript
00:00 The Samsung QN90C Neo QLED TV has almost everything you'd expect from a premium 4K mini-LED TV.
00:11 Outstanding HDR brightness, a good selection of sizes, consistent upscaling, ample support
00:16 for a variety of content, and more.
00:18 It might not be as inherently exciting as the company's QD OLED innovations.
00:22 The Samsung S95C still holds the top spot as the best TV we've tested this year, but
00:28 you should watch this entire Samsung QN90C Neo QLED TV review to see how it stacks up.
00:33 Let's go take a closer look.
00:35 Powered by Samsung's mini-LED panel, the QN90C promises excellent performance across
00:45 the top genres.
00:47 For those who aren't familiar, mini-LED backlighting provides high levels of brightness while maintaining
00:51 realistic color and gradations of luminance.
00:54 But mini-LED performance will cost you.
00:56 This 65-inch configuration has an MSRP of $2,799.
01:01 There is a very good selection of sizes to choose from, starting at 43 inches to 50,
01:06 55, 65 inch, 75, and 85 inches.
01:10 The QN90C is rather standard-looking.
01:12 It more or less continues the slim, minimalistic design you'll find on most current Samsung
01:16 TVs.
01:17 That said, the central stand doesn't offer as much stability as I typically expect.
01:22 Samsung transitioned to a new base design that uses less space but that seems to come
01:26 at a cost.
01:27 Luckily, you can mount the TV to a wall with the standard VESA mount.
01:31 Though it doesn't have Samsung's One Connect box that helps with cable management, the
01:34 QN90C has four HDMI 2.1 ports located on the back.
01:39 These ports support peripheral features like eARC, auto low latency mode, and variable
01:43 refresh rate.
01:45 Some of these settings are leveraged by the PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles, which is a
01:49 plus if you plan to make this set your next gaming TV.
01:52 Speaking of gaming, let's dig into the benchmarks, starting with a measured 2.1 millisecond lag
01:57 time.
01:58 That's pretty much the best we see for TVs.
02:00 Similarly, this TV's brightness is truly best in class, measuring nearly 1900 nits
02:04 with HDR content and a 10% window.
02:07 For comparison, this year's LG C3 OLED TV hit just over 800 nits in the same window,
02:13 demonstrating the difference between mini-LED and OLED capabilities.
02:18 The QN90C scored as expected in terms of color accuracy and color reproduction.
02:22 It tested a delta E of 2.2 with closer to zero being best, while covering over 99% of
02:28 the Rec.709 color space.
02:30 These might not matter much to the average eye, but they're definitely important to
02:33 check, especially for premium models like this.
02:37 As for what you can actually see, the Samsung Neural Quantum Processor 4K powers the TV's
02:41 HD and SD upscaling.
02:43 Watching Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse, this picture's sophistication seriously impressed
02:47 me.
02:48 As Miles Morales and Peter Parker swung through the autumn trees escaping Dr. Olivia Octavius,
02:53 the subtle contrast between orange and red and yellow maintained realism despite the
02:57 film's comic book feel.
02:59 The scene looked crisp, catching even the most minor moments in Miles' progression
03:03 of learning how to swing.
03:04 Recalling last year's QN95B model, the only anecdotal shortcoming I noticed when testing
03:09 was some noticeable blooming and struggles with off-angle viewing.
03:13 The QN90C made some apparent improvements to both, with much better light control and
03:17 wider viewing angles.
03:18 Still, no Dolby Vision support is a setback for fans of the popular format.
03:23 You do get Dolby Atmos audio when you pair an Atmos soundbar, which I definitely recommend
03:27 not because this TV's native audio is bad, but because of Samsung's QSymphony feature
03:31 that combines the TV's native speakers with a soundbar for a fuller soundscape.
03:37 I'll quickly touch on the Smart TV interface.
03:39 Having tested several Samsung TVs over recent years, I'm familiar with the mostly unchanged
03:44 platform.
03:45 The home screen features customizable tiles for content and channels to suit your watching
03:49 preferences and preferred apps.
03:51 There's even some good free content.
03:53 I think people are seriously sleeping on Samsung TV+.
03:56 Of course, you control this all with the remote.
03:58 It's easy to use, but with the sparse button array, you'll end up navigating additional
04:02 menus to change settings and inputs.
04:04 That said, the dedicated launchers for Samsung TV+, Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video
04:10 are helpful if you use these services often.
04:13 But my favorite thing about this remote is that it's rechargeable in not one, but two
04:17 ways.
04:18 The solar panel on the back uses ambient lighting to reserve power, while a USB-C port offers
04:22 a quick charge rather than replacing batteries.
04:29 And that's my overview of the Samsung QN90C Neo QLED TV.
04:33 I go into more of the test results and features in my written review on TomsGuide.com, so
04:37 be sure to check that out.
04:39 But my takeaway to know here is that despite Samsung's growing push into OLED technology,
04:44 the QN90C is one of the top sets we've seen this year.
04:47 It's among the best QLED TVs to hit our bench hands down.
04:50 Fantastic brightness and great off-angle viewing are performance highlights, while the rechargeable
04:55 remote and versatile interface are the things I think you'll appreciate.
04:59 Drop a comment letting me know which TV we should review next on this channel.
05:03 And don't forget to keep up with us on social - Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok
05:07 @TomsGuide.
05:08 And as always, I'm @KateKozich.
05:10 Thanks for watching, I'll catch you next time.
05:12 (upbeat music)