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 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:04 The Samsung QN90C Neo QLED TV has almost everything
00:08 you'd expect from a premium 4K mini LED TV--
00:11 outstanding HDR brightness, a good selection of sizes,
00:14 consistent upscaling, ample support for a variety
00:17 of content, and more.
00:18 It might not be as inherently exciting as the company's QD
00:21 OLED innovations.
00:22 The Samsung S95C still holds the top spot
00:25 as the best TV we've tested this year.
00:28 But you should watch this entire Samsung QN90C Neo QLED TV
00:32 review to see how it stacks up.
00:34 Let's go take a closer look.
00:35 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:41 Powered by Samsung's mini LED panel,
00:43 the QN90C promises excellent performance
00:45 across the top genres.
00:47 For those who aren't familiar, mini LED backlighting
00:49 provides high levels of brightness
00:51 while maintaining realistic color
00:52 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
01:03 to choose from, starting at 43 inches to 50, 55, 65 inch, 75,
01:09 and 85 inches.
01:10 The QN90C is rather standard looking.
01:12 It more or less continues the slim, minimalistic design
01:15 you'll find on most current Samsung TVs.
01:18 That said, the central stand doesn't offer as much stability
01:20 as I typically expect.
01:22 Samsung transitioned to a new base design
01:24 that uses less space, but that seems to come at a cost.
01:27 Luckily, you can mount the TV to a wall
01:29 with the standard VESA mount.
01:31 Though it doesn't have Samsung's One Connect box that
01:33 helps with cable management, the QN90C
01:35 has four HDMI 2.1 ports located on the back.
01:39 These ports support peripheral features
01:41 like eARC, auto low latency mode,
01:43 and variable refresh rate.
01:45 Some of these settings are leveraged
01:46 by the PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles,
01:49 which is a plus if you plan to make this set your next gaming
01:51 TV.
01:52 Speaking of gaming, let's dig into the benchmark,
01:54 starting with a measured 2.1 millisecond lag time.
01:57 That's pretty much the best we see for TVs.
02:00 Similarly, this TV's brightness is truly best in class,
02:03 measuring nearly 1,900 nits with HDR content and a 10% window.
02:07 For comparison, this year's LG C3 OLED TV
02:10 had just over 800 nits in the same window,
02:13 demonstrating the difference between mini LED and OLED
02:16 capabilities.
02:18 The QN90C scored as expected in terms of color accuracy
02:21 and color reproduction.
02:23 It tested a delta E of 2.2, with closer to zero being best,
02:26 while covering over 99% of the REC 709 color space.
02:30 These might not matter much to the average eye,
02:32 but they're definitely important to check, especially
02:34 for premium models like this.
02:37 As for what you can actually see,
02:38 the Samsung Neural Quantum Processor 4K
02:41 powers the TV's HD and SD upscaling.
02:44 Watching Spider-Man into the Spider-Verse,
02:45 this picture's sophistication seriously impressed me.
02:48 As Miles Morales and Peter Parker
02:50 swung through the autumn trees escaping Dr. Olivia Octavius,
02:53 the subtle contrast between orange and red and yellow
02:56 maintained realism despite the film's comic book feel.
02:59 The scene looked crisp, catching even the most minor moments
03:02 in Miles' progression of learning how to swing.
03:04 Recalling last year's QN95B model,
03:07 the only anecdotal shortcoming I noticed
03:09 when testing was some noticeable blooming and struggles
03:11 with off-angle viewing.
03:13 The QN90C made some apparent improvements to both,
03:15 with much better light control and wider viewing angles.
03:18 Still, no Dolby Vision support is a setback
03:21 for fans of the popular format.
03:23 You do get Dolby Atmos audio
03:25 when you pair an Atmos soundbar,
03:26 which I definitely recommend,
03:27 not because this TV's native audio is bad,
03:30 but because of Samsung's Q-Symphony feature
03:32 that combines the TV's native speakers
03:34 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,
03:42 I'm familiar with the mostly unchanged platform.
03:45 The home screen features customizable tiles for content
03:48 and channels to suit your watching preferences
03:50 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,
04:01 you'll end up navigating additional menus
04:03 to change settings and inputs.
04:04 That said, the dedicated launchers for Samsung TV+,
04:07 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
04:15 is that it's rechargeable in not one, but two ways.
04:18 The solar panel on the back uses ambient lighting
04:20 to reserve power, while a USB-C port offers a quick charge
04:23 rather than replacing batteries.
04:25 And that's my overview of the Samsung QN90C Neo QLED TV.
04:34 I go into more of the test results and features
04:36 in my written review on tomsguide.com,
04:38 so be sure to check that out.
04:39 But my takeaway to know here is that despite Samsung's
04:42 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.
04:51 Fantastic brightness and great off-angle viewing
04:53 are performance highlights, while the rechargeable remote
04:56 and versatile interface are the things
04:58 I think you'll appreciate.
05:00 Drop a comment letting me know which TV
05:02 we should review next on this channel.
05:03 And don't forget to keep up with us on social,
05:05 Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok @tomsguide.
05:09 And as always, I'm @katekosich.
05:11 Thanks for watching, I'll catch you next time.
05:13 you