Samsung QN90A Neo QLED TV review: The king of QLEDs

Our Verdict

The Samsung QN90A Neo QLED TV's mini-LED backlighting makes for unmatched picture brightness, while a compensation of smart features and a new eco-friendly remote complete the premium experience. With a breathtaking one-inch-thin pattern, it'due south as well i of the all-time-looking sets you tin can purchase.

For

Beautiful, thin design
Neo QLED delivers incredible brightness
Impressive anti-glare abilities
New rechargeable remote

Against

Visible blooming at times
Just 1 HDMI ii.1 port
No Dolby Vision back up

Tom's Guide Verdict

The Samsung QN90A Neo QLED Tv's mini-LED backlighting makes for unmatched picture effulgence, while a compensation of smart features and a new eco-friendly remote complete the premium experience. With a breathtaking one-inch-thin blueprint, it's as well ane of the best-looking sets you lot can buy.

Pros

+
Beautiful, thin design
+
Neo QLED delivers incredible brightness
+
Impressive anti-glare abilities
+
New rechargeable remote

Cons

-
Visible blooming at times
-
But i HDMI two.one port
-
No Dolby Vision back up

Samsung QN90A Neo QLED TV: Specs

Price: $2,599
Model number: QN65QN90AAFXZA
Screen size: 65 inches
Resolution: 3,840 x 2,160
HDR: HDR10, HDR10+, HLG
Refresh charge per unit: 120 Hz
Ports: four HDMI (ane HDMI two.i), 2 USB
Audio: 60W, 4.2.2 aqueduct audio
Smart TV software: Tizen
Size: 56.9 x 32.half-dozen x one inches (w/o stand)
Weight: 53.viii pounds (w/o stand)

The Samsung QN90A Neo QLED TV is 1 of the all-time TVs yous tin purchase right now, menstruation. It's impossibly bright, stunningly thin, packed with clever "smart" features and every bit reliable as the visitor'south sets have ever been.

With a proprietary mini-LED panel called Neo QLED, the QN90A promises superior performance to both its established OLED competitors and the evermore convincing mid-range QLED makers. And fifty-fifty though the QN90A Neo QLED is the most premium of all the 4K 2021 Samsung TVs, it's actually less expensive than its standout Q90T predecessor.

Information technology's non perfect. The brightness boost undermines other motion picture elements at times, plus Samsung nevertheless won't give more than ane HDMI 2.1 port. Only this Samsung QN90A Neo QLED TV review crowns a new champion for Quantum Dot brandish technology, rewarding a gear up for finer demonstrating that there's still space to innovate.

And I reckon the Samsung Neo QLED is the reason why 2021 was the yr QLED finally trounce OLED.

Samsung QN90A Neo QLED Idiot box: Cost and configurations

The QN90A Neo QLED Idiot box is Samsung'south pinnacle-shelf 4K LCD Television this yr. Neo QLED is offered in the visitor'southward lineup of 8K sets, too, merely those options are much more expensive than the QN90A. At that place are as well several reasons you lot don't need an 8K TV correct now.

Amend nonetheless, the QN90A Neo QLED TV is a flake more affordable than terminal year's Q90T QLED, coming in at $100-$300 less, depending on the size. The 65-inch configuration I tested costs $2599, while the 55-inch model costs $1799 and larger 75-inch size costs $3499. Information technology's also one of the best 85-inch TVs you can buy, offering a large-screen selection for $4999.

55-inch QN55QN90AAFXZA: $1,799.99
65-inch QN65QN90AAFXZA: $ii,599.99
75-inch QN75QN90AAFXZA: $3,499.99
85-inch QN85QN90AAFXZA: $4,999.99

Be certain to see our 'What size TV should you buy?' guide for aid deciding which version is right for y'all. Yous should expect to see similar functioning compared to our 65-inch test model beyond the size options. All four models offer Neo Quantum Processor 4K, the latest Tizen smart features, voice assistant controls and Object Tracking Sound Plus. Our recommendations should apply to every screen size of the QN90A Neo QLED model.

While you tin find last year's Q90T QLED on sale right now with some of the best inexpensive TV deals, the QN90A Neo QLED will only come across minor discounts before the holiday season, keeping information technology firmly in the premium toll range.

Samsung QN90A Neo QLED Television review: Design

When it comes to modern Telly aesthetics, the QN90A is the crème de la crème. Though setting up 65-inch TVs is a two-person job, this set up is easier to maneuver than others. Gone are the days of Samsung'due south Ane Connect input box, the company managed to pack all the gear up'south parts in a super-slim, 1-inch-thin build with no protruding pieces to distract from the effect.

Samsung QN90A Neo QLED TV review — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The Samsung QN90A Neo QLED TV's bezels are practically invisible, blurring the edge between the console and chassis. I thought my current Samsung Q80T QLED TV was a practiced-looking piece of tech, but the QN90A seriously elevated my standards.

And that's without wall-mounting the QN90A, as Samsung suggests. Since I only tested the ready temporarily, I opted for the primal stand, which didn't instill as much confidence as I'd similar. I sensed a impuissant bump could atomic number 82 to this Television receiver's demise, which is why I'd avoid using it, if possible. Go for Samsung'south own no-gap wall mount for the ultimate flush-mount await, although a 400 x 300 millimeter VESA wall mountain would also work for the 65-inch model. (Check out the best TV mounts for plenty of great options.)

Samsung QN90A Neo QLED Television receiver review: Ports

Like the rest of the 4K QLED lineup, the Samsung QN90A Neo QLED TV has two USB 2.0 ports and four HDMI ports. But just one of those four ports offers HDMI 2.1, which supports peripherals features similar eARC, Auto Low Latency Style and Variable Refresh Rate. These settings have reward of the next-gen graphic abilities of the PS5 and Xbox Series X.

LG'south OLED TVs are all outfitted with multiple HDMI 2.1 inputs, which makes Samsung's QLEDs simply having the 1 seem limiting. For example, yous tin't accept your new panel and your eARC-capable soundbar leveraging their top abilities simultaneously, which could abound bothersome over time.

Beyond traditional ports, the Samsung QN90A Neo QLED TV sports built-in NextGen Television set ATSC 3.0 tuners. In locations where the emerging broadcasting applied science is available, ATSC 3.0 can support 4K movie over-the-air as well every bit a render channel that allows for interactivity and targeted advertizement.

Samsung QN90A Neo QLED Boob tube review: Functioning

Permit's talk about Neo QLED. The QN90A picture is powered by an array of tiny light cells using mini-LED lights, promising dramatic improvements in contrast and backlight control. The mini-LEDs work with the Neo Quantum Processor 4K to evangelize a 4K-optimized motion picture.

Watching the "All-New Halloween Spooktacular" episode of WandaVision on Disney Plus, the set could show off how it handles motion and high-dissimilarity scenes. Equally Wanda extends the reach of her Hex, the Due south.Due west.O.R.D. army camp is turned into a traveling circus. Even as the agents effort to escape the growing boundary, yous tin can run across their uniforms and equipment transform seamlessly (and hilariously) into clown garb and colorful tents. Except when a curious Vision reaches the Hex'due south boundary, glowing in dark fields, at that place seems to exist a bit of blooming, too equally occasional vignetting in the corners.

The HDR capabilities of the QN90A are excellent, but it does highlight one quirk of Samsung TVs. While the loftier-dynamic range functioning ixxs great, the HDR formats are a flake limited. Samsung doesn't support the all-time HDR format, Dolby Vision, using it's proprietary HDR10+ format instead.

These are signs of uneven backlight issues, mayhap at the expense of Neo QLED'southward brightness boost, simply the boilerplate viewer probably won't notice it much. Or at to the lowest degree won't care when yous see just how vivid this set can get. Even in a room flooded with sunlight, the Samsung QN90A's picture held upward much clearer than LG G1 and Samsung Q80T in side-past-side testing. The anti-reflection abilities are pretty impressive, handling the shadowy and ominous Golden Armor fight scene in Wonder Woman 1984 well.

Equally Diana fought Cheetah, Wonder Woman'due south gilded wings looked imperial and regal, yet not-out-of-place in the dark, foggy setting. The ready could've identified the armor equally the focus point of the scene and enhanced it to a cartoonish consequence, but it produced a balanced picture, probable as the filmmaker intended. Over again, this is a testament to Neo QLED's effulgence, since I made these observations in a naturally-lit room. When I tried the scene in darkness, not merely did it wait fantastic, just I realized I wouldn't need the lamps in my living room in the evening — the set literally lit up my flat.

Samsung QN90A Neo QLED TV review: Test results

Our proprietary Tom's Guide TV testing told me more well-nigh the Samsung QN90A Neo QLED Telly across my anecdotal viewing feel. LCD/LED TVs take e'er beat out OLED on effulgence, but the QN90A blows away annihilation we've ever seen. It reached a max brightness of 1813.83 nits. The LG G1 OLED TV reached a max brightness of just 412.05 nits, for comparing. And it's not just OLED sets the QN90A triumphs — the Quantum-powered Vizio P-Series (P65Q9-H1) and TCL 6-Series R635 maxed out at 471.20 nits and 583.one nits, respectively.

We measure out TV accuracy with a Delta-East rating. A smaller score is platonic (0 is perfect), and the Samsung QN90A earned a 2.6, offering an comeback over the Q80T's score of 3.9. Information technology's besides close to the Vizio P-Series and TCL half dozen-Serial R635, which both scored 2.2. LG's OLED panels still have a clear edge in accuray, with the LG G1 earning a 1.half-dozen and last year's Sony A8H Bravia OLED Goggle box earning a i.5.

When it comes to color reproduction, which we measure using a X-Rite i1 Pro spectrophotometer and SpectraCal CalMAN Ultimate calibration software. The Samsung QN90A Neo QLED was able to reproduce 99.51% of the Rec 709 color infinite. Anything approaching 100% is good for a not-OLED Television set, and this QLED scored in the range of others like the Vizio P-Serial (99.90%) and TCL vi-Series (99.92%).

Gamers will be glad to know the Samsung QN90A has one of the best lag times you'll find. Our review unit measured lag time of 12.6 milliseconds with its car low latency mode — a huge improvement over the Q80T'due south 30.1 milliseconds. Unremarkably we recommend sets with sets with a lag time beneath 20 milliseconds for the best gaming TVs, and the addition of gaming-focused features brand the QN90A Neo QLED an first-class selection for gamers.

Samsung QN90A Neo QLED TV review: Audio

The Samsung QN90A Neo QLED TV has 60W speakers, which, when paired with Samsung's Object Tracking Sound (OTS) Plus technology, makes for a loud and immersive listening. OTS is supposed to tailor the set'due south audio to lucifer the content on screen using congenital-in upward and downward-firing speakers.

Watching Wonder Woman 1984, the whipping of Diana's Lasso of Truth followed its movement with precision. Then, as bullets ricochet off Wonder Woman'southward armor every bit she attempts to end Maxwell Lord in the White House, it really sounds as though the shells fell to the floor around my own feet.

OTS near makes up for the set up'south lack of native Dolby Atmos. That said, it volition output Atmos-formatted content for a Dolby Atmos speaker. I'yard normally inclined to use an external speaker anyway, so bank check our list of the best soundbars for recommendations.

Beyond OTS, Samsung said you should experience sound tailored to your surround, no affair where your Tv is placed. AI should likewise enhance the on-screen voices when the set up senses loud environmental sounds.

Samsung QN90A Neo QLED TV review: Smart TV features

Samsung'due south Tizen smart Idiot box software looks more or less the same this twelvemonth, and I'd say that'due south a good matter. The software is reliable, offering a broad selection of apps. From the Loki Goggle box series on Disney Plus to whatsoever of the best HBO Max shows and movies, you'll observe virtually of the apps and content yous bask. Tizen even has a special Apple Television set app for enjoying iTunes movies and shows, as well as Apple's original Apple tree Boob tube Plus shows and Apple Fitness Plus – no separate Apple TV 4K (2021) box needed.

The home screen'southward bottom-bar layout is clean and unobtrusive. You can customize the row of apps to include all your favorite services, and continue to watch a show while browsing. I much prefer this to LG'due south recent webOS redesign, which pulled me away from what I was watching to discover something else.

When you lot're non watching TV, you tin initiate a screensaver-style, low-power Ambient manner that displays all sorts of artwork, personal photographs or weather condition updates. The outcome is more impressive on Samsung's The Frame lifestyle TV, but Ambient mode is withal a good alternative to the QN90As bones black "off" screen. Peculiarly when this Tv set is wall-mounted.

Multi View is another notable screen manner. New this year, you lot tin can watch what's on your Television and your telephone (depending on the model) on the same screen in picture-in-picture or side-by-side orientations. I prefer to watch one matter at once, just in cases where I need a videogame walkthrough or want to go on an eye on a sports game, this multitasking feature could come up in handy. It likewise feels similar a tease of the multi-input viewing of Samsung's massive MicroLED TVs.

Samsung QN90A Neo QLED Idiot box review: Smart home features

Equally a Samsung TV, the QNA90A Neo QLED Tv meshes with your Samsung SmartThings smart home system. One of the best smart home hubs, SmartThings provides a control dashboard for all of the best smart home devices that are compatible with Samsung'southward platform. From the Ecobee (5th gen) smart thermostat to Samsung'southward own Family unit Hub refrigerators, you're able to apply your TV to driblet-in or adjust settings speedily.

If you're not immersed in Samsung'south smart dwelling network, you can gear up Alexa or Google Assistant (but not both at once) for vocalization commands on your TV. Using the remote's microphone, you can enquire either vocalization assistant basic queries or to control any of the best Alexa compatible devices or best Google Habitation uniform devices.

Samsung also partnered with Logitech to make the Samsung QN90A Neo QLED Tv uniform with webcams. With whatsoever of the best webcams, you tin can apply your set to video chat with up to 12 other people via Google Duo. This could be useful for those nevertheless working from home or trying to stay in touch with relatives, just I think most people are sick of video calls these days.

Samsung QN90A Neo QLED TV review: Remote

Samsung's Neo QLED TVs come with an all-new Samsung Solar Cell Remote, which replaces the usual AAA batteries for a rechargeable battery pack. The remote also features a small solar panel that helps maintain the remote's battery using the ambience lite in your space. For more on the environmental benefits, cheque out why we remember the smartest Telly tech of the yr is Samsung'south solar remote.

Fifty-fifty with its new tricks, the Solar Cell Remote feels lightweight and comfy to hold. Its design is more than uniform than the curved-yet-slender remote Samsung has used in the past, making it a little less prone to slipping between couch cushions. It'southward still minimalistic in terms of buttons, but it has most of the controls you'll need, including a microphone trigger, equally well as dedicated launch buttons for Netflix, Prime number Video and Samsung TV Plus.

Samsung QN90A Neo QLED Goggle box review: Verdict

Simply when Samsung found its stride with QLED, keeping upwards the capabilities of its OLED competitors, it innovated the heart of its product with an all-new console — a console that really showcased improvements in our testing. It likewise reminded QLED alternatives it's still the company to beat.

When it comes to the mural of next-gen TVs, Neo QLED takes greater strides than OLED evo, committing to all-embracing improvements in a more affordable package. The familiarity of Tizen and environmental benefits of the Solar Cell Remote besides help. Yeah, I wish it had more than one HDMI two.one port, merely that's far from a deal-billow. The Samsung QN90A Neo QLED TV is the all-time LCD Boob tube on the market right now.

Kate Kozuch is a senior writer at Tom'south Guide covering wearables, TVs and everything smart-home related. When she'south not in cyborg manner, y'all can find her on an exercise wheel or channeling her inner celebrity chef. She and her robot army volition rule the world i day, but until and so, reach her at kate.kozuch@futurenet.com.