I latterly returned from a sojourn with Samsung in New Jersey , where I was given some time to expend in four different rooms , each with a different goggle box from Samsung ’s 2024 lineup .
Now , as these kinds of visits run to go , I get a modified amount of time to spend with each goggle box , so it ’s not as if I could perform a full review . However , since there were so many merchandise at Samsung ’s First Look event during CES , we did n’t get to plunge into any of the goggle box . And while review sample will be on their elbow room in short , this is the everlasting time to learn more about what ’s come in from Samsung .
Let ’s get into the QN90D.
Zeke Jones / Digital Trends
What’s new for the QN90D
It seems like age ago thatI reviewed the QN90C , last year ’s 4 KiB flagship . It ’s been long enough since I savor it that I decide to revisit my own review for a trivial piece of setting .
The QN90C was amazing — very much the 4 K flagship QLED you would require from Samsung . I had only three minor complaints : I palpate like the backlight scheme was a little sluggish . It did a great job of minimizing halo and bloom , as well as providing deep , inky Black in contrast to very bright , punchy highlight . But I could see the backlight adaptation at time , and that just seemed curious . I also found the Tizen operating system a flake thwarting to parcel out with . And while its upscaling and image processing was better than less expensive competition from TCL and Hisense , I felt it did n’t stack up to Sony ’s processing .
The tangible reason I just did that piffling recap refresher is that the takeaway for the QN90D is that it keeps everything great about the QN90C and fixes most of those things . The backlight appears rapid , and the upscaling and processing have give-up the ghost up a notch to the point that I remember it will give Sony a better run for its money . As for Tizen ? Well , the jury is still out on that one .
Zeke Jones / Digital Trends
I did n’t really have a short ton of fourth dimension to poke into Samsung ’s new exploiter user interface alfresco of accessing the computer menu to make adjustments while measure the TV . What I can enjoin you is that along with a freshman look , the new Tizen o supports a more advanced Health App , a bunch of newSmartThingsimplementations , and a newKnox Securitychip that makes this Smart TV as unassailable as your phone . This is more important than ever , in no small part , because more personal and financial data than ever may be connected to this TV .
I opine Samsung is going to giveTCL and Hisensea hard clip this twelvemonth .
The processor is not quite as advanced as the new NQ4 AI Gen 3 processor found in the QN900D 8 grand TV . This one gets the NQ4 AI Gen 2 processor , which I ’d ask since it ’s not Samsung ’s fanciest television set . That Gen 2 processor is no slouch , though , because I went direct to some challengingly mussy content I ’ve watched recently on YouTube to see how it cleaned things up , and I saw it doing a marvelous job . Less banding , less macroblocking , less haphazardness , better point . I blockade short of making a comparison to Sony ’s processing , but I will say Samsung is giving Sony a real running game for its money this twelvemonth .
Zeke Jones / Digital Trends
Unlike the QN900D , which can perforate up to 240Hz , the QN90D can do stake up to 144Hz with varying refresh rate . It still has four HDMI 2.1 inputs , an ATSC 3.0 tuner , and Samsung ’s latest - genGame Bar .
It ’s available in a massive range of sizes , from 43 column inch all the path up to 98 inch . A 98 - in QN90D ? Yeah , I intend Samsung is function to giveTCL and Hisensea backbreaking fourth dimension this year in both the premium 98 - inch television spaceandthe budget 98 - in TV infinite , but I ’ll have more information about that afterward .
As smart TVs go , the QN90D has just about everything a smart TV could — more than most , actually . It ’s just missingApple HomeKit ( it does SmartThings instead ) andDolby Vision , which is a holdout position Samsung seems quite comfortable with .
Zeke Jones / Digital Trends
Now , as promised , I measure out the idiot box , and I ’m excited to share the result with you .
QN90D performance
In Filmmaker mode for SDR , we expect to see expectant accuracy here — and we do . The only trick was that the Filmmaker mode fancy predetermined defaults to Warm 2 for the color temperature , and the measure I got using that setting were not about as accurate as what I set about when I change it over to Warm 1 . I do n’t love that , but two or three special clink for solvent like what I got ? I ’ll allow it .
In its tamest SDR mode , the television put out about 300 nit for SDR . But it can easy get way , waybrighter than that . The grayscale was excellent ! And so , too , was the color truth . I do n’t think there were any errors over a Delta E of 3 , which means any deflection is so small that it is n’t even visible to the human eye . That ’s outstanding . Well done , Samsung !
Let ’s move to HDR . For summit brightness level , the QN90D peaked around 2,100 nits for me , and not just at a 10 % window ; it did it at almost all window sizes come near full - screen , where it still put out a blistering 800 nit . The QN90D is a sufficiently burnished tv set , to be certain .
Zeke Jones / Digital Trends
The grayscale in HDR was … practiced . Not perfect , but respectable . It ’s distinctive to see the brighter tone lose a bit of accuracy . But theelectro - ocular transferee function ( EOTF)in HDR ? I do n’t recall it tail high when I prove it , but the information says otherwise . So we ’ll want to check off that again when this television set is in for review . I recognise the QN900D track this dead for HDR , as the Maker mean it to be seen . This suggests that the QN90D would over - clear up things just a mo , which is something Samsung ’s TVs did early on , but that was fixed last year . give last year ’s functioning and what I saw on the QN900D 8 K idiot box and one other TV I have n’t severalise you about yet , I ’ll give Samsung the benefit of the doubt . ( Watch this infinite , though , because you do not want to miss it . )
In the end , the QN90D will be a class - lead TV . It may also be course of study - leading in terms of price , though . This premium Samsung will come with a premium price tag .
I realize this is the first flagship QLED TV we ’ve involve a serious look at , but the QN90D form of sets the bar disregardless . Now it ’s time to see how the contest stack up . Something state me Samsung is going to hold its own , but we shall see . That ’s half the fun !
Zeke Jones / Digital Trends
Zeke Jones / Digital Trends
Zeke Jones / Digital Trends
