Samsung QN90F Review

Setup, Design, and First Impressions

Unpacking, maneuvering, and assembling the basal for the 65” QN90F was comparatively straightforward. Four screws clasp the basal connected the basal sheet and different 4 screws connect it to the TV. The basal itself is simply a hefty chunk of metal, satisfying to clasp and reassuringly sturdy, and it does a bully occupation of minimizing wobble.

It’s hard for manufacturers to differentiate their TVs via their carnal design, particularly from the beforehand – they’re each large grey rectangles – but I emotion the look, feel, and value of the QN90F. It’s sleek and bladed without being OLED-dangerously-thin. The archetypal happening that caught my oculus (and not my fingerprints), though, was the matte surface coating, antithetic for a TV, which I’ll interaction connected aboriginal successful the review.

The powerfulness cablegram is person to the halfway of the TV, which is simply a large alteration from each different TV having powerfulness and IO connected wholly antithetic sides of the display. I inactive deliberation the powerfulness cablegram is simply a spot excessively short, particularly erstwhile it's routed done the clever channels built into the backmost of the display. The rear of the TV is plastic, but it doesn't consciousness cheap.

IO is excellent, arsenic it should beryllium astatine this terms point. Samsung includes 4 full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports, each supporting 165 Hz astatine 4K. Great quality if you’re hooking up aggregate consoles. Additionally, there’s an optical audio out, Ethernet, and an RF transportation for broadcast. No headphone jack, sadly, which is an omission becoming much and much common.

Samsung is utilizing a communal distant crossed aggregate SKUs; this is the aforesaid distant (with a neat small star compartment connected the rear) that shipped with the S90F. Annoyingly, similar LG’s remote, an input enactment fastener is obscurity to beryllium found. Switching inputs means going backmost to the Home/Start screen, moving near and past down to “Connected Devices,” and waiting for Tizen to drawback up to you. Speaking of Tizen…

Tizen: “Preparing. Please Try Again Later.”

"Preparing. Please Try Again Later." This is an existent mistake connection that Tizen displayed erstwhile I tried to usage the speedy settings paper to set the QN90F's brightness. I thought I'd experienced it each – the dilatory navigation, laggy menus, loading throbbers (!) – (read my S90F reappraisal for more), but Samsung keeps uncovering caller ways to annoy me. Whether utilizing the Home surface to load a streaming app, switching inputs, oregon diving into the settings menu, Tizen continues to consciousness similar a low-end mobile telephone oregon immoderate off-brand tablet fixed distant escaped arsenic portion of a promotion.

I whitethorn beryllium aged school, but I deliberation each the fundamental, instrumentality power touch-points of a TV's paper should beryllium arsenic adjacent to the metallic arsenic possible, and they should beryllium fast. Backlight brightness, colour temperature, section dimming, dependable volume, the existent input... these are things that shouldn't beryllium knotted up and entangled with the aforesaid codification that opens and closes your Samsung Motorized Smart Blinds. Yet, with Tizen, each should-be-easy accommodation brings up a loading throbber:

It’s unbelievably frustrating. Samsung needs to instrumentality a bully look astatine the Google TV interface from thing similar the Hisense U8QG. Navigation determination is accelerated and easy. Even Amazon’s FireTV connected a little extremity exemplary similar the U65QF is simply a joyousness to usage compared to Tizen.

Setting each that aside, erstwhile the paper is really loaded, Tizen behaves similar you’d expect for a modern TV astute OS. The Home surface tin beryllium cleaned up and calmed down a spot aft diving into the Advanced Features paper (turning disconnected auto-playing video is simply a must!), but Samsung devotes a spot excessively overmuch surface abstraction to its TV “recommendations,” leaving the app list, which is what you’re apt looking for, arsenic a small, horizontally scrolling set of icons. As a contrast, Google TV surfaces apps successful a ample format grid, which is overmuch faster to navigate.

Sound

Sound prime connected the QN90F is amazingly good… for TV speakers. Of each the displays I’ve tested truthful far, I’ve been the astir impressed with Samsung’s engineering effort here. Bass extends heavy capable to beryllium satisfying for movies and games without booming, mechanical noises, oregon distortion, and, importantly, code intelligibility is good. A-OK for wide use.

But for the best, engrossing audio experience, we inactive urge a situation dependable setup oregon soundbar. Our apical prime happens to beryllium Samsung’s ain HW-Q990F, which includes a subwoofer for a bully reason: TVs simply don’t person the signifier origin – nary beforehand facing drivers for stereo imaging – oregon capable chassis measurement for heavy bass.

Reflection Handling and Viewing Angles

Samsung takes the antithetic path, surely for a TV, of shipping the QN90F with a matte AR coating. For those that find the mirror-like reflections from glossy screens annoying, this is decidedly a plus, but manufacturers person made large advancement connected their high-end models, particularly successful the past fewer years, astatine delivering truly fantabulous glossy coatings.

The examination representation supra shows the reflection of a compact fluorescent bulb successful each of the screens I’ve tested truthful far, changeable with the aforesaid exposure, and ranked mostly successful the bid of quality. Samsung’s QD-OLED S90F (currently astatine the aforesaid terms arsenic the QN90F) takes the apical spot with a genuinely unthinkable AR coating, followed intimately by Hisense’s U8QG. For those that find the mirror-like reflections from glossy screens annoying, I deliberation the QN90F offers a decent alternate to thing similar LG’s C5, which is simply a spot excessively reflective and a spot excessively purple.

The macro representation supra shows however the matte coating diffuses the airy from the subpixels behind. This is simply a reasonably coarse and assertive coating, not my favorite, but the flimsy simplification successful clarity is lone disposable very near the screen. At emblematic TV distances, it’s not an issue.

Also worthy noting portion looking astatine the macro is that the QN90F uses a BGR subpixel layout, alternatively than a accepted RGB stripe. If you’re utilizing the Samsung arsenic a PC display, you’ll privation to set your ClearType settings to trim colour fringing connected text. And similar galore VA panels, the pixels are dimmed successful a 1 3rd on, 2 thirds disconnected mode betwixt rows, truthful the representation is susceptible to a “scanlines” effect.

Viewing space show is emblematic of astir VA panels: nonaccomplishment of colour and opposition disconnected angle, and acheronian scenes are particularly susceptible to a gamma displacement connected the periphery of the screen. This is 1 of the largest drawbacks of VA panels compared to the OLED competition, and Samsung’s ain S90F is overmuch amended here.

This purple-blue shot, inspired by a fullscreen advertisement for Amazon Luna during the TV’s setup, shows the colour displacement disconnected axis, though the photograph doesn’t afloat seizure however it looks successful person. I besides noticed that the QN90F has a patchy appearance, but lone erstwhile displaying blue. Otherwise, the matte coating does a bully occupation handling the reflection of the flash.

Color, Calibration, and SDR

For each show I test, my calibration process begins by measuring the backlight spectrum for each of the idiosyncratic RGB primaries on with a achromatic spectrum. This allows for consequent show metrics to beryllium accurately measured with my colorimeter. The colour descent supra shows 3 important aspects of the QN90F’s colour performance:

1. White spectrum against a mercury reference
2. Individual, normalized RGB response
3. Subsequent chromaticity coordinates compared to the DCI-P3 reference

The highest wavelengths of the primaries, their shape, and their separation (or purity) specify the country coordinates of the gamut triangle. Samsung’s quantum dot backlight does an fantabulous occupation of covering (and over-covering) DCI-P3: the 3 primaries are smooth, separated, and distinct, giving the QN90F rich, vivid color.

In the Expert Settings menu, the default Color mounting of 30 gives the champion compromise of sum and accuracy without clipping. Green is spot on, but reddish and bluish bash widen a spot past reference. While not perfectly accurate, I’m a sucker for colorful images, truthful I invited a spot of over-coverage.

Before I get into the calibration, I request to notation that Samsung doesn’t let section dimming to beryllium turned disconnected connected the QN90F. This is simply a occupation for me, arsenic a reviewer, due to the fact that I can’t afloat disentangle the show of the LCD sheet itself from the behaviour of the backlight, making my occupation rather a spot much hard (or intolerable successful the lawsuit of lag measurements).

But it’s besides a occupation for you. Yes, section dimming is 1 of the reasons you’d bargain a TV similar the QN90F successful the archetypal place, but Samsung ships the TV with a 165 Hz mode, presumably for PC use. Not being capable to disable section dimming erstwhile successful Windows is simply a spot nuts, and I can’t deliberation of a bully crushed wherefore Samsung would omit the enactment altogether. I’ve done my champion to mitigate the contented for each consequent measurements, but I wanted to notation that up front.

Because I’m chiefly looking astatine the TV arsenic a gaming display, I trial calibration successful the display’s Game mode, making definite that the TV tin present the aforesaid accuracy and show arsenic successful its Film modes but without the processing that tin origin input lag.

Out of the box, Samsung has tuned the QN90F extraordinarily good for SDR content. Grayscale tracking is excellent, hitting 6500K successful the default Standard WB mode with debased Delta E’s crossed the board. Great occupation here. BT 1886 gamma is the default, but mounting gamma to 2.2 is the close determination to amended lucifer astir sRGB content. Once done, gamma nicely follows the 2.2 people throughout.

Brightness is 1 of the QN90F’s large strengths. With a 10% model connected a achromatic background, section dimming acceptable to high, it’ll bash an eye-searing 2370 nits. That’s extraordinarily bright, but inactive not rather arsenic bully arsenic the U8QG, which’ll deed 4000. You’ll apt ne'er spot this successful existent content, though; a achromatic trial spot is truly the best-case script for manufacturers to amusement disconnected however hard they’re consenting to thrust (and cool) their backlight LEDs. With a much tenable 5% grey background, the QN90F tops retired astir 1400 nits, tapering disconnected to astir 760 nits fullscreen. This is simply a large result, and precise bully for daytime viewing. 760 nits is astir 3x what an OLED tin deliver, truthful FALD LCDs are inactive superior for agleam country viewing.

Samsung besides does a precise bully occupation of keeping the grey inheritance with the 5% slides astir the aforesaid luminance. Other panels truly conflict to support that 5% level, prioritizing the achromatic spot and letting the inheritance spell dim.

HDR, Contrast, and Local Dimming

HDR connected the QN90F varies depending connected what you’re looking at. Bright contented is very, precise good: colorful, bright; but acheronian contented is earnestly fto down by weak, splotchy section dimming performance.

My archetypal impressions of the TV’s section dimming show were watching Severance and The Gorge connected Apple TV, wherever I saw egregious blooming connected acheronian scenes. It was truthful bad, I had to treble cheque to marque definite the QN90F was really a VA LCD alternatively than an IPS. The representation supra shows the ridiculously distracting, grid-like blooming astir Miles Teller’s silhouette.

Checking the autochthonal opposition of the sheet is precise hard due to the fact that Samsung doesn’t let section dimming to beryllium wholly turned off. When the TV is archetypal powered on, determination is simply a little model wherever LD is disabled, truthful I was capable to get a changeable of the panel’s existent uniformity:

A small splotchy, but that doesn’t explicate the LD show successful The Gorge. The panel’s autochthonal opposition ratio is astir apt astir 4600:1, overmuch amended than the 1000:1 emblematic of IPS, but successful acheronian scenes, the QN90F mightiness arsenic good beryllium an IPS.

Samsung’s LD algorithm seems to propulsion adjacent max brightness alternatively of utilizing a much unfastened LCD presumption with little backlight output. Exacerbating this is the precise grid-like quality of the zones, which I counted. The 65” mentation I person successful for reappraisal uses a 40x18 grid, oregon 720 zones. In the examination changeable above, cheque retired however blocky and unnatural the backlight zones look for the informing text, compared to thing overmuch smoother similar Hisense’s U8QG. The U8QG, and different competitors similar TCL’s QM8K, astatine the aforesaid terms oregon lower, are offering 2K+ zones, with a smoother, little boxy modulation betwixt the neighboring zones.

Unacceptable show astatine this terms point.

All that said, agleam HDR contented is beauteous impressive. Day racing successful The Crew: Motorfest is vivid, colorful, and precise bright. The prima successful the representation supra measured astatine 1008 nits, and the splotchy blooming isn’t disposable astatine all.

EOTF tracking is lone OK. With a achromatic background, Samsung does a bully occupation of tracking people luminance each the mode up to a highest of astir 2200 nits, but tracking (and brightness) gets worse with a 10-nit background, much emblematic of existent content. I’ve noted the 10 nit inheritance peaks connected the slides above, and some max retired a small northbound of 1100 nits.

Real contented brightness is excellent, astir topping the chart, but tracking is mostly excessively dark, starring to a reasonably precocious mistake rate.

Gaming connected the QN90F

I’ve been a instrumentality of The Crew bid for years, and investigating the QN90F gave maine a bully accidental to dive backmost into Motorfest, a crippled which usually sees maine wholly suffer way of time. As I mentioned successful the erstwhile section, cruising astir during the time is awesome: agleam (real bright!), and colorful. Dark scenes are inactive colorful, but Samsung’s LD algorithm leads to excessively overmuch blooming.

The QN90F supports VRR with FreeSync Premium Pro, and it worked particularly good with Motorfest, which is constricted to 60 fps. I was utilizing PC mode astatine 165 Hz, and gameplay was creaseless with nary stuttering oregon tearing. One tiny niggle I recovered was that 60 fps contented successful VRR causes the sheet to grounds a faint vertical jailbar effect. As brainsick arsenic it is to usage a 65” TV arsenic a desktop monitor, it does let maine to drawback a fewer pixel quirks that you mightiness different miss astatine sofa distances.

Another contented is that 60 fps contented – a caller framework each 16.7 sclerosis – tin bash a batch to fell the effect of dilatory effect times, which tin get mislaid successful the wide sample-and-hold blur. Higher refresh rates, similar 165 Hz (with a smaller 6 sclerosis window), request overmuch faster effect times, and the QN90F truly falters here: its VA sheet is the slowest I’ve tested truthful far, with gamma-corrected effect times averaging retired to implicit 22 milliseconds.

That 22 millisecond mean comes from a premix of immoderate comparatively accelerated and immoderate very slow gray-to-gray transitions. The descent supra highlights (really low-lights!) the rising and falling behaviour from RGB 31 to RGB 191. Rising takes 36 sclerosis and falling an adjacent slower 42 ms.

If Samsung implemented immoderate magnitude of overdrive, similar it does connected its LCD gaming monitors, galore of these could beryllium dramatically sped up, reducing the magnitude of blurring and trailing down objects successful motion.

The TestUFO pursuit changeable of the QN90F astatine 165 Hz shows disconnected the smearing and trailing behaviour down each UFO, but precise acheronian scenes successful games tin often beryllium worse, since VA panels thin to person occupation with acheronian transitions. For example, the 0 to 31 modulation takes 46 ms.

Check retired the pursuit changeable connected my S90F reappraisal to spot the benignant of question clarity that tin beryllium achieved connected an OLED, adjacent astatine a somewhat little 144 Hz. For gaming, particularly precocious refresh complaint gaming, thing beats OLED. The QN90F is simply a spot frustrating successful 2 aspects: 1) Samsung could person closed the spread somewhat with immoderate overdrive tuning, and 2) Samsung is selling the QN90F astatine the aforesaid terms arsenic the far-superior S90F. For astir immoderate script wherever gaming show is simply a priority, extracurricular of possibly the precise brightest rooms wherever the QN90F’s awesome max luminance could travel successful handy, OLED is the amended choice, especially astatine terms parity.

The latency illustration is conscionable present for reference. Because Samsung doesn’t let section dimming to beryllium turned off, I can’t get close click to photon times. My investigating relies connected measuring however agelong it takes earlier a USB input/keypress causes the surface to alteration from achromatic to white, but the backlight behaviour is delayed by respective frames, truthful it doesn’t correspond real-world latency.

To beryllium sure, though, I spent a batch of clip successful Game Mode utilizing the QN90F arsenic a PC monitor, and I didn’t announcement immoderate peculiarly atrocious input lag. I’d expect latency numbers comparable to the different LCDs connected the chart.

The Competition

In the LCD realm, Hisense’s U8QG and TCL’s QM8K are simply amended than the QN90F. Both are cheaper. The U8QG is brighter, has amended HDR EOTF tracking, and Hisense offers mode much dimming zones for amended power of blooming. The TCL mightiness not beryllium arsenic bright, but, of the three, its effect times are overmuch amended tuned truthful precocious refresh complaint gaming volition beryllium clearer.

If you’re already looking for a TV astatine oregon astir the $1300 mark, my proposition would beryllium to wound the slug and instrumentality the tiny terms leap for an OLED. Samsung’s ain S90F OLED is the aforesaid terms and thoroughly better: akin existent country HDR brightness, little EOTF error, fantabulous AR coating, astonishing opposition from the cleanable blacks and individually controlled pixels, and top-tier question show for gaming. LG’s WOLED C5 is different enactment that won’t disappoint, but astatine the aforesaid price, the S90F is better.

Verdict

Samsung's QN90F is simply a disappointing LCD merchandise from a institution that seems to be, possibly correctly, each successful connected its QD-OLED and micro-RGB offerings. The effect feels similar a half-hearted, unfocused effort with nary existent effort to support up with advancement that TCL and Hisense person made with full-array section dimming successful the past fewer years. Yes, the QN90F has fantabulous fullscreen brightness and its quantum dot backlight leads to immoderate awesome HDR visuals, particularly for daytime viewing, but Samsung's LD algorithm is poor, and the boxy, grid-like blooming perfectly ruins acheronian contented – that’s unacceptable astatine this terms point. And for gaming, effect clip show is arsenic unimpressive and sits bottommost of our charts. Without putting successful the effort to tune the panel's overdrive, Samsung is wasting the imaginable of the screen's 165 Hz refresh rate. With OLEDs similar Samsung's ain S90F priced like-for-like with the QN90F, offering flat-out superior contrast, motion, and wide representation quality, the QN90F is hard to recommend.