Samsung QN65Q90R review
Product Name: Samsung QN65Q90R
Product Description: The Samsung Q90R QLED TV is a great TV with super bright colors thanks to its high-dynamic-range (HDR) imaging. The Q90R is one of Samsung’s top of the line 4K QLED Smart TV, packed with amazing features you only see in a first-class TV sets. Starting with a vertical-alignment-type LCD panel with UHD resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels that is powered by Samsung’s Tizen 5 Smart TV Operating System.
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Build Quality
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Performance
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Features
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Image Quality
Summary
This is an outstanding 4K TV, in every sense. The range of features, amazing image quality and looks make this Samsung TV one of the best we have ever seen. To be honest with you, we were impressed with the picture quality and overall experience. Highly recommend it. You buy this and you have a TV for years to come, hands down one of the best investments you will ever make.
Pros
Quantum-dot to improve color accuracy
1,300 nits brightness
Excellent set-up and user interface
Wide viewing angles
Low lag experience for gaming
Cons
No Dolby Vision support
Offers only 4K Resolution
Overly bright HDR
Bluish tint on screen edges
Motion processing not perfect
User Review
( votes)Samsung Q90R QLED TV Review
Bright, Bold, and Beautiful 4K QLED TV
Finding the best 4K LED TV in the market today can be tough. With so much choice from different brands, it is easy to get lost in the jargon and technicalities. You will need some useful tips in order to help you make a decision and this is what this Samsung Q90R QLED 4K TV Review is all about. There are certain factors you need to consider before buying a TV set that is perfect for your house.
Samsung certainly deserves to be in anyone’s shortlists of quality brands providing outstanding value for money. The Samsung Q90R QLED 4K TV is a great TV with a super bright color, thanks to its high-dynamic-range (HDR) imaging. Because of its outstanding features, the Q90R is one of Samsung’s top of the line 4K QLED Smart TV.
Overview
This QLED TV is packed with amazing features you only see in a first-class TV sets. Starting with a vertical-alignment-type LCD panel with UHD resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels that is powered by Samsung’s Tizen 5 Smart TV Operating System.
The latest Quantum Processor 4K is combined with Samsung’s Ultra-Wide viewing angle technology to improve visual quality. Also, the full-array local dimming (FALD) and AI upscaling helps to produce clearer and higher-quality images by using a large and ever-increasing database of images in order to create a more accurate algorithm to help display cleaner and sharper images from no-4K content. This is especially obvious when you have standard-definition content on display as it becomes surprisingly smooth and free of artifacts. In addition to this, Quantum dot technology helps to maintain accurate colors at peak brightness. Too bad Dolby Vision is not included, yet there is a support for HDR 10, HDR 10+, and HLG (hybrid log-gamma) formats.
Design and Features
Design-wise, the Q90R is far from being the most stylish LED TV in the market, but despite its simplicity, it is worth bearing in mind that it won the award for the World’s Slimmest TV. The slender bezel that surrounds the panel is thin enough to not affect the picture on-screen, providing sharp and bright backlight (with a peak brightness of 2000 nits and around 500 dimming zones). Also, Samsung made a TV stand that is similar to an iMac making the space underneath the TV a perfect place for a soundbar. You can read about our range of reviewed soundbars that would be perfect with this amazing TV set.
One of the most striking things about the Samsung Q90R QLED 4K TV is that all connections on the rear panel are placed via its external One Connect Box. Unlike traditional TV sets that require multiple cables, The Samsung Q90R only needs a single thin cable from the box to the TV which carries video, sound, and also powers the TV. The Smart Hub user interface has also been upgraded to make navigation faster and easier.
It is interesting that Q90R has another remote control aside from the traditional button remote. The silver smart remote has a special button to have direct access to Netflix, Amazon, and other digital streaming platforms. High-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) sockets are available with HDMI 2.1 features such as FreeSync2, Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM).
When it comes to sound quality, we can definitely say it is above average. I would suggest pairing it with a Samsung soundbar to get the maximum experience. But overall, the bass is clear to ensure voices are well-heard at any volume level.
Apple’s TV app is now natively onboard, which is a delight as you can now watch the largest selection of streamable 4K HDR films around. The Samsung Q90R supports HDR10, HLG and HDR10+. Samsung claims (and cleverly market it as) that we take HDR10+ as a serious contender to Dolby Vision, but the truth is there is little content still created on HDR10+ so one has to wonder how much use you will get out of it.
The Samsung Q90R has upgraded it much loved ambient mode to the second-generation, designed to help you find uses for the TV when it is not being used for viewing. When that is the case, the TV can literally blend into the wall upon which it’s mounted, simply by uploading a photo and it will match the colors and pattern. If that is not enough and you want a little something else, you are able to choose from the selection of 50 Ambient modes, all gorgeous to be honest, such as petals falling across the display or the silhouettes of leaves blowing in the wind. The TV becomes a painting or an artistic installation.
Picture Quality
The Samsung Q90R QLED 4K TV has amazing wide-angle viewing technology that makes the contrast and colors consistent in every environment and wherever you look at it from. So even you are not watching right in front but from an angle, the picture is so much better, sharp and crispy than any other brand we have seen so far. Also, the anti-reflective filter is a one-of-a-kind feature that deserves superb recognition.
Combining the anti-reflective filter and a backlight local dimming algorithm, together they eliminate any reflections very effectively. You will no longer need to draw the curtains or dim the light to get a sharp and clear image. The 480 dimmable zones generate deep blacks that boost contrast performance which in turn will appeal to most viewers.
Screen uniformity is quite good. It is hard to notice banding and dirty screen effect, but there is a slight bluish tint on the screen edges. For motion performance, you can use Auto Motion plus to adjust blur or smooth out vibration. Again, this is almost unnoticeable to the untrained eye so most people wouldn’t even notice. With AI upscaling, video processing results in near perfection image rendering, gradation between colors is much improved and there is no need for engaging with a Digital Clean View.
In terms of settings, there is actually very little that needs changing in order to get the best out of the Q90R. If you watch HDR content, all you need is to select the Standard preset, choose your preferred degree of motion processing and turn Digital Clean View off. If watching movies, Samsung suggests using the Movie mode, but the strong sepia-tint might not be for everyone’s taste.
HDR Performance
After test calibration to Illuminant D65 white point, its peak brightness reached 1600 nits. The DCI-P3 measure 95%, lower than the previous year’s results for 2017 and 2018 QLEDs, and we believe that the reason is the new Ultra Viewing Angle technology. The HDR images project excessive brightness which leads to compressed highlight detail, increased noise, and posterization in some scenes. Now, will the average viewer notice these? This is an open question.
Gaming Features
Connect your Xbox, PC, or PlayStation 4 to Samsung Q90R’s to take advantage of its gaming features. Enabling Game Mode removes the picture processing from the TV. You may experience a little degradation (and we mean almost unnoticeable) on the picture quality but it helps to reduce input lag. Upon testing, the input lag measures 17ms for both 4K HDR and 1080p SDR modes, so it means that lagging will not be a problem.
To customize your gaming experience, you can choose from numerous options like Game Motion Plus, Game Enhancer, and Dynamic Black Equalizer. Using ALLM, the TV can automatically switch to Game Mode. It also supports FreeSync 2 VRR to reduce any possible problems for multiple games.
Verdict
If the picture quality is your concern, Samsung Q90R is the best fit for you. Its wide viewing angles, local dimming algorithm, and AI upscaling features make your watching or gaming experience superior to anything out there in the market today. Even without Dolby Vision support (You can always add a soundbar and problem solved), this is a versatile QLED TV that you can display even in the brightest spot.
The Q90R is great for its color quality and excellent dark details with a comprehensive and proven operating system to run it. This is a backlit TV that will give you black like an OLED TV so the image will always look rich, sharp, and vibrant. If you buy this 4K TV set, you will be happy for years to come, guaranteed.
Not sure this 4K is the right for you? Why don’t you check out our section of 4K TVs where we review several TVs and we are certain that there is something for you there to suit your budget and requirements.
Buy it now in USA – Amazon | Buy it now in USA – Samsung | Buy it now in USA – B&H | Buy it – Rest of the world |