Jalen Sigh Tech

Verdict

This impressive Mini LED 4K TV combines superior image processing with increased brightness and wider colours to deliver engaging HDR. The design is elegant, the smart system comprehensive, and there’s a host of gaming features. Sound could be bigger, and there’s no Dolby Vision, but otherwise this capable mid-range model offers bright and colourful big screen entertainment.

Introduction

The Samsung QE75QN90D is a mid-range 4K HDR TV designed to provide many of the features and much of the performance found in the brand’s five star QN95D but without the accompanying price premium.

As such it includes all the same gaming and smart features, but reduces the number of zones in the Mini LED backlight, along with the peak brightness with HDR. The question is can the QN90D deliver a similar level of picture quality at a more affordable price?

Availability

The Samsung QN90D is widely available and comes in screen sizes ranging from 43- to 98-inches, although in the UK and Germany the biggest size is 85-inches. The 43- and 50-inch models use the Wide rather than Ultra Wide viewing angle technology, and also only have the OTS Lite sound system with physical and virtual speakers.

At the time of this review, the 75-inch Samsung QE75QN90D I tested retails for £2,199 / $1,999 / €2,299 / CA$2,999 / AU$4,395, although if you shop around you may be able to find significant savings.

Design

• Slim and stylish design
• Anti-reflection screen
• 4 x HDMI 2.1 inputs
• Solar Cell Remote
• SmartThings app

The Samsung QE75QN90D enjoys the sleek and elegant styling I’ve come to expect from the brand, with an equally impressive level of build quality. The overall fit and finish tends to be one of the factors that differentiates the QN range from models further down the Samsung line-up.

The chassis is very slim despite the huge screen size, with a depth of only 28mm, and there’s virtually no bezel around the screen. There’s also an Anti-Reflection filter on the screen that proves very effective in rejecting ambient light when watching TV during the day.

The QN90D uses a metal rectangular stand that is narrow enough for smaller AV furniture, but also provides solid support. The stand is easy to assemble and actually clips together, which means no screws to lose. If you’d rather wall mount there are 400 x 400mm VESA mounts at the rear.

Operating System

• Intuitive and responsive interface
• Comprehensive choice of apps
• Samsung TV Plus

The Samsung QE75QN90D uses the brand’s standard Tizen operating system, which in its latest iteration adds three sub tabs towards the top called ‘For You’, ‘Live’, and ‘Apps’.

The ‘For You’ tab includes recently watched content, a number of recommendations based on your viewing habits, a row of apps, and then layers of additional content that’s also based on your viewing history. The result is a more personalised experience when using the smart system.

The ‘Live’ tab offers live TV content for you to browse, and includes the electronic programme guide (EPG) with its sensibly laid-out channels, times, information and thumbnail image. Finally the ‘Apps’ tab includes various recommended apps directly provided by Samsung applications.

Whatever your preference when it comes to video streamers the QN90D offers a comprehensive choice with Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, Now, Rakuten, YouTube, and all the UK catch-up services. All these apps offer 4K, HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos where appropriate.

There’s a Daily+ section which acts as a hub for all the connected smart devices, heath apps and workspace areas. Any smart devices in the home can be detected and managed through the SmartThings app, and you can use the TV to remotely connect to a PC or Mac as well.

There’s a Gaming Hub that offers cloud gaming apps from Xbox, Utomik, Boosteroid, and others. You will of course need to add your own controller, although may be able to use your phone as well. There’s also a music player that you can use through a linked Spotify account.

The Ambient mode offers wallpaper and art that can be displayed on the screen when the TV isn’t in use or in standby mode. Finally, Samsung’s Knox security helps to keep all your data safe, allowing you to use the various smart features on the QN90D without fear of being compromised.

The QN90D ships with two remotes – a standard black zapper, and the Solar Cell controller. The latter offers a stripped-down choice of buttons that cover all the main functionality and control, plus there are direct access keys for Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, and Samsung’s TV Plus.

In terms of other control options, there’s the SmartThings app, which makes setup easier, along with Bixby built-in, and the ability to work with Amazon Alexa for a degree of voice control as well as added smarts. You can even access Siri via Apple’s AirPlay 2 if that’s your preference.

Features

• Mini LED backlight with 900 zones
• NQ4 AI Gen 2 processor
• Gaming at up to 144Hz

The Samsung QE75QN90D sports an extensive set of picture-related features such as a VA panel for deeper blacks, along with quantum dot filters for purer colours, and a Mini LED backlight with 900 independent zones that are controlled by Samsung’s class-leading local dimming algorithm.

The new NQ4 AI Gen2 processor with its 20 neural networks allows the processor’s deep learning capabilities to deliver sophisticated image processing and upscaling to 4K, along with custom picture modes that optimise the images based on genre settings and individual preferences.

The QN90D includes onboard Dolby Atmos decoding, and Object Tracking Sound Plus, which uses a 4.2.2-channel speaker layout with height drivers, plus 60W of built-in amplification. There’s also Q Symphony for seamless integration with supporting Samsung soundbars.

There are four HDMI 2.1 inputs, along with two USB 2.0 ports, twin tuners for terrestrial and satellite broadcasts, a CI (common interface) slot, an optical digital output, and an Ethernet port. In terms of wireless connectivity, there’s Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and support for Apple AirPlay 2.

If you’re a gamer the QE75QN90D has you covered with a host of cutting-edge enhancements such as AMD Freesync Premium Pro and Motion Xcelerator Turbo Pro 144Hz for PC gamers, along with other key features like 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM, and HGiG HDR support for next-gen console owners.

There’s a Game Bar that allows you to see all the main settings and technical data in one place, while the addition of the AI Auto Game Mode is a nice feature, enabling the TV to automatically optimise the settings. There’s also an ultra-wide game view option for widescreen gaming.

I measured the QN90D’s input lag at 9.8ms at 4K/60Hz, which is among the fastest of any TV on the market, and the lag drops even lower with higher frame rates. Overall game play is incredibly smooth and responsive, with motion handling that shows no signs of tearing or other artefacts.

Picture Quality

• Very bright HDR performance
• Precise local dimming system
• Filmmaker Mode is accurate
• Impressive image processing

The Samsung QE75QN90D is an excellent performer that’s capable of delivering deep blacks and bright highlights free of any blooming, even with HDR content. I counted 900 independent zones, and they certainly play their part, but it’s also thanks to Samsung’s class-leading local dimming algorithms. The black levels were also impressive for an LCD TV, with a native contrast ratio of 5,000:1.

This Mini LED TV might lack the pixel-precision of an OLED but it’s much brighter, especially when showing a full screen image as opposed to just specular highlights. Samsung’s local dimming is probably the best on the market, and this is borne out by deep blacks that are free of crush and precisely rendered highlights that pop without introducing blooming or clipping any detail.

The overall screen uniformity is also excellent, with no clouding despite the panel’s size, and the screen filter proves highly effective, absorbing any light sources at the front, and rejecting any ambient light from the room. The viewing angles aren’t as good as an OLED but thanks to Samsung’s Ultra Wide Viewing Angle technology they’re impressive for a VA panel. This is particularly obvious when directly comparing the QN90D to TVs from competitors that also use VA panels.

As a result the QN90D delivers an equally impressive performance whether during the day or at night. However, the combination of the filter and the inherent brightness makes this TV great for daytime viewing, and the wider viewing angles mean it looks good no matter where you’re sat.

The picture processing has always been a strong point of Samsung, and is an area where this more established brand has an advantage over newer but cheaper competitors. The QN90D’s picture processing is excellent with precise and detailed upscaling that doesn’t introduce unwanted artefacts. There are additional features for enhancing compressed or noisy content, with the resulting images looking clean regardless of the quality of the original source.

The Filmmaker mode provides very accurate SDR and HDR pictures, with errors that are well below the visible threshold. In this more accurate picture mode I measured a peak brightness of over 2,000 nits on a 10% window, 600 nits on a full-field pattern, and 94% coverage of the wider DCI-P3 colour space.

The tone mapping in the Static HDR setting proved to be spot-on in all my tests. This was true whether I sent a 1,000, 4,000 or 10,000 nits test pattern. However, if you feel you need a bit more punch to your HDR, especially with grades that look too dark, there’s also the Dynamic setting that analyses the incoming signal and adjusts the tone mapping to optimise the image.

Watching Dune Part Two in HDR10 reveals an image that takes full advantage of the QE75QN90D’s brightness and capable tone mapping to deliver impactful HDR images with specular highlights free of clipping, saturated colours, deep blacks and detailed shadows that aren’t crushed. The desert vistas in particular burst off the screen with vibrant and detailed pictures, especially with dynamic tone mapping.

While the QN90D doesn’t support Dolby Vision, it can handle the other format that uses dynamic metadata – HDR10+. The scene where the action switches to night in 1917 is a bit of a torture test for any display, but the Samsung gives a good account of itself by creating deep blacks that are punctuated by the bright flares, creating moving shadows that retain detail as they move across the brightly lit rubble.

The motion handling is also excellent, which means that with Picture Clarity off films and TV dramas delivered at 24p benefit from movement that is reproduced without any unwanted judder or artefacts. The default setting is Auto, but I find this introduces judder and motion blur, so if you want added frame interpolation for fast-paced sports I suggest experimenting with the Custom settings.

Sound Quality

• Object Tracking Sound Plus
• Dolby Atmos decoding
• Clear dialogue delivery

The Samsung QE75QN90D sounds pretty good for a modern TV, thanks to Dolby Atmos and a 4.2.2-channel speaker system that manages to cram six drivers and two woofers into its slim chassis. The result is a soundstage that fills the space all around the TV, while the sheer size adds width.

The default sound setting is standard, but I generally found this to be underwhelming and instead chose Amplify. This mode brings most soundtracks to life, with clearly rendered dialogue, more dynamic effects and a greater overall presence that results in a more energetic overall delivery.

Object Tracking Sound Plus plays its part, with the height speakers helping to add another layer to the sonic presentation. Sounds can be heard moving around and above the TV to match the action on the screen, while dialogue always remains clear, focused and intelligible.

The inclusion of onboard Dolby Atmos decoding, along with the ability to send Atmos back via ARC, is also very effective. Object-based audio has more height, width and depth with Atmos content, and in general this sonically capable TV sounds reasonably good with most content.

Where the 75-inch QN90D struggles is with bass delivery and sheer power. The built-in woofers at the rear don’t add much low-end presence, especially when compared to a dedicated subwoofer, and 60W isn’t sufficient to drive all those speakers without losing steam at higher volumes. If you’re investing in a screen this big, you really should partner it with a decent soundbar system.

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