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There’s literally only one connection on the rear of the Q90, everything else is in the One Connect box. Here you’ll find four HDMI 2.0b inputs, three USB ports (two 2.0 and one 3.0), twin terrestrial and satellite tuners, a CI slot, an external link for auto calibration, an optical digital input and a LAN port for a wired connection (although there’s also built-in WiFi and Apple AirPlay). There’s no doubt that the Samsung Q90T is an excellent TV, and you certainly shouldn’t discount it for not being an OLED or not having as many dimming zones as its ‘predecessor’. That said, Sony, Panasonic and Philips have all upped their game with forward-facing sound solutions that tend to offer better precision and good sound projection. While Samsung hasn’t gone down that route for the QN94A, it does seem to have responded to the challenge. The audio from this TV is a significant improvement on previous seasons. We uploaded the brightness measurements and uniformity photos after running the TV for two months in our Accelerated Longevity Test.
The sound system has had an upgrade, too. Both the Q90T and Q95T have an eight-driver system arranged in what Samsung calls a 4.2.2 configuration. Those numbers shouldn’t be interpreted as with a Dolby Atmos system, though. Instead we’re dealing with four mid-range drivers, two woofers and two tweeters. Two of the mids are positioned along with the two woofers at the bottom of the chassis and the other two mids and the tweeters are at the top. Unlike many other TVs on the market the Q90 doesn’t support Dolby Atmos, which might put it at a disadvantage. To be honest there’s only so much a TV with stereo speakers can really do to deliver an object-based mix, but importantly the Q90 can send Dolby Atmos from built-in apps like Netflix to supporting soundbars via the HDMI audio return channel. Thankfully, Samsung does let you tweak the sound through an EQ if you leave it on the Standard sound mode, however that option will be disabled if you have AI Sound turned on. If you don’t want to use AI and you don’t want to fiddle with the EQ, you can use the Amplify setting to get an uplift in mids at low volumes, which does help alleviate some problems. If that wasn’t enough, you can also control your TV using the built-in Bixby smart assistant. This feature can be accessed by either pressing the microphone button on the remote, or simply saying “Hi Bixby”. We found using the mic on the remote worked best, avoiding any confusion caused by ambient noise. However both allowed us to control the TV and ask Bixby questions.Using much smaller LEDs means you can fit many more of them into the same screen area. And if you can fit many more LEDs into the same area, you can also deliver much more granular, localised control over how their light is used to deliver the TV’s pictures. Especially when, as in the 50QN90A’s case, the Mini LED array is driven by an advanced local dimming zone solution powered by Samsung’s latest Neo Quantum 4K processor. We tested the TV with the PS5's new variable refresh rate (VRR) feature and confirmed that it's working properly. Since the PS5 only supports HDMI Forum VRR, this also confirmed that the TV supports that type of VRR.
It’s vastly brighter than its OLED rivals, too. In most scenes, the image pops from the screen in a way that OLEDs simply can’t match. The exception is when the set is asked to produce a small bright object on an otherwise dark image, such as the scene-setting text at the start of the film. Drop to the 1080p, non-HDR Blu-ray of The Duchess and the Samsung continues to impress. Once again, sharpness and detail are excellent, and the delivery is lovely and punchy, too. There’s still a slightly exaggerated rosiness here, but it’s less pronounced. The opening of chapter two of the film is a challenge too far for the Q90T’s speakers, though, at least when Adaptive Sound+ is switched on. Here the deep, thumping bass causes a bit of rattle and flap from the TV’s woofers. The LG CX suffers similarly, but their rivals largely do not.On most things, the QN95A and QN90A are in agreement: a TV should have 4K resolution, a 120Hz panel, and a minimalist design with almost zero bezel. Both utilize what Samsung calls a "Neo Slim Design" rather than the 99% screen "Infinity One Display" found on its 8K models, though. This clear definition between the darkest and brightest parts of the picture is again the sort of thing you’d only normally see on an OLED TV, and transforms how easy it is to become immersed in what you’re watching. More important than how it fares against its discontinued sibling, though, is how it fares against similarly priced 2020 TVs from rival manufacturers. Essentially, we’re talking about OLEDs such as the LG OLED55CX and Philips 55OLED805.
Max light output HDR (high dynamic range) while displaying a live scene and white square taking up 10% of the screen (measured in Nits) The only catch with the 50QN90A’s upscaling is that it can start to look too fizzy with very grainy sources. This slight harshness can be softened away by the noise reduction options, but this inevitably leads to softer, occasionally slightly processed-looking results. To reiterate this point, though, the fizzing problem only happens with unusually grainy sources. With relatively pristine HD images the 50QN90A’s upscaling is outstanding.But speaking of motion processing, it’s worth talking about the new Motion Xcelerator Turbo+ technology that’s used by the Neo Quantum Processor 4K. It’s slightly more judicious in the way it uses judder reduction, but stutter is still an issue because of the way the TV’s native 120Hz refresh rate. Basically, the TV can overprocess some images, giving films a soap opera effect or, worse, making some scenes that have a bit of a natural shaky cam effect look like something from the Blair Witch Project or Cloverfield – it’s non-stop shaking that can really be a turn off. That said, the capability to produce brighter, more color-saturated images is one thing – but knowing when and where to employ that technology is a whole different matter. That’s where the Neo Quantum Processor 4K takes over. Using 16 neural networks, the Neo Quantum Processor 4K analyzes images on a frame-by-frame basis, upscaling the image if it’s coming from a sub-4K resolution using an image database and boosting contrast and color saturation. The screen has an anti-glare layer that effectively reduces reflections from ambient light in the room, while the TV does a solid job at reducing the colour and contrast drop-off typically experienced by LCD panels when viewed at extreme angles. This is a tonally natural and balanced sound, and there’s decent dynamic subtlety and a good combination of spaciousness and directness. Play one of the scenes in Blade Runner 2049 in which K takes his baseline tests, and you get a good sense of the echo in the hard, windowless room along with strong clarity and a reasonable amount of nuance.
As soon as you turn on Intelligent Sound the audio bursts into life and when watching a football match the commentary remains clear but the crowd is far more enveloping. With a movie the music and effects are clearly defined, while dialogue remains focused on the screen. If you’re playing a game the processing places effects around the front of the room with precision. These talents make the 50QN90A a seriously compelling gaming display too, despite the set having to rein in some of its contrast and colour enhancement technologies to deliver its exceptionally low 9.2ms (at 60Hz) input lag time when running in its Game picture mode. The Samsung QN90A is a great choice for gamers and not just because there’s no danger of the screen burn that can affect OLED sets. It offers a host of features for next-gen consoles, including support for 4K at 120Hz, VRR to reduce tearing and support for AMD FreeSync Premium Pro.How much color and contrast can be tweaked by any one of the five picture setting modes. Standard tones down colors and brightness for a more natural picture that will look good in most living rooms, while Dynamic mode is a good fit for rooms with an abundance of natural light. Movie mode adds an almost sepia-like tone to the content, while Film Maker mode turns off motion processing completely for a more cinematic experience. All the modes have their pros and cons, but we found each to be enjoyable in their own way. Max light output HDR (high dynamic range) while displaying small white square taking up 60% of the screen (measured in Nits) Updated to Test Bench 1.7 with an updated HDR Brightness test that better reflects real world usage. We've also split the console compatibility boxes into separate PS5 Compatibility and Xbox Series X|S Compatibility tests. You can see our full changelog here. The Q95T’s colour accuracy is better than that of the Q90R, too. After calibration, we measured an average Delta E of 1.28, with only a couple of colours exceeding the humanly perceptible error threshold for moving video content. Most colours, including skin tones, look incredibly accurate and natural. Of the Q95T’s various picture presets, Movie Mode is the most accurate. Samsung has also taken a big step forward this year in terms of sound. The eight-driver system of the Q90T makes it significantly crisper and clearer than its predecessors and the more affordable Q80T. It’s also weightier and deeper in terms of bass, but without the usual forced, inauthentic boom that’s common of TVs attempting to compensate for having small speakers.
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