Review: Samsung QN90D QLED TV

Samsung’s QN90 QLED TVs have long been a top choice for those after a premium TV experience not powered by OLED. This year's QN90D is once again a contender, especially for those who watch in rooms with lots of ambient light.

The latest QN90 blends an even more potent mini LED backlight system with reflection handling that’s among the best I’ve tested all year. Like last year’s model, there’s some occasional light bleed around bright objects, but thanks to loads of dimming zones and excellent black levels, the QN90D usually looks quite good with the lights down, too.

This won’t be the best TV for every budget or buyer. You can get much of what makes the QN90D great from cheaper mini LED models like Hisense’s U8N (8/10, WIRED Recommends), while rival OLEDs, including Samsung’s own S90D (9/10, WIRED Recommends), provide a more balanced performance. Still, folks who appreciate the subtleties of high-end picture processing mixed with sizzling brightness will find the QN90D a tempting choice.

Industrial Elegance

Unlike the S90D, which uses a faux pedestal stand comprising two center legs, the QN90D employs a solid metal plate that roots the TV to your console with rugged confidence. It takes more effort to set up and adds over 7 pounds to the 65-inch model’s already hefty 60-pound panel, but the result is a slick look and a sturdy base.

The panel itself is remarkably slim for a TV with an LED backlighting system. Measuring just over an inch in depth, it’s nearly two inches thinner than more budget-friendly QLED models (the “q” stands for quantum dots) like the U8N or TCL’s QM7. That may not matter once it’s up on your wall or console, but it’s nice to get a premium vibe for premium pricing.

Samsung’s little solar-powered remote completes the package with a sleek and ergonomic design, though its lack of an input key requires you to dig into the settings when the TV doesn’t switch devices automatically.

Locking In

The QN90D’s initial setup was as easy as I’ve experienced on a Samsung TV. For the first time in something like five models, the mobile app setup worked all the way through, sweeping me through network connection, apps, and device setup in minutes.

Now comes the part where I usually complain about Samsung’s Tizen smart interface, but whether it’s subtle improvements or just familiarity, Tizen has admittedly grown on me. Its basic layout is similar to both Google TV and LG’s webOS, and unlike so many Google TV iterations I’ve tested, it’s snappy and responsive. That said, apps are still bizarrely complicated to add, and the Home screen sacrifices ads over convenience even more than the competition at times.

I’m not a fan of Tizen’s Settings navigation, which requires three layers of options before getting to the main page, and hides the TV’s light sensor settings under Power and Energy Savings instead of the Picture menu. The sensor is on by default in some modes, so if your TV’s brightness starts shifting automatically, this is likely the culprit. I always turn this setting off for more objective testing, but I will commend Samsung for its granularity in the latest version, letting you set the minimum brightness for exceptional control.

As usual, I recommend folks change the picture mode to one of the cinematic options, Filmmaker or Movie mode, for the best look in both SDR and HDR. Filmmaker needs the least adjustment for accuracy, though I raised the brightness a few notches in SDR. The biggest difference is that Movie mode engages both motion smoothing (which I recommend turning off) and Active Tone Mapping for HDR by default. The Static HDR mode looks more natural and works well for dark rooms, but Active provides that extra sizzle, especially for daytime viewing—and that’s where this TV really earns its keep.

Throw Back the Curtains

Samsung’s premium TVs have multiple solutions for ambient light, including the reflection-strangling matte-like screen in the S95D OLED (8/10, WIRED Recommends). It works quite well, but I prefer the QN90D’s approach. Like its OLED cousin, the S90D, it effectively minimizes reflections while keeping its glossy sheen for better depth. It also steers clear of the kind of rainbow reflections seen in step-up models like the QN900C 8K TV (8/10, WIRED Recommends). When combined with a peak brightness of well over 2,000 nits by most measurements, you get a striking picture even in a fully lit room.

That makes the QN90D arguably more effective for bright-room viewing than significantly brighter TVs with more reflective screens like the Hisense U8N. The QN90D’s backlighting doesn’t reach the next-gen brightness of that TV or Sony’s flagship Bravia 9 (9/10, WIRED Recommends), but it’s got plenty of muscle for the flashiest moments, from tropical coastlines to fiery explosions—especially since most video is mastered at 1,000 nits or less (though this is changing with new technologies).

SDR content is equally impressive, with specular highlights reaching eye-tingling levels even in more modest picture modes, and excellent shadow detail in dark scenes. The always challenging hilltop scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is fully viewable in a sunlit room, revealing subtle details like the ruffles of Voldemort’s dark green robe. The TV tends to “crush” shadow detail more readily in HDR with the Active HDR Tone Mapping turned off, but it still does well in all but the dimmest corridors.

Along with its excellent contrast, the QN90D’s skillful picture processing provides superb 4K detail and solid upscaling, especially for 1080p content. Most 720p video also looks great, though I noticed some odd oversharpening during content like ABC’s underwhelming football broadcasts, which seems to be a processing issue. Thankfully, I only saw it a few times in several weeks.

The QN90D’s quantum dot color skills add a vivid yet natural touch. When my morbid curiosity led me to Netflix’s 4K HDR Mike Tyson fight, I was gobsmacked by how lifelike the ring looked, especially during the evening’s more viewable fights. Watching NFL Redzone is similarly impressive thanks to the TV’s punchy colors and eye-catching contrast. Even in more subtle moments, the TV’s skillful shading draws your eye, though the Warm2 color temperature can sometimes look too warm, so you may want to try Warm1.

The QN90D's rich and deep black levels impress even in the dark, though that’s also where it shows some struggles with light bloom. As with the QN90C, menus are oddly raised when appearing on screen, but for regular content it's most noticeable with fast-moving objects, where you may see artifacts or “haloing” due to sluggish dimming. The TV still looks quite good in the dark most of the time, but some cheaper screens do better, and it definitely can't keep up with OLED screens that perfectly separate the darkest and brightest moments at the pixel level.

The same goes for its off-axis viewing, which takes a step back from last year’s QN90C due to Samsung’s choice to once again change LCD panel types year-over-year. It’s far from the worst I’ve tested this year, and better than Sony’s Bravia 7 (7/10, WIRED Recommends), staying mostly accurate from a moderate angle. You may not notice a change until you get far off to the side, where light bleed is accentuated and colors fade.

Those points notwithstanding, I was pleased by the QN90D’s excellent screen uniformity, mostly eschewing the “dirty screen effect” that plagues cheaper LED TVs, and its fantastic motion handling. Jerky motion and blur were both kept to a minimum in even my toughest test scenes, without the need for artificial motion smoothing.

More or Less

The QN90D’s excellent motion handling is complemented by loads of features, making it a great gaming TV. You’ll get ALLM (auto low latency mode) and VRR (variable refresh rate) at up to 144 Hz across all four HDMI ports, a dedicated Game Bar for quick adjustments, and Samsung’s Game Hub to stream from services like Amazon Luna and Xbox Game Pass.

Other notable QN90D features include built-in voice control for Amazon Alexa or Samsung Bixby, extras like Samsung Health content, and exclusives like Q-Symphony that lets the TV act as a speaker in concert with newer Samsung Soundbars. There’s also streaming over AirPlay, though Chromecast is not offered, nor is DTS audio decoding. Like all Samsung TVs, the QN90D also trades Dolby Vision HDR for HDR10+. This isn’t as big a deal as it sounds, as the TV defaults to regular HDR, but it means Dolby Vision scenes aren’t as finely tuned.

Even without Dolby Vision, I’d still gladly pick a Samsung OLED like the S90D as my daily driver. The QN90D is less appealing for my money, but its dazzling punch grew on me over time. If I watched a lot of TV in sun-drenched rooms, it’d be high on my list alongside Sony’s pricier Bravia 9. There are plenty of cheaper LED TVs worth considering in our Best TVs guide, including the oft-mentioned Hisense U8N. Sony’s punchy Bravia 7 is also a contende, since its price dropped significantly.

Luckily (or rather predictably), the QN90D’s price has also dropped, which makes it more tempting now than even a few months ago. If you’re a bright room warrior who takes your picture quality seriously, the QN90D is a great option.