I tested Samsung’s 98-inch 4K QLED TV, and here’s why it might be worth the $13,000

It’s unusual for me to be blown away by the picture top quality of any TV I’m reviewing. Nonetheless with Samsung’s QN90D Neo QLED TV, that’s what occurred — in a big-time (ultra-large) method.

That’s on account of Samsung despatched the 98-inch model to our ZDNET lab in Louisville, and I had the pleasure of spending some time with it, completely daunted by its imposing $15,000 ticket. That’s the costliest model of any TV I’ve examined.

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So, does the QN90D reside as a lot as its worth degree? In case your funds falls into the $10K+ worth echelon, then you definately definately’ve already jumped the first hurdle in shopping for one. And if that’s the case, then the reply is a convincing “Positive.” 

To be clear, there are dozens of 98-inch TVs out there available on the market that are lots easier on the pockets than this pet. As an example, you can purchase two of TCL’s 98-inch QM8 Mini-LED for decrease than one QN90D. Nonetheless there’s a substantial distinction throughout the experience behind these fashions, particularly Samsung’s treatment of Quantum Dot overlays on a mini-LED backlit present.

Moreover: How I optimized this 98-inch TV to feel like a movie theater (and it’s on sale)

This formulation is called “Neo QLED,” whereby case Samsung has swapped out customary LEDs for tens of a whole bunch of mini-LEDs. These elements embrace manufactured nanocrystals with ultra-fine semiconductor provides, allowing for the following magnitude of these fashions to distribute light exactly and successfully. The result, as Samsung locations it, is “brighter whites, darker blacks, and basic, a higher coloration range in between.”

I can attest to this. The QN90D offered up a crystal-clear picture with glistering highlights, vibrant colors, and the truest blacks I’ve witnessed on a non-OLED set. With its unfold of UHD micro dimming zones, darkish areas are so piercingly black that focusing your eyes on shadows is like staring proper right into a void. That’s efficient by me on account of they’re shadows, and I’m a fan of higher distinction ratios. 

Nonetheless in some extreme situations, darkish objects have been so darkish that their choices have been misplaced. Picture a black-clad motorcyclist racing down a sunlit road — black helmet, black jacket, black bike — and on this distant, wide-angle shot, the bicycle proprietor and his bike develop to be nearly a uniform silhouette, revealing no distinguishable textures or dimensionality. To be clear, this is ready to be a demanding ask of any TV for the scene I’m describing. A captivating diploma of ingredient in such inky blackness may solely be captured on Samsung’s Neo QLED 8K QN990C, which matches for an eye-watering $40,000 and is the subject of a novel analysis altogether. 

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What impressed me most was the in-your-face brightness and extraordinary coloration gamut of the QN90D. It’s vibrant, nonetheless not offensively so. I’d barely identify the overall influence “convincing.” Viewing the motion graphics initially of Warner Brothers and twentieth Century Fox productions, for example, felt like wanting into the window of an uber-vivid metaverse.

In a few instances, the color vibrance was so intense that some viewers may uncover it off-putting, such as a result of the radioactive purple glow of Netflix’s emblem. There are settings to chop again this depth. For starters, you’ll not want to set the TV’s picture mode to “Dynamic” on account of then every coloration will gleam with supersaturated abandon. (I’m going to converse further on setting decisions beneath.)

In some other case, I didn’t encounter disproportionate ranges of coloration or tonality. This held true in my assessments of glare and reflection, plus a scope of the QN90D’s viewing angles. Standing merely two toes from the show display screen at an unreasonably tight angle, the picture solely suffered a minor lack of coloration (a slight washout), nevertheless it retained its 4K QLED sharpness.

I was equally impressed with this TV’s audio output. Even throughout the absence of a associated soundbar, the amount managed to fill our testing house higher than adequately, and it did this at about one-tenth of its potential. Whereas watching Kandahar on Prime, I not at all pushed the amount earlier 12. It frightens me to consider the stentorian outcomes of cranking it as a lot as 100.

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Together with 4.2.2 channel audio system pumping out 60 watts of vitality, Samsung’s OTS+ experience tracks the onscreen movement and adjusts sounds accordingly. Its 98-inch panel consists of 8,276 sq. inches, allowing for further built-in audio system, which strategically create a 3D-like soundscape that seems to envelop you from all directions. No soundbar is essential. (Although I don’t discourage adding one to it.)

I did change the QN90D’s default sound mode to “Amplify” and noticed a marked enchancment throughout the crispness of whispering dialogue in Dune 2 and Kandahar. The setting’s establish is a bit misleading on account of it could not amplify amount nonetheless readability. The two films I mentioned above are fantastic for TV testing. Like many movement photos, they’ve a great deal of whispering dialogue however moreover gads of sweeping desert vistas. 

Color variation and rendering develop to be further evident in viewing these principally stark landscapes, which embrace the whole thing from jutting rock formations to an actor’s pores and pores and skin tone and Dune’s reddish “spice” granules inside swells of billowing sand. The sensible and sunny drone photos in Kandahar, for example, have been notably attractive.

My preferrred picture settings for the Samsung QN90D

When orienting myself with any new TV, I spend quite a lot of time testing out the settings. I toggle the alternatives on and off whereas scrutinizing select scenes from positive movement photos. I alter the sliders if accessible (e.g., tint). I experiment with Educated Settings (like switching Native Dimming to extreme and Distinction Enhancer to low, and vice-versa). 

I do an an identical issue with audio. This apply of blending and/or separating setting variables is principally a trial-and-error endeavor in pursuit of seeing optimum outcomes. Naturally, this is usually a subjective course of on account of it’s all about non-public preferences.

Moreover: I changed these 6 Samsung TV settings to significantly improve the picture quality

For the QN90D, I solely modified three picture settings from their default positions, and that’s largely owed to the Tizen software program program’s AI capabilities: 

1. Under All Settings, you’ll uncover Samsung’s “Intelligent Mode” risk. Turning that on disables the identical previous lineup of decisions beneath the Picture Mode menu (Dynamic, Eco, Filmmaker, and so forth.). 
2. The Picture Mode decisions are then modified with three choices: “Optimized,” “Eye Comfort,” and “AI Customization.” The latter actually lets you customise your seen alternative by deciding on one amongst 4 image choices (each) for sports activities actions, movement photos, and fundamental viewing. 
3. The Tizen OS’s NQ4 AI Gen2 processor then used my image options as parts to concoct what was, to me, the simplest picture attainable.

After the entire experimentation, my options solidified AI Customization as a result of the clear winner by means of a hottest picture mode. The excellence, brightness, and sharpness in scenes from these 4K flicks have been extraordinarily satisfying.

Bear in mind these design parts as you retailer

Like completely different new Samsung remotes, the QN90D’s takes a bit of bit getting used to on account of its diminutive measurement and its rocker buttons, which can be comparatively unconventional for distant controls. These small, flat, capsule-shaped buttons are designed to push in direction of or away from the TV to manage the amount and navigate the menu. (The interface itself, I ought to note, solely required a modicum of menu-diving to reach desired options, making it considered one of many further user-friendly panels I’ve examined.)

I acclimated to the distant’s design swiftly, and I moreover admire the picture voltaic panel on its underside for a lifetime of use with out cable charging or altering batteries. However when it’s merely an extreme quantity of effort to pick out up and use a TV distant, the QN90D moreover affords hands-free operation with its Bixby, Alexa, or Google voice assistants. Disappointingly, the distant simply isn’t backlit — as I would like all TV remotes must be — on account of I are inclined to do any binge-watching after sundown.

Moreover: The 2024 TCL QLED TV I recommend to most buyers is on sale for up to $3,000 off

A typical criticism amongst clients of the QN90D is the situation of its enter array. Its 4 HDMI ports, two USBs, and completely different connection components are positioned on the once more correct side of the panel. That’s fairly commonplace for lots of TVs. For a television of this measurement, nonetheless, merely accessing the ports after which deciding tips about find out how to run your wires to the closest wall outlet could also be a careless affair.

These grumblings seemingly stem from prior iterations of Samsung’s QLED fashions (e.g., the QN95C) having a separate OneConnect subject which will marry all your peripherals to the TV through a single translucent cable. For the QN90D, the scarcity of a loyal HDMI change is a wise concern by means of entry and positioning. And it’s an aesthetic consideration in the event you can not stomach seen wires trailing from the digital centerpiece of your lounge.

ZDNET’s purchasing for suggestion

I can overlook Samsung’s dedication to make the inputs a tad harder to reach on account of this TV is spectacular to have a look at and take heed to. At $15,000, even an ultra-large 98-inch show display screen needs to be brimming with cutting-edge experience, elevated specs, and a profusion of cool choices. The Samsung QN90D undoubtedly qualifies with these traits. 

Most of all, though, it delivers an distinctive viewing experience that may dazzle your eyeballs and please your earholes. If I’ve been within the subsequent tax bracket (and had an excellent greater dwelling), I’d undoubtedly put this massive leisure purchase in my (gargantuan) shopping for cart. 

Should you want a TV of comparable measurement nonetheless with a further accessible worth, bear in mind the TCL Q6 and QM8, every of which ZDNET has examined and advisable for big-screen shoppers on a funds.

Samsung 98-inch QN90D 4K QLED TV tech specs

How we test TVs

Whereas testing and researching the TV featured on this analysis, I and completely different ZDNET consultants saved these requirements in ideas:

• Worth: Not all budgets are created equal. And while you’re working with a restricted funds, that ought to not indicate you will need to settle for a sub-par TV. Each TV model we analysis has been chosen all through various worth components to help accommodate completely completely different needs.
• Show display screen measurement: An essential situation to consider, after worth, when buying for a model new TV is whether or not or not or not it’s going to match into your home. Whereas this explicit show display screen measurement is excellent, the QN90D is accessible in every kind of smaller sizes to swimsuit completely completely different rooms.
• Picture and audio top quality: A model new TV doesn’t counsel lots, even when it costs an arm and a leg, if it could not current a super picture and clear audio. Each TV on this itemizing has been ensured to assist quite a few HDR codecs, along with HDR10+ and Dolby Imaginative and prescient, along with enhanced audio software program program like Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus, and object-tracking sound.

For a further detailed look, check out our extensive TV testing methodology.