Samsung QN90D  TV Review

Review updated Mar 14, 2025 at 10:06am
Retest Jun 11, 2025 at 02:17pm
Tested using Methodology v2.0.1 
Samsung QN90D
8.1
Mixed Usage 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

8.2
Home Theater 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

8.5
Bright Room 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

8.4
Sports 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

7.6
Gaming 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

9.1
Brightness 
8.6
Black Level 
7.8
Color 
 163
 TV Settings
Early Black Friday Deal: The Samsung QN90D has dropped in price by $202 at amazon.com.
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Notice: This TVs was replaced by Samsung QN90F
  1. Recommended in:
  2. Outdoor

The Samsung QN90D/QN90DD QLED is an upper mid-range 4k TV released in 2024. It replaces the Samsung QN90C/QN90CD QLED and sits above the Samsung QN85D/QN85DD QLED and below the Samsung QN95D QLED. It uses Samsung's Neo Quantum 4k AI Gen 2 processor, designed to improve performance and deliver better overall picture quality than its predecessor. The TV has 60W 4.2.2CH speakers built-in, uses the 2024 version of Samsung's Tizen OS, and is available in seven sizes: 43-inch, 50-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch, 75-inch, 85-inch, and a massive 98-inch model. Unlike the QN90C, which only had 144Hz support on the two smallest size options, this TV supports 144Hz on all sizes except for the 98-inch model.

Our Verdict

8.1
Mixed Usage 

The Samsung QN90D is great for mixed usage. It's excellent for watching content in a bright room, like sports, due to its superb SDR brightness, very good color volume, and decent direct reflection handling, and it also looks amazing in a dark room due to its ability to display deep blacks. Watching content in HDR is impactful due to the TV's outstanding HDR brightness, although, unfortunately for gamers, the TV loses quite a bit of its vibrancy in Game Mode; it's still decent, but it's definitely dimmer. Its pixel transitions are also quite slow, so it doesn't deliver a truly motion blur-free experience when gaming, although it's still responsive enough due to its low input lag and VRR support. Finally, its image processing excels when upscaling SD content, making it a great choice to pair with your old DVDs or when watching SD feeds on cable.

Pros
  • Excellent black levels with little blooming.

  • Excellent HDR brightness for impactful highlights.

  • Decent enough direct reflections handling for a bright room.

  • Truly superb SDR brightness.

  • Colors are bright and vibrant, especially in HDR.

Cons
  • Loses a lot of its HDR brightness in Game Mode.

  • Slow pixel transitions in Game Mode leads to blurry motion. 

8.2
Home Theater 

The Samsung QN90D is great for a home theater setup. It has excellent black levels, so blacks are deep in dim and dark scenes, and they stay that way when bright highlights are present. It performs admirably well when upscaling SD content, leaving you with a clean-looking image. It also respects the content creator's intent well. It doesn't perform quite as well in low-bitrate situations, so movies streamed from online platforms have some visible macro-blocking, but it's not excessive. There's also some stutter due to the TV's fast response time, but it's not egregious enough to bother most people. Unfortunately the TV doesn't support the popular Dolby Vision HDR format, instead opting for the less widely used HDR10+, and it also doesn't pass through advanced DTS audio formats through eARC.

Pros
  • Excellent black levels with little blooming.

  • Excellent HDR brightness for impactful highlights.

  • Impressive low-resolution upscaling.

  • Tracks the content creator's intent well in HDR due to its good PQ EOTF tracking

  • Colors are bright and vibrant, especially in HDR.

Cons
  • No Dolby Vision or DTS audio support.

  • Only passable pre-calibration SDR accuracy.

  • Okay low-quality content smoothing, but it does leave some compression artifacts in the feed.

8.5
Bright Room 

The Samsung QN90D is excellent for use in a bright room. It has superb SDR brightness and decent handling of direct reflections, although lamps or windows opposite the TV are visible on the screen. On the other hand, it does a good job of retaining color vibrancy in a bright room, and although black levels do rise in a bright room, blacks remain deep enough that the image doesn't look too washed out.

Pros
  • Decent enough direct reflections handling for a bright room.

  • Truly superb SDR brightness.

  • Colors are bright and vibrant, especially in HDR.

Cons
  • Black levels are not quite as deep in brighter rooms.

8.4
Sports 

The Samsung QN90D is great for watching sports. This TV is extremely bright in SDR, and its direct reflection handling is decent enough to overcome some glare in a bright room. Colors in your favorite sports are nice and colorful thanks to the TV's good color volume in SDR, although their accuracy is only passable. You get a clean-looking image when watching SD content due to the TV's impressive low-resolution upscaling. The TV's viewing angle is satisfactory; the image degrades when viewed from more aggressive angles, but overall, it's a decent choice for a large gathering. Unfortunately, the TV's gray uniformity isn't the best, so you do see some dirty screen effect when watching sports with large areas of uniform color, but it's not excessive and isn't likely to distract most viewers.

Pros
  • Impressive low-resolution upscaling.

  • Decent enough direct reflections handling for a bright room.

  • Truly superb SDR brightness.

  • Colors are bright and vibrant, especially in HDR.

Cons
  • Some noticeable dirty screen effect towards the center of the screen. 

  • Only passable pre-calibration SDR accuracy.

  • Okay low-quality content smoothing, but it does leave some compression artifacts in the feed.

7.6
Gaming 

The Samsung QN90D is good for gaming. It has excellent black levels with little visible blooming, with vibrant colors that pop in HDR. The TV has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four ports for up to 4k @ 144Hz gaming, with VRR. However, its pixel transitions are quite slow overall, so fast motion in games is blurry; stick to 120Hz for the best performance, as its response time is slower at 60Hz and 144Hz. It's also not nearly as bright in Game Mode as in its other picture modes; it's still bright enough for a decent visual experience, but it's a noticeable drop in visual fidelity.

Pros
  • HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four ports, all capable of up to 4k @ 144Hz with VRR support.

  • Very low input lag for a very responsive experience.

  • Colors are bright and vibrant, especially in HDR.

Cons
  • Loses a lot of its HDR brightness in Game Mode.

  • Slow pixel transitions in Game Mode leads to blurry motion. 

9.1
Brightness 

The Samsung QN90D has outstanding brightness overall. It has superb SDR brightness, so it's more than capable of overcoming glare from indirect sources of light. It also has excellent HDR brightness, which makes highlights really pop in HDR content.

Pros
  • Excellent HDR brightness for impactful highlights.

  • Truly superb SDR brightness.

Cons
None
8.6
Black Level 

The Samsung QN90D has excellent black levels. It has incredibly effective local dimming, giving it amazing contrast and black uniformity with little blooming.

Pros
  • Excellent black levels with little blooming.

Cons
  • Black levels are not quite as deep in brighter rooms.

7.8
Color 

The Samsung QN90D has very good overall color performance. It has excellent color volume in HDR and good color volume in SDR, so it's quite colorful. Unfortunately, while its SDR pre-calibration accuracy is passable, purists won't be satisfied. Thankfully, it's more accurate in HDR, although home theater aficionados are still likely to want to calibrate their panel for the best possible experience.

Pros
  • Colors are bright and vibrant, especially in HDR.

Cons
  • Only passable pre-calibration SDR accuracy.

7.4
Processing (In Development) 

Note: We're in the process of improving our tests related to image processing, but this score should give you a general idea of how a TV performs overall with its image processing capabilities.

The Samsung QN90D's image processing is decent overall, albeit uneven. It upscales low-resolution content impressively well. It also does a good job of respecting the content creator's intent when it comes to HDR brightness. Its low-quality content smoothing is okay; it does clean up some compression artifacts, but there's a fair amount remaining in the feed. There's also some banding in HDR gradients, but it's not excessive.

Pros
  • Impressive low-resolution upscaling.

  • Tracks the content creator's intent well in HDR due to its good PQ EOTF tracking

Cons
  • Okay low-quality content smoothing, but it does leave some compression artifacts in the feed.

7.2
Game Mode Responsiveness 

The Samsung QN90D is decently responsive in Game Mode, with its low input lag, support for a variety of VRR modes, and a large amount of supported resolutions. Unfortunately, its pixel transitions really aren't fast enough to provide a motion-blur free gaming experience, as there's noticeable motion blur in most scenes, especially at 60Hz and 144Hz; stick to 120Hz for the best performance.

Pros
  • HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four ports, all capable of up to 4k @ 144Hz with VRR support.

  • Very low input lag for a very responsive experience.

Cons
  • Slow pixel transitions in Game Mode leads to blurry motion. 

7.7
Motion Handling (Broken) 

We're in the process of fixing the way we evaluate a TV's overall motion handling. This section is currently broken, and the score isn't indicative of how well a TV handles motion overall.

  • 8.1
    Mixed Usage
  • 8.2
    Home Theater
  • 8.5
    Bright Room
  • 8.4
    Sports
  • 7.6
    Gaming

  • Performance Usages

  • 9.1
    Brightness
  • 8.6
    Black Level
  • 7.8
    Color
  • 7.4
    Processing (In Development)
  • 7.2
    Game Mode Responsiveness
  • 7.7
    Motion Handling (Broken)
  • Changelog

    1.  Updated Jun 11, 2025: 

      We updated the Black Frame Insertion section after confirming that the TV only supports BFI at 60Hz.

    2.  Updated May 29, 2025: 

      We clarified that the 43" and 50" models aren't as bright as the larger sizes in the Differences Between Variants section.

    3.  Updated May 08, 2025: Converted to Test Bench 2.0.1. We did this to fix an issue with our scoring in the Supported Resolutions section, since TVs with a refresh rate higher than 144Hz were being penalized for not supporting 144Hz.
    4.  Updated May 02, 2025: 

      We mentioned the newly reviewed Samsung QN90F in the HDR Brightness In Game Mode section of this review.

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    Differences Between Sizes And Variants

    We bought and tested the 65-inch Samsung QN90D, and these results are also valid for the 55-inch, 75-inch, and 85-inch models. Although most of our results should be applicable to the 43-inch and 50-inch models, those two sizes aren't as bright as the larger ones, and we don't know exactly how much dimmer they are. The 98-inch model is limited to a 120Hz refresh rate, but all other results should be the same. It's also sold as the Samsung QN90DD at some warehouse retailers, including Costco. The DD variant has slightly better speakers (70W vs. 60W on the QN90D) and a longer warranty, but otherwise performs the same. Note that the last five letters in the model number (AFXZA in this case) vary between retailers and individual regions, but there's no difference in performance.

    In Canada, there's also the QN92D. It has 70W speakers instead of 60W, but outside of that, the TV performs the same.

    Size US Model Short Model Code Costco Variant Max Refresh Rate
    43" QN43QN90DAFXZA QN43QN90D - 144Hz
    50" QN50QN90DAFXZA QN50QN90D - 144Hz
    55" QN55QN90DAFXZA QN55QN90D - 144Hz
    65" QN65QN90DAFXZA QN65QN90D QN65QN90DDFXZA 144Hz
    75" QN75QN90DAFXZA QN75QN90D QN75QN90DDFXZA 144Hz
    85" QN85QN90DAFXZA QN85QN90D QN85QN90DDFXZA 144Hz
    98" QN98QN90DAFXZA QN98QN90D - 120Hz

    Our unit was manufactured in February 2024.

    Popular TV Comparisons

    The Samsung QN90D is a great TV overall. It delivers excellent picture quality and is loaded with modern features. It's a good option for gamers with modern consoles or gaming PCs due to its HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, VRR support, and up to 4k @ 144Hz, although its response time isn't quite good enough for a motion blur-free gaming experience. It's also quite pricey, and there are other similar TVs that perform similarly or better for less money. You can get the fully-featured Hisense U8/U8N and TCL QM8/QM851G QLED for cheaper. Both TVs offer a more impactful viewing experience, and they both support Dolby Vision alongside advanced DTS audio formats, both of which the Samsung doesn't support. If you instead need a TV that's more suitable for a wide seating arrangement and doesn't need all the brightness the QN90D offers, you can get the better overall Samsung S90D/S90DD OLED for around the same price. 

    For more options, check out our recommendations for the best QLED TVs, the best 4k gaming TVs, and the best TVs.

    Samsung QN90F
    43" 50" 55" 65" 75" 85" 98"

    The Samsung QN90D and Samsung QN90F are extremely similar TVs, but, overall, the older QN90D has a very slight edge over its successor, mostly due to its noticeably better contrast and color vibrancy. For gamers, it's a wash: the QN90D loses a lot of its HDR brightness in Game Mode, and the QN90F doesn't, but inversely, the newer model has noticeably worse zone transitions in Game Mode, giving it worse black levels than its predecessor when gaming. PC gamers will, however, appreciate the QN90F's 165Hz support and slightly faster pixel transitions, although it's a minor improvement. The biggest advantage of the QN90F is its far better direct reflection handling due to its matte coating. 

    Samsung QN80F
    55" 65" 75" 85" 100"

    The Samsung QN90D is much better than the Samsung QN80F. The QN90D is a lot brighter in HDR, so small specular highlights stand out much better from the background, and very bright scenes are more impressive. The QN90D also has much better contrast and a significantly better local dimming system, so blacks are deeper, more uniform, and there's less haloing around bright lights or subtitles on a dark background.

    TCL QM7K
    55" 65" 75" 85" 98"

    The Samsung QN90D is better than the TCL QM7K. The Samsung is brighter, so specular highlights in HDR stand out better than they do on the TCL. The Samsung TV is also better at overcoming glare in a bright room, but there's a slight downside to it, as its black levels rise in a bright room, so it has worse contrast during the day.

    Samsung S90D OLED
    42" (WOLED) 48" (WOLED) 55" (QD-OLED) 65" (QD-OLED) 77" (QD-OLED) 83" (WOLED)

    The Samsung S90D OLED (QD-OLED) is better than the Samsung QN90D. The S90D displays deeper blacks in a dark room due to its nearly infinite contrast ratio, and there's no blooming. The S90D also has a much wider viewing angle, so no matter where you or your friends sit, you'll see a consistent image. The S90D really shines when it comes to colors, and its much wider color gamut displays incredibly vibrant and lifelike colors with no noticeable banding in color gradients. The S90D also has a faster response time, so there's no noticeable blur behind quick motion. The QN90D is the brighter TV overall, so it fights more glare in very bright rooms, but the S90D is also no slouch in that regard.

    Show more 

    Video

    How We Test TVs
    How We Test TVs

    We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests are done with specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.

    Test Results

    perceptual testing image
    Sort:
    RATINGS
    Category:
    All
    Brightness
    8.9
    HDR Brightness
    Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)
    1,063 cd/m²
    Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)
    669 cd/m²
    Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)
    265 cd/m²
    Peak 2% Window
    2,158 cd/m²
    Peak 10% Window
    2,087 cd/m²
    Peak 25% Window
    1,510 cd/m²
    Peak 50% Window
    894 cd/m²
    Peak 100% Window
    619 cd/m²
    Sustained 2% Window
    2,121 cd/m²
    Sustained 10% Window
    2,046 cd/m²
    Sustained 25% Window
    1,499 cd/m²
    Sustained 50% Window
    892 cd/m²
    Sustained 100% Window
    619 cd/m²
    Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
    0.067

    The Samsung QN90D has amazing HDR brightness. Highlights really pop out during darker scenes, and the TV is bright enough that very bright specular highlights even stand out in well-lit scenes. Combined with its fantastic contrast, this TV provides a very impactful HDR viewing experience.

    These measurements are after calibrating the HDR white point with the following settings:

    • HDR Picture Mode: Filmmaker
    • Brightness: 50
    • Contrast: 50
    • Contrast Enhancer: Off
    • HDR Tone Mapping: Static
    • Color Tone: Warm 2
    • Color Space: Auto
    • Peak Brightness: High

    Results with HDR Tone Mapping set to 'Active':

    • Hallway Lights: 1223 cd/m²
    • Yellow Skyscraper: 1041 cd/m²
    • Landscape Pool: 501 cd/m²
    7.4
    HDR Brightness In Game Mode
    Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)
    557 cd/m²
    Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)
    588 cd/m²
    Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)
    125 cd/m²
    Peak 2% Window
    1,914 cd/m²
    Peak 10% Window
    2,109 cd/m²
    Peak 25% Window
    1,554 cd/m²
    Peak 50% Window
    937 cd/m²
    Peak 100% Window
    639 cd/m²
    Sustained 2% Window
    1,907 cd/m²
    Sustained 10% Window
    2,015 cd/m²
    Sustained 25% Window
    1,541 cd/m²
    Sustained 50% Window
    881 cd/m²
    Sustained 100% Window
    638 cd/m²
    Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
    0.063

    The Samsung QN90D is visibly dimmer when set to Game Mode. It's still bright enough for highlights to stand out during darker scenes and to provide an impactful HDR experience while gaming.

    These measurements are after calibrating the HDR white point with the following settings:

    • HDR Picture Mode: Game Mode
    • Game HDR: Basic
    • Brightness: 50
    • Contrast: 50
    • Contrast Enhancer: Off
    • HDR Tone Mapping: Static
    • Color Tone: Warm 2
    • Color Space: Auto
    • Peak Brightness: High

    Results with 'HDR Tone Mapping' set to 'Active':

    • Hallway Lights: 515 cd/m²
    • Yellow Skyscraper: 644 cd/m²
    • Landscape Pool: 136 cd/m²

    Results with 'Game HDR Advanced' turned on:

    • Hallway Lights: 748 cd/m²
    • Yellow Skyscraper: 749 cd/m²
    • Landscape Pool: 332 cd/m²

    Look at the TCL QM8/QM851G QLED or Samsung QN90F if you want a similar TV that doesn't lose HDR brightness while using Game Mode.

    9.4
    SDR Brightness
    Real Scene Peak Brightness
    1,315 cd/m²
    Peak 2% Window
    1,930 cd/m²
    Peak 10% Window
    2,032 cd/m²
    Peak 25% Window
    1,530 cd/m²
    Peak 50% Window
    1,009 cd/m²
    Peak 100% Window
    629 cd/m²
    Sustained 2% Window
    1,924 cd/m²
    Sustained 10% Window
    1,988 cd/m²
    Sustained 25% Window
    1,514 cd/m²
    Sustained 50% Window
    944 cd/m²
    Sustained 100% Window
    628 cd/m²
    Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
    0.062

    The Samsung QN90D has superb SDR brightness and easily overcomes glare in even the brightest of rooms.

    These measurements are after calibration with the following settings:

    • Picture Mode: Movie
    • Brightness: 50
    • Color Tone: Warm 2
    • Color Space: Auto
    • Peak Brightness: High
    • Gamma: 2.2
    Black Level
    8.9
    Contrast
    Contrast
    270,333 : 1
    Native Contrast
    3,404 : 1

    The Samsung QN90D has truly excellent contrast with local dimming on 'High.' The TV's native contrast ratio is mediocre, but its effective local dimming feature provides very deep blacks in a dark room, and they stay deep when bright highlights are also on screen. If you want a Samsung TV with even better contrast, check out the 2024 Samsung S85D OLED, or, if you're in the market for an 8k TV, the Samsung QN900D 8k QLED.

    8.0
    Lighting Zone Precision

    The TV's lighting zone precision is great, but there's some noticeable blooming around bright objects and subtitles when displayed against a black background.

    7.0
    Lighting Zone Transitions
    Local Dimming
    Yes
    Backlight
    Full-Array
    Dimming Zone Count Of The Tested TV
    720

    The TV has decent lighting zone transitions. Unfortunately, the leading edge of bright highlights when they quickly move across the screen is visibly dimmer, and there's very noticeable haloing.

    8.5
    Contrast And Dark Details In Game Mode

    Due to the TV's higher refresh rate in Game Mode, its zone transitions are a bit better than in other picture modes. Unfortunately, there's a bit more blooming when the TV is set to Game Mode.

    8.5
    Black Uniformity
    Std. Dev.
    0.233%
    Native Std. Dev.
    0.749%

    The TV has excellent black uniformity with local dimming enabled. Blacks are deep and uniform across the screen, with only a bit of blooming around bright objects on a dark background.

    Color
    7.5
    SDR Color Volume
    CIELAB DCI-P3 Coverage
    90.62%
    CIELAB BT.2020 Coverage
    64.05%

    The TV has good SDR color volume. It has impressive coverage of the commonly used DCI-P3 color space, although it can't quite fully display bright greens, yellows, and oranges, as well as some blues and cyans. The TV has mediocre coverage of the wider BT.2020 color space; its color volume isn't quite good enough to fully display most colors, with the exception of magentas.

    Volume ΔE³ DCI-P3
    Coverage
    BT.2020
    Coverage
    L10 89.53% 68.50%
    L20 90.95% 68.54%
    L30 91.08% 68.49%
    L40 91.21% 70.51%
    L50 91.62% 71.30%
    L60 91.45% 68.84%
    L70 91.54% 59.41%
    L80 92.03% 57.02%
    L90 89.53% 56.55%
    L100 71.56% 58.75%
    Total 90.62% 64.05%
    8.8
    HDR Color Volume
    1,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage ITP
    88.4%
    10,000 cd/m² BT.2020 Coverage ITP
    49.4%
    White Luminance
    2,153 cd/m²
    Red Luminance
    425 cd/m²
    Green Luminance
    1,511 cd/m²
    Blue Luminance
    142 cd/m²
    Cyan Luminance
    1,667 cd/m²
    Magenta Luminance
    577 cd/m²
    Yellow Luminance
    1,939 cd/m²

    The TV has amazing HDR color volume. It displays a wide range of colors at high luminance levels, and dark, saturated colors are displayed well due to its excellent contrast.

    6.4
    SDR Pre-Calibration Color Accuracy
    White Balance dE 2000
    3.92
    Color dE 2000
    3.27
    Gamma
    2.17
    Color Temperature
    5,798 K
    Picture Mode
    Movie
    Color Temp Setting
    Warm 2
    Gamma Setting
    2.2

    The Samsung QN90D has passable pre-calibration accuracy. Gamma is close to our target of 2.2, but bright scenes are too bright, and dark scenes are a bit too dark. The TV's white balance is mediocre, with blues underrepresented in all shades of gray and reds overrepresented in brighter grays. The color temperature is much warmer than our target of 6500K, and most colors are inaccurate across the board.

    9.5
    SDR Post-Calibration Color Accuracy
    White Balance dE 2000
    0.21
    Color dE 2000
    1.22
    Gamma
    2.20
    Color Temperature
    6,565 K
    White Balance Calibration
    20 point
    Color Calibration
    Yes

    The TV has fantastic SDR accuracy after calibration. Gamma, white balance, and color temperature are all nearly perfect. Color accuracy is much better now, but all colors are still a little bit off the mark.

    You can see our full calibration settings.

    7.3
    HDR Pre-Calibration Color Accuracy
    White Balance dE ITP
    9.26
    Color dE ITP
    6.8
    Color Temperature
    5,855 K
    Picture Mode
    Filmmaker

    The TV has decent pre-calibration accuracy in HDR. Its color accuracy is great, with only some reds and grays showing significant color mapping issues. Its white balance is satisfactory, although reds are overrepresented, and blues are underrepresented, in brighter grays. This makes the TV's color temperature too warm, giving everything a red hue.

    8.7
    HDR Post-Calibration Color Accuracy
    White Balance dE ITP
    5.50
    Color dE ITP
    5.60
    Color Temperature
    6,686 K

    The TV's HDR accuracy is excellent after calibration. Its white balance is amazing, with only blues now being slightly overrepresented in brighter shades of gray. This can also be seen in the TV's color temperature, which is far closer to the 6500K target, albeit now slightly too cold. Color accuracy is slightly improved, with grays now being far more accurate, at the cost of less accurate blues.

    Processing
    7.5
    PQ EOTF Tracking
    See details on graph tool
    600 Nit Tracking Delta
    0.0067
    1000 Nit Tracking Delta
    0.0067
    4000 Nit Tracking Delta
    0.0056

    The TV has good PQ EOTF tracking on the low end of the curve, but it's less accurate with the top end. Some shadows and mid-tones are displayed a bit brighter than intended, but it sticks very close to the curve with those. Unfortunately, brighter mid-tones and highlights are displayed noticeably dimmer than intended, but the TV starts to closely follow the curve with very bright highlights until they reach its peak luminance.

    There's a gradual roll-off near its peak brightness to maintain details in very bright highlights. This is important for content mastered at 4000 nits since it doesn't get that bright, but the TV is bright enough to fully display content mastered in 600 or 1000 nits, so the roll-off isn't necessary for content mastered at those levels.

    6.8
    Low-Quality Content Smoothing
    Smoothing
    6.5
    Detail Preservation
    7.5

    The TV has alright low-quality content smoothing. It does a good job with preserving detail, but it only does an okay job at actually smoothing out artifacts, so there's still visible macro blocking present in low-bitrate content.

    8.0
    Upscaling: Sharpness Processing

    The Samsung QN90D does a very good job at upscaling low-resolution content like DVDs or lower-resolution streams. Details are clear enough, but finer details are hard to make out.

    Sharpness processing was calibrated with no over-sharpening for low-resolution content, with the following setting:

    • Sharpness: 5
    7.0
    HDR Native Gradient
    100% Black To 50% Gray
    6.0
    50% Gray To 100% White
    8.0
    100% Black To 50% Red
    8.0
    50% Red To 100% Red
    8.0
    100% Black To 50% Green
    8.0
    50% Green To 100% Green
    6.0
    100% Black To 50% Blue
    8.0
    50% Blue To 100% Blue
    4.0

    The Samsung QN90D has decent HDR native gradient handling. Most colors have minimal banding, but dark grays and brighter greens do have some noticeable banding in them, and brighter blues have very visible banding.

    If you need a Mini LED TV with less banding, check out the LG QNED90T.

    Game Mode Responsiveness
    8.5
    Input Lag
    1080p @ 60Hz
    11.7 ms
    1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
    93.6 ms
    1080p @ 120Hz
    7.0 ms
    1080p @ Max Refresh Rate
    6.1 ms
    4k @ 60Hz
    11.7 ms
    4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    11.8 ms
    4k @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
    78.6 ms
    4k @ 60Hz With Interpolation
    25.3 ms
    4k @ 120Hz
    7.0 ms
    4k @ Max Refresh Rate
    6.2 ms
    8k @ 60Hz
    N/A

    This TV has very low input lag when set into Game Mode, which ensures a very responsive gaming experience.

    9.4
    Supported Resolutions
    Resolution4k
    480p @ 59.94Hz (Widescreen)
    Yes
    720p @ 59.94Hz
    Yes
    1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    Yes
    1080p @ 120Hz
    Yes
    1080p Maximum Refresh Rate
    144 Hz
    4k @ 60Hz
    Yes
    4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    Yes
    4k @ 120Hz
    Yes
    4k @ 120Hz @ 4:4:4
    Yes
    4k Maximum Refresh Rate
    144 Hz
    8k @ 30Hz Or 24Hz
    No
    8k @ 60Hz
    No

    The Samsung QN90D supports most common resolutions up to 4k @ 144Hz. Chroma 4:4:4 signals are displayed properly with all supported resolutions when the TV's input label is set to 'PC,' which is important for text clarity.

    8.5
    Variable Refresh Rate
    Native Refresh Rate
    144Hz
    Variable Refresh Rate
    Yes
    HDMI Forum VRR
    Yes
    FreeSync
    Yes
    G-SYNC Compatible
    Yes
    4k VRR Maximum
    144 Hz
    4k VRR Minimum
    < 20 Hz
    1080p VRR Maximum
    144 Hz
    1080p VRR Minimum
    < 20 Hz
    VRR + Local DimmingYes

    The Samsung QN90D supports all three types of variable refresh rate (VRR) technology to reduce screen tearing. It works well across a wide refresh rate range and supports sources with Low-Frame-Compensation (LFC), which ensures your games remain nearly tear-free even when your frame rate drops very low.

    5.8
    CAD In Game Mode @ Max Refresh Rate
    Transition At Max Refresh
    transition-game-max-0-31
    0 to 31
    Avg. CAD
    314
    Best 10% CAD
    113
    Worst 10% CAD
    486

    The TV's CAD at its maximum refresh rate of 144Hz is sub-par. Most transitions are quite slow, leading to noticeable motion blur, with black smearing in darker transitions.

    6.3
    CAD In Game Mode @ 120Hz
    Transition At 120Hz
    transition-game-120-0-31
    0 to 31
    Avg. CAD
    272
    Best 10% CAD
    106
    Worst 10% CAD
    397

    The TV's CAD at 120Hz is mediocre. It performs best in some transitions between very bright grays and near whites, but overall, there's still noticeable motion blur in most transitions.

    5.3
    CAD In Game Mode @ 60Hz
    Transition 60Hz
    transition-game-60-0-31
    0 to 31
    Avg. CAD
    343
    Best 10% CAD
    160
    Worst 10% CAD
    543

    The TV's CAD at 60Hz is inadequate. Here almost all transitions are quite slow, leading to noticeable motion blur in most content, as well as black smearing in darker transitions.

    PS5 Compatibility
    Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
    Yes
    4k @ 120Hz
    Yes
    1440p @ 120Hz
    Yes
    1080p @ 120Hz
    Yes
    HDR
    Yes
    VRR
    Yes

    The TV is fully compatible with everything the PS5 offers, like 1440p @ 120Hz and 4k @ 120Hz, as well as HDMI Forum VRR. It also supports Auto Low Latency Mode, so you don't have to worry about manually switching to Game Mode to get the lowest input lag.

    Xbox Series X|S Compatibility
    Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
    Yes
    4k @ 120Hz
    Yes
    1440p @ 120Hz
    Yes
    1080p @ 120Hz
    Yes
    HDR
    Yes
    VRR
    Yes

    The TV is fully compatible with almost everything the Xbox Series X|S offers, including 1440p @ 120Hz, 4k @ 120Hz, HDMI Forum VRR, and FreeSync Premium Pro. It also supports Auto Low Latency Mode, so you don't have to worry about manually switching to Game Mode to get the lowest input lag. Unfortunately, Dolby Vision isn't supported on the TV, so gaming in Dolby Vision isn't possible.

    Motion Handling
    6.9
    Stutter
    Frame Hold Time @ 24 fps
    33.2 ms
    Frame Hold Time @ 60 fps
    8.2 ms

    Due to the TV's relatively quick response time, there's some stutter when watching movies or TV shows, but it's alright, and won't bother you unless you're sensitive to it.

    10
    24p Judder
    Judder-Free 24p
    Yes
    Judder-Free 24p via 60p
    Yes
    Judder-Free 24p via 60i
    Yes
    Judder-Free 24p via Native Apps
    Yes

    It automatically removes judder from all sources when watching movies or shows that are in 24p, even if they're in a 60Hz signal, like from a cable box.

    7.8
    Response Time
    Transition At 60Hz
    transition-60-0-31
    0 to 31
    First Response Time
    8.5 ms
    Total Response Time
    9.2 ms
    Worst 10% Response Time
    17.5 ms

    The Samsung QN90D has a good response time in 'Filmmaker Mode' for minimal blur behind fast-moving objects.

    Flicker
    Flicker-Free
    No
    PWM Dimming Frequency
    960 Hz

    The TV uses pulse-width modulation (PWM) to dim its backlight, which introduces flicker that can bother people who are sensitive to it. The amount of flicker varies depending on what picture mode the TV is set to and what settings you're using.

    • In the 'Standard,' 'Eco,' and 'Dynamic' picture modes, it flickers at 120Hz at all brightness levels.
    • In 'Filmmaker Mode,' it has unperceivable flicker at maximum brightness, but the flicker is perceivable with the brightness below maximum.
    • In 'Movie' mode, the TV flickers at 120Hz at maximum brightness, but it's not perceivable. With the brightness below maximum, it flickers at a very fast 960Hz.
    • In 'Game Mode,' the TV flickers at 120Hz at maximum brightness, but it's not perceivable. Below maximum brightness, it flickers at a perceivable 120Hz. With VRR enabled, it flickers at 960Hz below maximum brightness.

    Even though the TV has non-perceivable flicker in certain picture modes, it can still bother people sensitive to PWM dimming.

    Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
    Optional BFI
    Yes
    Min Flicker For 60 fps
    60 Hz
    60Hz For 60 fps
    Yes
    120Hz For 120 fps
    No
    Min Flicker For 60 fps In Game Mode
    60 Hz

    It has an optional backlight strobing feature, commonly known as black frame insertion (BFI). This feature reduces blur caused by the TV's fast response time, otherwise known as persistence blur. It only works at 60Hz, and the timing is a bit off, causing a slightly duplicated image.

    Motion Interpolation
    Motion Interpolation (30 fps)
    Yes
    Motion Interpolation (60 fps)
    Yes

    This TV has an optional motion interpolation feature to improve the clarity of motion. It does a good job at smoothing out slower scenes, with only some minor artifacts present. In faster-moving scenes, it can't keep up, and there are distracting artifacts and haloing.

    Reflections
    7.4
    Direct Reflections
    See details on graph tool
    Peak Direct Reflection Intensity
    30.8%
    Screen Finish
    Glossy

    The TV has decent direct reflection handling. Its glossy screen finish reduces the intensity of direct reflections, but you do see your lamp, wall light, or window on the screen when watching content or playing video games in a bright room.

    6.6
    Ambient Black Level Raise
    See details on graph tool
    Black Luminance @ 0 lx
    0.00 cd/m²
    Black Luminance @ 1000 lx
    1.80 cd/m²

    Black levels on this TV are okay in a bright room. Although blacks do become raised in a bright room, they’re still deep enough that the image doesn’t look too washed out. 

    8.5
    Total Reflected Light
    Total Reflected Light Intensity
    11,521% ⋅ pixel
    Diffraction Artifacts
    No

    The Samsung QN90D performs excellently when it comes to total reflected light. Its coating does an impressive job at reducing the intensity of indirect reflections, and it does so without any visual artifacts like rainbow smearing or light banding.

    7.7
    Ambient Color Saturation
    See details on graph tool
    Low-Luminance Colors @ 1000 lx
    65.34%
    Mid-Luminance Colors @ 1000 lx
    64.56%
    High-Luminance Colors @ 1000 lx
    56.54%

    The Samsung QN90D has good color saturation in ambient lighting. Colors shown at all levels of luminance are still vibrant and saturated in a bright room, even after they lose some saturation from ambient sources of light.

    Panel
    7.2
    Viewing Angle
    Color Washout
    27°
    Color Shift
    31°
    Brightness Loss
    35°
    Black Level Raise
    70°
    Gamma Shift
    28°

    The Samsung QN90D has a decent viewing angle. The image is consistent when viewed from a slight angle, but there's color shifting, color washout, and brightness loss the more you move off-center. Still, it's a satisfactory choice for a wide seating arrangement.

    6.6
    Gray Uniformity
    50% Std. Dev.
    2.910%
    50% DSE
    0.208%
    5% Std. Dev.
    0.455%
    5% DSE
    0.082%

    The Samsung QN90D has okay gray uniformity. The corners of the screen are darker than the center, and there's some very noticeable dirty screen effect towards the middle of the screen with large areas of uniform color. On a very dark or near-black screen, its uniformity is excellent, but the edges are a bit brighter than the center.

    Panel Technology
    TypeLED
    Sub-Type
    VA
    Subpixel Layout
    BGR

    The TV uses a BGR (Blue-Green-Red) subpixel layout instead of the traditional RGB layout. For video or gaming content, this doesn't cause any issues, but for PC monitor use, it can be a problem as it impacts the text clarity, although not everyone notices this.

    The TV has great separation between colors, which helps with its color purity and its ability to display a wide range of colors. 

    Inputs
    Input Specifications
    HDMI4 (4x HDMI 2.1)
    HDMI 2.1 Rated Speed
    48 Gbps
    ATSC Tuner
    1.0
    USB Ports2
    USB 3.0
    No
    Audio Out 3.5mm0
    Wi-FiYes (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)
    Ethernet Speed100 Mbps
    Composite In0
    Digital Optical Audio Out1

    The Samsung QN90D supports the full 48Gbps bandwidth of HDMI 2.1 on all four HDMI ports. This allows you to take full advantage of multiple high-bandwidth devices, like if you own both current-gen consoles and a high-end gaming PC. Unfortunately, Samsung still doesn't support Dolby Vision and supports HDR10+ instead, which is similar but not as widely supported.

    Unlike the Samsung QN90C/QN90CD QLED, the QN90D doesn't support ATSC 3.0 for 4k over-the-air, as Samsung has dropped that feature on their 2024 4k models. ATSC 3.0 is only found on Samsung's 2024 8k models.

    Audio Passthrough
    ARC/eARC Port
    eARC
    eARC: Dolby Atmos Over Dolby Digital Plus
    Yes
    eARC: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
    Yes
    eARC: LPCM 7.1 Over Dolby MAT
    Yes
    eARC: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
    Yes
    eARC: DTS:X Over DTS-HD MA
    No
    eARC: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
    No
    eARC: LPCM Channels (Bitstream)
    7.1
    ARC: Dolby Digital 5.1
    Yes
    ARC: DTS 5.1
    No
    Optical: Dolby Digital 5.1
    Yes
    Optical: DTS 5.1
    No

    The TV has eARC support, which allows it to pass uncompressed high-quality audio from a connected source to your home theater system or soundbar. Unfortunately, it doesn't support any DTS formats commonly used on Blu-rays.

    7.1 channel LPCM only works with sources that allow you to manually override the EDID, like a PC. If you can't override the EDID, it's limited to 5.1.

    HDR Format Support
    HDR10
    Yes
    HDR10+
    Yes
    Dolby Vision
    No
    HLG
    Yes
    Design
    Style
    CurvedNo

    The Samsung QN90D is identical style-wise to last year's Samsung QN90C/QN90CD QLED. It has a simplistic design with thin bezels and uses a centrally mounted stand. It looks like a premium TV overall.

    Stand

    The hexagonal central stand is made of metal and doesn't take up much space, so you don't need a large table to place the TV on. The stand lifts the TV about 3.07 inches, so most soundbars fit underneath without blocking the screen. The stand sticks out quite a bit from the front, so you need enough table space to accommodate a soundbar in front of it. The TV wobbles quite a bit when pushed and takes a while to recover, but the stand doesn't cause any major problems.

    Back
    Wall MountVESA 400x300

    The back of the TV has a nice textured design. There are grooves that can be used to guide wires into the TV's stand to help with cable management. Unfortunately, the inputs are housed in a recessed cutout, making them hard to access when the TV is mounted flush to the wall.

    Borders
    Borders0.31" (0.8 cm)
    Thickness
    Max Thickness1.02" (2.6 cm)
    8.0
    Build Quality

    The Samsung QN90D has great build quality. The border and stand are made of metal, and the rest of the TV is plastic. However, the TV has some weight to it, making it feel solidly built. Unfortunately, the back panel has a lot of flex, and the area around the VESA mounting points bulges out enough that you have to press it in to make the body flush with the mounting points.

    Smart Features
    Interface
    Smart OSTizen
    Version2024

    The Samsung QN90D runs the 2024 version of the Tizen OS, and it's fast and easy to use. Unfortunately, there's a problem when frequently switching input labels. The label will change, but the TV remains stuck on the older type of input. To fix this, you can toggle back and forth between labels or turn the TV on/off. The TV also has a rare issue where colors are randomly oversaturated, but this can be fixed by power cycling the TV.

    0.0
    Ad-Free
    Ads
    Yes
    Opt-out
    No
    Suggested Content in Home
    Yes
    Opt-out of Suggested Content
    No

    Like most TVs on the market, it has ads throughout its interface, and although you can disable targeted ads, there's no option to disable them completely.

    Remote
    Voice ControlYes

    The remote is identical to the one included with the Samsung QN90C/QN90CD QLED. It's slim and compact, has quick access buttons for the most popular streaming apps, and is easy to use. The remote has a built-in rechargeable battery with a solar panel on the back of the remote. You can also recharge it via USB-C if it dies unexpectedly.

    The TV is compatible with the Bixby and Alexa voice assistants, and its remote has an integrated microphone for voice commands. You can use your voice to launch apps, switch inputs, ask for the weather and time, and adjust certain settings like the TV's brightness.

    TV Controls
    Mute Switch
    Yes

    A single button is located at the bottom right of the TV. You can use it to power the TV on/off, change channels, adjust the volume, and switch inputs. You can control the TV hands-free with your voice using the TV's built-in microphone, but you can also turn the microphone off using a small switch located on the bottom right of the TV.

    In The Box

    • Power cable
    • Remote control
    • User guides
    Misc
    Power Consumption59 W
    Power Consumption (Max)184 W
    Firmware1066
    Sound Quality
    7.2
    Frequency Response
    See details on graph tool
    Low-Frequency Extension
    95.14 Hz
    Std. Dev. @ 70
    2.23 dB
    Std. Dev. @ 80
    2.30 dB
    Std. Dev. @ Max
    5.24 dB
    Max
    92.4 dB SPL
    Dynamic Range Compression
    4.90 dB
    Digital Room CorrectionYes

    The TV has a decent frequency response. There isn't much bass at all, but the TV gets quite loud. The sound is well-balanced and dialogue is clear at most listening levels, but the sound does become unbalanced at the TV's maximum volume.