Samsung QN90D  TV Review

Review updated Mar 14, 2025 at 10:06am
Writing modified Mar 17, 2026 at 09:30am
Tested using Methodology v2.2 
Samsung QN90D

Track

Track

 171
 TV Settings
Notice: This TVs was replaced by Samsung QN90F

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

0.0
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. 

0.0
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 everyone. 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.

  • Visible stutter in slow panning shots.

0.0
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.

0.0
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. Finally, the TV's quick response time means there's only some minor motion blur, but there are color artifacts around the edges of objects and player in fast-paced sports.

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.

  • Minimal motion blur.

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.

0.0
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. 

0.0
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
0.0
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.

0.0
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.

0.0
Motion Handling 

The Samsung QN90D has decent motion handling when watching content. It has no judder or micro-judder from any source except those that send 25p content over a 60p signal, which leads to noticeably choppy motion when watching some European shows and movies on an older streaming device. Like most moderns TVs, there's some visible stutter in scenes with slower camera movements, but not everyone will be bothered by it, and you can reduce the stutter using a light amount of motion interpolation if you choose. Motion blur is kept to a minimum, but there are subtle color artifacts around the edges of people and objects in fast-paced scenes and sports, which can affect the consistency of colors.

Pros
  • Removes judder from almost all sources.

  • No micro-judder from almost all sources.

  • Minimal motion blur.

Cons
  • Visible stutter in slow panning shots.

  • Very choppy motion when watching 25p content via an older device.

0.0
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. 

0.0
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.

  • 0.0
    Mixed Usage
  • 0.0
    Home Theater
  • 0.0
    Bright Room
  • 0.0
    Sports
  • 0.0
    Gaming

  • Performance Usages

  • 0.0
    Brightness
  • 0.0
    Black Level
  • 0.0
    Color
  • 0.0
    Motion Handling
  • 0.0
    Game Mode Responsiveness
  • 0.0
    Processing (In Development)
  • Changelog

    1.  Updated Mar 17, 2026: 

      We added text to our new Cinematic Motion Handling performance usage and our new Transition Artifacts and Stutter Reduction Via Interpolation test sections after converting the review to TV 2.2.

    2.  Updated Mar 10, 2026: This review has been updated to TV 2.2. We've added new sections for Transition Artifacts and Stutter Reduction Via Interpolation, and updated the way we test Stutter. Additionally, we removed the 'Broken' disclaimer from our Motion Handling usage.
    3.  Updated Feb 05, 2026: We added text to the new Micro-Judder section and refreshed the text in the updated Judder and Response Time Stutter sections after converting the review to TV 2.1.
    4.  Updated Jun 11, 2025: 

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

    Check Price

    43"QN43QN90DAFXZA
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    Samsung.com
    50"QN50QN90DAFXZA
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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

    Track

    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. 

    Sony BRAVIA 7

    Track

    55" 65" 75" 85"

    The Samsung QN90D and the Sony BRAVIA 7 are similar TVs overall, but there are some differences. The Samsung has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four ports as opposed to the two on the Sony, so it's more versatile if you own multiple high-bandwidth devices. The Samsung also supports up to 4k @ 144Hz, whereas the Sony is limited to 4k @ 120Hz, so it's better if you have a PC with a high-end graphics card. However, the Sony is more accurate in both SDR and HDR, so it's the better option if you care about the content creator's intent. The Sony also has the edge when it comes to image processing, so low-resolution and low-quality content looks better on it. Finally, the Sony supports Dolby Vision and DTS audio, so it's better for those looking to get the most out of their 4k Blu-ray collection.

    Samsung QN90C

    Track

    43" 50" 55" 65" 75" 85"

    The Samsung QN90D is a bit better than the Samsung QN90C in most ways. The QN90D has better contrast for deeper blacks in a dark room, it gets brighter in HDR for brighter highlights, and it has a faster response time for less blur behind quick motion. However, the QN90C has a slightly wider viewing angle due to its IPS panel, and it uses an RGB subpixel layout as opposed to the BGR layout on the QN90D, so there are no text clarity issues if you use the TV has a PC monitor. The QN90C also has much better pre-calibration SDR accuracy, so if you care about an accurate image and don't want to pay to have the TV calibrated, it's the better choice.

    TCL QM8K

    Track

    65" 75" 85" 98"

    The TCL QM8K delivers a better overall experience than the Samsung QN90D. It delivers brighter highlights in HDR and a better dark room experience, with better native contrast and smoother zone transitions, so dark scenes look better when you're watching in a dark room. The TCL TV also delivers a better gaming experience for PC gamers, as it supports a 288Hz refresh rate with 1080/1440p signals.

    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 use 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
    0.0
    HDR Brightness
    Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Peak 2% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Peak 10% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Peak 25% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Peak 50% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Peak 100% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Sustained 2% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Sustained 10% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Sustained 25% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Sustained 50% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Sustained 100% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
    LockedLock

    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
    0.0
    HDR Brightness In Game Mode
    Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Peak 2% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Peak 10% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Peak 25% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Peak 50% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Peak 100% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Sustained 2% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Sustained 10% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Sustained 25% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Sustained 50% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Sustained 100% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
    LockedLock

    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.

    0.0
    SDR Brightness
    Real Scene Peak Brightness
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Peak 2% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Peak 10% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Peak 25% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Peak 50% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Peak 100% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Sustained 2% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Sustained 10% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Sustained 25% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Sustained 50% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Sustained 100% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
    LockedLock

    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
    0.0
    Contrast
    Contrast
    LockedLock : 1
    Native Contrast
    LockedLock : 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.

    0.0
    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.

    0.0
    Lighting Zone Transitions
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    Samsung QN90D Preferred LD Video, Moving Object Sample
    Local Dimming
    LockedLocked
    Backlight
    LockedLocked
    Dimming Zone Count Of The Tested TV
    LockedLock

    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.

    0.0
    Contrast And Dark Details In Game Mode
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    Samsung QN90D Preferred LD Video, Moving Object In Game Mode Sample
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    Samsung QN90D Game Transitions With VRR And Preferred LD Sample

    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.

    0.0
    Black Uniformity
    Std. Dev.
    LockedLock%
    Native Std. Dev.
    LockedLock%

    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
    0.0
    SDR Color Volume
    CIELAB DCI-P3 Coverage
    LockedLock%
    CIELAB BT.2020 Coverage
    LockedLock%

    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%
    0.0
    HDR Color Volume
    1,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage ITP
    LockedLock%
    10,000 cd/m² BT.2020 Coverage ITP
    LockedLock%
    White Luminance
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Red Luminance
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Green Luminance
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Blue Luminance
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Cyan Luminance
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Magenta Luminance
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Yellow Luminance
    LockedLock 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.

    0.0
    SDR Pre-Calibration Color Accuracy
    White Balance dE 2000
    LockedLock
    Color dE 2000
    LockedLock
    Gamma
    LockedLock
    Color Temperature
    LockedLock K
    Picture Mode
    LockedLocked
    Color Temp Setting
    LockedLocked
    Gamma Setting
    LockedLocked

    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.

    0.0
    SDR Post-Calibration Color Accuracy
    White Balance dE 2000
    LockedLock
    Color dE 2000
    LockedLock
    Gamma
    LockedLock
    Color Temperature
    LockedLock K
    White Balance Calibration
    LockedLocked
    Color Calibration
    LockedLocked

    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.

    0.0
    HDR Pre-Calibration Color Accuracy
    White Balance dE ITP
    LockedLock
    Color dE ITP
    LockedLock
    Color Temperature
    LockedLock K
    Picture Mode
    LockedLocked

    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.

    0.0
    HDR Post-Calibration Color Accuracy
    White Balance dE ITP
    LockedLock
    Color dE ITP
    LockedLock
    Color Temperature
    LockedLock 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
    0.0
    PQ EOTF Tracking
    600 Nit Tracking Delta
    LockedLock
    1000 Nit Tracking Delta
    LockedLock
    4000 Nit Tracking Delta
    LockedLock

    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.

    0.0
    Low-Quality Content Smoothing
    Smoothing
    Locked
    0.0
    Detail Preservation
    Locked
    0.0

    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.

    0.0
    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
    0.0
    HDR Native Gradient
    100% Black To 50% GrayLocked
    0.0
    50% Gray To 100% WhiteLocked
    0.0
    100% Black To 50% RedLocked
    0.0
    50% Red To 100% RedLocked
    0.0
    100% Black To 50% GreenLocked
    0.0
    50% Green To 100% GreenLocked
    0.0
    100% Black To 50% BlueLocked
    0.0
    50% Blue To 100% BlueLocked
    0.0

    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
    0.0
    Input Lag
    1080p @ 60Hz
    LockedLock ms
    1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
    LockedLock ms
    1080p @ 120Hz
    LockedLock ms
    1080p @ Max Refresh Rate
    LockedLock ms
    4k @ 60Hz
    LockedLock ms
    4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    LockedLock ms
    4k @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
    LockedLock ms
    4k @ 60Hz With Interpolation
    LockedLock ms
    4k @ 120Hz
    LockedLock ms
    4k @ Max Refresh Rate
    LockedLock ms
    8k @ 60Hz
    LockedN/A

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

    0.0
    Supported Resolutions
    ResolutionLocked4k
    480p @ 59.94Hz (Widescreen)
    LockedLocked
    720p @ 59.94Hz
    LockedLocked
    1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    LockedLocked
    1080p @ 120Hz
    LockedLocked
    1080p Maximum Refresh Rate
    LockedLock Hz
    4k @ 60Hz
    LockedLocked
    4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    LockedLocked
    4k @ 120Hz
    LockedLocked
    4k @ 120Hz @ 4:4:4
    LockedLocked
    4k Maximum Refresh Rate
    LockedLock Hz
    8k @ 30Hz Or 24Hz
    LockedLocked
    8k @ 60Hz
    LockedLocked

    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.

    0.0
    Variable Refresh Rate
    Native Refresh Rate
    Locked144Hz
    Variable Refresh Rate
    LockedLocked
    HDMI Forum VRR
    LockedLocked
    FreeSync
    LockedLocked
    G-SYNC Compatible
    LockedLocked
    4k VRR Maximum
    LockedLock Hz
    4k VRR Minimum
    LockedLocked
    1080p VRR Maximum
    LockedLock Hz
    1080p VRR Minimum
    LockedLocked
    VRR + Local DimmingLockedLocked

    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.

    0.0
    CAD In Game Mode @ Max Refresh Rate
    Transition At Max Refresh
    Join nowfor multiple image controls
    Avg. CAD
    LockedLock
    Best 10% CAD
    LockedLock
    Worst 10% CAD
    LockedLock

    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.

    0.0
    CAD In Game Mode @ 120Hz
    Transition At 120Hz
    Join nowfor multiple image controls
    Avg. CAD
    LockedLock
    Best 10% CAD
    LockedLock
    Worst 10% CAD
    LockedLock

    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.

    0.0
    CAD In Game Mode @ 60Hz
    Transition 60Hz
    Join nowfor multiple image controls
    Avg. CAD
    LockedLock
    Best 10% CAD
    LockedLock
    Worst 10% CAD
    LockedLock

    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)
    LockedLocked
    4k @ 120Hz
    LockedLocked
    1440p @ 120Hz
    LockedLocked
    1080p @ 120Hz
    LockedLocked
    HDR
    LockedLocked
    VRR
    LockedLocked

    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)
    LockedLocked
    4k @ 120Hz
    LockedLocked
    1440p @ 120Hz
    LockedLocked
    1080p @ 120Hz
    LockedLocked
    HDR
    LockedLocked
    VRR
    LockedLocked

    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
    0.0
    Stutter
    SAMPLE
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    Samsung QN90D Stutter Video Sample
    Sample And Hold
    LockedLock pixel ⋅ second
    Frame Hold Time @ 24 fps
    LockedLock ms

    This TV has visible stutter when watching low frame rate content like movies and TV shows, especially in slow panning shots. It's not quite as bad as TVs with OLED panels, but it's still noticeable in some scenes.

    0.0
    Stutter Reduction Via Interpolation
    SAMPLE
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    Samsung QN90D Stutter Reduction Via Interpolation Video Sample
    Sample And Hold (Interpolation)
    LockedLock pixel ⋅ second
    Interpolation Consistency
    LockedLock pixel ⋅ second

    The TV's motion interpolation feature does a good job of mitigating stutter. It does a satisfactory job of smoothing out stutter when using the interpolation setting that's equivalent to 30fps. Furthermore, the feature has excellent consistency, so the cadence of motion looks even. 

    0.0
    Judder
    Judder 24p
    Locked
    0.0
    Judder 25p
    Locked
    0.0
    Judder 24p via 60p
    Locked
    0.0
    Judder 25p via 60p
    Locked
    0.0
    Judder 24p via 60i
    Locked
    0.0
    Judder 24p via Native Apps
    Locked
    0.0
    Judder 25p via Native Apps
    Locked
    0.0

    The TV 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 or an older streaming device. It also removes judder from 25p sources if you're using the TV's native apps or an external device that sends a 25Hz signal. However, it doesn't remove judder from 25p sources that are being sent via a 60p signal. Furthermore, frame times are incredibly inconsistent, which makes motion look jerky and distracting when watching 25p content via 60p.

    0.0
    Micro Judder
    SAMPLE
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    Samsung QN90D 24p Clip Sample
    SAMPLE
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    Samsung QN90D 25p Clip Sample
    Micro Judder-Free 24p
    LockedLocked
    Micro Judder-Free 25p
    LockedLocked
    Micro Judder-Free 24p via 60p
    LockedLocked
    Micro Judder-Free 25p via 60p
    LockedLocked
    Micro Judder-Free 24p via Native Apps
    LockedLocked
    Micro Judder-Free 25p via Native Apps
    LockedLocked

    The Samsung QN90D is free from 24p micro-judder regardless of the source. There's also no micro-judder when watching 25p content from the TV's native apps or from external devices sending a 25Hz signal. However, there's consistent micro-judder (and regular judder) when watching 25p content via a 60p signal, like when using older streaming devices.

    0.0
    Response Time
    Transition At 60Hz
    Join nowfor multiple image controls
    First Response Time
    LockedLock ms
    Total Response Time
    LockedLock ms
    Worst 10% Response Time
    LockedLock ms

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

    0.0
    Transition Artifacts
    Color Artifacts
    Locked
    0.0
    Edge Artifacts
    Locked
    0.0

    The Samsung QN90D does a good job avoiding transition artifacts. There are no edge artifacts at all, so the edges of fast-moving objects remain consistent with the center. Unfortunately, color transitions are just okay, since there are unintended intermediate colors present. For example, there's visible yellow artifacts around blues, which affect color consistency in fast-paced scene and sports.

    Flicker
    Flicker-Free
    LockedLocked
    PWM Dimming Frequency
    LockedLock 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
    LockedLocked
    Min Flicker For 60 fps
    LockedLock Hz
    60Hz For 60 fps
    LockedLocked
    120Hz For 120 fps
    LockedLocked
    Min Flicker For 60 fps In Game Mode
    LockedLock 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.

    Reflections
    0.0
    Direct Reflections
    Peak Direct Reflection Intensity
    LockedLock%
    Screen Finish
    LockedGlossy

    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.

    0.0
    Ambient Black Level Raise
    Black Luminance @ 0 lx
    LockedLock cd/m²
    Black Luminance @ 1000 lx
    LockedLock 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. 

    0.0
    Total Reflected Light
    Total Reflected Light Intensity
    LockedLock% ⋅ pixel
    Diffraction Artifacts
    LockedLocked

    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.

    0.0
    Ambient Color Saturation
    Low-Luminance Colors @ 1000 lx
    LockedLock%
    Mid-Luminance Colors @ 1000 lx
    LockedLock%
    High-Luminance Colors @ 1000 lx
    LockedLock%

    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
    0.0
    Viewing Angle
    SAMPLE
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    Samsung QN90D Viewing Angle Video Sample
    Color Washout
    LockedLock°
    Color Shift
    LockedLock°
    Brightness Loss
    LockedLock°
    Black Level Raise
    LockedLock°
    Gamma Shift
    LockedLock°

    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.

    0.0
    Gray Uniformity
    50% Std. Dev.
    LockedLock%
    50% DSE
    LockedLock%
    5% Std. Dev.
    LockedLock%
    5% DSE
    LockedLock%

    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
    Panel TypeLockedLCD
    Sub-Type
    LockedVA
    Subpixel Layout
    LockedLocked

    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
    HDMILockedLocked
    HDMI 2.1 Rated Speed
    LockedLocked
    ATSC Tuner
    LockedLocked
    USB PortsLockedLocked
    USB 3.0
    LockedLocked
    Audio Out 3.5mmLockedLocked
    Wi-FiLockedLocked
    Ethernet SpeedLockedLocked
    Composite InLockedLocked
    Digital Optical Audio OutLockedLocked

    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
    LockedLocked
    eARC: Dolby Atmos Over Dolby Digital Plus
    LockedLocked
    eARC: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
    LockedLocked
    eARC: LPCM 7.1 Over Dolby MAT
    LockedLocked
    eARC: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
    LockedLocked
    eARC: DTS:X Over DTS-HD MA
    LockedLocked
    eARC: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
    LockedLocked
    eARC: LPCM Channels (Bitstream)
    LockedLocked
    ARC: Dolby Digital 5.1
    LockedLocked
    ARC: DTS 5.1
    LockedLocked
    Optical: Dolby Digital 5.1
    LockedLocked
    Optical: DTS 5.1
    LockedLocked

    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
    LockedLocked
    HDR10+
    LockedLocked
    Dolby Vision
    LockedNo
    HLG
    LockedLocked
    Design
    Style
    CurvedLockedLocked

    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 MountLockedLocked

    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
    BordersLockedLock" (Lock cm)
    Thickness
    Max ThicknessLockedLock" (Lock cm)
    0.0
    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 OSLockedLocked
    VersionLockedLocked

    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
    LockedLocked
    Opt-out
    LockedLocked
    Suggested Content in Home
    LockedLocked
    Opt-out of Suggested Content
    LockedLocked

    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 ControlLockedLocked

    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
    LockedLocked

    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 ConsumptionLockedLock W
    Power Consumption (Max)LockedLock W
    FirmwareLockedLocked
    Sound Quality
    0.0
    Frequency Response
    Low-Frequency Extension
    LockedLock Hz
    Std. Dev. @ 70
    LockedLock dB
    Std. Dev. @ 80
    LockedLock dB
    Std. Dev. @ Max
    LockedLock dB
    Max
    LockedLock dB SPL
    Dynamic Range Compression
    LockedLock dB
    Digital Room CorrectionLockedLocked

    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.