Samsung QN90D vs TCL QM851G

Which TV Is Better?

Products

Samsung QN90D
TCL QM851G

Tested using Methodology v2.0.1

Updated Nov 17, 2025 11:59 AM

SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com

Tested using Methodology v2.0.1

Updated Aug 12, 2025 01:39 PM

SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com

Our Verdict

Samsung QN90D

TCL QM851G

The TCL QM851G and the Samsung QN90D are very closely matched. The TCL is a bit brighter, making it look a bit punchier. While the Samsung does have deeper contrast, the TCL has the faster local dimming solution. The Samsung TV is much more accurate in HDR out of the box and has far better PQ EOTF tracking. Still, the TCL generally has better image processing. While either TV is easily bright enough to handle very bright rooms, the Samsung has the edge at handling reflections. The TCL supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and passes through DTS audio formats; Samsung sticks with HDR10+ only, with no DTS. For gamers, the choice is more obvious: the TCL TV's pixel transitions are far quicker than the Samsung model's, leading to a better gaming experience.

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Variants

  • QN43QN90DAFXZA (43")
  • QN50QN90DAFXZA (50")
  • QN55QN90DAFXZA (55")
  • QN65QN90DAFXZA (65")
  • QN75QN90DAFXZA (75")
  • QN85QN90DAFXZA (85")
  • QN98QN90DAFXZA (98")
  • 65QM851G (65")
  • 75QM851G (75")
  • 85QM851G (85")
  • 98QM851G (98")

Check Price

43"
QN43QN90DAFXZA
SEE PRICE
Samsung.com
43"
 
50"
QN50QN90DAFXZA
SEE PRICE
Samsung.com
50"
 
55"
QN55QN90DAFXZA
SEE PRICE
Samsung.com
55"
 
65"
QN65QN90DAFXZA
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
65"
65QM851G
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
75"
QN75QN90DAFXZA
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
75"
75QM851G
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
85"
QN85QN90DAFXZA
SEE PRICE
Samsung.com
85"
85QM851G
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
98"
QN98QN90DAFXZA
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
98"
98QM851G
Amazon.com

Main Differences for
Mixed Usage

Threshold 

0.10

Mixed Usage 

8.1
8.2

HDR Brightness 
 

8.9
9.4

Full Comparison

Brightness

HDR Brightness 
 

8.9
9.4

HDR Hallway Photo  

HDR Cityscape Photo  

HDR Landscape Photo  

Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²) 
 

1,063 cd/m²
1,472 cd/m²

Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²) 
 

669 cd/m²
611 cd/m²

Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²) 
 

265 cd/m²
473 cd/m²

Peak 2% Window 
 

2,158 cd/m²
2,564 cd/m²

Peak 10% Window 
 

2,087 cd/m²
3,467 cd/m²

Peak 25% Window 
 

1,510 cd/m²
3,338 cd/m²

Peak 50% Window 
 

894 cd/m²
1,814 cd/m²

Peak 100% Window 
 

619 cd/m²
967 cd/m²

Sustained 2% Window 
 

2,121 cd/m²
2,497 cd/m²

Sustained 10% Window 
 

2,046 cd/m²
3,319 cd/m²

Sustained 25% Window 
 

1,499 cd/m²
3,253 cd/m²

Sustained 50% Window 
 

892 cd/m²
1,810 cd/m²

Sustained 100% Window 
 

619 cd/m²
965 cd/m²

Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL) 
 

0.067
0.060
Show Text 

HDR Brightness In Game Mode 
 

7.4
9.4

HDR Hallway Photo  

HDR Cityscape Photo  

HDR Landscape Photo  

Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²) 
 

557 cd/m²
1,393 cd/m²

Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²) 
 

588 cd/m²
625 cd/m²

Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²) 
 

125 cd/m²
447 cd/m²

Peak 2% Window 
 

1,914 cd/m²
4,167 cd/m²

Peak 10% Window 
 

2,109 cd/m²
3,425 cd/m²

Peak 25% Window 
 

1,554 cd/m²
3,366 cd/m²

Peak 50% Window 
 

937 cd/m²
1,796 cd/m²

Peak 100% Window 
 

639 cd/m²
956 cd/m²

Sustained 2% Window 
 

1,907 cd/m²
2,384 cd/m²

Sustained 10% Window 
 

2,015 cd/m²
3,300 cd/m²

Sustained 25% Window 
 

1,541 cd/m²
3,251 cd/m²

Sustained 50% Window 
 

881 cd/m²
1,792 cd/m²

Sustained 100% Window 
 

638 cd/m²
953 cd/m²

Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL) 
 

0.063
0.060
Show Text 

SDR Brightness 
 

9.4
9.5

Real Scene Peak Brightness 
 

1,315 cd/m²
1,108 cd/m²

Peak 2% Window 
 

1,930 cd/m²
4,043 cd/m²

Peak 10% Window 
 

2,032 cd/m²
3,355 cd/m²

Peak 25% Window 
 

1,530 cd/m²
3,291 cd/m²

Peak 50% Window 
 

1,009 cd/m²
1,767 cd/m²

Peak 100% Window 
 

629 cd/m²
940 cd/m²

Sustained 2% Window 
 

1,924 cd/m²
2,320 cd/m²

Sustained 10% Window 
 

1,988 cd/m²
3,238 cd/m²

Sustained 25% Window 
 

1,514 cd/m²
3,171 cd/m²

Sustained 50% Window 
 

944 cd/m²
1,761 cd/m²

Sustained 100% Window 
 

628 cd/m²
938 cd/m²

Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL) 
 

0.062
0.060
Show Text 
Black Level

Contrast 
 

8.9
8.9

Contrast Picture  

Contrast 
 

270,333 : 1
201,150 : 1

Native Contrast 
 

3,404 : 1
6,515 : 1
Show Text 

Lighting Zone Precision 
 

8.0
8.5

Lighting Zone Precision Picture  

Show Text 

Lighting Zone Transitions 
 

7.0
8.5

Preferred LD Video, Moving Object  

Local Dimming 
 

Yes
Yes

Backlight 
 

Full-Array
Full-Array

Dimming Zone Count Of The Tested TV 
 

720
2,880
Show Text 

Contrast And Dark Details In Game Mode 
 

8.5
9.0

Lighting Zone Precision Photo In Game Mode  

Preferred LD Video, Moving Object In Game Mode  

Game Transitions With VRR And Preferred LD  

Show Text 

Black Uniformity 
 

8.5
8.9

Black Uniformity Picture With Preferred Local Dimming  

Std. Dev. 
 

0.233%
0.154%

Native Black Uniformity Picture  

Native Std. Dev. 
 

0.749%
0.569%
Show Text 
Color

SDR Color Volume 
 

7.5
7.7

DCI-P3 Gamut Rings  

CIELAB DCI-P3 Coverage 
 

90.62%
90.94%

BT.2020 Gamut Rings  

CIELAB BT.2020 Coverage 
 

64.05%
67.01%
Show Text 

HDR Color Volume 
 

8.8
9.0

P3 Color Volume ITP Picture  

1,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage ITP 
 

88.4%
85.2%

2020 Color Volume ITP Picture  

10,000 cd/m² BT.2020 Coverage ITP 
 

49.4%
54.8%

White Luminance 
 

2,153 cd/m²
2,513 cd/m²

Red Luminance 
 

425 cd/m²
585 cd/m²

Green Luminance 
 

1,511 cd/m²
1,885 cd/m²

Blue Luminance 
 

142 cd/m²
189 cd/m²

Cyan Luminance 
 

1,667 cd/m²
2,075 cd/m²

Magenta Luminance 
 

577 cd/m²
773 cd/m²

Yellow Luminance 
 

1,939 cd/m²
2,451 cd/m²
Show Text 

SDR Pre-Calibration Color Accuracy 
 

6.4
7.5

Pre White Balance Picture  

Pre Gamma Curve Picture  

Pre Color Picture  

White Balance dE 2000 
 

3.92
3.36

Color dE 2000 
 

3.27
2.07

Gamma 
 

2.17
2.09

Color Temperature 
 

5,798 K
6,127 K

Picture Mode 
 

Movie
Movie

Color Temp Setting 
 

Warm 2
Warm -5

Gamma Setting 
 

2.2
2.2
Show Text 

SDR Post-Calibration Color Accuracy 
 

9.5
9.6

Post White Balance Picture  

Post Gamma Curve Picture  

Post Color Picture  

White Balance dE 2000 
 

0.21
0.24

Color dE 2000 
 

1.22
0.82

Gamma 
 

2.20
2.20

Color Temperature 
 

6,565 K
6,483 K

White Balance Calibration 
 

20 point
20 point

Color Calibration 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

HDR Pre-Calibration Color Accuracy 
 

7.3
5.7

HDR Pre White Balance Picture  

HDR Pre Color Picture  

White Balance dE ITP 
 

9.26
41.45

Color dE ITP 
 

6.8
49.6

Color Temperature 
 

5,855 K
6,308 K

Picture Mode 
 

Filmmaker
Movie
Show Text 

HDR Post-Calibration Color Accuracy 
 

8.7
7.0

HDR Post White Balance Picture  

HDR Post Color Picture  

White Balance dE ITP 
 

5.50
19.70

Color dE ITP 
 

5.60
8.60

Color Temperature 
 

6,686 K
6,276 K
Show Text 
Processing

PQ EOTF Tracking 
 

7.5
3.9

PQ EOTF Graph  

See details
See details

600 Nit Tracking Delta 
 

0.0067
0.0313

1000 Nit Tracking Delta 
 

0.0067
0.0314

4000 Nit Tracking Delta 
 

0.0056
0.0314
Show Text 

Low-Quality Content Smoothing 
 

6.8
8.1

Low-Quality Content Smoothing Picture  

Smoothing 
 

6.5
8.5

Detail Preservation 
 

7.5
7.0
Show Text 

Upscaling: Sharpness Processing 
 

8.0
7.5

Sharpness Picture - 480p  

Show Text 

HDR Native Gradient 
 

7.0
7.8

HDR Gradient Picture  

100% Black To 50% Gray  

6.0
6.0

50% Gray To 100% White  

8.0
6.0

100% Black To 50% Red  

8.0
8.0

50% Red To 100% Red  

8.0
10

100% Black To 50% Green  

8.0
8.0

50% Green To 100% Green  

6.0
8.0

100% Black To 50% Blue  

8.0
8.0

50% Blue To 100% Blue  

4.0
8.0
Show Text 
Game Mode Responsiveness

Input Lag 
 

8.5
8.4

1080p @ 60Hz 
 

11.7 ms
14.1 ms

1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode 
 

93.6 ms
125.0 ms

1080p @ 120Hz 
 

7.0 ms
6.1 ms

1080p @ Max Refresh Rate 
 

6.1 ms
8.0 ms

4k @ 60Hz 
 

11.7 ms
14.1 ms

4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 
 

11.8 ms
15.0 ms

4k @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode 
 

78.6 ms
124.7 ms

4k @ 60Hz With Interpolation 
 

25.3 ms
116.5 ms

4k @ 120Hz 
 

7.0 ms
5.9 ms

4k @ Max Refresh Rate 
 

6.2 ms
5.0 ms

8k @ 60Hz 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Supported Resolutions 
 

9.4
9.5

Resolution  

4k
4k

480p @ 59.94Hz (Widescreen) 
 

Yes
Yes

720p @ 59.94Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 
 

Yes
Yes

1080p @ 120Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

1080p Maximum Refresh Rate 
 

144 Hz
240 Hz

4k @ 60Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 
 

Yes
Yes

4k @ 120Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

4k @ 120Hz @ 4:4:4 
 

Yes
Yes

4k Maximum Refresh Rate 
 

144 Hz
144 Hz

8k @ 30Hz Or 24Hz 
 

No
No

8k @ 60Hz 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Variable Refresh Rate 
 

8.5
8.8

Native Refresh Rate 
 

144Hz
144Hz

Variable Refresh Rate 
 

Yes
Yes

HDMI Forum VRR 
 

Yes
Yes

FreeSync 
 

Yes
Yes

G-SYNC Compatible 
 

Yes
Yes

4k VRR Maximum 
 

144 Hz
144 Hz

4k VRR Minimum 
 

< 20 Hz
< 20 Hz

1080p VRR Maximum 
 

144 Hz
240 Hz

1080p VRR Minimum 
 

< 20 Hz
< 20 Hz

VRR + Local Dimming  

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

CAD In Game Mode @ Max Refresh Rate 
 

5.8
7.5

Pursuit Photo Max Refresh  

CAD Heatmap Max Refresh 
 

Transition At Max Refresh 
 

transition-game-max-0-31
0 to 31
transition-game-max-0-31
0 to 31

Avg. CAD 
 

314
173

Best 10% CAD 
 

113
71

Worst 10% CAD 
 

486
303
Show Text 

CAD In Game Mode @ 120Hz 
 

6.3
6.9

Pursuit Photo 120Hz  

CAD Heatmap 120Hz  

Transition At 120Hz 
 

transition-game-120-0-31
0 to 31
transition-game-120-0-31
0 to 31

Avg. CAD 
 

272
200

Best 10% CAD 
 

106
69

Worst 10% CAD 
 

397
482
Show Text 

CAD In Game Mode @ 60Hz 
 

5.3
7.0

Pursuit Photo 60Hz  

CAD Heatmap 60Hz 
 

Transition 60Hz 
 

transition-game-60-0-31
0 to 31
transition-game-60-0-31
0 to 31

Avg. CAD 
 

343
217

Best 10% CAD 
 

160
71

Worst 10% CAD 
 

543
372
Show Text 

PS5 Compatibility 
 

PS5 Screenshot  

Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) 
 

Yes
Yes

4k @ 120Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

1440p @ 120Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

1080p @ 120Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

HDR 
 

Yes
Yes

VRR 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Xbox Series X|S Compatibility 
 

Xbox Series X Screenshot  

Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) 
 

Yes
Yes

4k @ 120Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

1440p @ 120Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

1080p @ 120Hz 
 

Yes
Yes

HDR 
 

Yes
Yes

VRR 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 
Motion Handling

Stutter 
 

6.9
6.1

Frame Hold Time @ 24 fps 
 

33.2 ms
36.2 ms

Frame Hold Time @ 60 fps 
 

8.2 ms
11.2 ms
Show Text 

24p Judder 
 

10
10

Judder-Free 24p 
 

Yes
Yes

Judder-Free 24p via 60p 
 

Yes
Yes

Judder-Free 24p via 60i 
 

Yes
Yes

Judder-Free 24p via Native Apps 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Response Time 
 

7.8
8.1

Pursuit Photo 60Hz  

Response Time Heatmap 60Hz 
 

Transition At 60Hz 
 

transition-60-0-31
0 to 31
transition-60-0-31
0 to 31

First Response Time 
 

8.5 ms
5.5 ms

Total Response Time 
 

9.2 ms
10.6 ms

Worst 10% Response Time 
 

17.5 ms
22.9 ms
Show Text 

Flicker 
 

Backlight chart 
 

Flicker-Free 
 

No
No

PWM Dimming Frequency 
 

960 Hz
30,000 Hz
Show Text 

Black Frame Insertion (BFI) 
 

BFI Picture  

BFI Frequency Picture  

Optional BFI 
 

Yes
Yes

Min Flicker For 60 fps 
 

60 Hz
60 Hz

60Hz For 60 fps 
 

Yes
Yes

120Hz For 120 fps 
 

No
Yes

Min Flicker For 60 fps In Game Mode 
 

60 Hz
60 Hz
Show Text 

Motion Interpolation 
 

Motion Interpolation (30 fps) Picture  

Motion Interpolation (30 fps) 
 

Yes
Yes

Motion Interpolation (60 fps) Picture  

Motion Interpolation (60 fps) 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 
Reflections

Direct Reflections 
 

7.4
6.3

Ring Light Picture  

Direct Reflections Graph  

See details
See details

Peak Direct Reflection Intensity 
 

30.8%
46.5%

Screen Finish 
 

Glossy
Glossy
Show Text 

Ambient Black Level Raise 
 

6.6
9.1

Black Level Raise Picture  

Bright Room Black Level Raise Graph  

See details
See details

Black Luminance @ 0 lx 
 

0.00 cd/m²
0.00 cd/m²

Black Luminance @ 1000 lx 
 

1.80 cd/m²
0.38 cd/m²
Show Text 

Total Reflected Light 
 

8.5
7.8

Bright Room Off Picture  

Ring Picture Total Reflection  

Total Reflected Light Intensity 
 

11,521% ⋅ pixel
12,962% ⋅ pixel

Diffraction Artifacts 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 

Ambient Color Saturation 
 

7.7
8.4

Bright Room Color Volume Graph  

See details
See details

Low-Luminance Colors @ 1000 lx 
 

65.34%
71.72%

Mid-Luminance Colors @ 1000 lx 
 

64.56%
68.86%

High-Luminance Colors @ 1000 lx 
 

56.54%
59.50%
Show Text 
Panel

Viewing Angle 
 

7.2
6.2

Viewing Angle Video  

Chroma Graph  

Color Washout 
 

27°
23°

Hue Graph  

Color Shift 
 

31°
31°

Lightness Graph  

Brightness Loss 
 

35°
30°

Black Level Raise 
 

70°
18°

Gamma Shift 
 

28°
18°
Show Text 

Gray Uniformity 
 

6.6
7.1

50% Uniformity Picture  

50% Std. Dev. 
 

2.910%
2.225%

50% DSE 
 

0.208%
0.170%

5% Uniformity Picture  

5% Std. Dev. 
 

0.455%
0.670%

5% DSE 
 

0.082%
0.093%
Show Text 

Panel Technology 
 

Spectral Power Distribution  

Pixels Picture  

Type  

LED
LED

Sub-Type 
 

VA
VA

Subpixel Layout 
 

BGR
BGR
Show Text 
Inputs

Input Specifications  

Side Inputs Picture  

Rear Inputs Picture  

HDMI  

4 (4x HDMI 2.1)
4 (2x HDMI 2.0, 2x HDMI 2.1)

HDMI 2.1 Rated Speed 
 

48 Gbps
48 Gbps

ATSC Tuner 
 

1.0
3.0 (NEXTGEN TV)

USB Ports  

2
3

USB 3.0 
 

No
Yes (1)

Audio Out 3.5mm  

0
1

Wi-Fi  

Yes (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)
Yes (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)

Ethernet Speed  

100 Mbps
100 Mbps

Composite In  

0
1 (Adapter Required, Not Incl.)

Digital Optical Audio Out  

1
1
Show Text 

Audio Passthrough 
 

ARC/eARC Port 
 

eARC
eARC

eARC: Dolby Atmos Over Dolby Digital Plus 
 

Yes
Yes

eARC: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 
 

Yes
Yes

eARC: LPCM 7.1 Over Dolby MAT 
 

Yes
Yes

eARC: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 
 

Yes
Yes

eARC: DTS:X Over DTS-HD MA 
 

No
Yes

eARC: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 
 

No
Yes

eARC: LPCM Channels (Bitstream) 
 

7.1
7.1

ARC: Dolby Digital 5.1 
 

Yes
Yes

ARC: DTS 5.1 
 

No
Yes

Optical: Dolby Digital 5.1 
 

Yes
Yes

Optical: DTS 5.1 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 

HDR Format Support  

HDR10 
 

Yes
Yes

HDR10+ 
 

Yes
Yes

Dolby Vision 
 

No
Yes

HLG 
 

Yes
Yes
Design

Style  

Design Picture  

Curved  

No
No
Show Text 

Stand  

Stand Picture  

Show Text 

Back  

Back Picture  

Wall Mount  

VESA 400x300
VESA 400x400
Show Text 

Borders  

Borders Picture  

Borders  

0.31" (0.8 cm)
0.31" (0.8 cm)

Thickness  

Thickness Picture  

Max Thickness  

1.02" (2.6 cm)
2.28" (5.8 cm)

Build Quality 
 

8.0
8.5

Build quality picture  

Show Text 
Smart Features

Interface 
 

Smart TV Picture  

Smart OS  

Tizen
Google TV

Version  

2024
12
Show Text 

Ad-Free 
 

0.0
0.0

Ads Picture  

Ads 
 

Yes
Yes

Opt-out 
 

No
No

Suggested Content in Home 
 

Yes
Yes

Opt-out of Suggested Content 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Remote  

Remote Picture  

Voice Control  

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

TV Controls  

Controls Picture  

Mute Switch 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Show Text 

Misc  

Power Consumption  

59 W
66 W

Power Consumption (Max)  

184 W
307 W

Firmware  

1066
V8-T653T02-LF1V085
Sound Quality

Frequency Response 
 

7.2
7.0

Frequency Response  

See details
See details

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

95.14 Hz
75.51 Hz

Std. Dev. @ 70 
 

2.23 dB
3.92 dB

Std. Dev. @ 80 
 

2.30 dB
3.60 dB

Std. Dev. @ Max 
 

5.24 dB
4.90 dB

Max 
 

92.4 dB SPL
87.3 dB SPL

Dynamic Range Compression 
 

4.90 dB
4.74 dB

Digital Room Correction  

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Check Price

43"
QN43QN90DAFXZA
SEE PRICE
Samsung.com
43"
 
50"
QN50QN90DAFXZA
SEE PRICE
Samsung.com
50"
 
55"
QN55QN90DAFXZA
SEE PRICE
Samsung.com
55"
 
65"
QN65QN90DAFXZA
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
65"
65QM851G
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
75"
QN75QN90DAFXZA
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
75"
75QM851G
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
85"
QN85QN90DAFXZA
SEE PRICE
Samsung.com
85"
85QM851G
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
98"
QN98QN90DAFXZA
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
98"
98QM851G
Amazon.com

Samsung QN90D

TCL QM851G

Comments

  1. Comparison

Samsung QN90D vs TCL QM851G: Main Discussion

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