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We uploaded the brightness measurements and uniformity photos after running the TV for four months in our Accelerated Longevity Test. We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test. Updated to Test Bench 1.7 with an updated HDR Brightness test that better reflects real world usage. We've also split the console compatibility boxes into separate PS5 Compatibility and Xbox Series X|S Compatibility tests. You can see our full changelog here. The Samsung QN90B is available in Canada, Australia, the United States, the UK and Europe, which is something of a surprise given it’s usually the flagship model that’s more widely available (the QN95B is not on sale in Canada). When it comes to gaming the QN90B is not as all-consuming as the LG C2’s feature set but you’re still getting a tremendous number of features whether you’re a console or PC gamer. I measured latency at 10.1ms – faster than the LG C2 (13.1ms) – and with Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) that can drop down to neglible amounts.
Samsung describes the QE50QN90B as a Neo QLED model, alerting us to the fact that it uses Quantum Dots to generate its colours rather than colour filters. This should, if other aspects of the TV are also up to snuff, result in a wider and more subtle colour gamut well suited to the extra colour range that typically accompanies high dynamic range content. Apart from its screen being smaller, the Samsung QE50QN90B’s picture specifications are close enough to those of the previously tested QN95B 4K flagship TV to make differences nigh on impossible to spot. Which is no bad thing given how much we like the QN95B’s pictures. Updated text for clarity throughout to match the results after various Test Bench updates. Also confirmed that 1440p works with the PS5. I still have the same issue as I did with The Serif in that the path to reach certain features involves more steps, and some features feel left behind (Multi View, if you ever used it, feels lost in this shake-up). The refresh of Tizen elevates some features to greater prominence but others have become more concealed.
Starting out viewing test patterns via a 4K signal generator and the Spears & Munsil UHD HDR Benchmark disc, a full-screen 100% white pattern and a lower-level gray one both showed a slight amount of color tinting and non-uniform brightness, though I can’t say I noted the same issue when watching regular programs. Better news: the QN90B was able to retain brightness and color vibrancy at viewing positions up to 45 degrees off from center, proving the effectiveness of the Ultra Viewing Angle feature. I was also impressed by how good pictures looked with overhead lights on – that anti-glare screen in action – though I did most of my evaluation with room lights switched off. Samsung’s revision of its Tizen interface has caused a few ruffles. I don’t dislike it, which sounds like damming it with faint praise, but given the number of features and options available, it makes sense for Samsung to go down dedicated hubs to give everything space. But there are some quirks. Its biggest audio issue, though, is the way its sound struggles to project forward, leaving film and TV audio mixes sounding rather swallowed and as if everything is happening somewhere behind the screen. Not surprisingly this can leave you feeling rather distanced from what you’re watching. Verdict
Experience shows, though, that blooming issues with local dimming LCD TVs are typically much more pervasive and consistently distracting than the QE50QN90B’s occasionally obvious dimming activities, so it’s hard to argue with the logic of Samsung’s approach. Even though the brand does also want to have its cake and eat it, to some extent, by making the QE50QN90B exceptionally bright with light HDR images. We updated the text with new information on the number of dimming zones. The 75 inch model has been confirmed to have around 900 zones, but we don't know how many zones the other sizes have.We updated the text in the PQ EOTF box, as the results changed with our recent change in test methodology. There are four HDMI inputs (HDMI 3 supports eARC for passthrough of audio to a soundbar), digital optical out, CI+ 1.4, two satellite tuners, an aerial antenna, two USB ports and an ethernet for hardwired connection to the internet. If you want to connect wirelessly to the TV there’s Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi, along with DLNA and Samsung’s Wireless Dex support. Picture Quality The QE50QN90B’s main event is its Mini LED lighting system, which crams far more and much smaller LEDs into the 50-inch screen than is possible with regular LEDs. This enables it to deliver more local light control and, potentially, more contrast and brightness than regular LED TVs can. Especially when partnered as here by a local dimming system which, in this case, sees the TV able to output different amounts of light from no less than 448 separately controlled zones. We uploaded the initial brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
Also, an irritating bugbear is that upon start-up the TV lands on the Media hub, and the interface will go straight to the last channel/input you were on. With a PS5 plugged in, it constantly switched it on every single time. You need cat-like speed to stop it from happening, but with the sluggish response of the smart remote, I frequently failed. Features Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. See how we test. What’s more, despite the sophistication of its processing engine and lighting system, the QE50QN90B manages to get the time it takes to render images in its Game mode down to a hugely impressive 9.6ms (with 1080p/60Hz signals). Samsung’s Game Bar does, though, provide the option to sacrifice a bit of screen response speed in return for better, processing-assisted picture quality, along with other game-related adjustments such as the ability to raise the brightness of dark areas without impacting the rest of the picture so that you can more easily see enemies lurking in the dark. Tizen is divided into four (technically five) sections: Search, Ambient, Gaming, Media and Menu. Ambient is where you can turn the screen into an art installation with a selection of prints (you’ll also have to contend with the dreaded NFTs). The Gaming Hub features cloud services such as Utomik and Xbox Game Pass, Samsung TVs are the only TVs you’ll find that app on. Media features streaming apps along with curated content from the likes of iPlayer, and Menu is where you’ll find options to tweak picture, sound, etc. We discovered a flaw with the equipment used to force an HDR signal when measuring color volume and the color gamut. We've switched to a new tool and updated our measurements. The color gamut and volume have changed slightly.The QN90B is a second gen Neo QLED Mini LED TV, and it’s another exceptionally bright effort that boasts wide-ranging colours. I do think, however, there’s a case to be made that too much brightness is not always a great thing. With an HDR signal, the QN90B shows a peak brightness of 612.132cd/m The only notable app absentee is Freeview Play – though Samsung does support the separate catch up apps of all of the key UK terrestrial broadcasters. All of the QE50QN90B’s high-end picture features are marshalled by the latest version of Samsung’s Neo Quantum 4K video processor, complete with improved upscaling and the accumulated knowledge of numerous neural networks that have been busy crunching through countless image types in Samsung’s labs to develop a vast database of picture optimisation shortcuts.
We uploaded the brightness measurements and uniformity photos after running the TV for two months in our Accelerated Longevity Test. Rounding out the QE50QN90B’s impressive feature count is its Tizen-based smart interface. This remains as good as ever when it comes to content, with pretty much every streaming app you can think of present and correct, bolstered by Samsung’s increasingly impressive (due to it being more carefully curated) TV Plus system of fully streamed TV ‘channels’. Viewing experience may vary according to the type of content, format and source. Upscaling may not apply to all sources and modes including PC souces and Game Mode. The QN90B’s maximum picture brightness measured on a 10% white window in Dynamic mode was in the 2,000 nits range – way more than enough to deliver the goods with most HDR content. Other measurements showed input lag with a 4K test signal generator to be an excellent 9.8ms (milliseconds) and 12ms with a 1080p source, both in Game mode. That remote carries more buttons but is still practical enough to control if you’ve got small enough fingers to press the smaller buttons. The smart remote is the less cluttered option for those who don’t like to be assaulted with buttons they’ll never use. It also comes with a solar panel that absorbs ambient light to charge itself or can be charged via USB-C.The problem with Samsung Smart TV is its menu structure. It buries most settings, apart from a few very specific presets, two or three layers down from where other TV interfaces put them. It also seems to constantly nudge users away from any granular controls. Switching among inputs is also more complicated than it should be; the remote has a multiple-source split-screen Multi-View button, but no simple input-switcher button.
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