Design
Curved No
The Samsung QN90B has a modern, sleek design, with incredibly thin bezels and a slim stand. The heavy central stand looks great and takes up very little space, but it doesn't prevent all wobble.
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Design
Uniformity Pictures
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LEARN ABOUT ACCELERATED LONGEVITY TEST
Design
The center-mounted stand is quite heavy but small, so it doesn't take up a lot of space on your table. Due to the relatively small size of the stand, the TV tends to wobble easily.
Footprint of the stand on the 65-inch model: 13.3" x 11.2". The stand lifts the TV about 2.5 inches above the table, so some thinner soundbars fit in front of it without blocking the screen.
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Design
Wall Mount VESA 400x300
The back of the TV is mainly plastic, with fine horizontal etched lines that give off a brushed aluminum look. There are tracks along the back and the stand (see here), which help with cable management, but you won't be able to use those if you wall-mount the TV. Unlike the Samsung QN95B QLED, which uses an external input box known as the One Connect box, the inputs are in the back of the TV. This means they're difficult to access if you wall-mount the TV with a fixed bracket.
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Design
Borders 0.35" (0.9 cm)
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Design
Max Thickness 1.06" (2.7 cm)
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9.0 Design
The build quality is fantastic. The base is metal and quite solid, and the materials used feel premium. The back panel is mainly plastic and flexes easily, but this isn't unusual and doesn't cause any issues. The stand is extremely heavy, but due to its small size, it doesn't support the TV very well, so the screen wobbles easily.
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8.7 Picture Quality
Contrast
Native Contrast
The Samsung QN90B has an excellent contrast ratio. With Local Dimming on 'High,' it displays deep and inky blacks next to bright highlights in dark rooms. You can only disable Local Dimming in PC mode through the service menu, which we did for this test, but considering it has a low contrast ratio without local dimming, there isn't a reason for you to do this. Check out the newer Samsung QN90D/QN90DD QLED if you want a similar TV with better contrast.
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LEARN ABOUT CONTRAST
8.0 Picture Quality
There isn't too much blooming around bright objects in dark scenes, like subtitles, but it's still there with the local dimming feature enabled.
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7.0 Picture Quality
Local Dimming
Backlight
Dimming Zones Count Of Tested TV
The transition between dimming zones is decent, but it isn't as good as you'd expect from a high-end TV. The local dimming algorithm can't keep up well with fast-moving objects transitioning between dimming zones. While this isn't noticeable with most content, it can get distracting with fast-moving objects on dark backgrounds, as the leading edge is darker and the trailing edge has a bit of a halo effect.
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8.0 Picture Quality
Unfortunately, like most Samsung TVs, the local dimming feature in Game Mode seems to be spreading highlights out over a greater number of zones, so there's a bit more noticeable blooming compared to outside of Game Mode. The processing is also slightly slower, so zone transitions are more noticeable. However, it's mainly due to the increased blooming.
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9.4 Picture Quality
Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)
Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)
Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)
Peak 2% Window
Peak 10% Window
Peak 25% Window
Peak 50% Window
Peak 100% Window
Sustained 2% Window
Sustained 10% Window
Sustained 25% Window
Sustained 50% Window
Sustained 100% Window
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
The Samsung QN90B is exceptionally bright in HDR. Small specular highlights are incredibly bright, so fine details stand out in any scene. Large, bright scenes are significantly dimmer because of the somewhat aggressive Automatic Brightness Limiter (ABL), but they're still bright enough for a good HDR experience. The display's brightness doesn't fade the longer highlights stay on the screen, which is great. These results are from after calibrating the HDR white point with the following settings:
- Picture Mode: Movie
- Brightness: Max
- Contrast: Max
- Local Dimming: High
- Color Tone: Warm2
The 'Dynamic' Picture Mode is even brighter, reaching a peak brightness of 3,126 cd/m² with a 10% window, but it can't maintain those brightness levels, and the brightness decreases after a few seconds.
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LEARN ABOUT HDR BRIGHTNESS
9.0 Picture Quality
Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)
Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)
Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)
Peak 2% Window
Peak 10% Window
Peak 25% Window
Peak 50% Window
Peak 100% Window
Sustained 2% Window
Sustained 10% Window
Sustained 25% Window
Sustained 50% Window
Sustained 100% Window
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
The HDR brightness in Game Mode is fantastic. While it doesn't get as bright as outside of it, it's still bright enough to make highlights pop in HDR for a satisfying HDR experience. These results are from after calibrating the HDR white point with these settings:
- Picture Mode: Game
- Brightness: Max
- Contrast: Max
- Local Dimming: High
- Color Tone: Warm2
- HDR10+ Gaming: Basic
- Color Space: Auto
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6.1 Picture Quality
600 Nit Tracking Delta
1000 Nit Tracking Delta
4000 Nit Tracking Delta
Unfortunately, the Samsung QN90B QLED doesn't track the PQ EOTF properly, and most scenes appear significantly brighter than the content creator intended. There's also a very sharp cutoff at the TV's peak brightness, which causes bright white highlights to clip, so fine details are lost. It also behaves differently with different content, as content mastered at 4,000 cd/m² starts to roll off at lower peak brightness, and the TV's tone mapping kicks in earlier than with 1,000 and 600 cd/m² content.
There's some concern that some Samsung TVs detect when they're being calibrated or tested for a review and adjust the output to be more accurate. We measured the PQ EOTF with different window sizes and found that although it tracks the PQ EOTF accurately with more standard window sizes, it doesn't track accurately with real content.
PQ EOTF charts with different window sizes:
- 2%
- 5%
- 9%
- 10%
- 18%
- 25%
The EOTF performs similarly in Game Mode, but it gets even brighter than the target EOTF. You can try enabling Game HDR to get better PQ EOTF tracking, but it's still too bright.
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LEARN ABOUT PQ EOTF TRACKING
9.3 Picture Quality
Real Scene Peak Brightness
Peak 2% Window
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Peak 25% Window
Peak 50% Window
Peak 100% Window
Sustained 2% Window
Sustained 10% Window
Sustained 25% Window
Sustained 50% Window
Sustained 100% Window
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
This TV has fantastic peak brightness in SDR. It's bright enough to overcome glare in any room, even if you have a lot of windows or lights. Like in HDR, large, bright areas are dimmer due to its ABL, which means that some content, like sports, is dimmer, but it's still incredibly bright.
These measurements are from after calibration, in the 'Movie' Picture Mode with Brightness at its max, Local Dimming on 'High', and the Color Tone set to 'Warm2'.
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LEARN ABOUT SDR BRIGHTNESS
8.6 Picture Quality
Wide Color Gamut
DCI P3 xy
DCI P3 uv
Rec 2020 xy
Rec 2020 uv
This TV has an excellent color gamut. It has fantastic coverage of the DCI-P3 color space used by most current HDR content, so images look vivid and lifelike. It has decent coverage of the wider Rec. 2020 color space, and the tone mapping is good, ensuring fine details are preserved and easy to see in areas of vibrant, saturated color.
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LEARN ABOUT COLOR GAMUT
9.1 Picture Quality
1,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage ITP
10,000 cd/m² Rec 2020 Coverage ITP
White Luminance
Red Luminance
Green Luminance
Blue Luminance
Cyan Luminance
Magenta Luminance
Yellow Luminance
The color volume is fantastic. Most colors are displayed well at various brightness levels, and colors are just as bright as pure white. Thanks to its high contrast ratio, dark saturated colors are displayed well, but it isn't as good as an OLED.
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LEARN ABOUT COLOR VOLUME
7.8 Picture Quality
White Balance dE
Color dE
Gamma
Color Temperature
Picture Mode
Color Temp Setting
Gamma Setting
The Samsung QN90B has good accuracy before calibration. Colors have excellent accuracy overall, but some colors are still off. The color temperature is on the warm side, but it isn't bad enough to be noticeable. The white balance is okay, but brighter shades of gray are off. Gamma is close to the 2.2 target for a moderately lit room, but bright scenes are a bit too bright.
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LEARN ABOUT PRE CALIBRATION
9.6 Picture Quality
White Balance dE
Color dE
Gamma
Color Temperature
White Balance Calibration
Color Calibration
This TV is easy to calibrate and has fantastic accuracy after calibration. All issues are fixed, except bright scenes are slightly too dark now.
You can see our full calibration settings here.
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LEARN ABOUT POST CALIBRATION
7.4 Picture Quality
50% Std. Dev.
50% DSE
5% Std. Dev.
5% DSE
The Samsung QN90B has decent gray uniformity overall. There are a few patchy spots near the center, which is a bit distracting when watching sports. The sides of the screen are also a bit darker than the center, but this isn't very noticeable with normal content. Gray uniformity in near-black scenes is much better, with no noticeable issues.
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LEARN ABOUT GRAY UNIFORMITY
8.9 Picture Quality
Std. Dev.
Native Std. Dev.
This TV has amazing black uniformity with Local Dimming on 'High'. It displays deep blacks, but there's still some blooming around bright objects on dark backgrounds. Although you can only disable Local Dimming through the service menu, we still did so for testing, and black uniformity is worse with it off as blacks look blue and there's clouding throughout.
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LEARN ABOUT BLACK UNIFORMITY
7.7 Picture Quality
Color Washout
Color Shift
Brightness Loss
Black Level Raise
Gamma Shift
The Samsung QN90B has a good viewing angle. It's great if you have a wide seating arrangement or like to move around with the TV on, as the image remains consistent at an angle. The 43-inch and 50-inch models lack Samsung's Ultra Viewing Angle Layer, so they have a worse viewing angle. You can see the viewing angle of the 43-inch model here.
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LEARN ABOUT VIEWING ANGLE
9.1 Picture Quality
Screen Finish
Total Reflections
Indirect Reflections
Calculated Direct Reflections
The Samsung QN90B Neo QLED TV has superb reflection handling. The glossy coating significantly reduces the intensity of direct reflections, so glare isn't as distracting. Sadly, like other TVs with the Ultra Viewing Angle layer, there's a rainbow-like effect that scatters across the screen, but the 43 and 50-inch models don't have this layer and don't have this rainbow-like issue, as you can see here. The replacement model in Samsung's 2023 lineup, the Samsung QN90C/QN90CD QLED, doesn't have the same rainbow smearing on it.
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LEARN ABOUT REFLECTIONS
8.5 Picture Quality
100% Black to 50% Gray 8.0
50% Gray to 100% White 10
100% Black to 50% Red 10
50% Red to 100% Red 10
100% Black to 50% Green 6.0
50% Green to 100% Green 8.0
100% Black to 50% Blue 10
50% Blue to 100% Blue 6.0
This TV has excellent gradient handling. You won't notice any banding with most content besides some minor banding in dark blues and greens.
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LEARN ABOUT HDR NATIVE GRADIENT
6.3 Picture Quality
Smoothing 6.0
Detail Preservation 7.0
The TV struggles with smoothing out low-quality content, like streaming sources that use compression. It loses details, and there's macro-blocking in dark areas, which is disappointing for a high-end TV.
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7.5 Picture Quality
The Samsung QN90B upscales low-resolution content well, like if you're watching DVDs or cable TV. Some text can look blurry, but for the most part, it keeps details well. The recommended settings are with Picture Clarity off and Sharpness at '5'.
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LEARN ABOUT UPSCALING: SHARPNESS PROCESSING
Picture Quality
Subpixel Layout
Type LED
Sub-Type
The Samsung QN90B QLED TV uses a BGR sub-pixel layout, negatively impacting how it displays text when using the TV as a PC monitor. You can read more about that here. The pixels look a bit blurry due to the 'Ultra Viewing Angle' layer.
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8.8 Motion
80% Response Time
100% Response Time
The Samsung QN90B has an excellent pixel response time. Most transitions are extremely quick, resulting in a short blur trail behind fast-moving objects. There's still some noticeable persistence blur, and there's overshoot in some dark transitions. This causes some inverse ghosting, but it isn't very noticeable.
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LEARN ABOUT RESPONSE TIME
9.9 Motion
Flicker-Free
PWM Dimming Frequency
This TV uses pulse width modulation (PWM) to dim its backlight, and the flicker frequency varies between picture modes and with certain settings. In 'Movie' mode, with the backlight set between '46' and the max of '50', the backlight flickers at 120Hz. However, it increases to 960Hz with a backlight setting below '46'. The flicker frequency drops to 120Hz in the 'Dynamic', 'Natural', 'Standard', and 'Filmmaker' Picture Modes, or if you enable the Game Mode or Picture Clarity settings. This low flicker frequency can cause headaches if you're sensitive to flicker, and it also causes image duplications with 60Hz content.
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LEARN ABOUT FLICKER-FREE
Motion
Optional BFI
Min Flicker For 60 fps
60Hz For 60 fps
120Hz For 120 fps
Min Flicker for 60 fps in Game Mode
The Samsung QN90B Neo QLED has an optional backlight strobing feature, commonly known as BFI. This feature reduces persistence blur caused by the TV's fast response time. It works at both 60Hz and 120Hz, but the timing is a bit off, causing a duplicated image.
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LEARN ABOUT BLACK FRAME INSERTION (BFI)
Motion
Motion Interpolation (30 fps)
Motion Interpolation (60 fps)
This TV has a feature to increase the frame rate of low-frame-rate content up to 120Hz. It's okay overall on this TV, but it looks best in slow-paced scenes. In busy scenes with a lot of action, it doesn't look very good, and there are a lot of artifacts. Unlike some TVs, which stop interpolating when they can't keep up, this one keeps going, so there are more and more artifacts in busy scenes. Even the smaller sizes, like the 43-inch QN90B, support motion interpolation with 30 fps and 60 fps content and perform like the larger sizes.
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LEARN ABOUT MOTION INTERPOLATION
6.3 Motion
Frame Hold Time @ 24 fps
Frame Hold Time @ 60 fps
Due to this TV's quick pixel response time, low frame rate content, like movies, appears to stutter. It's mainly noticeable in slow panning shots. If this bothers you, the optional motion interpolation or backlight strobing features can help, but those features create other issues, so there's no perfect solution.
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LEARN ABOUT STUTTER
10 Motion
Judder-Free 24p
Judder-Free 24p via 60p
Judder-Free 24p via 60i
Judder-Free 24p via Native Apps
This TV automatically removes judder from all sources; no additional settings are needed. It's great for watching movies, as motion appears smooth.
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LEARN ABOUT 24P JUDDER
9.4 Motion
Native Refresh Rate
Variable Refresh Rate
HDMI Forum VRR
FreeSync
G-SYNC Compatible
4k VRR Maximum
4k VRR Minimum
1080p VRR Maximum
1080p VRR Minimum
1440p VRR Maximum
1440p VRR Minimum
VRR + Local Dimming Yes
The Samsung QN90B is compatible with all three variable refresh rate formats and works across a very wide refresh rate range. Low Frame Rate Compensation (LFC) automatically engages at low refresh rates, multiplying frames to ensure a tear-free gaming experience even at very low frame rates. Note that the 43-inch and 50-inch models have a max refresh rate of 144Hz. You can read the review of the 43-inch model as a monitor here.
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LEARN ABOUT VARIABLE REFRESH RATE
9.6 Inputs
1080p @ 60Hz
1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
1080p @ 120Hz
1080p @ 144Hz
1440p @ 60Hz
1440p @ 120Hz
1440p @ 144Hz
4k @ 60Hz
4k @ 60Hz + 10-Bit HDR
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
4k @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
4k @ 60Hz With Interpolation
4k @ 120Hz
4k @ 144Hz
8k @ 60Hz
The Samsung QN90B has very low input lag in Game Mode. This results in a very responsive gaming experience, ensuring your actions align with what you see on screen. If you're a fan of motion interpolation, Samsung's Game Motion Plus feature allows you to interpolate low frame rate games, improving motion clarity without adding much input lag. With the setting at its max, there's higher input lag than with it disabled, but it's still good for casual gamers.
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LEARN ABOUT INPUT LAG
9.6 Inputs
Resolution 4k
480p @ 59.94Hz (Widescreen)
720p @ 59.94Hz
1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
1080p @ 120Hz
1080p @ 144Hz
1440p @ 60Hz
1440p @ 120Hz
1440p @ 144Hz
4k @ 60Hz
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
4k @ 120Hz
4k @ 120Hz @ 4:4:4
4k @ 144Hz
8k @ 30Hz or 24Hz
8k @ 60Hz
This TV supports all common resolutions up to 4k @ 120Hz. Except for 1440p @ 120Hz, all supported formats display chroma 4:4:4 signals properly, which is essential for clear text from a PC. 4k @ 120Hz signals are displayed properly, with no resolution-halving or other issues.
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LEARN ABOUT SUPPORTED RESOLUTIONS
Inputs
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
4k @ 120Hz
1440p @ 120Hz
1080p @ 120Hz
HDR
VRR
The Samsung QN90B is fully compatible with the PS5, as there are no issues. It also works with Sony's variable refresh rate feature on the console.
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Inputs
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
4k @ 120Hz
1440p @ 120Hz
1080p @ 120Hz
HDR
VRR
There aren't any compatibility issues with the Xbox Series X|S.
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Inputs
HDR10
HDR10+
Dolby Vision
HLG
HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwidth
HDMI 2.1 Class Bandwidth
CEC Yes
HDCP 2.2 Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)
ATSC Tuner
USB 3.0
Variable Analog Audio Out No
Wi-Fi Support Yes (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)
Unlike the 2021 Samsung TVs, this one supports HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four HDMI ports. It's great, as it gives you the flexibility to connect multiple high-bandwidth devices, like if you have both the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Unfortunately, it doesn't support Dolby Vision, which is a common HDR format, but it supports the similar, yet less common, HDR10+ format.
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Inputs
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Inputs
HDMI 4
USB 2
Digital Optical Audio Out 1
Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 0
Analog Audio Out RCA 0
Component In 0
Composite In 0
Tuner (Cable/Ant) 1
Ethernet 1
DisplayPort 0
IR In 0
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Inputs
ARC/eARC Port
eARC: Dolby Atmos Over Dolby Digital Plus
eARC: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
eARC: LPCM 7.1 Over Dolby MAT
eARC: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
eARC: DTS:X Over DTS-HD MA
eARC: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
eARC: LPCM Channels (Bitstream)
ARC: Dolby Digital 5.1
ARC: DTS 5.1
Optical: Dolby Digital 5.1
Optical: DTS 5.1
The Samsung QN90B supports eARC, allowing it to pass uncompressed high-quality audio from a connected source to your soundbar or home theater system. Sadly, it doesn't support DTS formats, which is disappointing, as many UHD Blu-rays use DTS for their lossless audio tracks. If you want a TV supporting DTS, check out the Sony X90K/X90CK.
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7.0 Sound Quality
Low-Frequency Extension
Std. Dev. @ 70
Std. Dev. @ 80
Std. Dev. @ Max
Max
Dynamic Range Compression
This TV has a decent frequency response. The low-frequency extension, or LFE, is high, so it can't produce much thump or rumble, but this is normal for TVs. The frequency response above the LFE is well-balanced at moderate listening levels. However, there's a noticeable dip in the treble range at max volume, making dialogue harder to understand. It has an optional room correction feature, which was enabled for these measurements.
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LEARN ABOUT FREQUENCY RESPONSE
6.8 Sound Quality
Weighted THD @ 80
Weighted THD @ Max
IMD @ 80
IMD @ Max
The Samsung QN90B has decent distortion performance. There's very little harmonic distortion in the treble range at a moderate listening level, but it increases slightly at max volume.
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LEARN ABOUT DISTORTION
8.5 Smart Features
Smart OS Tizen
Version 2022
Ease of Use
Smoothness
Time Taken to Select YouTube
Time Taken to Change Backlight
Advanced Options
The 2022 version of Tizen OS is fast and easy to use. The interface now fills the entire screen instead of the bar that appeared in the previous version. It makes it easier to find your favorite content.
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0 Smart Features
Ads
Opt-out
Suggested Content in Home
Opt-out of Suggested Content
Unfortunately, like most TVs on the market, there are ads throughout the interface, and there's no option to disable them completely. They're not always present, though; there weren't any when we took photos of the interface.
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LEARN ABOUT AD-FREE
8.5 Smart Features
App Selection
App Smoothness
Cast Capable
USB Drive Playback
USB Drive HDR Playback
HDR in Netflix
HDR in YouTube
The included apps cover most of the common streaming services, and a great selection of additional apps is available in Samsung's app store. It's also compatible with Google Duo, which supports video calls with up to 32 people by connecting a compatible webcam to the TV.
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8.5 Smart Features
Size
Voice Control
CEC Menu Control
Other Smart Features
Remote App Samsung SmartThings
The remote is slim and easy to use but has a limited selection of buttons, so you have to change most things through menus on the TV. There are four quick-access buttons for the most popular streaming services; unfortunately, there's no way to remap these to your favorites. You can recharge the remote via a solar panel on the back or with a USB-C cable (sold separately).
The Samsung QN90B is compatible with multiple voice assistants, including Bixby, Google Assistant, and Alexa, but you have to use the remote as it doesn't have a hands-free mode. Voice controls work well and allow you to launch apps, change inputs, or adjust certain settings.
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Smart Features
The controls are beneath the Samsung branding on the bottom right side of the TV. A single button lets you power the TV on/off and change channels, volume, and inputs.
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Smart Features
- Power cable
- Remote control
- User guide
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Smart Features
Power Consumption 61 W
Power Consumption (Max) 175 W
Firmware 1204
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