Samsung QN900D QLED 8K TV overview: Will get the show brilliant

I first laid eyes on an 8K TV at CES in 2012. At 19-years previous, I used to be used to watching motion pictures in 1080p — perhaps 4K if a TV was actually leading edge for the time– so I used to be utterly captivated that day on the Las Vegas showroom flooring. From that second on, I knew it was decision, not 3D, that was the way forward for immersion in tv.

Associated

6 things to know about Samsung’s new 98-inch Crystal UHD TV

Samsung’s newest huge display prices $4,000 and comes with tons of goodies. This is what to know earlier than dropping any of your hard-earned money.

Twelve years later, in 2024, it lastly looks like TV tech has reached an period the place 8K tv, regardless of the stark lack of content material, is beginning to make for a compelling viewing expertise. And the QN900D 8K QLED from Samsung is the strongest proof for that argument I’ve seen to date. The most recent mannequin builds on developments like native dimming zones, and brighter LED applied sciences that may very well be discovered on its earlier flagship 4K fashions just like the QN90B. In the end, I feel this TV represents among the many first entries in a era of accessible 8K panels, and the chance to improve your viewing area.

Samsung Neo QLED 8K QN900D

Show Expertise

Neo QLED

Connectivity Expertise

HDMI

Model

Samsung

Refresh Fee

120Hz

Decision

8K

HDR?

HDR 10+

Ports

Ethernet, USB, HDMI, HDMI-ARC

Display screen sizes (inches)

65″, 75″, 85″

Professionals

• Excellent brightness and distinction
• 8K decision serves as future proofing for years to return

Cons

• Not lots of 8K content material in the meanwhile
• ‘One Join’ field is mildly inconvenient

Value, specs, and availability

I examined the Samsung QN900D in its 75-inch model, which retails for $6,300 however can already be discovered for modest reductions as Samsung pushes the adoption of their flagship unit. As of the writing of this text, the 65-inch, 75-inch, and 85-inch models are $200, $300, and $500 off, respectively. 8K TVs are in no way low-cost, and for some context in pricing, I would level out that the equal top-of-the-line 4K QLED from Samsung of the identical measurement is half the worth. However even a premium of 100% is a far cry from the costs of years previous, when 8K shows felt utterly out of attain, and their costs out of contact.

The Samsung QLED 8K QN900D has maybe its most necessary spec proper within the identify, however the remainder of the rundown is as spectacular as its decision. With a local refresh charge of 120Hz, the spectacular show comes ready for the latest era of gaming consoles. Each the PS5 and Xbox Collection X promise to assist 8K content material sooner or later, and slowly however certainly, extra gaming titles are being launched with eventual assist for 8K decision in thoughts. Decision apart, the 120Hz refresh charge can also be nice for any PC avid gamers.

The Samsung QLED 8K QN900D is offered now on Amazon, Greatest Purchase, and instantly from Samsung.

Design and interface

A glossy and skinny profile make mounting a no brainer

The skinny and nearly bezel-less panel cuts a placing determine in my front room, as Samsung has almost perfected the skinny profile design that it has been working towards all through earlier fashions. The mirror-finished stand it sits on when not wall mounted feels luxurious, although it may be mildly distracting in your peripheral imaginative and prescient.

What this tv actually deserves is to be mounted in your wall, although some consideration must be paid for the exterior “One Join” field which serves to accommodate lots of the most important elements of the QN900D. This tv is impossibly skinny, and the “One Join” field serves as a sacrifice in trade for the TV’s ultra-thin design. The field could be kind of propped up on the again of the TV stand in order that it would not take up floor area in your TV console.

The audio system on the again of the QN900D can get loads loud, however the sound high quality itself leaves a lot to be desired. This may be stated although for nearly any embedded TV audio system. In any case, audio system on the again of a TV going through backwards in direction of a wall isn’t how audio is meant to be performed.

Tizen Sensible TV OS

The QN900D comes out of the field with Samsung’s Tizen Sensible TV working system put in. Samsung has been utilizing the Tizen system on its sensible TVs since 2015, and within the years because the OS has continued to improve.

Associated

4 upgrades that would make Tizen my ideal TV OS

Samsung’s TV OS has improved, however nonetheless might use just a few extra tweaks.

It gives a clear interface that was simple to click on as I used the QN900D’s minimalist distant. The OS allowed for simple navigation between natively put in apps on the TV, like all the most important streaming platforms, in addition to connecting with exterior gadgets, watching some dwell TV, and even looking the online.

Brightness, decision, and show

Prime of the road AI upscaling and brightness make for a stellar picture

Credit score: Netflix

Whereas there is not a sturdy number of native 8K content material simply but, built-in AI upscaling expertise does its finest to boost the picture from native 4K or 1080p content material. The result’s crisp and spectacular, although restricted by the format of the content material, with upscaling throughout streaming companies being the least spectacular, whereas gaming and 4K Blu-rays present one of the best image.

Associated

5 essential things to know about your TV’s motion smoothing feature

Including in synthetic frames to fill content material gaps, administrators and Tom Cruise need you to show it off, however it has its place.

Once I watched John Wick: Chapter 3 on UHD Blu-Ray, the QN900D did an admirable job of blowing up the picture to suit the display whereas sustaining motion pictures with as a lot readability as potential. The 4K Blu-Ray supplied for a considerably larger bitrate than 4K streaming presently gives, giving the AI upscaling tech much more to work with, leading to a fantastic picture.

Moreover, the QN900D options stellar peak brightness, making it a simple daytime tv. The brilliant show handles the assorted lights and home windows in my front room with ease, whereas throwing off restricted reflections that would in any other case show distracting on much less brilliant shows.

A gamer-friendly show

Credit score: F1/Liberty Media

In addition to delivering excellent brightness, the QN900D boasts a local refresh charge of 120Hz, making compelling for console avid gamers like myself who need in on seamless motion. For the PC gaming inclined, the QN900D gives its “Movement Xcelerator 240Hz” expertise, which makes use of body interpolation to imitate a 240Hz refresh charge. This function is proscribed to 4K decision, nevertheless, and works solely with appropriate PCs. The brand new mannequin is well-prepared for gaming applied sciences to return, in addition to providing excessive efficiency for the gaming consoles of at the moment.

Associated

9 Steam games to install first on your gaming PC

Should you’ve taken the dive into PC gaming, Steam will little doubt be your first cease. These are the video games it is best to boot up first.

When enjoying Purple Lifeless Redemption on my Xbox One S, which renders at 4K, the QN900D did a commendable job of upscaling the sport to suit the display. The 120Hz refresh charge helped the sport really feel easy and the picture was first rate contemplating my Xbox One S is actually simply upscaling 1080p to 4K, then the TV is upscaling that 4K to suit the display. The QN900D additionally achieves a 2ms enter lag when in “sport mode,” which is spectacular for a non-gaming-dedicated panel.

Sparse 8K content material and a excessive price ticket make for a enjoyable toy, however a poor worth

As impressed as I have been with Samsung’s QN900D, and as a lot as 8K TV costs have began to return down, this nonetheless feels a few years too early for me to put money into an 8K tv. Exhibiting off the TV with 8K YouTube movies was enjoyable, however even these are few and much between, and the AI upscaling expertise appears largely wasted on tv and movie considered on streaming companies, whose compression algorithms depart little to work with when upscaling. Because the expertise presently stands, no quantity of processing energy can remedy the crushed blacks, banding, and intermittent readability that’s par for the course when streaming from any of the most important content material platforms. I simply did not really feel like my day-to-day lived expertise with the QN900D was very “8K-like,” as an alternative it felt extra like 4K…plus?

Everytime I turned on HDR, I turned it proper again off minutes later

Credit score: Rockstar Video games

On the time of writing, there are not any Samsung TVs that assist Dolby Imaginative and prescient HDR, so naturally, this mannequin isn’t any exception. As a substitute, the QN900D helps HDR10+, which, regardless of its finest efforts, doesn’t, in my view, maintain a candle to Dolby Imaginative and prescient HDR. HDR10+, whereas an enchancment on its predecessor (HDR10), performs horribly in daylight, rendering a picture hardly brilliant sufficient to see particulars. As soon as you start to regulate settings in an try and brighten the image, you find yourself defeating the very objective of HDR by blowing out the picture with low distinction, whitewashed high quality. Solely at night time or in a darkish, pitch-black room with all of the lights off, does HDR10+ exhibit its truest potential.

In testing for this overview, and completely solely as a result of I used to be testing the QN900D, I watched the newest season of Bridgerton on Netflix in HDR. It was a irritating expertise to say the least. I needed to flip off each single gentle in and close to my front room so as to obtain an image with wealthy distinction and correct white steadiness. It regarded completely gorgeous, in fact, however impractical till HDR could be brighter, which Dolby Imaginative and prescient achieves, whereas HDR 10+ doesn’t.

On the finish of the day, a few of that is merely the distinction in efficiency between a Neo QLED panel and the OLED panels discovered on different fashions.

Verdict: Must you purchase the brand new Samsung Neo QLED 8K QN900D?

That is palms down one of the vital superior none-OLED shows in the marketplace at the moment, and a very good instance of how LED applied sciences like Neo QLED can nonetheless make for a compelling finish product. Whereas the worth level leaves no query as as to if this can be a premium mannequin, there are nonetheless some issues earlier than buying, even for these with larger budgets.

Should you can spend $5,000-$8,000 on a TV, and plan to maintain it for not less than 5 years if not 10, then this might make an important addition to your property, and function the centerpiece of your property leisure for years to return. That is notably true if you’re a console gamer, as we proceed to maneuver nearer to 8K gaming as a actuality. All in all, the 8K QN900D is finest regarded as a long-term funding. One that can stick round your property lengthy sufficient to see 8K content material grow to be extra widespread.

Associated

4 reasons I’d buy an OLED TV over a QLED TV

Within the battle of display applied sciences, OLED higher helps my viewing expertise.

The Samsung QN900D represents a powerful step ahead in excessive decision shows and brings us that a lot nearer to 8K proliferation as these fashions grow to be extra inexpensive and accessible with each passing 12 months. The QN900D is a powerful piece of expertise and a feat of show engineering, supplied rightfully so at a premium worth. If this step into the longer term is comfortably inside your worth vary, then the QN900D would possibly simply be price it.

Samsung Neo QLED 8K QN900D

Show Expertise

Neo QLED

Connectivity Expertise

HDMI

Model

Samsung

Refresh Fee

120Hz

Decision

8K

HDR?

HDR 10+

Ports

Ethernet, USB, HDMI, HDMI-ARC

Display screen sizes (inches)

65″, 75″, 85″