Samsung’s Q90R was arguably the most effective 4K UHD LED-backlit LCD TV of 2019. This yr’s Q90T is in line for equal standing, with image tweaks that remove—or ameliorate—a few of my complaints from final yr. My gripes in regards to the Q90R have been few and much between, so contemplate the Q90T the most effective getting higher.
There is, nonetheless, one main change: this may please some and disappoint others, however the One Connect breakout field is now historical past—all of the Q90T’s ports reside on the TV itself. If you need One Connect, your solely choice is the reportedly great, however costly ($13,000) 8K UHD Q950TS.
This overview is a part of TechHive’s protection of the best smart TVs, the place you’ll discover opinions of competing merchandise, plus a purchaser’s information to the options it’s best to contemplate when purchasing.
Design and options
The 55-inch class (54.5-inches diagonally) Q90T I examined measures 48.3 x 27.8 x 1.4 inches (HxWxD) and weighs simply over 44 kilos bare (55 kilos with its pedestal stand). It makes use of a 3840 x 2160, 120Hz, 10-bit panel pushed by the identical Quantum 4X processor used final yr. (The processor’s title is to not be confused with the idea of quantum computing. The TV makes use of a layer of quantum dots for colour, so that is only a advertising tie-in.)
If you’re going to set the Q90T on a floor, versus hanging it on the wall utilizing its VESA mount level, I’m fairly certain you’ll just like the iMac-like pedestal stand. It has only a 13.5 x 9.5-inch footprint, and that leaves numerous room on bigger surfaces for different stuff. There’s additionally sufficient vertical clearance (round 10 inches) from the underside of the display screen for a soundbar or what have you ever. Yes, I’m a fan of the pedastel.
While the ports on the Q90 collection are not housed in a breakout field, there’s a succesful choice together with 4 HDMI ports (with eARC help on one), coax for cable or an over-the-air antenna, Toslink digital audio out, and a 3.5mm analog audio out. There are additionally two USB ports on the again. If I’ve any gripe in any respect, it’s the dearth of an simply accessible side-mounted USB port. I counsel including a hub in the event you often join USB media for video, music, or picture playback. Connectivity choices embrace 10/100 ethernet, Wi-Fi 5, and Bluetooth 4.2.
Software options embrace ambient mode, which lets you show a digital photograph that matches the wall behind the TV, so the TV virtually disappears while you’re not watching it. You may also make use of the TV as a digital image body. The Q90T helps Samsung’s personal Bixby digital assistant, plus the 2 you would possibly really use: Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Siri isn’t supported, however there may be the Apple TV app, plus help for Apple’s AirPlay 2 multi-room audio tech.
FreeSync help reduces lag and eliminates display screen tearing by matching the Q90T’s refresh charge to your online game console’s, and a common program information tracks your content material decisions and recommends packages that it predicts you’ll like.
Now for the fact examine—the Q90T is a moderately expensive merchandise in a discipline the place the standard of mid-range TVs has improved dramatically. The 55-inch mannequin I examined has a steered retail value of $1,800. MSRP for the 65-inch mannequin is $2,500, the 75-inch goes for $3,800, and the 85-inch prices $5,300. They all have one-year warranties.
Interface, apps, and distant
The Samsung Smart Hub consumer interface stays engaging, in addition to very straightforward to make use of and configure, although its inefficiencies can put on on you over time. Getting to settings requires extra drilling by menus than needed, and also you’re by no means returned to the place you left off the final time you visited the Smart Hub. The remainder of the trade is catching up—or has caught up—so it could be nice if Samsung regarded into lowering the variety of button presses wanted to perform something.
There’s a robust assortment of apps, together with all of the biggies (Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, and so forth). And I’ll commend Samsung on what is among the best TV setups going. Let that individual work on the Smart Hub.
The intelligent and minimalist One Remote common distant management. The rocker quantity and channel buttons are notably good and make it straightforward to orient your finger with out wanting, and there’s an onboard mic, too.
The distant stays minimalist, straightforward, and fashionable. As all the time, I do want there have been devoted transport controls, but it surely’s nonetheless my favourite.
Picture and sound
The Q90T’s image is a light enchancment over final yr’s Q90R. It’s not brighter (round 1,500 nits) and the colour is about the identical, however the processing (i.e., the way by which it handles digital video data) is improved. Put one other method, there are even fewer artifacts to harass you.
One factor I seen proper off the bat is that the movement smoothing is stronger by default, and there’s no lag earlier than it kicks in. Not that the Q90R’s lag was noticeable in something however unnaturally quick pans.
Samsung’s Q90T is a light enchancment over final yr’s Q90R, however the bar was already very excessive.
The different factor that’s apparent on first blush in the event you’ve seen earlier yr’s efforts is that Samsung has backed off only a hair on the default sharpness and distinction. Uber sharp and vivid particulars have been an indicator of the corporate for the final a number of years. This leads to far much less shimmer and moire in extremely detailed pictures and pans with the default settings.
The image is great, even from steep viewing angles. I can say the identical for display screen uniformity, with little to no clouding seen when a pure white display screen is displayed. The HDR is as spectacular as any I’ve seen because of the excessive nit depend, though there’s nonetheless no help for Dolby Vision. The HDR10+ equal, plain HDR10 (static metadata), and HLG are all supported.
This is the place I usually discuss in regards to the variety of zones within the backlight array; however for some odd purpose, Samsung by no means confirms its TV’s zone counts; and on this specific case, the zone counter was a bit exhausting to learn. I’ll simply say that the nighttime in Vegas video I take advantage of to identify blooming and different defects regarded higher on the Q90T than any TV that isn’t OLED—not Samsung’s 8K UHD fashions.
That stated, the Q90T is hardly excellent. But there is no excellent LCD TV—OLED both—though the weaknesses are totally different (weak black ranges on LCD versus weak brightness on OLED). Nearly all of the defect I used to be capable of understand, nonetheless, surfaced solely within the artificial assessments that I run on all of the TVs I consider. With real-life materials, the one LCD TV I’ve seen with fewer artifacts—on the threat of sounding like a damaged file—is Samsung’s personal 8K UHD Q900.
Sound is sort of good, though I favored the outcomes with my further tweaking greater than letting the Intelligent Adjustment mode deal with the chore alone. The mid-range and top-end are well-defined, however bass is lower than thumpy. But that’s the character of the thin-TV beast (except for some OLEDs that vibrate the show itself). It’s additionally why soundbars exist (you’ll be able to click on here for our pick of the best soundbars).
I by no means felt an awesome want for headphones or an even bigger sound system throughout regular viewing; nonetheless, the Q90T helps low-latency Bluetooth headsets, which I did change to for films. Bluetooth is definitely my favourite method of condo listening, and numerous TVs require an exterior module to perform it.
An wonderful TV for these with the cash
The finest all the time prices extra, and the Q90T is the most effective 4K UHD LCD TV I’ve seen up to now in 2020. That’s a suggestion—in case you have the money. As famous earlier, the picture high quality of TVs all through the value gamut has improved drastically the final couple of years, so that you’re paying fairly a bit to get that final 10 % of elevated high quality.
Also, in the event you’re spending this a lot on a TV, and also you’re going 65-inch or bigger, you would possibly contemplate Samsung’s 8K UHD Q800T, which isn’t exorbitantly priced contemplating how a lot of an enchancment it affords—even with 4K UHD and 1080p content material. The 2020 Q800T is priced about the identical because the 2019 Q900R, however I’ve not seen the newer mannequin. That’s not exhausting recommendation, only a broad trace.
Note: If you’re a fan of the One Connect breakout field, the Q90R that has the field was nonetheless accessible on the time of this writing. Just bear in mind that Samsung’s alternative cable prices a frightening $300, and refurbs on Amazon will not be significantly better at $240. Keep your unique out of attain of small, chew-happy animals—particularly because the 2018 and 2019 fashions carry electrical energy in addition to sign information.