A bright mini-LED TV with high contrast and little glare
The Samsung QN90F is the company’s latest flagship 4K mini-LED TV, replacing last year’s excellent QN90D. It keeps its predecessor’s ample features while adding a glare-reducing screen treatment and offering a faster variable refresh rate for gaming. It’s also much brighter than the QN90D while showing perfect blacks and minimal light bloom, though its color performance lags slightly. Like all of Samsung’s high-end TVs, the QN90F is very pricey, with the 65-inch model I tested retailing for $2,699.99. That’s about twice as much as our Editors’ Choice for LED TVs, the Hisense U8N (listed at $1,499.99 for 65 inches but often available for less than $1,000), which is even brighter but also shows more light bloom.
Note that I tested a preproduction version of the 65-inch QN90F at Samsung’s lab. Since it was not the final product, I will hold off on giving it a score until I receive the retail-ready model for testing.Design: No Bezel or Glare
The QN90F looks sleek, with an effectively bezel-free design that lets the screen extend from edge to edge. A small bump on the lower-right corner holds the TV’s infrared sensor. The 65-inch model sits on a fairly small gray metal stand, and it can also be mounted on a wall. Most ports sit in a recessed area on the right side of the back of the TV, facing right. That includes four HDMI ports, two USB ports, an optical audio output, a headphone jack, an Ethernet port, and an antenna/cable connector.
The screen features Samsung’s Glare-Free technology, a panel treatment that helps reduce light reflections. I tested it in a small office with no outside-facing windows, so I couldn’t see how it looks when fighting against sunlight, but it did seem to reduce distracting glares from overhead lights and lamps.
Like all of Samsung’s high-end TVs, the QN90F comes with the company’s latest Eco Remote. It’s a very simple rectangular black wand with two benefits over most other remotes: A rechargeable battery and a solar cell. You can keep the remote charged by plugging it into a USB charger through the USB-C port on the bottom or by flipping it over and keeping it out under a light source. It’s much more convenient and environmentally friendly than periodically needing to replace disposable batteries.
The remote has a large circular navigation pad near the top with power, AI, microphone, and settings buttons above it, along with a pinhole microphone. Menu and playback buttons sit below the pad, with volume and channel rockers further down and dedicated service buttons for Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Samsung TV Plus, and YouTube below them.Audio: 4.2.2 Channels With Dolby Atmos
QN90F model sizes 55 inches and larger feature a 60W 4.2.2-channel speaker system, a notable upgrade over the generally weaker stereo speakers many other TVs use. You get height channels and Dolby Atmos spatial audio support. The speaker system can also work in tandem with compatible Samsung soundbars with the company’s Q-Symphony feature, which takes advantage of both TV and soundbar drivers instead of only using one or the other.
