Samsung Q90T QLED – Samsung's flagship - Q90T the top tier of the 2020 QLED range

Samsung’s Q90T has a first-class design and makes a good impression with its excellent processing quality. The display with the glossy finish is framed by a very thin frame, which does not distract from the picture at all. Even though the stand, which is made entirely of metal, makes an extremely high-quality impression, the TV wobbles a bit. However, this is quite normal with a centrally placed stand and normally is not disturbing. Moreover, the stand takes up very little space, so the QLED can also stand very well even on small tables. Due to the shallow depth and the impressively narrow frame, it also looks very good when attached to the wall. The interfaces are aligned towards the right edge of the picture, so that they are easy to access on the wall as well as when using the stand. For clean cable management, grooves are made in the back of the TV and the stand, through which the cables can be routed cleanly.

It’s a shame that the Q90T does not have the One Connect Box, which was still included in the Q90R released in 2019.

The Q90T’s 10-bit VAVertical Alignment, type of LCD Panel panel has a deep, even black and an excellent contrast ratio of 10500:1, which is often considered one of the most important aspects of picture quality. Devices with such good contrast ratios like the Q90T can display dark scenes with greater detail, without essential details becoming unrecognisable in a black cloud. The maximum brightness of 1150 Nits is outstanding, so that in combination with the wide color gamut and excellent Full Array Local Dimming HDRHigh Dynamic Range – image/video with more dynamic range (contrast range) content can be displayed impressively. Thereby the Q90T can compete with some OLEDs like the CX!

Normally VA panels have the disadvantage that the viewing angle is very limited. However, this QLED has Samsung’s Ultra Viewing Angle layer, which greatly extends the viewing angle. OLEDs have an even better viewing angle, but the result of the Q90T is quite convincing. In addition, the display’s reflection handling is one of the best, in combination with the excellent maximum brightness ist displays an excellent picture even in bright rooms.

Unfortunately, it is noticeable that the color is not quite as even as it should be in large scenes with the same color – especially the corners appear darker. This so-called dirty screen effect is particularly noticeable during sports broadcasts, but it’s not really disturbing in normal use.

Even the high-end product of the 2020 QLED series does not support Dolby VisionDynamic HDR-format with a color depth of up to 12 Bits and Mastering of up to 10,000 Nits – which is a shame because the Q90T would really be a candidate where the dynamic HDR format would make such a difference.

Its display has a native refresh rateHertz is the derived SI-unit of frequency with 1Hz=1/s – When talking about TVs this means how many different pictures a TV can display in one second. of 120Hz, which is ideal for gaming and sports. The response time is extremely short at less than 4ms, so that almost no motion blur is visible during fast movements. With the Black Frame InsertionProcess that inserts black “blank images” as intermediate images. This makes movements appear finer and clearer. feature, this blur can be minimized even further so that movements appear razor sharp. Even at low frame rates, the image appears extremely fluid due to motion interpolationArtificial calculation of more frames than the source material has to offer, so JudderInconsistent time frame due to the input frequency not mismatching the TV’s frequency (e.g. 24p via 60Hz) is not an issue. Artifacts are not really visible.

The backlight flickers with a frequencyHertz is the derived SI-unit of frequency with 1Hz=1/s – When talking about TVs this means how many different pictures a TV can display in one second. of 960Hz. Therefore it is perceived by the human eye as continuous illumination and is not disturbing.

Gaming is a very great experience on the Q90T. Due to the excellent motion handling and good picture quality, even fast games are impressively displayed. The input lag of about 10ms at 60Hz and a resolution of 4K is incredibly low. This and the Auto Low Latency Mode make the TV feel incredibly responsive during gaming, so that you can be one step ahead of your opponent, especially when playing shooters. Apart from that all necessary functions are available. To avoid screen tearing the QLED has a variable refresh rateHertz is the derived SI-unit of frequency with 1Hz=1/s – When talking about TVs this means how many different pictures a TV can display in one second. via FreeSyncVariable Refresh Rate with AMD graphics cards or consoles and HDMI Forum VRRVariable Refresh Rate – synchronizes the display’s refresh rate with the output refresh rate of the graphics card. Through the HDMI 2.1 interface the TV is ready for the Playstation 5 and the Xbox Series X to display games or other content with a refresh rate of 120Hz and a resolution of 4K.

The built-in 4.2.2 channel 60W speakers have a passable sound in the treble and mid ranges, but the bass is not really convincing. Dialogues can therefore be decently played, but the bass is simply not strong enough to create the desired atmosphere, which is a real pity – especially when you consider that Samsung’s cheaper QLEDS, Q70T and Q80T, have a more appealing sound system built in. With a TV in this price range, the setup should therefore be extended with a sound system or a good soundbar, so that you can really have an outstanding home cinema experience. But you should keep in mind that only Dolby formats are supported. Dolby DigitalMulti-channel-sound-system for up to 5.1 channel Surround Sound Plus and Dolby Atmos via Dolby True HD through the HDMI eARC are available, but no DTSMulti-channel-sound-system (Surround Sound) competing with Dolby Digital – as always with Samsung.

As with all other QLEDs, Samsung relies on the Tizen 5.5 smart OS. It is equipped with some great features to integrate the TV into a smart environment. As a language assistant, Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant are supported in addition to the somewhat outdated Samsung Bixby.

It Airplay 2 compatible for data exchange with Apple devices, so videos and photos can be displayed on the Q90T in no time at all.

The choice of apps is huge and all major streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ are pre-installed.

With Samsung Smart Things, the TV can be integrated into a smart home environment and all applications can then be conveniently controlled by remote control.

The Q90T also has a twin tuner, which enables functions such as time shift or recording to USB devices.