In late March, I was invited to New Jersey to spend some time with Samsung’s 2025 line of TVs and sound bars. Notably, this included both 4K and 8K Neo QLED TV models along with the stunning new OLED TVs. Visiting the Samsung QA Labs with a select few other journalists from Canada, I had the opportunity to spend as much time as I needed with each TV. This included watching content from a variety of sources, gaming (if desired), and sitting back, relaxing, and taking it all in.
What can you expect from the 2025 TV line? As I reported from CES, it’s plenty of picture quality and audio improvements, and lots of AI and smart integration. Here, I’ll outline the key focal points of the line and touch on my experiences with some of the upcoming models.
Samsung OLED TVs will blow you away
The Samsung 2025 OLED TV line includes the S95F, S90F, and S85F models. They come in a range of sizes to meet various home needs. The flagship S95F model now includes an upgraded NQ1 AI Gen 3 AI processor, which helps optimize contrast, brightness, depth, and colour so you get fantastic details.
It also incorporates Glare-free technology, which helps reduce glare no matter what the room condition. Additionally, it’s brighter than previous generation models, with Pantone-validated colours so you get deep blacks and crisp whites.
My experience with the Samsung OLED TV
I sat in a room with an 85-inch S95F OLED TV, and I was thoroughly impressed with everything from the rich, bright colours to the crisp whites and deep blacks. I watched a scene of a Netflix 4K TV show where a point-of-view camera travels down long, winding hallways then upstairs and over to a character in an opening scene. There was no noticeable motion blur throughout the entire scene, a testament to the TVs refresh rate and performance. Watching both with the lights on in the bright room as well as off, I didn’t notice any glare either, no matter where I was sitting.
This TV would be ideal for watching content like sports, action movies, and playing video games. It proves why OLED is a cut above the rest.
There’s a Samsung Neo QLED TV for everyone
The 2025 Samsung Neo QLED TV 4K line includes the QN90F, QN80F, and QN70F. The QN70F series, it should be noted, is a Best Buy exclusive. I also got to experience the 8K line, including models in the Neo QLED QN990F and QN900F series.
Using Quantum Matrix Mini LEDs, these 4K TVs incorporate the NQ4 AI Gen2 processor. They also boast 165Hz refresh rate and Supersize Picture Enhancer, which Samsung says optimizes picture quality for particularly large screens. Pair one with the Samsung Wireless One Connect Box. It’s a wireless hub to which you can connect source devices, like a Blu-ray player, cable box, or video game console, and wirelessly transmit the signal to the TV from up to 10 feet away. This allows for simpler, clutter-free installation and more versatile placement options.
Complete with the same Samsung Vision AI features as the OLED TV line, you also get access to the Samsung Art Store. Previously reserved for just the Samsung The Frame TV, the Samsung Art Store is now available for all Samsung TVs. This means with a subscription, you can select from more than 3,000 works of art from popular artists, museums, and galleries from around the world. Display them on the TV when you’re not actively watching to add some ambiance to your space.
My experience with the Samsung Neo QLED TVs
Sitting in different rooms with a 65-inch Neo QLED QN90F, 100-inch Neo QLED QN80F, and 85-inch Neo QLED QN990F, I had different experiences with each. You’ll notice good black levels across the board along with rich images. Watching the same content I did on the OLED TV, I noticed it wasn’t as intense without as much depth and as favourable contrast as with the OLED, which is to be expected.
When looking at OLEDs vs LED TVs, OLEDs typically afford superior picture quality, more vibrant colours, and truer blacks. But they also come at a higher price. I did notice some motion blur with the same fast-moving scene. But it was not enough to find it distracting nor to impede the viewing experience. On the largest screen sizes, content like animated movies pop with vibrant colours.
What I love about the Samsung Neo QLED TV line is that there’s an option for just about everyone with a variety of screen sizes, both 4K and 8K, and various price points. I’d suggest going big for families, especially with young children, to truly immerse yourself in animated movies. However, if you go big, especially with an 8K model, subscribe to 4K services. Standard-definition, even 1080P HD content, won’t look as great on such a big screen with so much detail, especially if you’re sitting up close as I was.
Samsung The Frame Pro is a step-up
The Samsung The Frame TV is hugely popular, especially among design-conscious folks. It’s meant to look like a painting on the wall. This is thanks to the stylish bezel that looks like a picture frame. It’s also a matte screen that, when displaying artwork from the Samsung Art Store or your own collection, looks like it’s an actual painting. With this TV, you can transform the display into something aesthetically pleasing on the wall when you aren’t actively watching. This year, Samsung is upgrading the experience with the Samsung The Frame Pro.
Featuring a new Neo QLED display that Samsung says boosts brightness and contrast, it works with a new Wireless One Connect Box for wirelessly connecting external devices and communicating up to 10 metres away. The matte display is anti-reflective, so you won’t notice any glare. Ultra-slim, it has a 144Hz refresh rate, access to the Samsung Art Store, and Samsung Vision AI features.
What’s even better? From April 16 to May 16, you have the chance to enter an exciting contest on the Best Buy Blog for a chance to win a new 2025 Samsung The Frame Pro TV and elevate your entertainment experience!
My experience with the Samsung The Frame Pro TV
I enjoyed watching content on a 65-inch Samsung The Frame Pro TV mounted to the wall in a dark room. In that same scene, there was no noticeable motion blur, thanks to the 144Hz refresh rate. I didn’t notice any reflections, the matte display looking gorgeous from any angle (though there were no windows in the room either). The TV produces good black levels, but more muted colours than the OLED, which provides a more vibrant picture, as to be expected. Overall, it’s a natural, refined viewing experience.
The Samsung The Frame Pro is a great option if you’re looking for a TV that is as much a part of the room’s decor as it is for entertainment. The design is stunning, not just the picture. While the Samsung Art Store is now available on any new Samsung TV, it looks different on this TV thanks to the bezel design. If you love The Frame but want something bigger and better, The Frame Pro is the way to go. The Frame, however, will still remain in the line.
Complement the picture with sound
Samsung has you covered in the audio department as well with the Q-Series HW-Q990F and HW-QS700F sound bars. Boasting refreshed designs and new enhancements through AI, they’re a perfect complement to the TVs.
First, the HW-Q990F has a new dual active subwoofer that is half the size of last year’s model. This means you still get tremendous bass but in a sleeker chassis that will blend nicely into your home décor.
The sound bar also offers plenty of AI optimization features, including Dynamic Bass Control for delivered balanced and distortion-free sound. Q-Symphony, meanwhile, provides 3D surround sound by recognizing where other wireless speakers are in the room and optimizing sound based on their distance and angle. In fact, this even works with Samsung’s Music Frame product, which was also shown at CES 2025 earlier this year.
A feature everyone can appreciate, especially late-night TV watchers like me, is Active Voice Amplifier Pro. It helps reduce background noise and boosts dialogue. This way, you don’t need to scramble for the remote to lower the volume whenever an intense scene with music occurs and you’re afraid it will wake up the baby. Plus, no more rushing to raise it back up once the scene is over because you can’t hear people speaking anymore.
What’s unique about the HW-QS700F is that it has a built-in gyro sensor, which can determine if the sound bar is lying flat or mounted vertically on the wall. Once calibrated, the sound bar will automatically tune the audio accordingly. It’s also ultra-slim for a barely-there design with booming sound.
Samsung AI Vision and other features will impress
Samsung’s new TV line also includes new features that leverage AI, and even one that works in partnership with your smartwatch. Samsung Vision AI offers integrated AI experiences on the big screen. Here’s a rundown of the key features you’ll be able to use and, where I was able to test them, my feedback.
Click to Search
Tap the AI button on the remote to instantly call up a right-side vertical menu that shows information about the people or content on screen. You’ll see a list of the actors’ names, for example, learn what else they have been in, and more about their careers. You’ll also get related content recommendations to watch next if you want inspiration.
There are some limitations. The feature is designed to work with live content where such features aren’t already available. So, you can’t use this within a streaming service like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video (the latter service offers its own similar function).
The database is still a work in progress as well. Some of the results I got didn’t quite fit, like the same movie recommendations for a talk show as for an action flick. But what I saw was a demonstration of the potential. As the feature improves, it will offer a valuable second-screen experience without you actually needing a second screen.
Live Translate
If you’re watching a broadcast in English but that’s your second language, you can get real-time subtitles in the language of your choice to follow along. This works for live content, once again, where subtitles aren’t already available. It’s offered in seven languages.
While I did not get to try this feature out at the event, I saw it at action at CES translating a soccer game, and it’s pretty impressive. It has the potential to unlock lots of opportunities for those who speak English as a second language. But it’s also conversely useful for first-generation Canadians who want to watch foreign-language content with non-English-speaking family members but don’t understand their native language and need English subtitles.
Generative Wallpaper
Available on the Neo QLED TVs, with Generative Wallpaper, you can provide a few prompts to devise custom images to use as background wallpaper. I tried this out, answering a few questions about the type of images I wanted, likes and dislikes, and other preferences, and got several soothing images of mountains. You can easily regenerate and get additional images if you don’t like the first set. Keep going until you find the one that’s right for you.
Samsung Food
This feature can recognize food on screen and help you either find a recipe to make at home or find something similar via delivery to have it sent as take-out. This feature may not yet be available in Canada.
Home Insights and Pet & Family Care
Get real-time safety updates and notifications from your TV to your mobile device. With Pet and Family Care, your TV can detect unusual sounds or movements and adjust room settings based on the situation.
Use your Samsung Galaxy Watch as a controller
Another cool demo I got to try at the Samsung QA Labs is the ability to connect your Samsung Galaxy phone and compatible Samsung Galaxy smartwatch, like the new Galaxy Watch Ultra, to the big screen. Then, sit back, relax, and control your TV with your wrist. Seriously!
Once you queue up the pointer option on the watch, flick your wrist back and forth twice quickly to activate it on the TV. Now, you can move your arm to control the pointer. Select items and go back in menus using gestures like pinching with your thumb and index finger and clenching a fist. Scroll your finger along the perimeter of the watch screen as well for simple navigation without a remote.
It admittedly takes some getting used to, and you might find the feature finicky and unresponsive at times. But it’s a cool option if you’re lying back in bed watching TV and don’t want to fish for the TV remote.
Find the Samsung 2025 line of TVs at Best Buy Canada
Ready to take your home entertainment to the next level? The Samsung 2025 line of Neo QLED TVs, OLED TVs, and sound bars is available at Best Buy Canada. If you need help deciding which TV is right for you, here’s how to choose the right TV for your needs.
