Great TVs really do come in small packages. I’ve been watching the 43-inch Samsung QN90C NeoQLED 4K TV for a few weeks and I can’t believe the picture quality this TV has. It can reach such deep, rich black tones and such bright colours that if I had to describe it in a few words I’d say it was a QLED that looks like an OLED. While I’ve never had a TV smaller than 55 inches before, I think 43 inches is the perfect size for a bedroom, office, or garage. It’s also available in larger sizes, and if this model is any indication, the picture quality would be absolutely stunning on a bigger screen.
Here’s a look at what I thought of the Samsung QN90C NeoQLED TV.
Features on Samsung QN90C NeoQLED TV
The Samsung QN90C NeoQLED is a very thin, very light TV that comes packaged with a stand. It weighs 9.4 kg (20.72 lbs). The stand resembles a computer monitor stand and you’ll need a screwdriver to attach it. The 43-inch model is the smallest size in the QN90C lineup, and you can also choose it in 50, 55, 65, 75, and 85 inch sizes.
- 43 inch 4K QLED TV with Mini LED backlight
- Neo Quantum HDR+ for vivid colour and exceptional brightness and Auto HDR Remastering for improved SDR content
- 4K Neural Quantum Processor is AI-powered to upscale your content
- Anti-Glare coating and Ultra Viewing Angle Technology
- Dolby Atmos and Object Tracking Sound+
- Samsung Gaming Hub lets you play your favourite games in one location without the need for a console
- 120Hz native refresh rate with up to 144Hz and 9.7 milliseconds input lag
- Real Depth Enhancer and Pantone Validated Colour
- Smart Hub organizes your streaming content and Smart Things connects you to your smart home devices
- 4 HDMI ports, 2 USB, and an Ethernet port
- Solar cell remote control stays charged for months
Testing out Samsung QN90C NeoQLED
It’s hard not to be impressed by the Samsung QN90C NeoQLED TV. When you tap the remote the TV slides open and you’re presented with a bright screen packed with a ton of streaming and live TV choices. There is a menu on the left that lists a few of your TV options including search, ambient, game, media, connected devices, and settings.
NeoSlim design
This TV is very thin and there is a very small frame around IT that lets you enjoy the full size of the screen. Samsung calls the design NeoSlim. It’s the type of TV you can mount on the wall and use as a photo frame when you’re not watching, and I would definitely opt for a wall mount over the included stand. A wall mount would look more elegant and be more functional, and I’m a little leery about the durability of the stand. While I like the minimalist design, I was a bit nervous about knocking the stand and having it fall over. The TV is so light it doesn’t seem like it weighs it down enough to hold it in place if you bump it.
The QN90C has an anti-reflective coating that’s very effective. If you’re watching with your curtains open and you have bright light shining through the windows, it’s minimized when you’re watching. Sometimes, when scrolling through the menus, I could see light from the window reflecting on the screen, but when I started watching a movie or a TV show, it disappeared or was dimmed enough that it didn’t interfere with watching.
This TV also comes with the new Samsung SolarCell remote control. It has a small solar strip on the back so it can recharge via sunlight and the design is part of Samsung’s sustainability plan. If you ever run out of battery power you can also plug it in via USB-C.
Picture quality on Samsung QN90C NeoQLED
I spent a few weeks binging Netflix and Disney+ on the Samsung QN90C. The best way to describe the picture quality is to say that, if someone put me in front of the TV and I didn’t know anything about it, I would have a hard time determining whether or not it’s an OLED. One of the reasons I say that is the high contrast. I know a NeoQLED can’t achieve true black the way an OLED can and Mini-LEDs aren’t capable of turning off and on individually like OLED, but this TV can produce blacks that are so deep and dark you might struggle to tell the difference. At night, in a dark room without any light shining in, the screen looks pitch black.
QLED TVs with Mini-LED backlight are great for rooms without a lot of natural light. My house is shaded by trees so I need the brightest TV possible in every room. The default brightness on this TV was more than enough for a room without natural light, and even when I turned on the lights and watched with the curtains open it was still very bright.
The QN90C has a 4K Neural Quantum Processor that’s AI-powered to upscale everything you watch, and it has Neo Quantum HDR+ to brighten images, Real Depth Enhancer to make images more realistic, and Pantone Validated Colour so colours look bright and natural no matter what you’re watching. Colour is very sharp and natural, and in some cases, I thought it was so vivid I wanted to dial the brightness down a bit.
No matter what I watched on this TV, it looked better than on my own TV. Whether I was watching old YouTube videos I uploaded of my kids, black and white TV shows, or my favourite Marvel movies on Disney+, everything had sharp detail and cinematic colour. I watched a few IMAX-enhanced videos on Disney+ and Netflix and they looked spectacular too. The picture quality on this TV is so fantastic I didn’t even think about the fact that it was only 43 inches.
Samsung Gaming Hub and Neo Quantum HDR+
I’ve talked about the Samsung Gaming Hub in other reviews but I’m even more impressed with it now that I’ve linked it up to my Xbox Game Pass account. All you need is a controller and a good Internet connection and you can stream all of your Xbox games without plugging in your console. There are other platforms you can stream too including Amazon Luna, GeForce Now, and Utomik. The Gaming Hub also has videos so you can watch Twitch broadcasts and other gaming content.
This TV is amazing for gaming, and Neo Quantum HDR+ adds detail and brightness to dark games. My go-to game for testing out a new TV is always Red Dead Redemption, and I thought the TV really brought a natural quality to the game. Dark scenes and shadows are more detailed than I’ve seen on other TVs. The TV also has 120Hz native refresh rate with the option to enhance it to 144Hz in game mode and a minimal 9.7 milliseconds lag. With a console plugged in it’s fast enough to keep up with the most intense action games and you don’t experience blur or delay between controller and game.
If you’re going to connect your controller to the TV and stream games, my suggestion is to plug in the TV via Ethernet and maintain a close position to the TV. It takes a lot of bandwidth to load and stream the games, and while we have a very fast 5G network we use to connect our TVs we had a much smoother experience after we plugged in. I also tried to use an older Xbox controller that didn’t maintain a strong Bluetooth connection so there was a lot of lag between the controller and the TV. Any lag we experienced disappeared as soon as I added my PS5 controller.
Sound quality on Samsung NeoQLED
There are two different sound modes on the Samsung QN90C—Standard and Amplify. I thought the sound was great considering the size of the screen and how thin it is. When watching movies I kept the volume at 30 and in Amplify mode. Dialogue was very clear, and it felt like it was coming from a center speaker. This TV uses Object Tracking Sound technology to optimize sound and send it to your TV’s speakers in a way that makes it feel as though it’s moving with the action. It’s not as precise as a set of home theatre speakers or a sound bar, but it gives the TV great quality. It’s a good feature when you’re using the TV in your bedroom and you don’t want to add a sound bar or speakers.
The sound quality was loud enough to send my cats running when I put on a cat video. Nothing gets them in front of a TV faster than the sound of birds, and as you can see in the photos, my buddy Apollo made himself comfortable while he watched a few hours of squirrel videos.
Should you choose the Samsung QN90C NeoQLED?
If you’re looking for a second TV in a smaller size, the 43-inch Samsung QN90C NeoQLED is hard to beat. After using it for a few weeks it would be an easy choice for my bedroom. I’ve been firm in my decision to upgrade to an OLED for my next living room TV, but now I’m wondering if I have to. In my opinion, the QN90C gives you an OLED-quality picture that’s brighter and more vivid than most OLEDs, but it can still reach those deep black tones you really want for movies and gaming.
Samsung Gaming Hub is such a great addition to Samsung’s Smart Hub, and it’s nice that I can pick up a controller and game without plugging in a console. For streaming TV and movies, you can access all of your favourite apps on a smart screen that’s easy to navigate. I also love how Samsung SmartThings is integrated with this TV. I was pretty surprised when I was watching and my TV popped up a notification that my range had finished preheating. All of the smart devices you add to SmartThings can be accessed on your TV.
I am always impressed by Samsung TVs, and they just keep getting better and better. You can find the Samsung QN90C NeoQLED 4K TV in 43 inches as well larger sizes at Best Buy right now.
We watch around 2 hours a day of TV. I learned that the QN90C has a 4K Neural Quantum Processor that’s AI-powered to upscale everything you watch.
I learned that the TV’s frame is small which allows for a larger viewing picture.
Approximately 1hr per day of TV gets watched in my home.
I like the idea of a small frame around the TV and the anti reflection coating
I watch about 3 hours a day.
We watch around 2-3 hours of TV per day and in this review I learned about the Anti-Glare coating and Ultra Viewing Angle Technology. Looking forward to having those technologies in my next TV.
I currently don’t own a tv, I was brought up to read instead of watching tv. Now that I’m on my own I would like to watch some of the popular tv shows. 43 inches would be perfect, I love how thin the tv is and weight
Hours everyday; maybe a half dozen in front of the tube. I learned even new tvs have features that make me chuckle. Solar remote controls. Lol.. my remotes do need new batteries once in a while, but maybe once every few years. The feature for the remote that I would have liked would be a durable print on the buttons that would last. I have one remote with no print left, but at least the buttons work.
In our house we probably watch 7-10 hours a week. We like to watch our family shows at dinner together.
Shelly has showed me that this TV has a game hub feature which appeals to my teenagers this is a great feature but also we should consider connecting with Ethernet if we are connecting a controller to the TV. Great tip!
We watch about 4 hours of tv per day. I like that this tv has rich blacks because those seem to be very hard to reproduce on LED tv. They always look washed out or not black enough.
as a senior i learned that this feature is a good thing for me as it is easier on my eyes: the Anti-Glare coating and Ultra Viewing Angle Technology. i watch tv for about 5 hours a day.
Interesting that Shelly is leery about the durability of the included stand!
I think that we watch maybe 6-7 hours of TV per day.
We have our TV on for nearly 16 hours every day, as even when we’re not watching it’s usually on in the background. I learned about the Neural Quantum Processor that upscales everything you watch with AI technology; very cool.
We usually watch 2-3 hours of TV per day. Sometimes more if there is something good to binge watch. I learned that the TV is very light and would be better mounted on the wall than on the stand. It is also light and has a small frame.
The layer of quantum dots adds a level of depth and enhances the picture quality in a way that most LED TVs can’t achieve. Is what I learned and a 65 would be amazing to win!
I probably watch about 5-10 hours of TV per week. I learned about the great value of the anti-reflective coating for watching TV in a brighter space.
As disabled seniors, unfortunately we watch about 8 hours a day. It would be wonderful to have a clear picture and anti glare features.
I watch 1-2 hrs of TV per day and in this review I learned about the Anti-Glare coating and Ultra Viewing Angle Technology.
We watch 2- 3 hrs of TV per day and in this review I learned about the Anti-Glare coating and Ultra Viewing Angle Technology.
We watch 2- 3 hrs of TV per day and in this review I learned about the Anti-Glare coating and Ultra Viewing Angle Technology.
The layer of quantum dots adds a level of depth and enhances the picture quality in a way that most LED TVs can’t achieve. Is what I learned and a 65 would be amazing to win! We watch about 4-5 hours of tv
The layer of quantum dots adds a level of depth and enhances the picture quality in a way that most LED TVs can’t achieve. Is what I learned and a 65 would be amazing to win!
We watch about 4-5 hours
We watch quite a bit of TV per day. Probably an average of about 7 hours. The 4K Neural Quantum Processor is AI-powered to upscale your content is something I haven’t heard of before and the Real Depth Enhancer to see more realistic images is a pretty cool feature.
We watch 4hours of TV per day. I really like that it has OLED and that the TV has a 120Hz native refresh rate with the option to enhance it to 144Hz in game mode.
I probably watch about 5-10 hours of TV per week. I learned about the great value of the anti-reflective coating for watching TV in a brighter space.
Like the “Anti-Glare coating and Ultra Viewing Angle Technology”
Watch about 5 hours/day average.
WE watch and hour or two a day, my mom (who would use this a lot more) watches 3-4 hours as she is a baseball and hockey fanatic 🙂 I think the great sound would be a definite bonus for my mom, who wears hearing aids
This would be an amazing monitor upgrade. I spend around 4-6 hours a day viewing TV and related content. One thing I learned is about Samsung TV is that the 4K Neural Quantum Processor is AI-powered to upscale your TV content. I wonder what it could do the the content I grew up on 🙂
One thing I learned from this review is that the television has anti reflective coating and adapts to the light in the room. We watch about 20 hours of television per week
We watch probably 40-50 hours a week, plus it’s on in the background for news or music. And beside everything I learned in the article about being a great TV, this, “Solar cell remote control stays charged for months”, no more changing batteries 🙂
I learned the QN90C has two different sound selections: standard and amplify. This would be amazing for my 90 year old grandma who lives with us and is hard of hearing. One TV or another is on in our house at almost all waking hours. I would say our household total is about 15 hours a day.
I watch 2-3 hours of shows a day.
The Dialogue was very clear, and it for it to feel like it was coming from a center speaker, must be great sound.
about 14 hours to TV use in this house, which is why the Art work mode to turn a black hole on the wall into a beautiful art addition would be great.
I would say we probably watch at least 20-25 hours of TV a week. I like to get lost in my shows and forget about my problems for awhile. I learned about the Samsung gaming hub. That would be great for my boyfriend as he’s quite into gaming. He has ab old Xbox that’s probably not gonna last much longer as I bought him that about 5 years ago and there’s no way we can afford a new one with the cost of living
I watch approximately 2 hours of TV a day. I learned about the anti-glare coating which is something I really need!
I’m embarrassed to say that I watch TV almost all day (usually background noise while I’m doing my work though lol) and when I’m not working I’ll be playing video games and the gaming hub sounds interesting!
I watch about 20hr a week and I learned about the Anti-Glare coating and Ultra Viewing Angle Technology .
I’m retired so watch about 28hrs a week
The main tv gets turned around around 7am and is on till 12am. Not always being watched by the same person mind you 🙂 Holy moly I feel like it’s usually on 15-18 hrs a day and everyone probably watches 3-6 hrs individually. I excitedly learned that this tv has technology (dots) that make it bright! (Current main room tv is horrible to watch dark shows so I’d appreciate this)
About 2 to 3 hours a day of television get watched in my home. I learned that there is a remote control that charges in the sunlight!! A.I. up scaling for picture quality and now this, not sure where i have been or how old of a TV set i have
The TV is on about one hour per day on weeknights, while binging is reserved for holidays and some weekends with bad weather. So for the occasions we do sit down to watch, color brightness and the depth of blacks are very important to us. I didn’t know much about the mechanics of contrast before reading this, like how individual LEDs turning off if what helps achieve deeper blacks on screen.
I’m very interested in the 4K Neural Quantum Processor that you talk about in this review. Did you view any older content in lower resolutions to see how well the AI upscaling works? I’m curious to see a comparison of the upscaling on vs off. I watch about 3 hours of TV a night, usually streaming content on my Plex server. Some shows I love are only available in 480p resolution such as older seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, so it would be really cool to see the AI upscaling at work on these shows.
We watch over 25 hours of TV per week.
One thing that I learned about this Samsung TV is that the 4K Neural Quantum Processor is AI-powered to upscale your TV content
I watch 1-2 hrs of TV per day and in this review I learned about the Anti-Glare coating and Ultra Viewing Angle Technology.
About 6 hours of TV gets watched in my household, mostly from streaming sites. What I learned about the Samsung QN90C TV is that it has an anti-reflective coating that adapts to the lighting of the room. This feature is perfect in my room because it gets the most light in the morning.
I would say the TV is used about 6 hours a day in my home. and i learned that the slim feature is better wall mounted than stand mounted.
We use our TV a lot in our house. We use it for gaming, movie watching, streaming and even for our LEGO building instructions. We use it about 8 hours plus per day. My husband is a disabled vet, and gaming is one of his tools he uses to deal with the daily pain, etc.
I love the idea of the 120Hz native refresh rate and the gaming hub. These are super exciting as gamers.
About 3-4 hours of TV get watched in my home.
I learned that this TV has Dolby Atmos and Object Tracking Sound+.
We typically watch 1-3 hours of tv per day after work on weekdays but I watch quite a few hours of English Premier League soccer on weekends. One thing I learned from the review was this tv has 4K Neural Quantum Processor that’s AI-powered to upscale everything you watch – cool feature and interested in how many streaming apps could be improved as picture quality is not great with many.
From 4 to 12 hours. It depends who is at home. 65 inches is probably what I am looking for to win.
We watch 3-6 hours of TV per day. I like the idea of the Real Depth Enhancer to see more realistic images.
We learned about how the TV works to process input and deliver content in the best way possible from its 4K Upscaling, to HDR+, Real Depth Enhancer. In our home, about 4hours of TV are watched per day between everyone in the home.
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