The Samsung QN90B is available in Canada, Australia, the United States, the UK and Europe, which is something of a surprise given it’s usually the flagship model that’s more widely available (the QN95B is not on sale in Canada). The QN90B's glare-resistant screen lets it look good even with overhead room lights on (Image credit: Future / Al Griffin) Design and features

Certain features require express consent for the collection and use of personal information. Some features may require additional accessories (sold separately). Certain features, apps and services may not be available on all models and in all regions and are subject to change without notice. Internet connection required. Data, subscription or other charges may apply. Certain features are available only on free to air channels and/or require a Samsung Apps account. Overall, the Samsung QE55QN90B’s performance is a colourful one that’s well-suited to bright rooms, but that level of brightness can overwhelm. Sound Quality All of the QE50QN90B’s high-end picture features are marshalled by the latest version of Samsung’s Neo Quantum 4K video processor, complete with improved upscaling and the accumulated knowledge of numerous neural networks that have been busy crunching through countless image types in Samsung’s labs to develop a vast database of picture optimisation shortcuts. Converted to Test Bench 1.10. With this update we've revamped our Gradient testing, added a new test for Low Quality Content Smoothing, and expanded our Audio Passthrough testing. Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. See how we test.Sat head-on, there’s slight blooming to night-time scenes like the opening of the She-Hulk episode Ribbit and Rip It. I can see a slight haze surrounding the lights in the car park as Leapfrog tries (and fails) to take on a couple of robbers. Move off-axis and the blooming becomes more noticeable.

Samsung’s revision of its Tizen interface has caused a few ruffles. I don’t dislike it, which sounds like damming it with faint praise, but given the number of features and options available, it makes sense for Samsung to go down dedicated hubs to give everything space. But there are some quirks. The QN90B is a second gen Neo QLED Mini LED TV, and it’s another exceptionally bright effort that boasts wide-ranging colours. I do think, however, there’s a case to be made that too much brightness is not always a great thing. Also, an irritating bugbear is that upon start-up the TV lands on the Media hub, and the interface will go straight to the last channel/input you were on. With a PS5 plugged in, it constantly switched it on every single time. You need cat-like speed to stop it from happening, but with the sluggish response of the smart remote, I frequently failed. Features

Easy to Use

The problem with Samsung Smart TV is its menu structure. It buries most settings, apart from a few very specific presets, two or three layers down from where other TV interfaces put them. It also seems to constantly nudge users away from any granular controls. Switching among inputs is also more complicated than it should be; the remote has a multiple-source split-screen Multi-View button, but no simple input-switcher button. What’s more, despite the sophistication of its processing engine and lighting system, the QE50QN90B manages to get the time it takes to render images in its Game mode down to a hugely impressive 9.6ms (with 1080p/60Hz signals). Samsung’s Game Bar does, though, provide the option to sacrifice a bit of screen response speed in return for better, processing-assisted picture quality, along with other game-related adjustments such as the ability to raise the brightness of dark areas without impacting the rest of the picture so that you can more easily see enemies lurking in the dark. Updated text for clarity throughout to match the results after various Test Bench updates. Also confirmed that 1440p works with the PS5. The only notable app absentee is Freeview Play – though Samsung does support the separate catch up apps of all of the key UK terrestrial broadcasters. Experience shows, though, that blooming issues with local dimming LCD TVs are typically much more pervasive and consistently distracting than the QE50QN90B’s occasionally obvious dimming activities, so it’s hard to argue with the logic of Samsung’s approach. Even though the brand does also want to have its cake and eat it, to some extent, by making the QE50QN90B exceptionally bright with light HDR images.

While the QE50QN90B joins other Samsung 2022 smart TVs in excelling on content quantity, though, it also labours under the same unhelpful new interface design. This can be sluggish when the TV is first switched on, can be confusing to navigate, and has a tendency to highlight content most people won’t actually be interested in. Its biggest audio issue, though, is the way its sound struggles to project forward, leaving film and TV audio mixes sounding rather swallowed and as if everything is happening somewhere behind the screen. Not surprisingly this can leave you feeling rather distanced from what you’re watching. Verdict The QE50QN90B’s main event is its Mini LED lighting system, which crams far more and much smaller LEDs into the 50-inch screen than is possible with regular LEDs. This enables it to deliver more local light control and, potentially, more contrast and brightness than regular LED TVs can. Especially when partnered as here by a local dimming system which, in this case, sees the TV able to output different amounts of light from no less than 448 separately controlled zones.Viewing experience may vary according to the type of content, format and source. Upscaling may not apply to all sources and modes including PC souces and Game Mode.

With an HDR signal, the QN90B shows a peak brightness of 612.132cd/m When it comes to gaming the QN90B is not as all-consuming as the LG C2’s feature set but you’re still getting a tremendous number of features whether you’re a console or PC gamer. I measured latency at 10.1ms – faster than the LG C2 (13.1ms) – and with Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) that can drop down to neglible amounts. We uploaded the initial brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test. While a certain type of AV fan will always be drawn to the greater light stability and pixel-level light control you get with OLED TVs, the QE50QN90B’s combination of higher HDR-friendly brightness, peerless (by LCD standards) light controls and impressive image flexibility ensures it has more than enough charms of its own to make a convincing case for itself. Especially for people looking for a TV able to take on a bright room environment.Rounding out the QE50QN90B’s impressive feature count is its Tizen-based smart interface. This remains as good as ever when it comes to content, with pretty much every streaming app you can think of present and correct, bolstered by Samsung’s increasingly impressive (due to it being more carefully curated) TV Plus system of fully streamed TV ‘channels’.