Samsung 55-Inch QN90C Neo QLED 4K TV (2023) Review: Another Fantastic QLED

Publish date: 2024-10-20

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Key Takeaways

The 55-inch Samsung QN90C is the brand's latest foray into 4K QLEDs, and that Mini LED lighting just keeps improving. The picture is breathtaking, the features are numerous, and the slightly confusing Tizen OS makes for a great smart TV. Mind you, it's not a flagship model, but it performs like one.

Samsung 55-Inch QN90C 4K QLED
8/ 10

Dimensions 48.3 x 27.8 x 1.1in (1226.82 x 706.12 x 27.94mm) Display Technology QLED What's Included Tizen Smart TV with Bixby and Alexa Refresh Rate 120Hz Resolution 4K HDR? Neo Quantum HDR+, HDR10, HDR10+, HLG ProsConsExpand See at AmazonSee at Samsung

Design: A Samsung to Behold

The Samsung QN90C is available in multiple sizes, with the smallest set being a 43-inch and the largest an 85-inch. I tested the 55-inch model, but no matter what size you purchase, the QN90C is a great-looking TV, even when there's nothing on the screen.

For a few years now, Samsung QLEDs have been using an edgeless display that makes it look like there's no frame whatsoever around the panel when in reality, there is a razor-thin trimming that runs along the perimeter. It's just so subtle you may not even see it at first glance. And like the QN90B that came before it, if you plan to put the QN90C on a TV stand, be aware that the pedestal is pretty heavy. Once you've attached it to the TV, I highly recommend you have a buddy to help you lift and place the QN90C wherever it will live. I did it by myself, and I regretted this decision immediately.

The back of the QN90C is wrapped in a textured, chrome-colored industrial plastic. If you're looking at the set from behind, all of your HDMI and USB inputs will be on your left, with the power input on your right. Each HDMI input is 2.1 certified, and the third port is an eARC connection for wiring HDMI-equipped soundbars and A/V receivers to the TV. There's also a digital optical output, two 5V USB-A ports, an Ethernet port, and a coaxial input for TV antennas. The QN90C is also VESA-certified, meaning you can use pretty much any type of wall mount, just as long as the QN90C's 200x200mm VESA hole pattern is supported.

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On the controller end, the Samsung QN90C remote is slim and minimalist, with only a few buttons. And continuing on from last year's QN90B, the 2023 remote features USB-C and solar recharging, so no fretting over whether you've got AAA batteries hanging around!

Setting Up the QN90C: You'll Be Watching TV in No Time

Getting the QN90C up and running is a pretty quick process, and if you're already controlling smart devices in your home using Samsung SmartThings, the setup will be even easier. When you first boot the TV up, you'll be asked whether you want to walk through a mobile setup using a smartphone and the SmartThings app (for Android and iPhone/iPad) or the QN90C remote. Call me a traditionalist, but I chose the remote. On the next screen, you'll be prompted to connect and turn on any HDMI devices you want the Smart Remote to control, then select "Auto Setup" once you've finished this step.

Next, you'll be asked to connect the QN90C to your Wi-Fi. Once the connection is established, you'll be taken to a Smart Hub Terms and Conditions screen. You can read through all the fine print, but I just checked the "Agree to All" box and moved on. After the QN90C checks for a software update (which it will do automatically from here on out), you'll be asked to sign in with an existing Samsung account or create a new one. Having a Samsung account isn't necessary to use the QN90C, but it makes it easier to sign into new apps and allows you to back up your picture and smart settings for use on another TV.

You'll then be asked to choose what apps you'd like added to your Samsung Smart Hub, followed by a screen asking if you'd like the QN90C to use adaptive lighting. This feature will automatically adjust the picture's brightness based on the ambient lighting in your viewing space. I usually turn this off because I've never been a big fan of reactive lighting sensors on TVs (in my opinion, they tend to overcorrect the picture). And that's about it. After you've confirmed all your settings for the last time, you'll be treated to an animated Samsung greeting, and your QN90C will be ready to use.

Picture Quality: Bold, Brilliant, and Barely Any Trouble

The latest addition to Samsung's traditional 4K QLED lineup, the 2023 QN90C is packed to the brim with top-shelf picture tech. And whether you'll be watching movies every night or gaming every day, the QN90C can handle all your 4K and non-UHD content. From an engineering standpoint, it all starts with the TV's Quantum Matrix with Mini LED lights. Many LED TVs utilize local dimming zones to break the larger display into individual contrast-control sections. Samsung goes a step further by incorporating Mini LEDs, which are much smaller than regular light-emitting diodes. Therefore, the smaller diodes allow for more local dimming zones with higher accuracy, resulting in far greater contrast levels.

That's on top of the Neural Quantum Processor for 4K upscaling, a phenomenal anti-glare panel, and one of my favorite Samsung features that just keeps getting better, Neo Quantum HDR+. If you've never been able to experience the bold and beautiful world of HDR brightness and colors, the QN90C is a great place to start. To take things for a spin, I decided to stream Netflix's "David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet," which is available in 4K HDR.

Right off the bat, I knew I was in for a treat. A globe-trotting documentary and career retrospective for Attenborough, the film is a visual feast, complete with sprawling cityscapes, lush woodlands, arctic tundras, and plenty of other kaleidoscopic locations. It's hard to beat the jaw-dropping colors and contrast of a great OLED TV, but there's something unbeatable about the punchiness of a QLED that can't be denied. In fact, from one scene to the next, I would say that the QN90C did an admirable job of combining the best elements of both QLED and OLED sets.

During darker scenes, there were times I almost forgot I was watching a QLED because of the inky blacks the TV was able to achieve. One malady of pretty much any LED-driven TV is light blooming. This phenomenon occurs in light-starved scenes of movies, TV shows, and video games, and presents as a blotchy aura of light around certain picture elements. Traditionally, white blocks of text on a pitch-black background are like magnets for light blooming. Unfortunately, light blooming isn't missing on the QN90C, although instances of the phenomena are few and far in between.

Have you ever checked out the "Odd Tinkering" YouTube channel? For those unaware, it's a perfect blend of quiet ASMR background noise for your morning coffee and a hobbyist's perfectionist paradise. In each episode (which run about 20 minutes), the content host presents a nearly-totaled peripheral of some kind and then gets to work restoring said item. Now this could be anything from a mildewed and corrosion-filled gaming console to a rusty cast-iron skillet found in a dumpster. The end result is always fantastic, to the point where you almost can't believe you're not looking at a fresh-out-of-the-box device, appliance, utensil, etc.

The main reason I'm bringing this channel up is because it was one of my main picture quality tests for the QN90C. Available at up to 4K/50 frames per second, the high resolution/high frame-rate combo gets you up close and personal with every scratch, ding, and dust bunny. But seeing as this is a "before and after" program, watching the host work methodically from A to B is a splendid showcase of the QN90C's peak brightness and color capabilities. During a restoration of a 1977 remote-controlled R2-D2 toy, there's a great shot of R2's disassembled parts sitting in a tub of hydrogen peroxide.

The wash basin is translucent, and the creator's workstation is a brilliant, white tabletop; an awesome juxtaposition of what R2's shell should look like versus the deplorable state the droid is actually in. But after placing the submerged toy in a UV chamber and retro-lighting it (one of the most fascinating things I've ever seen), the QN90C did an incredible job at revealing just how much antiquity the toy's plastic was hanging onto. The UV lighting literally bakes off the aging, leaving the host with R2's original coloring: an off-white with blue and gray trim.

I actually ended up using the host's white backdrop to put the QN90C's max nit output (in SDR) to the test, too. With the TV set to its "Dynamic" (brightest) picture setting, and the backlight cranked all the way up, I was able to clock around 1,500 nits on average. Specular highlights in SDR mode (bright pops of light) hovered around 1,800 nits.

I'm not a big gamer, but when a new "Resident Evil" title hits shelves, you can bet I will run the console until it overheats. The original RE4 is one of my favorite games of all time, and what Capcom achieved with the 2023 reimagining is nothing short of extraordinary. The mechanics feel fresh, the narrative is a bit more coherent (it's still campy as hell, but that's just Resident Evil), the sound design is intense and immersive, and the graphics are unbelievable. I played the game on a PS4 with HDMI plugged directly into the QN90C, which automatically detects the console and activates the TV's built-in Game Mode. And thanks to the set's native 120Hz refresh rate and four 48Gbps HDMI 2.1 inputs, you'll have an amazing gaming experience no matter what console you're using.

Game Mode itself is essentially an HDR powerhouse, and by golly, it is bright! For a more comfortable experience, I actually had to kick the overall brightness down a few pegs. You do have the option of disabling Game Mode altogether, but you really shouldn't. I've played the RE4 remake (and several other games) on a traditionally edge-lit Samsung 4K LED, and yeah, the game still looked pretty good. When you factor in the full-array Mini LED backlighting of the QN90C on top of Game Mode, there's just no comparison.

RE4 predominately works with a muted-earthen color palette, a rainbow of decay that jumps off the screen. On my other Samsung TV, the game looked much darker, which I thought was cool for the spooky story, but I didn't realize how much environmental detail I was missing until playing on the QN90C. Everything from ominous skies and foliage to the pots and pans of the village domiciles are rendered sharp and clear. Enemy character models are also extremely detailed, and the QN90C does a nice job of spotlighting baddie clothing, color palettes, hair, eyes, and general animations. In fact, I would argue that, at times, the level of detail was too good.

There's a weird bit of business with far-away enemies in RE4 for PS4, where the character models and animations are close enough for the game engine to not draw them in low-poly form (a less detailed character model), but sometimes these characters act like low-poly models (slowed down and jittery). On my regular Samsung TV, I think the added input lag helped to draw my attention away from this phenomena, but with the enhanced motion clarity of the QN90C, there was no way I couldn't notice the malady.

The QN90C would also act a little funny when moving from brightly-lit areas to darker environments (and vice versa). It was almost like the PS4 and/or TV would go, "Oh shoot! We're in a new place now!" and the hardware needed a second to catch up with the software. The result can only be described as a quick onscreen "frame flash," where bright places would suddenly be plunged into darkness, with the reverse for dark to bright. This didn't happen all the time, but it was pretty jarring when it did.

Sound Quality: Maybe Wait on that Soundbar Purchase?

Not only is the 2023 Samsung QN90C an excellent QLED when it comes to picture quality, but the TV does an awesome job at bringing the audio, too. This is thanks to features like Dolby Atmos and Object Tracking Sound+, engineering, and codecs that deliver an immersive surround-sound experience using just your TV speakers. Through my weeks of testing the set, I was blown away at how effectively the QN90C could simulate height and surround channels---especially the latter.

Now let's not get too excited: this is TV audio we're talking about. Samsung's sound tech doesn't exactly reinvent the world of TV speakers, and if you're all about pinpoint accuracy and feeling completely steeped in your listening experience, a dedicated soundbar or a true Atmos surround system is always going to give you the best audio. But if you're looking to save a few bucks upfront, the QN90C could fool you into thinking there's a $500 soundbar in your living room.

Oh, and speaking of soundbars, if you decide to buy one down the line, you may want to invest in a Samsung Q-Series or S-Series model. This is so you can take advantage of another QN90C audio feature called Q-Symphony 3.0, which allows your TV speakers and Samsung soundbar to work in unison for a bigger and better listening experience.

Using Tizen OS: Do You Get a Map With This Thing?

Remember when smart TVs were all the rage? Not that these web-connected sets have vanished into the ether or anything; it's just that nowadays, pretty much any TV you buy is going to have smart features of some kind. Now on some models, this might be as basic as Netflix and YouTube support, but brands like Samsung still care about delivering an immersive smart TV experience from end to end, and the QN90C is no exception. This QLED connects you to all kinds of movie and TV show streaming apps, includes a full-fledged Samsung Gaming Hub, lets you wirelessly "cast" content from a mobile device (like apps, photos, and videos) to your QN90C, and so much more.

For years, Samsung has used Tizen OS as its smart TV and UI backbone. And year after year, it seems that Tizen gets a little faster but also a little less intuitive. Have you ever tried to order off a dinner menu with page after page of drinks, entrees, and desserts? After perusing all the options for minutes on end, these food and beverage tomes can make you wish you had rolled through a drive-thru instead. This is the effect the great Samsung/Tizen partnership has always had on me, and the QN90C doesn't do much to change that. Is it impossible to navigate? Absolutely not. Tizen can just be a little convoluted, and I like to complain.

The main feature of the Tizen OS is the Samsung Smart Hub, which is how you'll do all your Netflix and Disney+ streaming with the QN90C. You can access the platform by pressing the "Home" button on the TV remote and selecting the "Media" tab from the left column of options. At the top of this page, you'll see all the apps you have stored on your QN90C. The leftmost "Apps" button will take you to the Samsung App Store, where you'll be able to download even more apps to the TV. The right-most "List Edit" button lets you move and delete your existing apps.

Now here's where things start to get overwhelming. When you scroll down, the rest of the "Media" screen is taken up by numerous tabs that divvy streaming content based on categories like "Popular Searches" and "Trending." I guess this is a nice way to see what the rest of the world is watching, but to me, it kind of just reads as one big advertisement. Back in the left-hand options column, choosing "Game" will bring you to Samsung's Gaming Hub, where you can download games and manage gaming accessories paired to your QN90C. If you haven't tried Samsung's Gaming Hub before, there are a few handy guides at the top of the page that will help you learn how to use the platform.

The left column also features an "Ambient" tab, which lets you display digital artwork and your own photos on the QN90C when you're not actively watching it, and a "Search" function that lets you track down movies, TV shows, apps, and other content using the QN90C remote, Samsung's Bixby voice assistant, or Amazon Alexa.

One thing that's a little annoying about some newer Samsung TVs is there's no regular input button on the remote. In order to change inputs, you have to hit the "Home" button, select "Connected Devices," and pick the device you want to work with under the "Sources" tab. You can also head into "Media" to map the inputs as buttons that will appear in your main app scroll. But come on, Samsung. Why can't we just have a button?

Should You Buy the Samsung QN90C?

Those looking at the Samsung QN90X should most definitely consider it, especially if you're into QLED TVs. Not only does the Samsung QN90C perform like one of the best-in-class QLED sets that it is, but the company's super-advanced engineering and picture processing allows one of 2023's brightest QLEDs to deliver the kind of black levels you'd find on a chart-topping OLED. And whether you're a movie diehard or gaming devotee, the QN90C is designed to optimize whatever content is on the screen.

Samsung 55-Inch QN90C 4K QLED
8/ 10

See at AmazonSee at Samsung

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