Tag Archives: QLED

Samsung 55-inch Neo QLED Ultra-HD Smart TV (55QN90A) Review: The Flagship 4K Experience

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While there are a lot of new launches in the budget and mid-range television segments all the time, the premium space tends to see a handful of big launches every year from major brands such as Samsung, Sony, and LG, to name a few. Specifications and types of screens might be different across the major brands, and I’ve typically found that OLED and quantum dot televisions offer the most impressive performance, with each excelling in its own specific ways. Samsung, in particular, has placed its focus on its top-of-the-line Neo QLED TVs in India.

The Samsung QN90A series of Neo QLED TVs is the current flagship Ultra-HD television line from the company, and I’m reviewing the 55-inch QN90A television here. Priced at 1,75,990 in India, the Samsung 55QN90A offers a combination of sleek design, premium specifications and features, and a promise of flagship-level performance. Is this the best 55-inch Ultra-HD television you can buy right now? Find out in this review.

The Samsung Neo QLED TV 55QN90A runs on the company’s Tizen software for televisions

 

Samsung 55-inch Neo QLED Ultra-HD Smart TV (55QN90A) design and specifications

Most large-screen televisions might be slim at the edges, but have a significant bulge at the middle of the back where the majority of the components are housed. The Samsung 55QN90A is considerably different in this regard, with the entire back of the TV just marginally thicker than the edges, which makes for a simple, clean look. You won’t often be looking at the back of the TV in ordinary use, but this profile will make all the difference when it comes to positioning, be it on a wall or even when using its table mount.

The TV has a 55-inch Ultra-HD (3840×2160-pixel) quantum-dot LED-backlit screen, with slim borders all around. The Samsung logo and on-device control panel are near the right corner, rather than at the centre, as is usually the case. This TV weighs nearly 22kg with the stand attached; it’s a heavy unit despite the slim body.

It is possible to have the Samsung Neo QLED Ultra-HD Smart TV wall-mounted, thanks to its standard 200x200mm VESA compatibility. A wall-mount kit isn’t included in the box, and I was unable to install my own wall-mount hooks onto the TV due to a mismatch with bolts; I had to stand-mount this TV for my review instead. You can, of course, have the TV officially installed by Samsung, which will provide the correct wall-mount kit and equipment.

The included stand mount attaches to the centre of the bottom of the TV, with a single curved slab of metal holding the TV in place on the table. This is particularly useful if you don’t have a large table to place the Samsung Neo QLED TV on, and I found the stand to be very secure and stable. The slim profile of the TV means that accessing the ports might be a bit difficult if it’s wall-mounted, but I was able to quickly and easily reach all ports and inputs with the TV on its stand.

The Ultra-HD 55QN90A TV supports HDR10+ high dynamic range content

 

The Samsung Neo QLED TV 55QN90A has plenty of connectivity options, covering most useful requirements. There are four HDMI ports (one supports eARC); two USB ports; a single digital optical audio output; an Ethernet port for wired Internet connectivity; a single composite AV input to be used with a three-to-one adapter; and an antenna socket. There is no headphone jack, but the TV does support Bluetooth 5.2 for audio and Wi-Fi for wireless Internet connectivity.

Other specifications include high dynamic range support up to the HDR10+ format, micro-dimming, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby 5.1 audio, and a 60W 4.2.2-channel speaker setup. There is also auto low-latency mode for gaming, support for AMD Freesync Premium Pro, and a peak refresh rate of 120Hz at 4K. The TV is powered by Samsung’s Neo Quantum Processor 4K, and boasts of what the company calls QuantumHDR 32X / 24X encoding which is said to enhance the quality of HDR10+ content.

Samsung 55-inch Neo QLED Ultra-HD Smart TV (55QN90A) remote and features

TV remotes may have gone from large, button-filled blocks to sleek, minimalist slabs, but the basic idea has been generally simple. With the Samsung 55-inch Neo QLED TV 55QN90A, the remote sees a bit of a reimagining. Although the basic functionality is still in place, what makes this remote interesting is the fact that it’s solar powered, with a small solar panel at the back to top up the in-built battery. There is also a USB Type-C port for charging, in case you run out of power on a cloudy day.

The remote was ready to go and powered up as soon as I unpacked it, and I didn’t have to charge it at all during my time with the Samsung 55QN90A TV; there is no way to check the battery level, though. Otherwise, it’s a sleek remote with just a handful of buttons including a d-pad for navigation and playback controls, a volume rocker, a programme rocker, home and back buttons, and hotkeys for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Samsung’s TV Plus streaming service, among others. Pressing down on the rocker mutes the volume, but there is no quick way to access the TV settings. This needs to be done by pressing the home button and navigating to the settings through the interface.

The remote of the 55QN90A TV is solar powered, with a solar panel to charge the built-in battery

 

Other key features include support for Apple AirPlay and casting, Tap View for screen mirroring from supported Samsung smartphones, and support for voice assistants including Google Assistant, Amazon’s Alexa, and Samsung’s own Bixby. There are also some software-based features such as Multi-View and Ambient Mode, which I’ll explain in a bit more detail in the next section.

Samsung 55-inch Neo QLED Ultra-HD Smart TV (55QN90A) software and interface

Samsung uses its Tizen operating system extensively across product categories, and the 55QN90A TV runs the latest version of this software for televisions. It has what can be termed a ‘floating’ software interface. Unlike Android TV which takes over the screen entirely, the interface is a floating bar of sorts, which works as an overlay above whatever source, app, or content is active.

Pressing the home button on the remote is the key to navigating anywhere within the Tizen interface; it pulls up the app drawer and core feature list to start with, and then lets you navigate to important points such as the settings menu, source selection menu, app store, and content rows with curated lists of movies and TV shows.

It’s simple enough to get around, and supports most major apps including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Disney+ Hotstar, and Apple TV. Many popular Indian streaming services also have apps available, such as Zee5, Sony Liv, and Voot.

All apps that I used were able to play Ultra-HD and HDR content natively, and they were well optimised for use with a remote. Also worth mentioning is Samsung TV Plus, a channel-based streaming service made for the company’s TVs, which plays programmed content in ‘channel’ form, including some Indian music, news, and general entertainment channels.

Adjusting settings is a slightly more complicated process than on many TVs, since the Samsung 55QN90A doesn’t give you quick access. You have to navigate through the interface to reach the settings, but once there, there are quick toggles for basic picture, sound and general settings, as well as a more extensive full list that lets you set up the TV to your liking. On the whole, Samsung’s Tizen interface isn’t quite as extensively stocked with apps as Android TV, but offers plenty of variety and ease of use.

Samsung 55-inch Neo QLED Ultra-HD Smart TV (55QN90A) performance

The television segment in India has options across price categories, and if you’re looking purely from a specifications point of view, it’s possible to get a good 55-inch Ultra-HD HDR smart TV for under Rs. 40,000. That said, premium televisions such as the Samsung 55-inch Neo QLED Ultra-HD Smart TV (55QN90A) do have takers, even despite their high prices. Although undeniably expensive for a 55-inch television at Rs. 1,75,990, the Samsung 55QN90A is among the best high-end televisions you can buy right now, when it comes to performance and the viewing experience.

Although OLED TVs are considered to be the best among the popular screen technologies right now, Samsung has managed to do a lot with its QLED TVs to the point that they’re as good, if not better in some situations, than a good OLED TV from a brand such as LG or Sony. The Samsung 55QN90A offers up a bright and vibrant picture, punchy yet accurate colours, good sharpness, and black levels that are about as good as you can expect from a non-OLED TV.

Black levels on the 55QN90A, while not quite as deep as you’d see on an OLED TV, are excellent nonetheless

 

Although Samsung televisions in India don’t support Dolby Vision yet, Samsung’s hardware and approach to HDR make even HDR10+ content look practically as good as Dolby Vision content on a premium television such as the LG 48CX. I watched varied content across resolutions and formats, including Clarkson’s Farm and The Grand Tour: Lochdown on Amazon Prime Video, Schumacher, The Last Dance, and Our Planet on Netflix, and various video clips on YouTube.

Starting with an episode of Our Planet, the high-quality HDR footage looked absolutely stunning on the Samsung Neo QLED Ultra-HD Smart TV, reproducing all the various colours of nature with a capable level of accuracy and sharpness. The picture was bright, detailed, and entirely unfazed by sunlight from a nearby window; whether in a bright or dark room, the Samsung 55QN90A provided a consistently good picture.

At times, I found the picture too bright and had to change the picture mode to tone things down. However, even at its brightest setting, the Samsung 55QN90A didn’t appear washed-out or flawed. It was simply a matter of my eyes not being comfortable with that level of bright white light, and this TV is easily among the brightest and most capable premium Ultra-HD televisions you can buy right now.

Flowing water and the quick movements of birds and animals in Our Planet were capably handled by the Samsung TV, with barely any hints of artefacts or any other flaws in the picture. Indeed, the lack of Dolby Vision support on this TV didn’t seem to matter at all – the Samsung 55QN90A, with its carefully tuned HDR10+ optimisation, produced as good a picture with high-quality HDR content as I’ve seen on competing options in the premium segment.

Amazon Prime Video has a large collection of HDR10+ content, and I watched an episode of Jack Ryan, various episodes of Clarkson’s Farm, and The Grand Tour: Lochdown to compare performance with content on Netflix. Although not quite as impressive-looking as Our Planet when it came to brightness, these shows captured the essence of HDR, offering a reasonably bright, detailed, and colour-accurate picture. Clarkson’s Farm, in particular, looked attractive and vibrant, despite the otherwise plain looks of this show and its simple, rural English setting.

Even with non-HDR Ultra-HD content, the Samsung TV still performed well

 

Black levels on the Samsung Neo QLED TV 55QN90A are excellent for a QLED TV, thanks to effective micro-dimming and excellent contrast. While it wasn’t quite as impressive as the pixel-specific dimming that an OLED TV can offer, the Samsung Neo QLED TV made for good interplay between bright and dark scenes in the same frame, particularly when watching HDR content.

Standard dynamic range Ultra-HD content looked decent on the Samsung Neo QLED TV 55QN90A, with only the brightness and contrast levels feeling a bit toned down; the picture remained sharp and enjoyable to watch, with good motion handling and reasonably decent colours.

The Last Dance, which is available in Ultra-HD but regularly transitions between low-res footage from the 90s and sharper current footage, was handled well. Motion and detail during the fast-paced basketball game scenes looked good, on the whole. This was the case even with Schumacher, although the interview scenes were in full-HD and thus looked a bit less sharp, but still suitably detailed thanks to good upscaling.

Natively low-resolution content, including various children’s videos on YouTube, looked considerably less impressive, but this has more to do with the TV’s excellent performance with high-resolution viewing. This is often the case with premium big-screen TVs, and definitely applies to the Samsung 55QN90A; this is a TV meant for high-quality Ultra-HD…

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Hisense 55U6G 55-inch QLED Ultra-HD Smart Android TV Review: Mid-Range Winner?

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Hisense announced its entry in India in mid-2020, and has slowly but steadily expanded its product range here to include options in multiple price categories. Interestingly, the company is also an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for other brands, but has turned its focus to products marketed under its own brand name in India. Its latest range of mid-range large-screen full-array QLED TVs includes the Hisense 55U6G 55-inch QLED Ultra-HD Smart Android TV, which I’m reviewing here.

Priced at Rs. 59,990 in India, the 55U6G is part of a new range from Hisense. The company has also launched 65-inch and 75-inch full-array QLED TVs, priced at Rs. 84,990 and 3,99,990 respectively. With Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support, full-array local dimming, and the full-fledged Android TV experience for smart connectivity, the Hisense 55U6G promises a lot in the mid-range segment, for users looking at slightly better performance than what you would get from budget LED TVs. Is this the best television under Rs. 60,000 that you can buy right now? Find out in this review.

The Hisense 55U6G QLED TV runs on Android TV 9, with the new stock Google TV-like user interface on top

 

Hisense 55U6G QLED TV design and specifications

Quantum-Dot LED (QLED) TVs are typically positioned higher than LED TVs because of the superior technology in the display, and this also tends to show in their more premium design. Although slightly better looking than the Hisense A71F series from 2020, the 55U6G TV doesn’t look quite as impressive as some other premium QLED televisions such as the Mi QLED TV 4K or OnePlus TV Q1.

That said, the television’s design is discreet and inoffensive, with the screen dominating the front and the Hisense logo small enough to not really stand out significantly. There are thin borders, making for a high screen-to-body ratio, and this naturally keeps your attention on video content, as it’s supposed to be. The back of the TV is reasonably slim near the top, with the bottom expectedly a bit thicker. There is also a texture at the back, but this is unlikely to be seen in day-to-day use, especially if the TV has been wall-mounted.

Connectivity on the Hisense 55U6G QLED TV is decent, with three HDMI 2.0 ports; two USB Type-A ports; one Digital Optical Audio output (Toslink); and one antenna socket, all facing to the left of the TV. There are also some ports facing the back; these are AV In (RCA), 3.5mm audio out, and Ethernet. If you have the TV wall-mounted as I did, access to these ports will be difficult because of their positioning, and cables will likely bend and twist significantly even once connected. HDMI ARC is supported on the HDMI 1 port.

It’s possible to either wall-mount or stand-mount the Hisense 55U6G television, with both sets of hardware included in the sales package. The table stands are simple to install, but the size of this television and the wide footprint of the stands mean you’ll need a large table to place it on. Hisense offers free installation with every purchase.

The Hisense 55U6G QLED TV supports HDR up to the Dolby Vision format plus Dolby Atmos audio, and full-array local dimming with 72 dimming zones. The television has a peak brightness of 700nits, a screen resolution of 3840×2160 pixels, and a refresh rate of up to 60Hz across resolutions. Sound output is rated at 24W through a standard box speaker system. There’s 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, and a quad-core processor to run the Android TV software.

Hisense 55U6G QLED TV remote and features

While we do tend to see better features and fancy remotes on premium televisions, the Hisense 55U6G offers only the typical basic features and specifications seen on most televisions. These include dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity, built-in Chromecast functionality, HDMI CEC, and Google Assistant support, to name a few. This TV doesn’t have any specific features for gaming, such as HDMI 2.1 support or low-latency modes.

The remote of the Hisense 55U6G QLED TV is very similar to the one I saw on the 50A71F series, and is powered by two AAA batteries which are included in the box. There are hotkeys for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play, and Disney+ Hotstar, as well as a button to invoke Google Assistant, and a D-pad to navigate the interface and control playback. Other useful buttons include the Home and Back keys, volume controls, settings, and a button to quickly select the input source.

The Bluetooth-enabled remote can be used to invoke Google Assistant on the Hisense 55U6G QLED TV

 

For connectivity, the remote uses both an infrared emitter and Bluetooth; the latter allows the remote to be used for voice commands to Google Assistant, and also means that you don’t have to point it directly at the TV. Turning the TV on from standby requires the IR emitter, but all other functions once the TV is on, including volume adjustment and turning it off again, worked with Bluetooth. Commands go through as long as the remote is within about 3m of the TV.

Hisense 55U6G QLED TV software and interface

Many manufacturers, including Hisense, rely on Android TV to power their smart televisions, and the quality of the platform adds great value to the overall experience a TV offers. The Hisense 55U6G runs on Android TV 9, which is a bit dated. Many devices now come with Android TV 11. However, this doesn’t have too big an impact on the user experience, since the stock Android TV user interface is largely the same across versions.

Although I started out my review with the old stock Android TV interface, I received an update to the new Google TV-like Android TV UI a few days after setting the TV up. This isn’t the Google TV user interface that’s seen on the new Google Chromecast and Realme 4K Smart Google TV Stick; it’s Android TV, but with a revamped user interface.

Key changes include redesigned settings and preferences menus, large banners on the home screen with viewing suggestions and recommendations from various apps, and a content-centric approach to what’s on the home screen. There are various lists from across apps and services such as Netflix, Hotstar, and Apple TV; it’s very similar to the old Android TV UI, but there is not as much curation as on Google TV. You can also access quick settings largely focused on picture and sound parameters from within content, as well as the full settings menu from the home screen.

Apps and services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, Apple TV, and YouTube all offer familiar experiences. There is also access to the Google Play Store for more apps and games, and a number of key apps come preinstalled on the TV. The experience is therefore quite familiar at the app level, and the new user interface was also quite easy to learn and get used to. I didn’t face any issues with the software or UI during my time with the TV.

Hisense 55U6G performance

The Hisense 55U6G QLED TV has a fairly standard design and feature set, as you might expect from a 55-inch LED television priced below Rs. 50,000. However, Hisense does offer a couple of key features that help set this TV apart from more affordable options; it has a QLED screen which promises better picture quality, as well as 72 local dimming zones that will help improve contrast and black levels.

As with any large-screen Ultra-HD television with HDR support, the Hisense 55U6G QLED TV is best used with high-resolution HDR content. Dolby Vision content expectedly looked considerably better than everything else on this television, with the bright QLED screen bringing out the colours and impact of the format. I watched varied content across OTT services and resolutions, including the third season of Narcos: Mexico, Kim’s Convenience, Schitt’s Creek, Clarkson’s Farm, and a live stream of the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, among other things.

Although Ultra-HD HDR content looks best on the Hisense 55U6G QLED TV, live-streamed F1 was good to watch as well

 

Narcos: Mexico brought out the absolute best in the Hisense 55U6G, with a bright and vibrant picture that was considerably better than what I’d only recently seen on the more affordable Mi TV 5X. Colours were reasonably accurate, and the TV even managed to capture the essence of the cliched sepia wash for scenes in Mexico, particularly those involving the character of Amado and the city of Juarez.

That said, high-resolution content did reveal some motion issues, with fast-paced scenes showing a few artefacts. This wasn’t as serious an issue with slow scenes or even faster scenes with low-resolution content. When they did happen though, artefacts and mild stutter in the picture tended to distract from the otherwise decent picture quality.

Although Dolby Vision content looked the best, HDR10+ content from Amazon Prime Video wasn’t too far behind. Clarkson’s Farm and The Grand Tour: Lochdown were sharp and detailed, with the dramatic videography of the latter showcased well. The high peak brightness of this television made for good viewing experiences both in daylight and at night. Even Ultra-HD standard dynamic range content appeared similarly sharp and detailed, with the obvious differences in brightness and colour quality being the only real points of note.

Black levels and contrast were good on the Hisense 55U6G television, largely thanks to its full-array local dimming. Although the effect wasn’t as impressive and intuitive as on some high-end televisions, or even what I’ve seen on the OnePlus TV Q1 Pro, it does make a noticeable difference to the overall viewing experience. Blacks didn’t quite feel as ‘black’ as they should have, but they were far from the more grey-looking dark zones seen on affordable LED televisions.

Although not specified by Hisense, the 55U6G appears to use a VA-type LED panel based on the quality of viewing from wider angles. Colours started to appear washed-out from even just 30-40 degrees off the centre, and it’s best to place yourself within this somewhat narrow range. The black uniformity and contrast do make up for this, though.

Android TV lets you access the Google Play Store to download various apps, including the NDTV app which can be used to live-stream content

 

Performance with full-HD content was decent on the Hisense 55U6G; shows such as Schitt’s Creek and Kim’s Convenience as well as live-streamed Formula 1 looked about as sharp and colour-accurate as can be expected, thanks to the quality of the quantum-dot LED display. Standard definition content was upscaled well and the TV is decent for occasional SD viewing, but like most 55-inch TVs, such content doesn’t look anywhere near as good as on a smaller full-HD or HD TV.

Sound on the Hisense 55U6G QLED TV is tuned to suit voice-based content. Voices sounded clean and detailed even at low volumes, and there were no significant volume spikes or harsh notes at any point during my review. That said, this television isn’t very loud and isn’t very capable with energetic or action-packed soundtracks either. The sound is quite ordinary compared to what you’d get with a proper soundbar or speaker system such as the Sony HT-S40R.

There is support for Dolby Atmos, and this can be activated or deactivated through the audio settings. Unlike on most televisions, this is not detected by apps, and works through the television’s own operating system. Turning it on did have a small effect on the openness and width of the soundstage, but it didn’t sound quite as good as on the OnePlus TV Q1 Pro which detects Atmos content at the app or file level.

Verdict

Quantum-dot is more than just a fancy keyword, and many manufacturers are putting this technology to good use. The last couple of years have seen brands such as Xiaomi and OnePlus get into the business of QLED TVs, and Hisense entering the space has resulted in even more choice for the buyer. The Hisense 55U6G is a good follow-up to the A71F series, thanks to the benefits of QLED technology including a bright, sharp, and vibrant picture. The reliable and familiar software, good remote, and generally hassle-free usage experience add to the overall quality of this television.

If you’re looking for a mid-range television and have a budget of around Rs. 60,000, this is among the better 55-inch options you can buy right now. Slight issues with artefacts and stutter in some kinds of content aside, there isn’t much to complain about with the Hisense 55U6G TV. It’s a safe, capable option for the price.

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