Tag Archives: Televisions

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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Xiaomi Mi TV 5X 55 Review: Improved, And Still Reasonably Priced

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Although Xiaomi and its Redmi sub-brand have much of the budget and mid-range television segments in India covered, its focus will always be on value for money, and that applies to the high end as well. Big screens, plenty of features, thoughtful software, and discrete design have largely defined the Mi TV range. The company’s latest television series, the Mi TV 5X, hopes to carry that forward without compromising on the one thing that has attracted buyers to the brand – competitive and reasonable pricing.

Priced at Rs. 45,999 in India, the Xiaomi Mi TV 5X 55-inch Ultra-HD LED Smart TV is very impressive on paper and promises capable performance, without forcing you to spend too much. Some of its key features include support for Dolby Vision, hands-free Google Assistant voice controls, and the combination of Android TV 10 and the company’s popular PatchWall UI. Is this the best 55-inch television you can now buy under Rs. 50,000? Find out in this review.

Xiaomi Mi TV 5X 55 design and specifications

Televisions from Xiaomi’s Mi brand have sported the Mi logo thus far, but with the Mi TV 5X, there’s a big change. The company announced that it is switching to ‘Xiaomi’ as its brand name on future products, and the Mi TV 5X shows that, even if it’s still called a ‘Mi TV’.

Displayed prominently right below the screen is the new Xiaomi logo on a silver strip, just above the module that has a few indicator lights and the power button. The rest of the borders around the screen are considerably slimmer and similarly silver in colour, giving the Mi TV 5X a distinct look that stands out among the competition as well as other televisions from Xiaomi such as the Redmi TV X Series and Mi TV 4X range.

The Mi TV 5X isn’t quite as slim as some of the flagship TVs I’ve reviewed recently, but it’s reasonably well built and not too thick even at the bottom, which bulges a bit. It looks good for a TV in its price range, whether placed on a wall or on stand mounts. The lower part of the back of the TV has a carbon-fibre-like texture, with one set of inputs and ports facing downwards, and a second set facing to the left of the screen.

The less frequently used ports, including the Ethernet, optical audio out, composite AV input, and antenna port all face downwards, while the two USB ports, three HDMI 2.1 ports, and 3.5mm audio out socket face to the left. The television can be stand-mounted using the metal stands included in the box, or wall-mounted using any aftermarket VESA-compatible kit. Xiaomi can provide a wall-mount kit at an extra cost at the time of installation.

The Mi TV 5X sports the company’s new ‘Xiaomi’ brand logo, instead of ‘Mi’ 

 

While I’m reviewing the 55-inch model in the Mi TV 5X series which is priced at Rs. 45,999, you could also choose the 50-inch and 43-inch models, priced at Rs. 41,999 and Rs. 31,999 respectively in India. All three are Ultra-HD TVs with support for up to the Dolby Vision format for HDR.

The Mi TV 5X 55 has a 55-inch Ultra-HD (3840×2160-pixel) LED-backlit screen, with support for the Dolby Vision and HDR10+ high dynamic range formats.

This television has a rated sound output of 40W, and support for Dolby Atmos and DTS-HD through its two-speaker system. HDMI ARC is supported on one of the HDMI ports, and there’s also dual-band Wi-Fi ac and Bluetooth 5 for connectivity. The TV has a quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage for apps and app data.

Xiaomi Mi TV 5X 55 remote and features

While the general design and branding of Xiaomi’s televisions have changed over the months and years, the company’s approach to the remote has been largely the same. The Mi TV 5X has Xiaomi’s familiar, minimalist remote, and expectedly yet still disappointingly, the needed AAA batteries are not included in the sales package.

The remote itself is one that I’m very used to, and the company’s software tweaks such as Quick Mute and Quick Settings access have long since made up for its physical shortcomings. It’s suitably equipped to get you anywhere within the TV’s software quickly, and you can navigate around both the Stock Android TV UI and Xiaomi’s own PatchWall UI easily enough.

Other key features of the Mi TV 5X include hands-free Google Assistant access, Google Chromecast built-in with support for Ultra-HD and HDR casting from supported apps and services, an auto low-latency mode for use with gaming consoles, and the ability to use Alexa as your default voice assistant if you prefer.

The remote of the Mi TV 5X is a familiar one, with a minimalist, compact design

 

The television has a microphone that can be set to always-on mode to listen for the ‘OK Google’ or ‘Hey Google’ wake words, just as you’d have it on a smart speaker such as the Google Nest Audio. It’s possible to turn off the microphone if you have privacy concerns or just don’t want to use voice commands; there’s a physical sliding switch to control this at the bottom of the TV, just below the Xiaomi logo.

Xiaomi Mi TV 5X 55 software and interface

Just like the remote, the software experience on the Xiaomi Mi TV 5X remains familiar for anyone who has used a Xiaomi television before. The television runs on Android TV 10, with both the stock Android TV user interface, as well as Xiaomi’s own PatchWall 4 launcher. All major apps are supported, and users have full access to the Google Play Store for Android TV to download any of over 5,000 apps available.

The stock Android TV UI will be familiar for users of other Android TV devices as well, since it works without any real manufacturer-enforced limitations here. The settings are accessible from anywhere in the interface, including if content is playing, by long-pressing the Mi button on the remote. A short-press of the button will switch to the PatchWall launcher, which shows a wide selection of curated content from various streaming services.

PatchWall 4 is slightly improved over previous versions, with IMDB ratings integrated into most titles, a new look for the information pages for titles with additional details, and more. PatchWall allows for easy access to the TV’s settings and other source inputs, as well as different apps that you might have installed on the TV.

Users who like a lot of recommendations and content curation will enjoy what PatchWall has to offer, thanks to its content-centric approach. Also worth mentioning is that the Mi TV 5X supports the Mi Home app through the PatchWall launcher, allowing you to control IoT devices in your home through your TV or through voice commands, if you have the Mi Home app linked to your Google account. This could be convenient if you own and use devices such as the Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop P and Mi LED Wi-Fi Smart Bulb.

Xiaomi Mi TV 5X 55 performance

Good looks and features aside, the Xiaomi Mi TV 5X 55 is also well equipped to deliver a pleasant viewing experience, driven by its focus on value. Picture and sound performance are very good for a 55-inch television priced under Rs. 50,000, delivering the sheer impact of a big screen TV, while also doing a good job across resolutions and content types. That said, I did face occasional lag and UI performance issues, which I’ll elaborate on in this section.

Ultra-HD Dolby Vision content brings out the best in the Mi TV 5X 55

 

The Mi TV 5X 55 is a high dynamic range (HDR) television with support for the HDR10+ and Dolby Vision formats. Naturally, the 55-inch screen means that this TV is best considered for top-quality content, such as Dolby Vision movies and TV shows on Netflix and Disney+ Hotstar which looked considerably better than anything else I watched.

Watching Korean hit TV show Squid Game in Ultra-HD and Dolby Vision on Netflix, the Mi TV 5X made for an enjoyable experience. The picture had a gentle, easy-going tone to it, with colours that didn’t quite pop as much as on more premium TVs, but were refined and impactful nonetheless. The bright pinks and greens of the uniforms worn by the guards and contestants in the show were subtly, yet strongly brought out by the TV.

The picture is sharp and detailed, without appearing too jarring and edgy. There was a sense of smoothness to Ultra-HD content, with Dolby Vision content looking even better through brightness and contrast. Visually striking shows such as Our Planet looked impressive on the Mi TV 5X, as did gentler and less impactful viewing such as Clarkson’s Farm on Amazon Prime Video.

While there is a definite boost in brightness, and the ability to have varying levels of contrast and impact in the same frame with HDR content, the biggest benefit of Dolby Vision on the Mi TV 5X was in the tone. This television usually captured the feel and essence of TV shows well, providing a sombre, dark feel to shows such as Squid Game and movies such as Greyhound on Apple TV+, while the light-hearted Somebody Feed Phil looked bright and fun as Phil Rosenthal explored cities and their unique eateries.

The television retains the tone of shows and movies with Dolby Vision; Squid Game looked sombre and haunting, even while the colours looked good

 

Many LED-backlit TVs, particularly those priced at under Rs. 50,000, tend to choke a bit when it comes to black levels. The Mi TV 5X, while not quite as impressive as televisions such as the OnePlus TV Q1 Pro (which has local dimming), does a reasonably good job with darker scenes and black tones. Although there was a mild grey wash on the screen, it wasn’t as intense or distracting as on the Redmi TV X55, which costs about Rs. 5,000 less than the Mi TV 5X. Dark scenes looked decent in dully lit rooms as a result, while bright scenes were watchable even with sunlight striking the TV.

Standard dynamic range and standard definition content, while naturally not as attractive to watch as HDR, was decent on the Mi TV 5X 55 nonetheless. The Last Dance on Netflix, as well as assorted full-HD content such as The Good Place, Parks and Recreation, and Schumacher were good to watch, with the TV handling the older, upscaled footage of the Bulls’ historic championship runs and Michael Schumacher’s F1 dominance in the 1990s particularly well. In general, this TV made for a consistently bright, sharp, and clean viewing experience across resolutions and content.

Sound on the Mi TV 5X is comfortable and acceptable in ordinary viewing situations; the TV can get quite loud thanks to its 40W speakers. The sound is well-tuned and uniform, without too many jarring volume spikes. Interestingly, while Dolby Atmos is supported on the TV and was activated with a slider switch in the sound settings menu, the Mi TV 5X doesn’t support Dolby Atmos detection by content platforms – Netflix and Disney+ Hotstar both showed support for 5.1-channel audio at best.

Instead, enabling Dolby Atmos on this TV seems to upscale the sound signal at the hardware stage. This still made a slight difference in sound quality with most content. Some virtualised surround effects could be heard while watching Squid Game, and the sound felt a bit more refined and detailed overall. Even with this switched off, or with content that doesn’t really benefit from the format, sound was decent enough. That said, a good speaker system such as the Sony HT-S40R, which I reviewed alongside this TV, might help improve the listening experience.

PatchWall shows a growing collection of curated content from across various streaming services and content providers

 

Although the picture and sound were generally good, and the software experience was satisfactory for the most part, I did experience some performance glitches with the Mi TV 5X. These included occasional lag and stutter in the picture when streaming Ultra-HD content, delayed responses to button-press commands from the remote, and a few Wi-Fi connection drops.

I also experienced delays in subtitle timing on some occasions, with the words appearing on screen about a second or two late but clearing on time, making it hard to read along when watching foreign-language content. While these issues weren’t very bothersome and were often fixable by turning the TV off and on again, they did come up every once in a while, so they are worth pointing out.

Verdict

Xiaomi’s focus on value for money and competitive pricing continues to pay off for the company, and the Mi TV 5X is a good example of why affordable TVs are worth considering. Priced at Rs. 45,999, this is quite easily my top pick among 55-inch televisions priced at under Rs. 50,000 right now. It delivers a good blend of design, features, and…

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