Product: Samsung Neo QLED QN90A 125cm
Type: 4K UHD TV
Price: From $2,549.00 RRP
Availability: Out Now
Link: https://www.samsung.com/au/tvs/qled-tv/qn90a-50-inch-neo-qled-4k-smart-tv-qa50qn90aawxxy/

I highly doubt when coming up with cool names for its next panel that Samsung would have been all over its proximity to the next wave of The Matrix movies. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with being aligned with any form of Keanu Reeves when it comes to future or cyber or surfer or whatever, right?

Though there is one similarity to Reeves’ Neo character that the tech giant’s new Q90A Neo QLED has -- blacks. If you remember Neo from The Matrix, when he blossoms into “The One”, he’s all decked out in black: black sunglasses, black shirt, black pants, black boots, black overcoat... incidentally black hair. The man is cool because he’s all donned in black as night garb to fight for clarity. To free the human masses of a fake reality, and to work towards a brighter future. In so many ways, the Q90A Neo QLED, which has the purest black of any Samsung panel to date, is doing the same thing -- ridding humanity of fake contrast, while also presenting itself as the brightest option in the 4K UHD range.

Design and Features

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Sleek, light and stylish are the adjectives I’d use to describe the QN90A, or the Neo as I’ll refer to it from here on out. I’ve had a handful of Samsung panels sat in my review/viewing space, from curved to Infinity. The Neo, features a similar Infinity Screen to the 8K Q950TS, which is to say its display is borderless barring a slight strip on the bottom that’s just 1cm thick. Its stand is a sturdy AF curved black attachment that literally only needs a couple of screws and the space it takes up under the panel is just 65cm x 25cm. Being flat also means you can squeeze items in the cavity if needed, though your head room here is only 6.5cm, which counts out either of the new consoles.

This is the first review screen I’ve had from Samsung without a One Connect box. Instead all of your connections are on the back of the panel on the facing right-hand side. There you have four 4K 120hz-capable HDMI ports (one eARC, one labeled specifically for gaming -- more on this shortly), an optical out, two USB 2.0 ports, an ethernet port, an RF connector and a single AV input. I should also point out there’s no One Connect input, either. It’s obviously also wireless and Bluetooth friendly. In all, fairly stock standard.

The remote is a chargeable (yay) slimline wand. The two previous Samsung panels I reviewed had remotes the same size, though with a stainless steel finish. The Neo’s wand, however, is a very light plastic (though sturdy) finish. The recharge port is for USB-C but there’s also a nifty solar recharge panel too. The face of the remote also has quick connect buttons for both Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, as well as for your web browser. There’s a microphone for voice recognition as an added Accessibility option, though this has also been standard in Samsung screens the past few generations.

Once on, the Neo runs off of Samsung’s Tizen OS which has an ever-growing library of apps (no Twitch though), but the key players are there in the form of the two mentioned above alongside other important Aussie viewing platforms in ABC iView, SBS On Demand, 7plus, 9Now, 10play, Binge, Stan., Foxtel, Kaiyo Sport and Optus Sport. , Disney+, Red Bull TV, Spotify, YouTube and Samsung’s own Samsung TV Plus also round out this reviewer’s most important dedicated streaming options. And that list is a crazy reminder of just how far we’ve come in the last decade here in Australia.

Additionally, once I’d logged into my Samsung account, the system did an ID and setup transfer from my last panel setup to this, including all apps I’d downloaded elsewhere, which was a cool feature. Though I did still have to login to each separately with my details for my respective accounts.

Picture Quality

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The point with most of the above is the Neo packs a features punch. And you’re not really left behind with this in an out-of-the-box way. What’s just as important though is in how all of that is displayed, and as alluded to in our intro, the Neo has a few new tricks up its sleeve which helps it rival the more popular OLED technology of rival manufacturers. What’s outlandish about that is the actual architecture in the Neo is tried and tested Samsung technology. The techs behind it have just learnt to get the most out of what’s available to them. For the I Know Kung Fu crowd out there though, here’s the panel’s retail display specs:

• Resolution - 3,840 x 2,160
  
• Picture Engine - Neo Quantum Processor 4K
  
• Motion Rate - 200
  
• HDR - Quantum HDR 24x
  
• HDR 10+ - Yes
  
• HLG - Yes
  
• Contrast - Quantum Matrix Technology
  
• Micro Dimming - Ultimate UHD Dimming

Quantum Dot technology makes a return as per the stretching of technology, and in the Neo, it’s as bright as I’ve experienced. This is amplified by those blacks mentioned earlier, powered through Mini LED backlighting, which makes most UHD content just pop. Now that most content streams with at least a UHD tag, it’s super noticeable in a TV like this. But the whole thing truly gets to work when you’re viewing 4K-specific content. Part of the reason we’ve taken a bit longer to post this review was to experience the whole setup across a range of purpose-made items. Most recently we’ve jumped into Apple TV+’s Foundation which, it must be said, on the Neo looks absolutely stunning as a hyper-colourful sci-fi with state-of-the-art effects.

The screen does its best to have you minimally playing with features, and to my surprise was not Auto Motion Plus-enabled once I flicked it on (it’s my most hated feature of modern smart TVs). Intelligent mode wasn’t set to default either, but the option is there for the TV to make your viewing decisions for you. I barely made any changes, which was surprising as I’m meticulous about my visual setup, and simply found the Neo to be default ready to go.

Game Mode is On

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Which brings me to Samsung’s ever-evolving Game Mode. The company has been steadfast on getting this right in an iterative sense, and with the Neo it’s probably as close to perfect as I’ve come across. There’s even a cool UI that’s ‘gamified’ specifically for gaming and gaming features. It might be on-the-nose for some, but I actually found it charming and cool. This interface also allows you to play with and check on settings like HDR, FPS, VRR input latency and your audio. Some of this is tied to running a PC through the panel which supports shifts in aspect ratio (21:9 and 32:9 ultra-wide), but if you have a dedicated screen for PC, I can’t see the Neo being hugely used in that space.

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"Metroid Dread, which displays at a humble 1080p, looked better on the Neo than on any other screen I tested it on...”

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Next-gen machines, however, are as PC-like as they’ve ever been, so this all plays across the platforms you choose to play your games through, and experience visually via the Neo. And while so much of this is geared towards the UHD market, the game I most recently reviewed, Metroid Dread, which displays at a humble 1080p, looked better on the Neo than on any other screen I tested it on. In essence, this is definitely in catch-all territory with more than enough room for customisation, but when you talk about plug-and-play, the Neo is definitely a solid purchase decision. Especially if you want a panel specifically for gaming.

He is… The One

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"Samsung’s best blacks and colours yet, is probably the clincher for mine...”

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And so in closing, what you get here is Samsung’s most accomplished panel yet, in terms of where it sits in the QLED range. The affordable price-point should be your first clue as to whether or not investment is right, but as I’ve said the screen is incredibly sleek and would look good in anyone’s lounge or gaming space. The backlight and Quantum Dot combination, which produce Samsung’s best blacks and colours yet, is probably the clincher for mine, even over the gaming-specific stuff. Only because I don’t just game, and so getting the best viewing experience for a series like Foundation is as key as being able to play something like the stunning Far Cry 6 in the best possible light. I also can’t see anyone really needing to upgrade too soon after investing in the Neo, lest you want to jump on that 8K wagon. But full delivery of those wares is still a little ways off. In the meantime, as a high-end alternative to OLED, Samsung’s Neo QLED is right up there.