TVs are among the several consumer electronics products that get refreshed by Samsung early in the new year and 2024 started with the launch of its new TV lineup that included the S90D. Positioned a step below the 2024 flagship S95D, the Samsung S90D TV aims to check most of the boxes without breaking the bank. How well does it do that? We'll find out in our Samsung S90D review.
Samsung S90D – SamMobile Video Review
Buyer Beware
While the Samsung S90D is marketed as a QD-OLED TV, depending on the region and the size chosen, it may come with a WOLED panel made by LG. The 42-inch, 48-inch, and 83-inch models exclusively use WOLED panels, but other models, such as the 55-inch version, come with a QD-OLED or WOLED panel depending on region.
Our video review reveals the secret codes you need to know for figuring out whether you'll get a QD-OLED or WOLED panel. We've tested both the 42-inch variant with WOLED and the 55-inch S90D with a QD-OLED panel for this review to provide you with a true representation of what the differences between the two panels are and if that would influence your buying decision.
Setting Up Your New TV
Once you've got the Samsung S90D out of the box, setup barely takes a few minutes. The screwless feet snap in place easily and the center stand has a metal-like cover that adds a touch of glam to the look. The stand itself feels sturdy enough but it may prohibit the placement of some larger soundbars.
Design
Samsung's capability to make some of the thinnest TVs is nothing short of an art form. The slim profile is brilliantly complemented by slim bezels for a very clean and modern look. The dimensions and proportions are well-balanced, enabling the TV to blend in with its surroundings rather nicely. The anti-reflective coating that Samsung has applied to the panel does a great job of eliminating indirect reflections.
Bigger is always better when it comes to TVs and most people would opt for the biggest size they can fit in their space. This is what makes the 42-inch variant of the S90D all the more interesting, because you can use it like a computer monitor, which is what I did. It's a very compelling option for that particular use case.
Picture Quality
This is what matters the most on a TV and the Samsung S90D performs spectacularly in this area. It's truly one of the brightest TVs on the market. The QD-OLED panel in particular has impressive brightness overall with standout color brightness. We felt that the color capability of the QD-OLED was much better than the WOLED in a side-by-side comparison.
Most scenes might look similar on the two panels when viewed simultaneously but once you start getting into scenes that are a bit trickier for the WOLED panel to handle, and in particular scenes where color brightness plays a major role, the benefits of the QD-OLED panel are as clear as day.
There are areas where the WOLED shines as well, largely due to it being based on the OLED technology. The contrast is noticeably better with really deep blacks. So even though the panel doesn't get as bright as the QD-OLED and is somewhat limited in color reproduction it still throws up tantalizingly perfect black levels.
It's pertinent to mention that even though most high-end TVs now have Dolby Vision HDR, the S90D doesn't. Samsung's sticking with the HDR10+ format now, likely because this format was co-created by Samsung. This is likely one of the reasons why Samsung continues to maintain its aversion to Dolby Vision HDR.
Software
Like all of Samsung's modern smart TVs, the S90D is powered by Tizen. You'll find all of the apps for your favorite streaming services, the settings layout is easy to understand, and with Alexa and Bixby both supported, you've got a decent choice of smart assistants as well.
Gaming Hub is one of the best software features on this TV. You can play console-free games from major cloud streaming services like Xbox, Luna, and GeForce Now. Samsung has tuned the display with gaming specific features like variable refresh rate, auto low latency mode, and tearfree gaming which work very well even when you're streaming games over the internet.
Performance and AI
The S90D is equipped with Samsung's latest NQ4 AI Gen2 processor which enables the TV to upscale non-4K content to 4K using improved AI algorithms. We find that the processor does a fine job of upscaling most of the content that you throw at it. It's only the very old standard definition content that might display some fuzz that makes the upscaling discernible, otherwise, it works well enough that the content doesn't feel like it's been digitally enhanced.
The chipset's upscaling power is backed up by smart AI features like Real Depth Enhancer that sprinkles some of that AI fairy dust to mirror how your eye processes depth by increasing the foreground contrast. It sounds like a very simple adjustment but the difference it makes for the picture's realism is striking.
AI also helps improve the sound experience with features like Dolby Atmos and Object Tracking Sound Lite, which delivers impressive 3D surround sound that follows the movement on the screen, allowing for a truly immersive viewing experience.
Verdict
It's tough to be a TV in the same price range as the Samsung S90D. Not only is it one of the brightest OLED TVs on the market, the color brightness and reproduction is in a class of its own, contrast is excellent, and the black levels almost perfect. Viewing angles are sublime and so is the sharp picture quality, aided by Samsung's antireflective panel coating for unobtrusive viewing.
Tizen OS works well, and if you're in the Galaxy ecosystem with a Samsung phone or tablet, you can extract more out of it. The Game Hub deserves an honorable mention as it's truly one of the best things about a modern Samsung smart TV. With the 42-inch model starting at $1,999, and often available for much less than that on Samsung's website, it's hard to find another TV in this price range that does everything that the S90D excels at.
