Why I prefer last year’s Samsung QLED TV over pricier OLED TVs today – and it’s $1,000 off

ZDNET's key takeaways

• The QN90F TV has excellent picture and sound.
• It's great for streaming and entertainment, with useful display settings and features in tow.
• Not ideal for rhythm or precision platforming games due to response times.

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nov / 2025

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Right now when you buy directly from Samsung, you can save up to $6,000 on the QN90F Neo QLED TV.

I recently got the chance to work in the ZDNET Louisville testing lab, where I tested the Samsung QN90F and saw how it performed in real-world tests rather than a carefully curated showroom experience. 

Compared to the S95F OLED, which most people, including ZDNET's TV experts, rank among the top TVs of the year, the Samsung QN90F has a picture that's almost as vibrant and detailed, as well as slightly better object-tracking sound. Right now, it's up to 40% off in the 65-inch, 75-inch, and 98-inch sizes at Samsung, Best Buy, and Amazon — making it an excellent time to buy.

Also: Samsung new Micro RGB TVs make a compelling argument to switch from OLED – especially in these sizes

For the price, it's a better value unless you're looking for features that only the S95F OLED has, such as the OneConnect box. I ran the Samsung QN90F through a battery of tests to assess its performance in various applications, including streaming and gaming. I also collaborated with our lab engineers to conduct Calman verification tests, evaluating the QLED panel's ability to accurately recreate images in both RGB and black-and-white.

Unlike the S90F, which had a significant blue shift in its color tests, the QN90F favors warmer tones. This can make some scenes look slightly oversaturated, and this effect can be exacerbated by the integrated blue light filter, which can be toggled on and off. 

But I would personally rather have that than how lifeless they can look on screens that favor cooler colors. The warm color shift was most noticeable while screening black-and-white films, such as Casablanca, which pushed everything toward a more pale sepia tone that somehow felt more appropriate than the blue-gray of the S95F.

Read more: I tested the Samsung S95F OLED for a week, and I'm ready to give up my living room TV

The contrast is also fairly comparable to the more expensive OLED model, giving you deep blacks and sharp details that help brighter colors pop. The QLED panel handles fine details well across all picture modes, though the AI-assisted option does make some images look slightly fuzzy, especially if there are characters moving quickly or a lot of quick cut edits. However, where the QN90F really stands out when compared to the S95F OLED is in its audio.

I'm not sure if it's due to how razor-thin the S95F is, but the audio never sounded as full or as 3D as it could have been. The QN90F is still a thin TV, but with more room to create sound, you'll enjoy a slightly richer listening experience, even without setting up extra home audio equipment. 

I compared both TVs by playing a few movie musicals, Persona rhythm games, and a variety of music albums, and the QN90F consistently outperformed the other in terms of sound quality. 

Also: Changing these 6 settings on my Samsung TV greatly improved the performance

When it comes to gaming, the Samsung QN90F features a dedicated dashboard similar to other Samsung TVs, allowing you to adjust input latency, refresh rates, and select gaming picture modes tailored to your favorite genres. The input latency was fine for most shooters and action games I play, like Ghost of Tsushima and Judgement. 

However, when it comes to rhythm or platforming titles, it can become frustrating, as even with the lowest possible latency option, a noticeable delay is still present, although it may not always be noticeable. Not enough to cause frustration or significant issues, but it is something to keep in mind if you're doing something like an official speed run.

My biggest complaint about the QN90F is that while it's easier to put together than the S95F,  the software setup process is tedious and time-consuming, with almost endless privacy policies, license agreements, and suggested app lists to pretend to read or outright ignore until you can get to the home screen and download what you actually need. 

Also: How to clear your TV cache (and why it greatly enhances your viewing experience)

Another complaint I have is that there are no advanced picture settings for adjusting color temperature, sharpness, and contrast. You have four picture modes to choose from (Standard, Movie, Filmmaker, and AI-Assisted), but none of them allow you to fine-tune any settings for a truly custom picture that works with your space.

ZDNET's buying advice

All in all, the Samsung QN90F is a solid buy if you're looking for a high-quality TV with excellent picture and audio quality, but don't necessarily want to spring for a more expensive OLED model. This is especially true with all the holiday discounts that during this time of the year.

With a warmer picture and fuller sound, you get a slightly more enjoyable experience when watching older black-and-white films, but some games and movies with lots of colors might look a bit oversaturated. (That's something you can always modify in picture settings, of course.) It's a great value for a QLED TV, especially if you can catch it on sale (as it often is).