Samsung QN900D Neo QLED 8K vs Samsung R85H / R86H

The Samsung QN900D easily showcases its high capabilities in light production during synthetic tests – 1400 nits is truly an impressive result. It also demonstrated these capabilities in the first scene of the movie "Life of Pi," where we see a brilliant burst of the rising sun. However, due to issues with the dimming algorithm, some problems can be observed here. In the test scenes from "Sicario 2" and the second scene from "Life of Pi," these values are not as high, averaging around 500-600 nits. While this may not be the worst result among Mini LED TVs, more could be expected given the price of the television. Nevertheless, the television deserves praise for covering a wide colour gamut of DCP P3 at 96%. Although there are technologies offering higher values, this result is still satisfactory.

When it comes to brightness, the R85H performs quite well. In most of our test scenes the TV reaches around 800–900 nits, and with larger bright elements it can exceed 1000 nits. These aren't, of course, on the level of the most expensive Mini-LEDs, but they're more than enough for watching films and TV series in HDR and the effect can be quite noticeable. The problem reappears in more demanding scenes, where there's a small bright element on a very dark background. Here the TV can greatly reduce its brightness to avoid lighting up too much of the screen. In our measurements such small highlights fell as low as around 200–250 nits, so it's clear that a limited number of local dimming zones combined with the specific behaviour of the algorithm has consequences here. Fortunately, it doesn't affect viewing all the time. In typical, mixed HDR scenes the R85H looks good and can provide good image dynamics. It's just that with very small points of light you shouldn't expect as strong an effect as on TVs with a much larger number of zones or on OLEDs.

The QN900D television offers a Filmmaker mode that is designed to watch movies in the most natural way possible; however, this mode is not without its flaws. For HD content, the white balance shows a dominance of red and blue, which causes the image to shift towards pink hues. In contrast, for 4K HDR content, the situation is reversed – the reduction of blue and red levels results in warmer scenes and a shift towards yellow tones. This is confirmed by Color Checker tests, which clearly show that the colour samples veer in that direction.

When it comes to brightness and the associated contrast, the gamma is significantly distorted. The biggest issue is a noticeable jump at the beginning of the curve, indicating that dark details are overly brightened, causing the image to lose depth in the darkest areas - this is due to local dimming. For 4K HDR materials, the EOTF curve looks quite good, but it remains below the reference level, impacting the overall dynamics of the image.

In Filmmaker mode our R85H sample in SDR performed adequately, but a few issues immediately stood out in the measurements. In the white balance, as brightness increased more red was added while blue decreased. As a result, the brighter parts of the image had a slightly too-warm tint. Gamma only held the target value at the start. It then gradually fell, which left most of the image a little too bright. The combination of these two factors also affected the colours, with errors growing particularly in the brighter and more saturated samples. It did not look bad, but for Filmmaker mode we expected a bit more accuracy. Interestingly, our sample fared noticeably better in HDR. The white balance was much more even and the individual components stayed close to one another across most of the range. Only in the brightest parts did red start to be lacking, causing white to shift subtly. The EOTF curve looked very good, tracking the target luminance across almost the entire range. That does not mean HDR colours were perfect. The Colour Checker still shows some deviations, especially for some of the more saturated colours, but the errors are clearly smaller than in SDR.

After calibration, the Filmmaker mode can truly be called worthy of its name. The white balance for both HD and 4K HDR content has significantly improved, resulting in colours that are more natural and consistent. The image has gained in realism, with pink hues in HD content effectively eliminated, as well as the yellow haze in 4K HDR content. Thanks to the calibration, the television now offers much better colour reproduction, positively impacting the viewing experience.

When it comes to brightness, the situation with gamma is now the opposite – a clear drop is visible at the beginning of the graph, making the darkest details harder to discern. The EOTF curve for 4K HDR content has remained largely unchanged and is still below the reference level, indicating that the television still struggles to maintain adequate brightness. This is related to the aggressive dimming algorithm that affects the overall brightness of the image. You can see how the television fights to maintain high brightness or perfect black.

Despite the limitations associated with local dimming, the Samsung QN900D has improved in colour reproduction quality, as confirmed by the Color Checker test results – the colour samples are now much closer to the references, making the image more natural and pleasant to the eye.

After calibration the R85H shows it has really substantial colour reproduction capabilities. SDR performed best: white balance could be brought almost perfectly into line, and gamma stays very close to the target value across most of the range. That also translated into very low errors in the ColorChecker, so there's really little to criticise here. HDR also shows a clear improvement, although some issues can't be corrected as well. At the highest brightness levels the character of the backlight itself becomes apparent and the individual components of the white balance begin to diverge. The same applies to the most saturated colours, which don't always land exactly where they should. Despite these limitations the overall picture is considerably more accurate than factory settings, and the biggest difference is definitely visible in SDR. However, there is one thing calibration can't fix. With heavily saturated elements the colour can slightly bleed onto adjacent bright areas of the image. It's easiest to notice on white, which can pick up a faint tint of a neighbouring hue. It doesn't occur in every scene, but when the material is demanding the effect can be visible. This is more a feature of the way the RGB backlight operates than an issue with picture settings.

The fluidity of tonal transitions in lower-quality materials looks fantastic – the Noise Reduction feature very effectively smooths out tonal transitions while getting rid of film grain. Although the removal of grain isn't always desirable, the overall final effect is very aesthetically pleasing, especially for those who prefer a cleaner image.

When it comes to upscaling, or image scaling, QN900D shows the tremendous capabilities of the new processor with AI technology. Photos and materials in lower resolution are scaled while retaining many details – for example, a photo with a model looks amazing, free of unnecessary jagged edges, and the branches in the background are not overly serrated.

In the R85H, image processing is handled by the Micro RGB AI Processor. The name is new, but when it comes to upscaling lower-quality sources, the TV's behaviour is very similar to what Samsung has shown before. And that's not a bad thing, because Samsung has handled this aspect quite well for years. Lower-resolution material is displayed cleanly, edges don't become overly soft, and the TV doesn't try to artificially extract detail at all costs. The result is simply balanced, and for regular TV or older recordings the R85H performs as you'd expect from Samsung at this level. There's still a small downside: overscan, which can't be completely switched off at the lowest resolutions. Another matter is the extra processing applied to low-quality sources. The R85H can smooth posterization and tidy up heavily compressed footage, but it's worth emphasising that it does so relatively aggressively. At stronger noise reduction settings it starts removing not only compression artefacts but also fine detail and the natural film grain. So it's best to use it only when the source actually needs it.

Samsung QN900D is currently the fastest television in the world – literally. A refresh rate of 240 Hz in 4K resolution is an amazing value that PC gamers will surely appreciate. As for movie fans, they won't be disappointed either – Samsung offers a 10-level scale in the picture clarity settings, allowing users to adjust the image. We can choose whether the television should provide a smoother, theatrical effect at the highest settings, or a more cinematic one, with a visible frame, at the lowest settings.

R85H has a 144 Hz panel, so motion handling is really good here. You should remember that the extra hertz above 120 will mainly be used when connected to a computer, so in this category we don't treat them as any particular advantage. For films and TV, what's more important is that the panel is fast enough to provide access to an advanced motion smoothing feature, "Motion Clarity", which lets us set motion from more film-like to very smooth. The panel's response time is a bit worse. Since it's a VA panel, fast-moving objects can leave a slight trail. On a bright background this isn't very noticeable, but the darker the scene, the more noticeable the smearing becomes. This is a typical characteristic of this type of panel and it's easiest to spot in dark scenes.

Samsung QN900D is a television that offers excellent compatibility with consoles and a range of features that gamers will appreciate. It has 4 HDMI 2.1 ports, although unfortunately without the full bandwidth of 48 Gb/s. Nonetheless, for the average user, this is more than sufficient. Additionally, the television supports Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), which means smoother images and no screen tearing during dynamic gameplay. The G-Sync and FreeSync technologies are also noteworthy, providing optimal compatibility with consoles and computers equipped with the appropriate graphics cards, minimising stuttering effects and ensuring a smooth picture.

One of the unique features available only in Samsung televisions is the Xbox Game Pass app, which allows for game streaming without the need for a console. This is a very convenient solution that lets you enjoy your favourite games without having to purchase additional hardware. Furthermore, the QN900D has Game Bar – a special panel that enables quick access to gaming-related settings, making game mode setup quick and intuitive.

Another interesting feature is the Auto Motion Plus Game function, which is a special motion smoothing mode that can increase the frame rate (works up to a maximum of 4K@60Hz). Importantly, this does not cause a significant increase in input lag, allowing players to enjoy both greater image fluidity. All these features make the Samsung QN900D an excellent choice for those looking for a gaming television with the highest possible parameters.

Samsung has been steadily expanding its gamer features for several years, and the R85H really doesn't lack anything important. The TV supports 4K at 120 Hz, VRR and ALLM, so it can easily make full use of the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X. HGiG also works properly, so when HDR is set correctly on the console, games maintain their intended brightness and you don't unnecessarily lose detail in the brightest parts of the image. The only bigger omission is Dolby Vision Gaming, which Samsung doesn't support on any of its TVs.

The Game Bar is also very useful, a handy menu you can bring up without leaving the game. You can quickly check the frame rate, VRR status or change the key picture settings. Samsung also includes a few less obvious features, like the ability to change the aspect ratio or Game Motion Plus, which can further smooth games running at 30 or 60 fps. Of course this comes at the cost of higher input lag (around 55 ms), but for slower-paced titles it may be an interesting option for some.