Samsung QN990F vs Samsung S90H (WOLED)

The Samsung QN990F belongs to the bright televisions category, and this is immediately evident in tests. In measurements, it achieved around 1300 nits, which in practice allows for enjoying films as their creators intended. Bright scenes have the right intensity, lights shine, and the experience is truly cinematic. In standard test patterns, sequences number 1, 3, and 5 performed best – there, brightness maintained around 800-1000 nits, and the image looked very natural. In more challenging segments, it could drop to around 600 nits, but even so, the level remained sufficient for details to be clearly visible. However, it should be added that in highly contrasting shots, the halo effect returns – the same one we mentioned regarding black levels. Bright elements can leave a halo on dark backgrounds, and this stands out immediately. Since we are dealing with a QLED, the colour palette is expanded, and the colours appear striking. The problem is that with such a flagship model, we expected better numbers. 91% DCI-P3 coverage and about 67% BT.2020 are results that can be considered solid, but not outstanding. This gives a vibrant and appealing image, yet the competition in this and lower price tiers can showcase even more.

Samsung S90H in the WOLED variant is still an exceptionally bright TV for its price bracket, although compared with the QD-OLED version it is slightly dimmer. The difference is not as significant as in last year’s F series, where the gap could reach as much as 500 nits. Here the parameters of both panels are very similar, and differences in peak brightness are only in the order of 100–150 nits. In small-area measurements the S90H on the WOLED panel easily reaches levels close to 1500 nits. Such a reserve of power allows HDR dynamics to be reproduced phenomenally; all highlights, light reflections and explosions have the necessary punch, exactly as the creators intended in the editing studio. As with most OLED displays, when a very bright scene fills the whole screen protection systems activate and brightness naturally falls to around 700 nits. It is worth emphasising that this is still an excellent result on the market. Often noticeably better than many Mini LED screens in the same segment.

Colour gamut coverage

The biggest difference between the two S90H variants lies in colour reproduction and saturation. This results directly from the different construction of the WOLED panel, which uses an additional white subpixel. As a consequence, colours at very high brightness do not reach the same intense saturation, and the volume of the wide gamut is somewhat more limited than in QD-OLED. That does not change the fact that in everyday use these differences will be hard for most viewers to spot. The DCI-P3 space we measured reaches nearly 99% on the WOLED panel, which means that in the vast majority of real film scenes both variants will present an almost identical picture. The true distance only reveals itself in rarer, exceptionally demanding productions that use the ultra-wide BT.2020 gamut. Due to the specifics of the WOLED panel’s construction, coverage of that standard is about 15% lower compared with the S90HAT with a QD-OLED panel, so the brightest, heavily lit colours in HDR may appear slightly less vivid.

We tested the QN990F in Filmmaker mode, which is the best available right out of the box. Right from the start, we noticed several significant errors. The biggest issue concerned white balance. Due to too little blue, and also improper ratios between red and blue, the image – especially in scenes with a lot of white – appeared too yellow, and at times even orange. On the Color Checker palette, these errors didn't look dramatic as they hovered around a value of 4, but in everyday viewing, especially with strong whites, they were most noticeable. We also observed issues with brightness management – the television struggled to maintain detail in the smallest parts of the image, mainly due to the way it controls the backlighting zones. Fortunately, Samsung offers a lot of room for adjustment when it comes to calibration settings. We know that with the right calibration, much more can be extracted from this screen.

In Filmmaker mode, which we strongly recommend switching on straight out of the box, the S90H offers very good factory colour tuning. Colours are natural and faithful to the creators' intent, without the irritating oversaturation found in more aggressive presets. However, as is often the case without full calibration, no two units are identical. In our test the white balance was slightly lacking in blue, causing the image to lean a little towards warmer, yellowish tones. This was most noticeable in bright scenes, such as the snowy sequences from Star Wars. Additionally, the gamma curve was slightly low at 2.2, which produced a minor lift in shadow detail. In HDR mode the tuning was somewhat better, showing only a slight undersaturation in the red region.

After completing the calibration, we managed to bring the white balance back to order and eliminate the previous shortcomings in the shades of blue. As a result, the image no longer looked as if it had a slightly yellowish filter applied – the whites are purer, and the overall presentation is much more natural. We also managed, to some extent, to tame the brightness characteristics in HDR content. The television now handles detail retention in blacks significantly better and does not lose them to the same degree as before. However, when we look at the EOTF curve and the way the QN990F reproduces brightness in films, it is evident that it still tends to accentuate details in dark areas more strongly. This is a characteristic feature of Mini-LED technology and, more specifically, the way it is managed by the QN990F, which is practically impossible to completely eliminate. Despite this, after calibration, the image appears much more natural, mainly due to the correct exposure of white light. The final effect is definitely more pleasant to perceive and closer to what we expect from a flagship television.

After a full calibration it’s fair to say the S90H in WOLED guise looks almost perfect. In SDR mode colour inaccuracies drop to ultra-low levels and Delta E values very rarely exceed 2. That’s a phenomenal result, so if you care about perfectly faithful colour reproduction it’s definitely worth considering calibration. The calibrated HDR mode also performs very well, with the white balance stabilised and earlier deviations eliminated. After professional fine-tuning it’s really hard to find anything to criticise, because the TV delivers an image with almost reference-level naturalness and three-dimensionality. The slightly lower score in this category compared with the QD-OLED variant is solely due to the aforementioned limitation in saturation in extremely bright scenes; the tuning options and colour fidelity themselves are at the highest level.

The biggest praise for the QN990F should be given for its upscaling. The processor responsible for "lifting" classic television to 8K resolution does quite well. While watching material in 576p signal, we had no illusions that we would suddenly see a miracle in advertising style, where the image magically transforms into crystal-clear 8K. Nevertheless, the end result was surprisingly good; the image looked clean and sharp. It’s just a shame that the television, like most Samsung models, has an overscan issue, slightly cropping the edges of the screen from the left side.

When it comes to image processing, Samsung offers a feature called "noise reduction," which in theory should improve tonal transitions in older materials, where they are usually more visible. Unfortunately, we felt quite disappointed here. The feature performs poorly – it does not handle unwanted stripes and can introduce its own artifacts. On the plus side, the television does not remove film grain when using this feature, but in practice, that is a poor consolation since the noise reduction itself proves to be virtually useless.

In terms of posterisation reduction itself, Samsung has kept the solutions known from last year’s models. The dedicated gradient-smoothing function performs quite well and can effectively mask unwanted tonal banding, which is useful on a WOLED panel that is slightly more prone to banding. However, you should be aware of its aggressive behaviour. This mechanism, alongside the artefacts themselves, can clean up fine film grain and gently soften detail. Ultimately it is a matter of compromise, but if you want an absolutely faithful reproduction, it is safer to leave this option off.

Similarly, in the area of scaling it is difficult to call this a breakthrough. The S90H uses the same NQ4 Gen3 processor as its predecessor, so the upscaling quality was almost identical. The chip sharpens lower-resolution material very well, extracting a satisfying level of detail. Samsung still has not dealt with the longstanding overscan issue, though. With some older recordings or archive footage the edges of the image can be slightly cropped. It’s a minor flaw, but it’s a pity the manufacturer still hasn’t eliminated it.

QN990F can comfortably be called one of the fastest televisions in the world. In 4K mode, it is capable of displaying images at a frequency of up to 240 Hz, which until now has been more associated with gaming monitors than with televisions in the living room. However, in everyday viewing, what matters more is how it handles the 8K signal at 120 Hz – and here it performs very well too. Motion remains smooth, and the television manages without a hitch even with the most demanding content. Additionally, there is the motion smoother, i.e. "Picture Clarity". Thanks to it, one can adjust the image to their own preferences – leaving a slightly cinematic judder or switching to maximum fluidity, which works exceptionally well, for example, in sports broadcasts.

In terms of motion handling, the S90H is simply excellent. This year's panel offers a boosted refresh rate of up to 165 Hz, though in practice the benefit will mainly be for gamers connecting a high-end PC. For films, series or sports broadcasts such a high refresh rate makes no difference and the picture looks exactly the same as at the standard 120 Hz. Regardless of the source, however, the OLED panel's lightning-fast response time does its job, so motion is clean and the ghosting or smearing familiar from LCD screens simply does not occur here.

It must be said outright – the QN990F is one of those televisions that practically scream that they were designed with gamers in mind. Samsung has been developing its gaming solutions for years, but here we have a truly comprehensive set. Sure, it lacks Dolby Vision support in games, which is a downside that will always come up in discussions. However, aside from that, the list of features is impressively extensive. To begin with, we have the Game Bar – a handy menu that allows you to quickly check and change gaming-related settings. You can see, for example, the enabled VRR, frame rate, or aspect ratio settings. It’s like a little “dashboard,” making it unnecessary to dig deep into the menu to make adjustments. Speaking of VRR: yes, variable refresh rate is present here and works flawlessly. And there's ALLM, which automatically switches the television to game mode as soon as the console is powered on. These may seem like small details, but together they make using the QN990F simply comfortable and hassle-free.

However, the most impressive aspect is the number of ports. Four wireless HDMI 2.1 ports are already great news, as there is no need to choose whether to connect the console, the amplifier, or perhaps even a PC. There’s ample space for everything here. And if we add another micro HDMI (which we recommend connecting directly to the console), hidden in the casing, we practically have five inputs in full 2.1 standard. Let’s also add support for high refresh rates – 120 Hz at 8K and even 240 Hz at 4K – and we get a television that not only keeps up with the new consoles but also feels ready for consoles that are not yet available.

Players should feel at home with the S90H, because Samsung has left few reasons to complain in that respect. The TV has four HDMI 2.1 ports, each of which supports VRR, ALLM and high refresh rates. There’s also the Game Bar, a handy menu that lets you quickly check key parameters and change settings without leaving the game. Importantly, Samsung has also improved HGiG mode. In last year’s models it could cause problems when used with a console, but on the S90H it now works as it should. What really stands out against the competition is the Game Motion Plus feature. It’s a special motion smoothing mode for games that works best with titles running at 30 or 60 fps. Motion becomes noticeably smoother, while latency remains at a reasonable level. In our measurements it was under 50 ms, so gaming is still comfortable. That’s important, because on many TVs enabling a similar smoothing feature causes such a large increase in input lag that controls become noticeably sluggish. Samsung has managed to find a good compromise here. There’s still no Dolby Vision Gaming, but in practice Game Motion Plus may prove to be a much more useful feature.