Samsung QE65QN90F

Introduction

The QN90F is Samsung’s flagship Mini LED TV for 2025. A Neo QLED alternative to the brand’s fan favourite OLED offerings, it outshines rivals with brute-force brightness and is packed to the gunnels with features.

It’s clearly not the cheapest 4K screen you can buy (nor should it be) but it may well turn out to be the most versatile. Daytime TV drivel, evening movies, weekend sport, and late night gaming, it does it all. But it still might not be for everyone…

Price

Model choice is wide. The QN90F is available in 43- (43QN90F),  50- (50QN90F), 55- (55QN90F), 65- (65QN90F), 75- (75QN90F), 85- (85QN90F), and 98-inch (98QN90F) screen sizes.

I tested the 65-inch model. It sells for £2,599 in the UK, and $2,499 across the pond. Australian buyers can take one home for AU$3,499.

Design

• Glare Free matte screen
• NeoSlim styling
• Square central pedestal stand

Samsung calls the QN90F a NeoSlim Design, and the moniker fits. Despite the presence of a potentially bulky Mini LED backlight, the QN90F maintains an impressively slim profile, with a micro bezel that leaves little between image and surroundings.

The set rests on a squared, central (though immobile), pedestal stand. There’s no One Connect Box required. Inputs are routed traditionally into the back of the TV.

Hidden away on the rear of the panel are two height channel speakers, positioned towards the top of the screen. These speakers supplement the downward firing stereo drivers and woofer. All come into play when Object Tracking Sound+ and Dolby Atmos audio are engaged.

The set ships with two remotes, a traditional button heavy model and a compact Bluetooth doofer.

The panel itself has been given a glare-free treatment, to reduce and minimise reflective lights. It’s the same Glare Free coating seen on Samsung’s flagship S95F OLED TV and akin to the matte treatment used on the brand’s Frame lifestyle TVs. It does wonders when faced with errant light sources, but can look rather dull when the set is in standby.

Connectivity

• Four HDMI v2.1 inputs
• Bluetooth
• Terrestrial and satellite tuners

Connectivity is comprehensive. There are four HDMI 2.1 inputs (one of which is eARC enabled), plus a digital optical audio out, dual USB ports, Ethernet for networking, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, a Common Interface slot and terrestrial and dual satellite tuners.

All HDMI inputs support High Frame Rate gaming, whether from a console or gaming PC. There’s also ALLM (Auto Low-Latency Mode), AMD FreeSync, HGiG HDR and QMS (Quick Media Switching) available.

User Experience

• SmartThings integration
• Samsung TV Plus
• Widgets

Smart TV platforms may all look much the same, but Samsung’s 2025 Tizen OS is definitely one of the best. It’s a polished, content-forward platform that puts convenience at the forefront.

The home screen emphasises discoverability, with curated rows for recent apps, trending shows, and recommendations. It’s relatively quick to load and customisable, letting you reorder apps and input sources.

SmartThings integration elevates the QN90F from telly to something akin to a home control centre. It automatically detects and connects to compatible appliances, lights, security cameras and whatnot.

There’s also an Ambient mode which can be used to showcase photos or display generative AI artwork. Want to leave a note onscreen for friends or family? You can do that too.

Features

• AI Picture Pro
• Assorted audio enhancements
• No Dolby Vision

The QN90F leans heavily into AI-powered modes, ostensibly to make life easier.

An AI Picture mode, with Optimizer, is able to enhance every frame in real time, adjusts brightness, contrast, and colour using deep learning. Quantum Matrix Technology Plus is on hand to manage the set’s Mini LED backlight, to control contrast and subjective clarity, while 4K AI Upscaling Pro ensures all available pixels are put to good use.

Motion Interpolation is smooth and exhibits only occasional artefacts, thanks to AI Motion Enhancer Pro. This is brilliant with sports, but for movies I still felt the set was better off with motion smoothing defeated.

Audio also falls under AI management, with  Active Voice Amplifier Pro, and Adaptive Sound Pro. Yay for the Pros.

Just don’t mention Dolby Vision. It’s not there. But then, there’s a good reason why you might not miss it…

Gaming

• High Frame Rate support up to 165Hz
• Game Hub and Optimizer UI
• AMD FreeSync Premium Pro

Gamers will find much to like here. All four HDMI ports are 2.1 enabled, with 4K/120Hz frame support for consoles, and 165Hz for those using a gaming PC with high-end graphics card. There’s VRR, ALLM, and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro.

Samsung’s Game Hub groups all relevant gaming diversions under one roof, including cloud game providers, and it’s here you’ll find free to play casual games, as well as more premium downloadable content.

Then there’s the Game Bar UI, which is a useful overlay for tweaking performance settings, and engaging Mini Map Zoom (something I have never, ever done). There’s even the option of 21:9 and 32:9 aspect ratios for cinematic immersion for PC users.

Game Motion Plus offers adjustable levels of latency, to suit whatever genre you’re playing. There’s even HDR10+ Gaming support.

Picture Quality

• NQ4 AI Gen3 processor
• Outstanding HDR peak brightness
• Images can look overly vibrant

The QN90F is a powerhouse picture performer, albeit with some quirks. The all-new NQ4 AI Gen3 processor is responsible for supreme detail, beautiful shadow nuance and punchy hues. Colours are rich, sometimes almost too much so.

Filmmaker mode tones down this default vibrancy. Skin tones, landscapes, and dark interiors are handled with a welcome sense of realism.

Local dimming is effective, balancing light and dark areas well, but I did notice slight blooming around bright objects on dark backgrounds.

One key advantage Mini LED screens have over direct or edge lit LED models, is black level performance. This was particularly noticeable during comedy action movie Fight or Flight (Sky Cinema, UHD): blacks remain coherent and layered, even with challenging, dark costuming.

The all-black ensemble worn throughout by Katee Sackhoff, retains its shape and texture. What could have been presented as an ill-defined darkness on a lesser LED screen is clearly delineated.

Picture presets cover Eco, Standard, Dynamic, Movie, and Filmmaker Mode. These dictate just how the screen manages peak highlights. The starscape which open Star Wars: Skeleton Crew (Disney+, HDR) sparkle more confidently in Standard mode. Filmmaker mode may lay claim to grading accuracy but it literally wipes out a galaxy’s worth of interstellar pinpricks. 

HDR is where the QN90F asserts its dominance over much of the televisual field. I measured peak HDR brightness at 2,500 nits on a 10% measurement patch, a remarkable result that makes specular highlights truly pop. Fireworks explode with dazzling intensity, metallic surfaces shimmer, and sun-drenched landscapes glow with warmth.

Thanks to extensive local dimming and Samsung’s tone mapping, even complex HDR content maintains contrast and detail. 

The only obvious downside in Samsung’s picture arsenal is the absence of Dolby Vision, which some competing brands like LG and Sony support. While Samsung’s HDR10+ implementation is impressive, it’s not yet as ubiquitous.

A minor caveat: while the peak brightness is sensational, the way the set ramps to full luminance, over a period of seconds, rather than hitting it instantly, can slightly dampen the HDR drama.

The profusion of local dimming zones makes for generally clean and precise specular handling, but again, there’s a slight delay as the local dimming cluster reacts and dims to tighten bright highlights when they’re presented against a black background.

Upscaling

• 4K AI Upscaling Pro technology
• Makes the most of 1080p sources

Samsung’s 4K AI Upscaling Pro engine handles lower-res sources admirably. HD content is tightened and enhanced without artefacts, and standard-def isn’t neglected either. Behind the scenes, AI-driven algorithms identify patterns and rebuild edges without overt smoothing.

All you really need to know is that HD content looks nice and sharp, to the point where you won’t overly care if your source is UHD or not.

Sound Quality

• Object Tracking Sound+
• 60W amplification
• Q-Symphony support

The QN90F’s integrated 4.2.2-channel audio system is impressive. With Samsung’s Object Tracking Sound + system and Dolby Atmos compatibility available, it spreads dialogue and effects confidently beyond the frame.

Total power output is quoted at 60W. The set’s up-firing drivers add sonic scale, pushing that sense of air and movement higher than regular TVs, but low-end slam is missing, which is to be expected.

At high volume, I measured some noises emanating between 31.5Hz and 50Hz, but there’s nothing that could be construed as bass output until you reach 100Hz. That said, general clarity is excellent, and for most users, soundbars won’t be an immediate requirement. Samsung Q-Symphony soundbar integration sweetens the deal if you do opt for help.

Should you buy it?

FAQs