Samsung Q90R 75-inch QLED Smart 4K TV Review - Premium Ultra Experience

For a couple of weeks, we have had a chance to try the Samsung Q90R. It is an ultra-premium massive 75-inch QLED TV with 4K UHD resolution. Here is our review!

Samsung Q90R 75-inch QLED Smart 4K TV

Unboxing/Accessories

When it arrived, I was overwhelmed by the sheer size of it. Getting it inside the house was already a three-man job.

Once inside, opening the box reveals the TV, the TV stand, the Samsung One Connect box, and a few connectors. It also came with the Samsung HW-Q70R soundbar as well. 

There are 4 HDMI ports with one specialized for a Samsung soundbar's ARC function, 1 LAN port, 1 optical port for Digital Audio, AV/Component In, Antenna port for satellite TV and a Service port.

Build Quality/Design

Super-premium-look

The Q90R boasts premium build and design. The body is made out of metal and glass. The back of the TV has a textured, brushed aluminum finish.

The screen is a flat QLED panel. There are minimal ports at the back as well. It has one for power and the One Connect box.

This is a welcome design choice since it keeps the TV clear of clutter at the back. The carbon silver color also gives it an elegant look.

The stand itself is fairly heavy. This means it is very stable. However, make sure that you are certain about where you would position the TV since the combined weight of the two means you need muscle to move it.

Two to three people worth to be exact since it weighs 115.7 pounds with the stand.

Setting up the TV and installing the stand is not a solo task as well. You would need at least three people to install the stand, two to hold the TV up while the other one screws it in place. 
Thankfully, an easy to follow installation guide is included in the box.

Features

One Connect box

After that is done, we connected the One Connect box at the back of the TV. The box serves as the connection hub for the TV itself. The TV does not have any port except for the One Connect connector.

The ports

On the box, it has 3x HDMI ports for display and 1 specifically made for the soundbar. There's also an optical Digital Audio out, LAN port, A/V Component IN, Antenna port, and Service port.

It also has 3 USB-A ports with the middle one made specifically to power an HDD. The box also connects via WiFi through 2.4GHz and 5GHz channels.

The soundbar can be connected via HDMI, Bluetooth or WiFi. This means a fairly straightforward and simple setup with the TV. We tested it with all types of connections but settled with the HDMI way since it opens up the opportunity to enjoy Dolby Atmos+.

Once everything is connected, we are set to go.

The Q90R is a smart TV but it does not run Android. It has Tizen OS with SMART HUB. SMART HUB is Samsung's own menu system that puts apps and settings readily available to you. It also features Bixby which accepts voice commands. It also works with Google Assistant and Alexa as well which means you can integrate the Q90R to different smart home setups.

Ambient Mode lets you put your TV into standby mode. You can choose from different artworks pre-loaded or take a photo of the TV on a background so that it can emulate its surroundings. This mode allows it to be aesthetically placed and not ruin your room design.

Remote top

Remote button

OneRemote is the control device included in the box. It has a stainless steel look which gives it a premium feel. It has some specific buttons to launch apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and the web browser. It also has a built-in mic for Bixby commands. Just press the mic button and you can start issuing commands. A built-in Ambient Mode button 

If you ever lose the remote, you can still control the TV via Samsung's SmartThings app. Here, you can even put both the HW-Q70R and Q90R into a grouping so that you can easily shut off both devices at once.

There are basic games that you can download but I'd rather connect a PC or gaming console. Spotify is not pre-installed but is available through the app store.

Audio Quality

The TV speaker alone is capable of delivering decent audio in a smaller room. The built-in speakers are 4.2CH. It is down-firing which helps enhance bass by directing it to the ground. It can connect to audio devices via Bluetooth as well so wireless headset support is present.

However, the real meat of the experience comes when you connect it to the Samsung HW-Q70R soundbar. It supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. It has 4 sound modes namely Standard, Surround, Game, and Adaptive. I managed to use every single one and found myself using Adaptive for normal usage, Surround for my Netflix sessions and Game Mode when gaming.

Surround mode works great especially when you connect the soundbar via HDMI since it enables Dolby Atmos+. It is impressive that even if I lack the rear speakers for a true surround experience, Dolby Atmos was able to emulate it virtually by bouncing the audio off surfaces around me.

Game Mode intensifies some of the audio so that you can pinpoint the enemies and sound sources in the game. This plus the 4K resolution really puts you into the game and improves immersion.

Display Quality

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The 4K Ultra HD QLED panel is amazing. It looks great out of the box. It is a 74.5-inch screen measured diagonally. It has a resolution of 3840 x 2160. It delivers great color accuracy and contrast since it is a QLED panel. It has the Quantum Processor 4K with AI. What this does is that it can intelligently upscale non-4K content to 4K with little to no loss in quality. It also improves on picture quality, detail and refines color on the go.

4K Samsung TV is love!

It has 4 video modes namely Dynamic, Standard, Game, and Movie mode. These are presets optimized for different types of scenarios. For this test, I mainly stuck with Dynamic as it showcases the screen's capabilities more.

If you are the one that loves tweaking the settings to your liking, the Expert Settings allows you to adjust the Backlight, Brightness, Screen Sharpness, Color and Tint. It also has Intelligent Mode on which adapts the picture brightness and sound volume to match the conditions of the room.

One of the most impressive things the Q90R has, for me, is the Ultra Viewing Angle. The TV itself is designed to reduce glare and enhance color so that you can get a vibrant image no matter where you sit. Even looking at it from the side, you can still see the picture clearly with no distortion.

Watching a specific Netflix series with HDR and Dolby Surround 5.1 is a treat! Quantum HDR 16X kicks in. The difference is immediately seen. Blacks are deeper and colors pop out too. Sharpness for the details is seen clearly too. Money Heist with HDR and surround really improves the immersion.

The backlighting gets pretty bright with its Direct Full Array 16X technology. With a bright screen comes to heat. At maximum brightness, you can feel the heat from the screen standing close to the TV.

There is also a Game Mode that triggered when we hooked up our Nintendo Switch. This mode optimizes the Q90R to improve performance according to your gaming device. It will enhance color accuracy, contrast and even improve scene-based surround sound for a better immersive gaming experience. Playing Mario Kart, with 3 player split-screen, is a blast. Since the TV is huge, the split-screen is not a bother since it came out to be around 24-inches each. Each screen is as big as my PC monitor.

Response time is great. We did not experience and input lag too.

It also has Dynamic Black Equalizer that adjusts the blacks of the TV to make enemies and objectives pop up more against a dark background. Game Motion Plus adjusts screen sharpness to make sure that fast-moving games come out smooth and responsive.

Lastly, it has AMD's FreeSync technology that eliminates screen tearing and stuttering that causes lag and latency issues. This is very useful if you have a gaming PC with AMD Radeon GPUs hooked up. It did not work with my PC since I have an Nvidia card which has its own version called Gsync.

Pros - 4K QLED panel, great viewing angles, HDR and Dolby Atmos support, AMD Freesync compatible, decent speakers, bright backlight, simple setup via One Connect box, customizable settings
Cons - Really heavy, no GSync support for Nvidia users

Samsung Q90R 75-inch Specs

Display: 75-inch QLED w/ 4K 3840 x 2160 resolution at 59 ppi at 403 ppi
OS: Tizen OS
Connectivity: One Connect Box w/ 4 x HDMI, 3 x USB-A port, Antenna port, A/V Component ports, Optical Digital Audio input, LAN port
Others: Remote Control, stand, user manual, warranty certificate
Price: PHP 359,999

Verdict

For PHP 359,999, the Samsung Q90R 75-inch Smart 4K UHD TV is a piece of luxurious yet worthy machine.

That price converts to premium design, robust all-metal build, amazing 4K QLED panel, and immersive watching experience.

There is not much to gripe about this TV except that it's heavy and doesn't support Nvidia's Gsync.

But overall, the Q90R receives a stamp of recommendation.