Long hailed as the flagship of the best mini LED TVs, the Samsung QN90 series offers premium picture quality and advanced features for discerning viewers.
As one of the flagship series of Samsung's 2024 TV range, the Samsung QN90D combines cutting-edge technology with mainstream appeal. With the launch of the QN90D, Samsung reaffirmed its commitment to pushing the boundaries of display technology, delivering exceptional brightness and contrast as well as sophisticated intelligent features.
In 2025, we expect a significant evolution of Samsung's flagship mini-LED TVs, the Samsung QN90F series. Samsung hasn't officially announced the new QN90F series, but according to a recent leak, Samsung is switching from a “D-Series” naming scheme for its 2024 products to an “F-Series” for 2025.
Although the QN90D impressed with its overall quality, it wasn't without its flaws. Features like Dolby Vision support and off-axis display still leave room for improvement compared to competing TVs.
With the 2025 version of the QN90 series set to launch next year, expectations are high. Rivals like Sony have made significant advances in areas like HDR handling and backlight design, and Samsung faces the challenge of maintaining its lead in a rapidly evolving market.
Samsung QN90 Series Mini LED TVs: How good is the current QN90D?
The Samsung QN90D has earned its reputation as one of the best 4K Mini LED TVs of 2024, offering impressive brightness and exceptional color accuracy, especially with HDR content.
Its Quantum Matrix technology provided precise lighting control and deeper black levels, while the Neo Quantum processor further enhanced the experience by delivering smooth 4K upscaling and optimized performance for all types of content.
However, the QN90D was not without its drawbacks.
One of the most notable limitations was the lack of support for Dolby Vision, a popular HDR format widely used by streaming services and competing TV brands. This omission left Samsung behind competitors such as LG and Sony, which offer Dolby Vision in addition to the HDR10 and HDR10+ formats.
Even though the QN90D excelled in terms of contrast and brightness, off-axis viewing still lagged behind OLED alternatives. Colors and contrast would lose their vibrancy when viewed from acute angles, making it less ideal for large gatherings or unconventional room layouts.
Samsung QN90F Series Mini LED TVs: AI and Smart Features
As AI continues to develop, it will become a cornerstone of modern televisions.
Samsung has already made progress with its Neo Quantum processor, which uses AI for upscaling and real-time adjustments, but the TV giant still has a lot of work to do.
For the 2025 Samsung QN90F series, we would like to see an improved AI processing engine that enables even more complex optimizations. Improving dynamic tone mapping to better adapt to scene-specific brightness and color variations would improve the viewing experience, especially for HDR content.
AI-driven adjustments could also improve the way the TV handles mixed lighting conditions to ensure picture quality remains consistent regardless of the environment.
Gaming features are another area ripe for AI-powered improvements. The QN90D already supports features like low input lag and variable refresh rates (VRR), but incorporating AI to dynamically optimize gaming settings would set the QN90 series apart.
For example, AI could automatically detect a game's genre – whether it's a fast-paced shooter or a visually stunning open-world adventure – and adjust settings like refresh rate, contrast and motion smoothing to deliver the best experience.
As for smart features, a revamped interface that leverages AI to provide more personalized content recommendations would be a welcome addition. While Samsung's current Smart Hub is functional, it could benefit from deeper integration with user preferences.
For example, AI could analyze viewing habits to suggest not just individual shows, but entire genres or streaming platforms that are tailored to the user's interests.
AI-powered audio improvements would also have a significant impact. The QN90D already features Adaptive Sound+, which adapts the sound to the content, but future iterations could expand on this even further and create an even more immersive spatial sound experience.
Additionally, an improved “Voice Clarity Mode,” capable of isolating dialogue even in noisy environments, would ensure clear, intelligible audio for everything from movies to news broadcasts. These advances would make the QN90F series not only a visual powerhouse but also an all-round sensory experience.
Samsung QN90 Series Mini LED TVs: Hardware Upgrades
Don't get us wrong, the Samsung QN90D's hardware is already impressive: the mini-LED backlight offers deep contrast and vibrant brightness.
However, there is always room for improvement, especially as competition pushes the boundaries of display technology and the 2025 QN90F series could further refine mini-LED dimming zone control.
By increasing the number of dimming zones and improving the precision of local dimming algorithms, Samsung has been able to virtually eliminate blooming and deliver near-perfect black levels that rival OLED in terms of contrast performance. This would improve the overall cinematic experience, especially in dark scenes where details and contrast matter.
Brightness has long been a strength of Samsung's Mini LED TVs, but the 2025 QN90F series could go a step further and achieve even higher peak brightness levels. Rival models from Sony, TCL and Hisense have made significant strides in HDR brightness, and Samsung needs to stay ahead in this area to maintain its lead.
Increased brightness would not only highlight HDR content, but also improve performance in well-lit environments and ensure vivid images in all lighting conditions. Combined with Samsung's Quantum Dot technology, this improvement would cement the QN90F series as the top choice for stunning image quality.
One of the QN90D's most noticeable drawbacks is its limited off-axis viewing performance. While Mini-LED provides excellent brightness and contrast from the front, colors and contrast decrease when viewed from an angle.
For the 2025 QN90F series, Samsung could introduce advanced off-axis viewing technology to address this issue. A possible solution could be the use of special anti-reflective coatings or new panel designs that maintain color accuracy and contrast at wider angles.
Finally, Dolby Vision support remains one of the most requested features among Samsung TV users. The QN90D's reliance on HDR10+ represents a limitation when competing brands offer both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, which has become the standard for streaming services and 4K Blu-ray content.
- The best TV chosen by our reviewers for every budget
- The best OLED TVs: stunning sets from LG, Sony and Samsung
- The best Samsung TV: our top picks for Samsung QLED, Neo QLED and 8K