Design
Curved No
The Samsung QN65S90DAFXZA looks and feels like a premium TV. It's heavy and sturdy and held in place well by its small metallic stand. The TV is thin and feels modern and classy.
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Design
Uniformity Pictures N/A
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LEARN ABOUT ACCELERATED LONGEVITY TEST
Design
The stand is small but is solidly built from metal. It holds the TV very well and lifts the screen about 3.35 inches above the table, so almost any soundbar fits in front of it without blocking the screen.
Footprint of the 65-inch stand: 14.37" x 10.51"
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Design
Wall Mount VESA 300x200
The back of the Samsung S90D/S90DD is the same as the Samsung S90C OLED but with a matte finish. The central panel housing the inputs is made of smooth plastic, with included covers and clips that you can use to help with cable management. Like most TVs, the inputs are hard to reach if you have it wall-mounted with a fixed mount.
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Design
Borders 0.28" (0.7 cm)
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Design
Max Thickness 1.61" (4.1 cm)
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7.5 Design
The Samsung S90D has good build quality overall. There's some wobble on the stand when the TV is pushed forward or backward, but it quickly settles and won't cause any problems. There is a bit of flexing on the plastic central housing on the back, but this is normal and isn't concerning.
What's more concerning is the misaligned HDMI ports on our unit that makes two of the HDMI ports unusable. Our panel is also slightly bent and bows outwards in the center, although it's hard to notice when watching the TV head-on. These issues are likely isolated to our unit, but it's a knock against the TV if these issues with build quality are more widespread.
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10 Picture Quality
Contrast
Native Contrast
The Samsung S90D/S90DD OLED has remarkable contrast and a nearly infinite contrast ratio. Due to OLED's self-lit pixels, the TV can display bright highlights next to perfect inky blacks, making it very impressive in a dark room.
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LEARN ABOUT CONTRAST
10 Picture Quality
Since OLEDs don't use local dimming and instead have individual pixels that can be lit up to their maximum brightness next to pixels that are turned off, there's no blooming when bright elements are surrounded by deep blacks.
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10 Picture Quality
Local Dimming
Backlight
Dimming Zones Count Of Tested TV
The Samsung S90D/S90DD is an OLED and doesn't have a backlight, so its self-lit pixels give it the same performance as a TV with perfect local dimming and no zone transitions. We still film the zone transition video on the TV so you can see how it compares to a TV with local dimming.
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9.5 Picture Quality
Although Game Mode slightly over-brightens the image, there's no other difference in dark scene behavior between the calibrated picture modes and when the TV is set in Game Mode.
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8.7 Picture Quality
Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)
Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)
Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)
Peak 2% Window
Peak 10% Window
Peak 25% Window
Peak 50% Window
Peak 100% Window
Sustained 2% Window
Sustained 10% Window
Sustained 25% Window
Sustained 50% Window
Sustained 100% Window
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
The Samsung S90D/S90DD has excellent HDR brightness. It gets bright enough for highlights to really stand out and delivers an impactful HDR experience. Unfortunately, large bright scenes are significantly dimmer than smaller specular highlights due to the TV's aggressive Automatic Brightness Limiter (ABL).
The TV's Automatic Static Brightness Limiter (ASBL) is surprisingly aggressive with the sustained 10% window, so small bright highlights are dimmed considerably when they're on screen for more than a few minutes. This behavior is not noticeable with real content.
These measurements are after calibrating the HDR white point with the following settings:
- Picture Mode: Filmmaker
- Brightness: 50 (Max)
- Contrast: 50 (Max)
- Contrast Enhancer: Off
- HDR Tone Mapping: Static
- Color Tone: Warm2
- Color Space Settings: Auto
- Peak Brightness: High
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LEARN ABOUT HDR BRIGHTNESS
8.6 Picture Quality
Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)
Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)
Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)
Peak 2% Window
Peak 10% Window
Peak 25% Window
Peak 50% Window
Peak 100% Window
Sustained 2% Window
Sustained 10% Window
Sustained 25% Window
Sustained 50% Window
Sustained 100% Window
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
The Samsung S90D/S90DD has excellent HDR brightness in Game Mode. It slightly over-brightens the image, which makes it brighter and more vibrant overall, but it isn't as accurate.
These measurements are after calibrating the HDR white point with the following settings:
- HDR Picture Mode: Game Mode
- Game HDR: Basic
- Brightness: 50 (Max)
- Contrast: 50 (Max)
- Contrast Enhancer: Off
- HDR Tone Mapping: Static
- Color Tone: Warm2
- Color Space Settings: Auto
- Peak Brightness: High
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9.1 Picture Quality
600 Nit Tracking Delta
1000 Nit Tracking Delta
4000 Nit Tracking Delta
The Samsung S90D has fantastic PQ EOTF tracking, so content is mostly displayed at the correct brightness level. Darker shadows and midtones are a bit brighter than intended by the content creator, but the TV follows the curve closely until it reaches the TV's maximum brightness. With content mastered in 600 or 1000 nits, there is a very slight roll-off to preserve some detail in highlights. With content mastered at 4000 nits, there is a more gradual roll-off to preserve detail in very bright highlights.
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LEARN ABOUT PQ EOTF TRACKING
7.6 Picture Quality
Real Scene Peak Brightness
Peak 2% Window
Peak 10% Window
Peak 25% Window
Peak 50% Window
Peak 100% Window
Sustained 2% Window
Sustained 10% Window
Sustained 25% Window
Sustained 50% Window
Sustained 100% Window
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
The Samsung S90D/S90DD has good SDR peak brightness, and it's bright enough to overcome glare in a bright room. Unfortunately, the panel's brightness is dimmed considerably by its Automatic Brightness Limiter (ABL), so large bright scenes are significantly dimmed. It's the most distracting when watching sports like hockey with bright playing surfaces.
These measurements are after calibration with the following settings:
- Picture Mode: Movie
- Brightness: 50 (Max)
- Contrast: 45
- Gamma: 2.2
- Color: 25
- Peak Brightness: High
- Color Tone: Warm2
- Color Space: Auto
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LEARN ABOUT SDR BRIGHTNESS
9.4 Picture Quality
Wide Color Gamut
DCI P3 xy
DCI P3 uv
Rec 2020 xy
Rec 2020 uv
The TV has an exceptionally wide color gamut. It displays the full range of colors in the DCI-P3 color space that's often used in HDR content, and colors are very accurate overall. Its coverage of the wider Rec. 2020 color space that's increasing in popularity isn't as good, but it's still excellent, with only some highly saturated colors being off from what they should be.
New to Samsung TVs in 2024 is the 'Color Booster' feature. This setting oversaturates colors but does a surprisingly good job at maintaining accuracy within the DCI-P3 and Rec. 2020 color spaces. Colors are still more accurate with the setting turned off, but it works well if you want more saturated colors without losing too much accuracy.
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LEARN ABOUT COLOR GAMUT
9.2 Picture Quality
1,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage ITP
10,000 cd/m² Rec 2020 Coverage ITP
White Luminance
Red Luminance
Green Luminance
Blue Luminance
Cyan Luminance
Magenta Luminance
Yellow Luminance
The Samsung S90D/S90DD has fantastic color volume. The panel shows very bright colors well and gets very close to the same brightness as pure white. It also displays dark, saturated colors very well.
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LEARN ABOUT COLOR VOLUME
8.5 Picture Quality
White Balance dE
Color dE
Gamma
Color Temperature
Picture Mode
Color Temp Setting
Gamma Setting
The Samsung S90D has excellent pre-calibration SDR accuracy. Gamma is very close to the 2.2 target, but everything is a bit brighter than it's supposed to be, and the white balance is excellent, with blues being only slightly overrepresented. The color temperature is excellent and is only a bit cooler than our target of 6500K. Colors are very accurate across the board, but cyans do lean towards blue.
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LEARN ABOUT PRE CALIBRATION
9.6 Picture Quality
White Balance dE
Color dE
Gamma
Color Temperature
White Balance Calibration
Color Calibration
After calibration, the Samsung S90D/S90DD has exceptional accuracy. White balance, color temperature, and color accuracy have no noticeable issues. Gamma is almost perfect, but very dark scenes are still displayed a bit brighter than intended.
You can see our full calibration settings here.
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LEARN ABOUT POST CALIBRATION
8.9 Picture Quality
50% Std. Dev.
50% DSE
5% Std. Dev.
5% DSE
The Samsung S90D/S90DD has amazing gray uniformity. If you look closely, there is some minor vignetting in the corners and very faint vertical lines on the panel, but these aren't noticeable from a normal viewing distance.
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LEARN ABOUT GRAY UNIFORMITY
10 Picture Quality
Std. Dev.
Native Std. Dev.
Because OLEDs can turn off individual pixels, the TV has incredible black uniformity with no blooming or halo effect around bright objects.
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LEARN ABOUT BLACK UNIFORMITY
10 Picture Quality
Color Washout
Color Shift
Brightness Loss
Black Level Raise
Gamma Shift
The Samsung S90D has an incredibly wide viewing angle that remains consistent from almost any angle, so it's an excellent choice for watching TV in a group setting.
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LEARN ABOUT VIEWING ANGLE
9.5 Picture Quality
Screen Finish
Total Reflections
Indirect Reflections
Calculated Direct Reflections
The TV has exceptional reflection handling. Its glossy screen finish significantly reduces the intensity of direct reflections and does an excellent job at reducing the intensity of indirect reflections. However, due to the lack of a polarizer, the TV has a pink tint to it when exposed to light.
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LEARN ABOUT REFLECTIONS
9.8 Picture Quality
100% Black to 50% Gray 10
50% Gray to 100% White 10
100% Black to 50% Red 10
50% Red to 100% Red 10
100% Black to 50% Green 8.0
50% Green to 100% Green 10
100% Black to 50% Blue 10
50% Blue to 100% Blue 10
The Samsung S90D/S90DD has exceptional HDR native gradient handling. There is no banding in any colors except dark greens, and even then, it's barely noticeable unless you specifically look for it.
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LEARN ABOUT HDR NATIVE GRADIENT
7.3 Picture Quality
Smoothing 7.0
Detail Preservation 8.0
The TV's low-quality content smoothing is decent. It does a very good job at preserving detail, but there is still noticeable macro blocking in dark scenes.
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8.0 Picture Quality
The Samsung S90D/S90DD does a very good job at upscaling low-resolution content like DVDs or lower resolution streams. Details are clear enough, but small hard-coded text is hard to make out.
Sharpness processing was calibrated with no over-sharpening for low-resolution content, with the following settings:
- Sharpness: 5
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LEARN ABOUT UPSCALING: SHARPNESS PROCESSING
Picture Quality
Subpixel Layout
Type OLED
Sub-Type
The Samsung S90D (QD-OLED) uses a unique subpixel structure. Instead of having all three subpixels in a row, each pixel forms a triangle, with the larger green subpixel at the top. This leads to color fringing, which is noticeable when displaying any content with horizontal lines, and it's especially bad when you use the TV as a PC monitor. For example, on a bright window on a Windows PC, you might notice a green fringe at the top since that's where the green subpixel is.
Similarly, you can notice a purple fringe at the bottom of bright windows, as that's where the red and blue subpixels are. Furthermore, with this subpixel arrangement, text has just okay clarity on a PC, as Windows ClearType settings aren't designed for this subpixel structure and can't correct for it.
In North America, the 42-inch, 48-inch, and 83-inch sizes use a WOLED panel, which has a different subpixel structure than the other sizes of this TV. Internationally, the type of panel used varies by size and region. You can find more information on this here.
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9.9 Motion
80% Response Time
100% Response Time
The Samsung S90D has a nearly-instantaneous response time, which results in incredibly clear motion with almost no blur behind fast-moving objects. Due to the sample-and-hold nature of OLED technology, there's still some noticeable persistence blur when gaming at 60Hz, but it's hardly noticeable at higher refresh rates.
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LEARN ABOUT RESPONSE TIME
10 Motion
Flicker-Free
PWM Dimming Frequency
This TV isn't technically flicker-free, as a small decrease in brightness corresponds with the display's refresh cycle. This is very different from pulse width modulation flicker (PWM) on TVs with LED backlights, and it's not noticeable.
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LEARN ABOUT FLICKER-FREE
Motion
Optional BFI
Min Flicker For 60 fps
60Hz For 60 fps
120Hz For 120 fps
Min Flicker for 60 fps in Game Mode
The TV has an optional black frame insertion feature (BFI) that reduces the appearance of persistence blur caused by the TV's nearly instantaneous response time. It can only insert black frames at a 60Hz refresh rate.
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LEARN ABOUT BLACK FRAME INSERTION (BFI)
Motion
Motion Interpolation (30 fps)
Motion Interpolation (60 fps)
This TV has an optional motion interpolation feature to improve the clarity of motion. It does a good job at smoothing out slower scenes, but there are some noticeable artifacts present. In faster moving scenes, it can't keep up, and there are distracting artifacts and haloing.
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LEARN ABOUT MOTION INTERPOLATION
4.8 Motion
Frame Hold Time @ 24 fps
Frame Hold Time @ 60 fps
Unfortunately, due to the nearly instantaneous pixel response time of the TV, there's stutter with low frame rate content, which is most noticeable during slow panning shots.
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LEARN ABOUT STUTTER
10 Motion
Judder-Free 24p
Judder-Free 24p via 60p
Judder-Free 24p via 60i
Judder-Free 24p via Native Apps
The TV automatically removes judder from all sources when watching movies or shows that are in 24p, even if they're in a 60Hz signal, like from a cable box.
Unfortunately, if you're using the BFI feature, you have to enable 'Judder Reduction', which introduces motion interpolation.
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LEARN ABOUT 24P JUDDER
9.5 Motion
Native Refresh Rate
Variable Refresh Rate
HDMI Forum VRR
FreeSync
G-SYNC Compatible
4k VRR Maximum
4k VRR Minimum
1080p VRR Maximum
1080p VRR Minimum
1440p VRR Maximum
1440p VRR Minimum
VRR + Local Dimming No Local Dimming
The Samsung S90D/S90DD supports all three types of variable refresh rate (VRR) technology to reduce screen tearing. It works well across a wide refresh rate range and supports sources with Low-Frame-Compensation (LFC), which ensures your games remain nearly tear-free even when your framerate drops very low.
Unfortunately, there is an issue when using NVIDIA graphics cards that effects frame rates above 120 fps. The TV essentially duplicates parts at the bottom of the screen.
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LEARN ABOUT VARIABLE REFRESH RATE
9.7 Inputs
1080p @ 60Hz
1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
1080p @ 120Hz
1080p @ 144Hz
1440p @ 60Hz
1440p @ 120Hz
1440p @ 144Hz
4k @ 60Hz
4k @ 60Hz + 10-Bit HDR
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
4k @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
4k @ 60Hz With Interpolation
4k @ 120Hz
4k @ 144Hz
8k @ 60Hz
This TV has incredibly low input lag when set into Game Mode, which ensures a very responsive gaming experience with very little delay between your actions with your controller or mouse and the action on-screen.
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LEARN ABOUT INPUT LAG
9.6 Inputs
Resolution 4k
480p @ 59.94Hz (Widescreen)
720p @ 59.94Hz
1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
1080p @ 120Hz
1080p @ 144Hz
1440p @ 60Hz
1440p @ 120Hz
1440p @ 144Hz
4k @ 60Hz
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
4k @ 120Hz
4k @ 120Hz @ 4:4:4
4k @ 144Hz
8k @ 30Hz or 24Hz
8k @ 60Hz
The Samsung S90D supports most common resolutions up to 4k @ 144Hz. Chroma 4:4:4 signals are displayed properly with all supported resolutions when the TV's input label is set to 'PC', which is important for text clarity. Unfortunately, even though it can display chroma 4:4:4 properly, text from a PC isn't clear due to the unusual subpixel structure (see the Pixels section of the review for more on this issue).
Unfortunately, the TV has inconsistent issues with displaying 1440p. 1440p @ 60Hz works without issue, but when trying to display 1440p @ 120Hz and 1440p @ 144Hz with scaling disabled on both NVIDIA and AMD GPUs, the TV only displays a cropped window, so the TV isn't doing any upscaling. Strangely enough, this behavior is intermittent, and sometimes 1440p @ 120Hz and 1440p @ 144Hz work fine. There are also no issues with 1440p @ 120Hz when connected to a PS5 or Xbox Series X, which makes the issue even harder to identify.
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LEARN ABOUT SUPPORTED RESOLUTIONS
Inputs
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
4k @ 120Hz
1440p @ 120Hz
1080p @ 120Hz
HDR
VRR
The TV is fully compatible with everything the PS5 offers, like 1440p @ 120Hz and 4K @ 120Hz, as well as HDMI Forum VRR. It also supports Auto Low Latency Mode, so you don't have to worry about switching to Game Mode to get the lowest input lag.
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Inputs
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
4k @ 120Hz
1440p @ 120Hz
1080p @ 120Hz
HDR
VRR
The TV is fully compatible with almost everything the Xbox Series X|S offers, including 1440p @ 120Hz, 4k @ 120Hz, HDMI Forum VRR, and FreeSync Premium Pro. It also supports Auto Low Latency Mode, so you don't have to worry about switching to Game Mode to get the lowest input lag. Unfortunately, Dolby Vision isn't supported on the TV, so gaming in Dolby Vision isn't possible.
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Inputs
HDR10
HDR10+
Dolby Vision
HLG
HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwidth
HDMI 2.1 Class Bandwidth
CEC Yes
HDCP 2.2 Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)
ATSC Tuner
USB 3.0
Variable Analog Audio Out Yes
Wi-Fi Support Yes (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)
The Samsung S90D/S90DD supports the full 48Gbps bandwidth of HDMI 2.1 on all four HDMI ports. This allows you to take full advantage of multiple high-bandwidth devices, like if you own both current-gen consoles and a high-end gaming PC. Unfortunately, Samsung still doesn't support Dolby Vision and supports HDR10+ instead, which is similar but not as widely supported. The TV also has variable analog audio out, so you can change the volume of any plugged-in analog devices, like headphones, using the TV's remote.
Unlike the Samsung S90C OLED, the S90D doesn't support ATSC 3.0 for 4k over-the-air, as Samsung has dropped that feature on their 2024 4k models.
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Inputs
Two of the TV's HDMI 2.1 inputs face downwards and two face the sides. There's also a separate section for the headphone jack.
Our unit has a serious build quality issue around the inputs, so two of the HDMI ports were completely unusable.
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Inputs
HDMI 4
USB 2
Digital Optical Audio Out 1
Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 1
Analog Audio Out RCA 0
Component In 0
Composite In 0
Tuner (Cable/Ant) 1
Ethernet 1
DisplayPort 0
IR In 0
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Inputs
ARC/eARC Port
eARC: Dolby Atmos Over Dolby Digital Plus
eARC: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
eARC: LPCM 7.1 Over Dolby MAT
eARC: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
eARC: DTS:X Over DTS-HD MA
eARC: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
eARC: LPCM Channels (Bitstream)
ARC: Dolby Digital 5.1
ARC: DTS 5.1
Optical: Dolby Digital 5.1
Optical: DTS 5.1
This Samsung S90D supports many audio formats, including all Dolby Digital options. Unfortunately, it doesn't support DTS formats, which is disappointing, as many Blu-rays use DTS for their lossless audio tracks.
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7.4 Sound Quality
Low-Frequency Extension
Std. Dev. @ 70
Std. Dev. @ 80
Std. Dev. @ Max
Max
Dynamic Range Compression
The TV has a decent frequency response. It actually produces a bit of bass, the sound profile is very well balanced overall, and dialogue is clear. It still sounds pretty good at maximum volume, but the TV doesn't get very loud.
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LEARN ABOUT FREQUENCY RESPONSE
7.4 Sound Quality
Weighted THD @ 80
Weighted THD @ Max
IMD @ 80
IMD @ Max
The TV has satisfactory distortion performance. It doesn't get very loud, but there isn't very much distortion near or at max volume.
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LEARN ABOUT DISTORTION
8.5 Smart Features
Smart OS Tizen
Version 2024
Ease of Use
Smoothness
Time Taken to Select YouTube
Time Taken to Change Backlight
Advanced Options
The Samsung S90D/S90DD runs the 2024 version of the Tizen OS, and it's fast and easy to use. Unfortunately, there is a problem when switching the input label from 'PC' to anything else. The label will change but the TV is still stuck in 'PC', so you're limited to the features that are available in 'PC' mode. To fix this, you can hit the home button or turn the TV on/off.
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0 Smart Features
Ads
Opt-out
Suggested Content in Home
Opt-out of Suggested Content
Like most TVs on the market, there are ads throughout the interface of the TV, and although you can disable targeted ads, there's no option to disable them completely.
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LEARN ABOUT AD-FREE
8.5 Smart Features
App Selection
App Smoothness
Cast Capable
USB Drive Playback
USB Drive HDR Playback
HDR in Netflix
HDR in YouTube
The Samsung S90D/S90DD has a great selection of apps, so it's easy to find your favorite content. You can also cast content from your phone onto the TV or play videos from a USB stick.
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8.5 Smart Features
Size
Voice Control
CEC Menu Control
Other Smart Features
Remote App Samsung SmartThings
The remote is identical to the one included with the Samsung S90C OLED. It's slim, compact, has quick access buttons for the most popular streaming apps, and is easy to use. The remote has a built-in rechargeable battery with a solar panel on the back of the remote. You can also recharge it via USB-C if it dies unexpectedly.
The TV is compatible with the Bixby and Alexa voice assistants, and its remote has an integrated microphone for voice commands. You can use your voice to launch apps, switch inputs, ask for the weather and time, and adjust certain settings like the TV's brightness.
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Smart Features
A single button is located at bottom right of the TV. You can use it to power the TV on/off, change channels, adjust the volume, and switch inputs. You can control the TV hands-free with your voice using the TV's built-in microphone, but you can also turn the microphone off using a small switch located on the bottom right of the TV.
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Smart Features
- Power cable
- Remote control
- Plastic covers
- User guide
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Smart Features
Power Consumption 102 W
Power Consumption (Max) 231 W
Firmware 1059
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