The Samsung QN900C Neo QLED 8K TV promises to be the best of what Samsung’s Mini LED TV lineup has to offer for 2023. It pairs the performance upgrades with a sophisticated design and 7680 x 4320 pixel resolution, making for a premium viewing experience on large screen. sizes.
Just how big? The Samsung QN900C Neo QLED 8K TV comes in a 98-inch configuration, a size we’ve only seen for last year’s Samsung QN100B Neo QLED TV.
We went hands-on with the QN900C just ahead of Samsung announcing the set’s price and availability. You can find that information below, as well as our first impressions and initial testing data of what could be the best 8K TV of the year.
Samsung QN900C Neo QLED 8K TV price and availability
The Samsung QN900C Neo QLED 8K TV is available through retailers starting in February 2023 for the 75-inch and 65-inch configurations. Samsung hasn’t yet announced availability for the 98-inch size.
The 75-inch configuration we tested costs $6,299, which is about $2,000 more than the same size of the Samsung QN95C Neo QLED TV, the company’s top 4K Mini LED TV this year.
Samsung QN900C Neo QLED 8K TV design
The QN900C looks like a hybrid of other Samsung 2023 TVs at a glance. While it mostly looks like the company’s 4K Mini LED TVs, with sleek finishes and seemingly bezel-free design, it uses the One Connect box found on the Samsung S95C OLED TV.
We also saw the One Connect box on last year’s QN95B Neo QLED TV, but now it’s reserved for Samsung OLED and 8K QLED models. The One Connect box basically offloads the ports into a detachable box that helps with cable management. If you were to wall mount the TV, the box is tucked into a console or other location that’s more convenient for port access.
Speaking of ports, the Samsung QN900C Neo QLED 8K TV has 4 HDMI 2.1 inputs, supporting features like variable refresh rate (VRR), auto low latency mode (AALM), and an enhanced audio return channel (eARC) for your soundbar.
Samsung QN900C Neo QLED 8K TV performance
Samsung promises some performance improvements for the Samsung QN900C Neo QLED TV that should upgrade it from last year’s QN900B model. For one, it gets a huge upgrade to local dimming zones, jumping from 36 areas of control up to 1,000. This should allow for better contrast controls and limit the potential for picture blooming.
From what we’ve seen, the precision and picture quality is pretty surreal. We noticed plenty of refinement, even in scenes with a lot of contrasting colours. Plus, off-angle viewing is top-notch.
But brightness is what really stands out about the QN900C. In our first round of lab tests, the set measured a peak brightness of 2433.6 nits in a 10% window, which blows away the brightness scores of pretty much any other TV we’ve had on the bench.
- Input lag: 9.6ms
- Delta-E (accuracy): 2.87
- Rec. 709 color coverage: 99.1%
- Peak brightness: 2433.6 nits
Although there’s still not an abundance of 8K content out there, this TV is powered by the Neural Quantum Processor 8K, which should upscale content to 8K quality. That said, we think the scale is best appreciated on larger screens. We’re inclined to recommend a 75-inch 8K TV over a 65-inch TV model.
As for sound quality, the Samsung QN900C has Q Symphony 3.0, an update to the feature that combines the TV’s native speakers with a soundbar. New neural networks are used to determine what kind of enhancements are needed from the soundbar, so you should get a more sophisticated soundscape overall.
Samsung QN900C Neo QLED 8K TV outlook
If you have your heart set on a new 8K TV, the Samsung QN900C Neo QLED 8K TV will be a tough one to beat. The high price certainly puts it out of range for some customers, but the premium performance could be worth it for upgrading your current entertainment set up.
We’ll need to spend and extended period of time testing the TV before assigning a star rating and official recommendation, so stay tuned.