Knows your way around: a review of Samsung's 65-inch 8K Neo QLED QN900D AI TV

Imagine that your TV knows your individual picture preferences, which don't match your preset brightness, contrast or colour saturation settings. And it automatically changes them depending on whether you're watching football, a film or a comedy series. Sounds a bit fancy, but Samsung's new 2024 TVs with artificial intelligence do just that - constantly tweaking the picture to suit individual preferences, which are selected by the user using a very simple tool in the menu. Another technological highlight of this TV that I've been anticipating for a few years now is support for Bluetooh Auracats technology, which allows multiple pairs of TWS headphones to be connected to the TV at the same time. And that's a review of a 65-inch 8K TV Samsung Neo QLED QN900D with artificial intelligence.

Contents

• Conclusions for those who want to save time
• 7 top things about Samsung Neo QLED 8K QN900D TV
• Infinity Air design
• 8K picture
• How AI magic works
• Sound
• Gaming capabilities
• SmartThings smart home hub
• SolarCell remote
• Price match

Six reasons to buy an 8K-samsung Neo QLED QN900D

• Will remain high-tech for years to come
• Has the best set of technologies for watching sports
• "Charged" for gaming, like the best of gamer monitors
• Home screen and hub for other smart home devices
• You can always brag to your friends about another device with artificial intelligence

One reason not to buy Samsung Neo QLED QN900D 8K TV

• Your wallet doesn't match its ambitions

7 top 7 things about Samsung Neo QLED 8K QN900D TV

QN900D is the top series of Samsung TVs 2024 (older 900 series, D indicates 2024, the previous model, respectively, was QN900C). That is the direct top of modern technology and the youngest model of the series, with a diagonal 65 inches (there are also 75 and 85 inches - for those who are not at all stopped by the budget and the size of the room). Modern TV consists of many different technologies with their own names. All those who have a desire to deal with them, can refer to a separate text with explanations of what is responsible for what. The main thing to understand is that artificial intelligence neural networks have been responsible for processing images and sound for several years now. How neural networks are related to artificial intelligence and why it is actually the former, but we mostly use the latter term, is described in detail and not boringly on our website. And here the main difference of the TV is that it has increased both hardware and software capabilities to work with neural network.

1. This TV has a new processor NQ8 AI Gen3. This abbreviation stands for Neuro Quantum processor with artificial intelligence for TVs 8K 3rd generation. And it has significantly increased the number of NPU cores for neural network processing and the number of neural networks (now there are as many as 512).
2. This all allows it to do high-quality scaling to a resolution of 8K (7680x4320) and further improve the image and sound.
3. The software components are helped to create the image by miniature LEDs MiniLEDs, which provide black depth, bright colours and clear transitions between colours.
4. Of course, the TV has a new design concept called Infinity Air. In addition to thin panel frames, it is distinguished by a mirror-like surface of the stand. 
5. This TV can serve as a hub for a smart home and control SmartThings devices (support for the new unified standard Matter significantly expands the number of available devices, which will definitely be needed in the future).
6. A special pleasure will be enjoyed by everyone who likes to play video games on the big screen thanks to a special game mode, which, by the way, works automatically, is able to distinguish the genres of games and change the image settings accordingly.
7. In addition, this TV has a remote control SolarCell with a solar battery, which allows you to forget about replacing batteries and join the environmental protection. 

Infinity Air design

What you need to know about the design of the 8K Neo QLED QN900D? The main visual difference is the thin bezels (yes, they are "thinner" and "thinner" every year, but it's worth remembering) and the mirrored surface of the stand, which weighs just under 8kg. Thin design causes another interesting difference - the power supply along with all connectors is placed in a separate unit (Samsung calls it OneConnect). There is one 1.5 metre long cable for positioning on the wall (the main thing is not to forget to place a cable channel in the wall, I forgot when I was renovating, which I regret now). In this cable at once and power, and picture with sound, and the Internet - very convenient. It's also interesting that the stand is mounted without screws, and it's some kind of engineering work of art: to hold a 20+kg panel with only mechanical connections. Two screws are needed only to place the OneConnect on the back of the stand.

The side frame has an interesting texture, and the thickness of the frame around the image is only a couple of millimetres on the sides and twice as much on the top and bottom. The texture of the back panel is interesting - it feels like designer cardboard to the touch. Perhaps it is done specially taking into account the acoustic features.

Image in 8K

As in the case of smartphones, the main thing here is the processor. Its power affects the work of all the algorithms of sound and image enhancement. Samsung claims that NQ8 AI Gen3 is 30% more productive than its predecessor. And has a 2 times faster neural processor and 2.2 times faster graphics processor. The manufacturer also notes an increase in the power of neural networks (their number has increased by times). That's why this new generation of TVs can be referred to as AI TVs. 

In fact, everyone is now running around with AI like a written word, trying to catch the hype. But that's only because they're following in the footsteps of big companies like Samsung, which has declared 2024 the year of AI devices altogether. The difference from "seeming, not being" is that Samsung is purposefully and consistently integrating AI into all of its devices (including consumer devices) and linking everything into a single ecosystem of SmartThings, which creates a synergy effect if the user already has Samsung devices (e.g., a smartphone).

In fact, you should understand that any top TV of the last few years will show you quality image and sound. The debate over whether OLED or QLED is better has already reached the level of "Linux or Windows" or "Xbox or Playstation", so it's more a matter of personal preference or prejudice. It's just that Samsung has decided that its top series will be QLED, and that's why all of its most modern models come to market with this technology. And if you compare your old TV with the new products, you will in any case see the difference. It is much more difficult to understand what is the difference between a modern TV of 2024 and 2023. And now let's try to deal with it, because endless and boring texts about black depth, brightness in nits of white or colour gamut bored everyone a few years ago.

At first I tried to estimate how one of the main advantages of AI - scaling up to 8K - works. And watched different YouTube videos at different quality, in an attempt to understand the difference. There was a noticeable difference only if you watch the declared 8K video in HD quality, for FullHD and 4K the difference is not noticeable. And it's hard to understand whether it's due to the quality of the video, or due to quality scaling. And then I came across a video of a telefilm claimed to be 1080p (i.e. FullHD), but the image quality was at the HD level - that is, with artefacts that are clearly visible at 8K, and enlarged pixels. Most likely, it was an interpolation of the video made from the original HD quality, because I don't recall anything broadcasting TV channels in FullHD.

From this we can conclude that the quality of 8K scaling work strongly depends on the quality of the original video. And "honest" FullHD TV more or less qualitatively "overclocks" up to 8K, but with HD (720p) artificial intelligence lacks data from the image.

How AI magic works

Usually we adjust the image once and do not change it anymore, unless there are some special circumstances. All TV manufacturers offer different operating modes adapted for watching movies (in recent years they have added Filmmaker Mode, which allows you to use the settings of the film director, and the QN900D has it too, of course). But everyone's tastes and preferences are different, so there are various options for manual control of not only the standard brightness-contrast-colour saturation parameters. And also colour balance or different colour profiles (there are some here too). 

The magic of this TV's AI is not that it constantly makes the image extraordinary (it's still the same set of different settings and parameters), but that the algorithms understand what type of image you like.

Because you specify these preferences yourself using the menu (of course, if necessary, these settings can be reset and made again). The process looks like selecting one of the 4 image options offered, where you focus exactly on your own preferences and choose what you like best in terms of brightness, contrast, colour and hue. And you make choices for sports, cinema and more, which is labelled "Standard". Three simple steps that enable the very magic "Personalisation with AI" mode, for the sake of which this whole mess was brewed.

Where to configure the AI Personalisation Mode

If you want, you can train the AI even more precisely if you go through all the settings for each of the three modes (Standard, Sport, Cinema) separately. These settings can be found in the menu General Information and Privacy - Smart Mode Settings - AI Personalisation Mode Settings. And after these settings you can never use manual image correction at all. Experimentally, I've found that for movies I like slightly muted colours and contrast values better (and my settings are a bit out of sync with Cinema mode). And for sports, I like high brightness and contrast ratios. And after the AI settings, I don't need to change anything else, because the TV will automatically change the settings just the way I like them.

At this point, the inquisitive reader should ask: Wait a minute! What exactly does AI have to do with conventional algorithms? And there's a simple (though perhaps not very convincing in the moment) answer: but the TV needs to understand what type of content is on the screen right now in order to change the settings accordingly. And without pre-trained neural networks, there's simply no way around it. Therefore (I have already written about the question of why neural networks are called AI separately) it is quite fair to refer this whole process to the work of artificial intelligence. It is already working now, and in the future it will work even more interestingly, because this choice of own preferences resembles exactly the markup for neural networks, i.e. it is also an element of AI training. And if we add to it millions of users of such TV sets all over the world (the very Big Data, which is an integral part of AI), then we will get a real artificial intelligence in a TV set, the work of which we are trying to analyse.

It is also appropriate to recall how the development of AI in smartphones has looked in recent years. As you remember it all started with simple scene recognition (a kitten or a flower, food or an architectural object). And now we are already seeing generative AI that helps to process photos and make them better. And all this works on a smartphone much faster than Photoshop - in one click. And it works precisely because of neural networks and neural processor cores. It's the same with TVs - the industry is just at the beginning of using AI, but the start has already begun - here and now. The starting point is 2024. 

5 more important things to know about Samsung 8K Neo QLED QN900D

1. The TV can make fast moving objects clearer - sports viewers will appreciate this.
2. Continuously analyses the depth of the scene, recognises the image our eye is focusing on and optimises the LEDs to increase the contrast in the foreground.
3. Automatically upscales standard dynamic range video to HDR.
4. Uses useful and modern technology to reduce screen glare.
5. Expertly calibrated out of the box, certified by the VDE Institute in Germany

Sound

In addition to a full set of all the sound technologies available in Samsung TVs (some of them, of course, "improved", but how to check this progress, perhaps, no one knows) in the new TV has one feature, the appearance of which I personally have been waiting for a long time. It is support for Bluetooh Auracast technology, which allows you to connect an unlimited number of Bluetooth headphones (for example, to watch a film for parents when the child is asleep without the risk of waking him).

6 important things about the sound of Samsung 8K Neo QLED QN900D

1. The TV supports Dolby Atmos - a modern technology of surround sound.
2. Can track the movement of the sound source on the screen and change the balance of sound accordingly.
3. Distinguishes between background noise in the frame, voice and automatically increases the volume if the background noise appears not in the frame, but in the room where the TV is standing.
4. Analyses the acoustic characteristics of the room and what is happening in the frame and optimises the sound for better perception.
5. Supports 360 Audio technology, which allows you to experience surround sound with Samsung headphones.
6. Can work with a soundbar to enhance your viewing experience.

Gaming options

The big screen of modern TVs is not just about watching movies or series, but also about enjoying games. And here the QN900D TV gives you all the features of a gamer's monitor, only on a larger screen. The TV automatically recognises a PC or console connection and even the game genre (here, too, it does not do without educational AI neural networks). I also liked the 32:9 aspect ratio mode (it doesn't work in all games), which allows you to see what remains outside the standard frame. And the ability to highlight aiming (and choose its more convenient option) right in-game. It's really just a few crosshair views in the centre of the screen, but being able to replace what the game developers have created with something more convenient makes sense.

SmartTihgs Smart Home Hub

The desire to understand how artificial intelligence works in the TV has changed the focus a bit on the basic smart TV features. We've become so used to smart TVs and the video apps installed in them that we don't see them as anything out of the ordinary (although it wasn't like that just 10 years ago). Of course, the Samsung smart TV runs the Tizen operating system and contains, in addition to applications and a shop for them, also a module of the SmartThings ecosystem, which has great chances to become the largest in the world. You all probably know what the SmartThings app looks like on a smartphone. I have it looking like this (they recently added the ability to create room maps to it, which I've already taken advantage of). I wrote more about what I already have and what I am planning, as well as how I chose the ecosystem for my new flat and what I need to know about the smart home concept in 2024 a few days ago in a separate article.

And this is how it all looks like on a big screen TV. Which, of course, is more convenient. But the convenience is not only in this. For example, you can add a Ring smart call to your smart home and see who is calling right on the TV screen while watching a film, instead of reaching for your smartphone. You can see a month's worth of energy savings from the AI Energy mode of Samsung smart home devices. You can see a notification that the washing machine has finished its work and you need to move things to the dryer. And in the near future (a TV is actually bought for 7-10 years), automation scenarios will be added to all this with each new device connected to the ecosystem. Although some scenarios can be realised already today - not only Ring or Nest, but also Aquara, which is well-known among users in Ukraine, or Philips Hue light, already have SmartThings certification.

It is worth saying that the SmartThings hub is built into the TV, so it can control all the devices of the system. And it also has light and sound sensors, which can also be used for a smart home. For example, the sound sensor can read the barking of a pet dog and provide information to the owner so he or she can worry less (or more) about the animal. And also this system already supports the new Matter standard (and I already have the first Matter-enabled device ) that I have integrated into SmartThings. I'm sure I'll have more of these devices over time.

SolarCell remote

The remote hasn't changed, but it's so great that it's still worth mentioning. Adding a solar panel to the remote was precisely not an evolutionary but a revolutionary decision that radically changes the user experience, because the owner of such a TV doesn't have to worry about new batteries at all. Not that the batteries in the remote control should be changed often, but they have the ability to run out at the most inconvenient moment. And here they are simply not needed - just leave the remote control with the solar panel up. And even if the remote control discharges the built-in battery, it can always be charged with a standard USB-C cable, which today is full of everyone.

Price Matching and Neighbouring Models

The main thing to know about the pricing of the older models is that the price is not elastic. That is, increasing or decreasing it has no effect on sales. Nothing will stop a consumer who wants to buy the top model, and this applies not only to TVs - sales of smartphones in the maximum configurations comply with the same laws of the market and consumer behaviour. Taking into account 8K support, the competition to the TV Neo QLED 8K QN900D is only other Samsung 8K TVs (because even if you find another 8K TV, its technological capabilities will lose to the hero of the review). You can see their prices, diagonals and release years in the diagram below, Neo QLED 8K QN900D is at the intersection of red lines.

If you consider the situation in this context, you can clearly see the logical system - this is the most expensive 65" Samsung TV model, but there are more expensive models - neighbours with larger diagonals of 75 and 85 inches. And also TVs from last year with larger diagonals. Oddly enough, the 65-inch QN900D holds a good balance between price and features when compared to other 8K TVs. The diagram also allows us to understand the logic behind the price reduction - last year's models are highlighted in a different colour. For example, for the same money that QN900D 65" costs you can buy a 75" model of this year's QN800D series. Or the older 75" model from the previous year (QN900C). Or last year's 85-inch model of QN800C series.

Thus, the consumer always has room for manoeuvre - either to choose the golden mean, or to think in which direction to move - to increase the diagonal for the same money, but less technological capabilities. Or change the budget and get a larger diagonal (if you increase it) or a smaller set of technologies (if you reduce it). As you can see, there is no reason to call the price of the TV inappropriate, because outside of the Samsung lineup there is nothing to compare it with. And within these limits, the consumer has a wide enough range of choices. The only thing we can still pay attention to analyse is the price difference between the current and last year's models: it is different for different models. For example, the price difference between the 900 series TVs with diagonals of 85 and 75 inches is insignificant. And between 800-series TVs and for the 65-inch 900-series model, it is quite large compared to 2023 TVs. Which points to the emergence of elasticity and precise mathematical calculations in pricing to maximise profits. 

Well, and it's worth remembering that this seemingly large difference between the price of a 2024 and 2023 TV still includes a gift (usually a soundbar) that the first buyers of a new 2024 TV receive. Which at once makes this difference not so big and quite reasonable.

In general, taking into account all the technological (in some places - advanced) possibilities and the lack of competitors that would meet this technological level, the editorial staff of gg awards the Samsung 8K Neo QLED QN900D TV with our "we recommend" distinction.

For those who want to know more

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