What makes the perfect television? There is no textbook definition, but it all depends on the audio and picture quality, and how seamlessly they blend. Moreover, a good TV needs an additional layer of features and capabilities, like smart functionality, to make it a great one. Today, there is no shortage of good and affordable smart TVs. However, there are only a few that truly stand out from the crowd, and one such product is the Samsung Neo QLED 4K Smart TV (QN90C). I have been using the 50-inch variant of the Neo QLED 4K Smart TV (QN90C), priced at a whopping Rs. 131,990. Is it worth the high price tag? Can it outshine its competitors? Let's delve deeper to find out. Design and build quality The moment I unboxed the Neo QLED 4K smart TV, I was mesmerised by the attention to detail when it came to quality. Also, this is one of the heaviest smart TVs that I have tested so far - it weighs 13.6kgs without the stand which itself is about 4.1kgs and is made using a single block of aluminium. The stand adds a bit of elegance to the smart TV. Each aspect of the Smart TV is designed thoughtfully and feels ultra-premium. Right from the construction with a bezel-less design to the metal frame, the TV has a striking appearance. I particularly liked that it came along with a modular power cable. On top of that, the I/O panel on the back is quite accessible, making it easy to connect/disconnect gaming consoles and other accessories. Smart and eco-friendly remote The remote that comes with the Neo QLED 4K in my opinion deserves as much attention as the TV itself. Mind you, this is no ordinary remote, despite looking like one. For starters, it has hotkeys for all the major OTT platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, and Hotstar, and on top of that, I also liked the switch-like implementation for the volume buttons. This remote does not take your typical AA/AAA batteries, instead, it has a built-in battery, just like most modern electronic gadgets, and a USB Type-C port for charging it, which I did not use, not even once, as the remote also has a tiny solar panel, and all you need to keep the remote up and running is to keep it upside down in a well-lit environment. Audio quality The 50-inch Neo QLED 4K smart TV ships with a 40W speaker, while the bigger models have a 60W setup. Despite the slightly smaller speaker system, this TV offers superb audio output, and the Dolby Atmos makes it even more special. And in the Amplify mode, it gets pretty loud, in fact, even at 35 per cent volume it offers expansive sound. With a single click, one can switch to an external speaker system, powered by optical audio. If you are looking for a smart TV with a capable built-in speaker setup, then the Neo QLED 4K Smart TV is definitely something that you can consider. Picture quality This television has a 50-inch 4K display, which can offer up to 144Hz refresh rate (Motion Xcelerator Turbo Pro) when paired with a capable PC. As the name suggests, this is a QLED panel that offers excellent colour reproduction, a higher brightness level, and a great contrast ratio. While watching the newly released movie ‘Mark Antony’ on Prime Video, I noticed that the colours were slightly on the saturated side, which accentuates reds and greens. This was because of the fact that the picture mode was said to be dynamic mode. Setting it to Eco or Filmmaker mode does render more true-to-life-like colours. I also happened to notice the fact that, despite being a non-OLED panel, the Neo QLED 4K Smart TV renders almost pitch-black contrast in darker scenes. However, this also makes the whole screen a bit dim for a moment due to the backlight control. While I did not game on this TV, it does come with an HDMI 2.1 port and can offer high-refresh-rate 4K gaming on Xbox Series X and the Sony PS5 without any issue, and on PC, it can offer up to 4K resolution and 144Hz refresh rate experience. Software experience Unlike most modern smart TVs, the Neo QLED 4K smart TV runs on TizenOS and comes with almost all the major OTT platforms. However, it still does not have as many apps and games support as Google's Android TV OS. The home page UI also looks a bit dated with non-uniform design elements, especially when compared to Android TV OS and FireTV OS and it also displays large banner ads, which does slightly hamper the overall experience of the product. Barring these shortcomings, the TizenOS grew on me as I continued to use this TV. The Samsung Neo QLED 4K smart TV boots much quicker than any smart TV that I have tried, and it is powered by the Neural Quantum Processor 4K. I do not have a cable TV/DTH connection at my home, however, with the built-in Samsung TV Plus, I was able to access many live TV channels for free. I also have to mention the fact that Apple AirPlay 2 works seamlessly with the Neo QLED 4K Smart TV, and I was able to mirror my iPhone 12 Pro in just a couple of seconds, the same also goes if you have a Samsung phone, where, I was able to connect my Galaxy S23 Ultra in the wireless Dex mode, which turns this TV into a big computer and with just a mouse and a keyboard, this TV turns into a full-fledged Android power PC and can access my favourite apps like Instagram on a large screen. Verdict: A perfect package The Samsung Neo QLED 4K smart TV does an excellent job of being a good television. On top of that, with its premium build and design, it also has an edge over the competition. This well-optimised smart TV, despite its slightly higher price tag (similar to some of the OLED 4K TVs) is clearly one of the best smart TVs to consider this year with almost zero compromises.
