Samsung is still finding ways to improve its already excellent Neo QLED smart TVs and the 2022 model has certainly delivered an enhanced and improved entertainment experience.
Tech Guide spent time with the 75-inch Neo QLED 8K smart TV (QA75QN900BWXXY) and was dazzled by the new features and quality.
Just on the TV size, 75-inch seems to be the new standard size for Australian customers who are on the hunt for a new TV.
And what this new Samsung TV shows, thanks to its Infinity Display with edge-to-edge picture and no bezel, is that a 75-inch TV is physically no larger than your older 65-inch TV which had larger bezels.
So there should be no concern that a 75-inch TV is too big – it will take up the same space as your old 65-inch TV – you’ll just have more picture to enjoy.
The design of the Samsung TV is really slick thanks to that Infinity Display, but it’s also quite thin at 15mm.
But that is still enough room to fit speakers around the top and left and right edges of the TV. These come into play in a couple of ways.
The first is with Object Tracking Sound Pro which directs the sound based on the movement of objects on the screen.
The second is with Q Symphony which can synchronise the sound from the TV and the connected soundbar to deliver up to 22 channels of sound. More about that later.
The Samsung TV includes the Slim One Connect box that can be either attached to the back of the TV on the stand or below in your entertainment unit beside your other sources.
Either way, this really helps to reduce cable clutter.
When it comes to picture quality, Samsung has once again knocked it out of the park.
This new model with the Neo Quantum Processor has introduced new Shape Adaptive Light technology which can analyse lines and shapes and control the shape of light from the Quantum Mini LED backlight system.
The two-fold benefit of this is maximum brightness and contrast while also improving the accuracy and sharpness of objects on the screen.
Spider Man: Far From Home
Things like patterns on clothing and the clarity around people and objects are clearly enhanced.
We watched Spiderman: Far From Home on Netflix in 4K and you can make out the check patterns in Peter Parker’s shirt clearly along with the outline of his friend’s hat which stands out from the background.
A great example of seeing added detail can be seen in the film Kong vs Godzilla with the detail in Kong’s fur and the differences in texture around his face.
HDR (high dynamic range) also goes to another level with the new Samsung TV thanks to the enhanced 14-bit HDR processing which quadruples the Neo QLED grayscale levels compared to last year’s model.
The result he’s even better black levels and contrast and the ability to make out even more detail where you thought there was nothing before.
A great example of this is in the film 1917 in the scene featuring Colin Firth set in a semi dark chamber before the young soldiers set out on their mission.
You can see even more detail in his uniform as well as making out more background detail and even more detail in the uniforms of the officers standing behind him.
The contrast helps objects stand out on the screen and makes you appreciate the more subtle colour variations.
Skin tones were also on point and other colours look quite natural.
But another new feature that makes you look further into the picture is the Real Depth Enhancer.
This is achieved with a multi-intelligence algorithm that can process an object on the screen separately to the background to create that sense of depth.
Even movies we knew well were noticeably different with this feature.
In the scene from Star Wars where R2D2 and C3P0 have just crashed landed on Tatooine, this new depth enhancer stitches them out in the foreground quite clearly from the sand dunes behind them.
Same thing for the ship in the Tom Cruise film Oblivion which does dominate the foreground quite sharply with the sky and clouds see seemingly even further in the background.
Now this is an 8K TV and the only downside is there is just not a lot of 8K content around and unlikely to be for some time.
But it does futureproof your purchase for when an abundance of 8K content will eventually become available.
Sound plays a major part in the entertainment experience and the Samsung TV on its own does a great job with Object Tracking Sound Pro and the built-in Dolby Atmos which creates a virtual surround sound as well as directional sound thanks to the speakers built around the TV’s screen.
But for our viewing the TV was connected to the Samsung Q990B 11.1.4 channel soundbar which took things to another level.
What we particularly loved was the Q Symphony feature which utilises all the speakers aboard the soundbar and the subwoofer and rear speakers but combines them with the surprisingly high-quality speakers built into the television.
This just created a sphere of sound that increased our enjoyment and appreciation of the movie we were watching.
Watching the opening scene of the original Star Wars film, we heard the smaller ship zoom by but felt the enormity of the star destroyer as it rumbled above our heads.
Another favourite surround sound scene from Master and Commander starring Russell Crowe when the British ship is fired upon. Every speaker in the system engaged so well we felt like we needed to duck for cover.
The scene in Oblivion when Tom Cruise’s character is lured to the remnants of the New York Public Library and then attacked from all sides was also stunningly handled by the Samsung TV and Samsung soundbar.
It wouldn’t be a smart TV without a smart operating system and the new dashboard makes it even easier to get around and quickly find something to watch.
It’s also easy to rearrange your most used apps into your preferred order which then adjusts the recommendations below it so you can get to your content even faster or pick up where you left off in a series.
The Samsung 75-inch QN900B Neo QLED 8K Smart TV is priced at $8,999 but the new features we’ve described are also available in the 75-inch 4K Neo QLED TV which is less than $5000. The Samsung Q990B sound bar is priced at $1995.
VERDICT
The Samsung 2022 Neo QLED Smart TVs are simply stunning in both picture quality and audio quality which are combined to provide a true cinema like experience in your home. Samsung has still managed to make improvements to an already excellent TV with features to make your content look and sound better than ever before.