Samsung QA65Q90R

Short of opting for the currently dubious benefits of 8K resolution in Samsung’s Q900R series, the Q90R is Samsung’s flagship QLED model until the new TV ranges arrive in April-May — and this final sales period is the time to make some remarkable potential savings (see our conclusions at the end).

‘QLED’ is an LED-LCD technology here the backlight is used to excite Quantum Dots, which then generate wavelengths of light that are more efficiently perceived by the human eye. This yields higher perceived brightness than standard LED-LCD (and, interesting to ponder, potentially better perceived brightness than measuring equipment will indicate).

This technology easily outcompetes OLED for brightness, but can’t deliver the finer graduations down in the blacks where OLED has perhaps its great merit. Which is why Samsung is racing to develop firstly a QD-enabled OLED type of display, which may reach production in 2021, and later a true front-emissive QD display, which will take longer, if ever achieved, though not for lack of investment — late last year Samsung announced an investment of a staggering US$11bn in QD development up to 2025 (see News p10).

But that’s all in the future. Until then, Samsung is