If you prioritize the best overall picture quality and excellent performance for movies, sports, and gaming, especially in dark rooms, the Samsung S90C OLED is a great choice. However, it's not as bright as an LCD and may not be the best option for very sunny rooms.
On the other hand, if you are looking for a TV that performs better in bright rooms and are willing to sacrifice a bit of picture quality and viewing angle, the Samsung QN90A LCD could suit your needs. It has a higher brightness which makes it more suitable for bright environments. Both TVs are similarly priced, so the decision should be based on the viewing conditions and content preferences. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Samsung QN90A (LCD)
Best in class for bright room
Advantages of the Samsung S90C (OLED)
Excellent for dark room
Best in class for gaming
Excellent for movies & TV
Very good for sports
Excellent for news, talk, & other TV
Excellent for cartoons & animation
Excellent for use as monitor
Best in class viewing angle
Best in class reflections
Key differences
Picture Quality
8.1/10
9.4/10
7.00/10
CONTRAST
10.00/10
8.2/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
9.2/10
miniLED FALD
PANEL TYPE
RGB OLED
VA
PANEL SUB-TYPE
QD-OLED
The Samsung S90C (OLED) has excellent picture quality, while the Samsung QN90A (LCD) has very good picture quality.
Movies & TV
8.0/10
9.4/10
7.00/10
CONTRAST
10.00/10
7.0/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
10.0/10
8.0/10
UPSCALING
8.0/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
HDR10+ SUPPORT
Yes
No
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
No
The Samsung S90C (OLED) is excellent for movies & TV, while the Samsung QN90A (LCD) is very good.
The Samsung S90C (OLED) offers exceptional contrast, perfect black uniformity, and wide viewing angles, making it excellent for movies and cinematic TV due to its OLED screen that provides deeper blacks and more vibrant colors. On the other hand, the Samsung QN90A (LCD) also delivers very good performance with strong local dimming capabilities and great color accuracy out of the box, but its LCD technology can't achieve the same perfect blacks and viewing angles as the Samsung S90C.
Sports
7.0/10
8.7/10
8.0/10
MOTION PROCESSING
8.2/10
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
10.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
10.0/10
8.0/10
UPSCALING
8.0/10
9.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.8/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
The Samsung S90C (OLED) is very good for sports, while the Samsung QN90A (LCD) is good.
The Samsung QN90A has a very good response time and excellent motion processing which make it suitable for watching sports, handle reflections well, and a relatively wide viewing angle, though it might not be as uniform in displaying grays across the screen. In contrast, the Samsung S90C boasts the best response time and motion processing, superior reflection handling, and viewing angles, coupled with better gray uniformity, making it the superior TV for a diverse array of sports viewing situations.
Gaming
8.3/10
10.0/10
8.3/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
10.0/10
10.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
10.0/10
8.0/10
MOTION PROCESSING
8.2/10
70.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
100.0/100
9.3/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.4/10
The Samsung S90C (OLED) is best in class for gaming, while the Samsung QN90A (LCD) is very good.
The Samsung S90C OLED TV has a higher refresh rate favoring smoother gameplay and both TVs have low input lag and fast response times, but the S90C edges out with the best scores in these categories, making it superior for gaming. The QN90A LCD TV still offers very good gaming performance with low input lag and a fast response time at a lower price point.
Cartoons & Animation
8.8/10
9.3/10
7.8/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
9.2/10
8.2/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
9.2/10
9.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.8/10
9.5/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
8.8/10
6.4/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
9.8/10
The Samsung S90C (OLED) is excellent for cartoons & animation, while the Samsung QN90A (LCD) is very good.
The Samsung S90C (OLED) is considered excellent for watching cartoons and animation mainly because it offers perfect black levels, which means darker scenes will look very good, and colors that pop due to its wide color gamut and volume, ensuring vibrant and varied colors. On the other hand, the Samsung QN90A (LCD), while still very good for animation, may not match the S90C in terms of color depth and perfect blacks, even though it still delivers a strong color gamut and good brightness that holds up well in bright rooms.
Bright Room
9.7/10
8.5/10
6.5/10
VIEWING ANGLE
10.0/10
9.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.8/10
9.3/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.0/10
9.0/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
10.0/10
The Samsung QN90A (LCD) is best in class for bright room, while the Samsung S90C (OLED) is very good.
The Samsung QN90A (LCD) has excellent SDR and HDR brightness, which alongside its great handling of reflections, makes it suitable for bright rooms. In contrast, the Samsung S90C (OLED) also handles reflections very well but has slightly lower brightness, which could make it less optimal than the QN90A in very bright environments.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Samsung S90C (OLED) to be excellent for news, talk, & other TV, while the Samsung QN90A (LCD) is very good.
The Samsung QN90A LCD TV is valued for its excellent SDR brightness, making it very suitable for watching news and TV programs in bright rooms, coupled with top-tier upscaling ensuring good picture quality even from lower resolution sources. The Samsung S90C OLED TV excels in these viewing scenarios due to its superior contrast, resulting in crisp images, and its excellent color gamut which offers vibrant and accurate colors right out of the box.
Cost
$1,239
$1,250
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
$2,000
The Samsung QN90A (LCD) has a price of $1,239 and the Samsung S90C (OLED) costs $1,250.
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How the Samsung QN90A (LCD) and the Samsung S90C (OLED) compare to other TVs
"Samsung S90C is the company's attempt at making its QD-OLED technology more affordable. You get high-end pictures, great processing, top gaming tech, and a sharp design."
Get a great deal on the Samsung QN90A (LCD) or the Samsung S90C (OLED)
About Samsung
Samsung, a South Korean electronics manufacturer, holds the title of being the largest global TV vendor in terms of units sold. They offer a diverse lineup of TV products that cater to various budget ranges. A notable achievement in recent years is the development of Quantum Dots, a technology that enhances color reproduction, resulting in richer and more vibrant hues. Samsung TVs are well-regarded for their high manufacturing quality and user-friendly software, making them an excellent choice for consumers seeking an intuitive viewing experience.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec TVs team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest TV information and makes it digestible for you.
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About the TV team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and TVs Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Jaime Roldán
TVs Expert
Jaime is a Colombia-based TV expert. He is an electronics engineer with 8 years of experience in the telecom sector and has been making TV recommendations for 12 years.