Samsung Neo QLED 8K / 4K (2024 Models) Review

In the relentless pursuit of picture perfection, Samsung has once again raised the bar with its 2024 Neo QLED lineup, armed with a formidable new AI brain. These televisions are more than just displays; they are intelligent hubs designed to upscale, enhance, and perfect every frame you watch. This year, the conversation isn’t just about pixels, but about the powerful neural processing that brings them to life.

At the heart of the 2024 Neo QLED experience, particularly in the flagship 8K QN900D, is the NQ8 AI Gen3 processor. This is Samsung’s most powerful TV chip yet, and its impact is immediately noticeable. Its primary mission is AI-driven upscaling, and it performs this task with uncanny precision. Feeding it high-quality 4K content results in an image that possesses a sharpness and clarity that feels tantalizingly close to native 8K. The processor excels at defining edges, enhancing textures, and reducing noise without creating an artificial, over-processed look. The 4K models, like the QN90D, use the capable NQ4 AI Gen2 processor, which delivers similarly impressive upscaling for 1080p and lower-resolution sources, ensuring that everything from old classics to streaming shows looks its best. The Mini LED backlight technology, combined with Quantum Dots, continues to deliver searing peak brightness and a voluminous color palette, making HDR content an absolute spectacle. However, while the local dimming is vastly improved, it doesn’t quite escape the laws of physics; in demanding, high-contrast scenes, a subtle halo or bloom can occasionally be spotted around bright objects against a pure black background, a trade-off for its incredible brightness advantage over OLEDs.

From a design perspective, Samsung continues its masterclass in minimalism. The flagship models feature the “Infinity Air Design,” which uses razor-thin bezels and a clever stand to create an illusion of the screen floating in mid-air. Build quality is impeccable, with premium materials and a sturdy feel that befits its price tag. The real star of the show for anyone who despises cable clutter remains the attachable One Connect Box. This brilliant solution offloads all inputs—HDMI, USB, power—to a separate hub connected by a single, nearly invisible cable, allowing for an exceptionally clean and elegant installation whether on a stand or mounted to a wall.

On the feature front, the updated Tizen OS is faster and more intuitive, with a greater focus on personalized content discovery. While it’s feature-rich, the home screen can feel a bit busy, with a prominent number of ads and sponsored content that slightly cheapen the otherwise premium experience. For gamers, however, the Neo QLED is an undisputed champion. With support for up to 4K at 240Hz on certain models, Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), gameplay is fluid and incredibly responsive. The AI Auto Game Mode is a clever touch, allowing the processor to identify the game genre and optimize picture and sound settings on the fly, while the refined Game Bar provides quick access to critical settings without interrupting the action.

The ultimate question is one of value. These are unequivocally expensive televisions. The 8K QN900D is a technological marvel, but with native 8K content still scarce, its primary benefit is as the world’s best 4K upscaler—a luxury most won’t need. For the majority of buyers, the 4K Neo QLED models like the QN90D represent the sweet spot, offering a huge slice of the performance and features for a more palatable, though still premium, price. This lineup isn’t for the budget-conscious; it’s for the home theater enthusiast in a bright living room, the hardcore gamer demanding peak performance, and the tech aficionado who wants the most intelligent and powerful picture processing available today.

Where to Buy:

Check it out on Amazon