Samsung QN90A QLED Calibration Settings

We used the following calibration settings to review the Samsung 55 inch QN90A (QN55QN90A), and we expect them to be valid for the 65 inch model (QN65QN90A), 75 inch model (QN75QN90A), and the 85 inch model (QN85QN90A). These settings should apply to most types of content, except for gaming or use as a PC monitor, which require a few additional changes, listed below.

One of the first things we did was disable all of the Power and Energy Saving options, as we don't want the TV to adjust the image during testing.

For SDR content, there are five preset picture modes. We recommend choosing the 'Movie' picture mode, as it's the most accurate one out of the box, and allows for the most customization. From the Expert Settings menu, we recommend leaving the Contrast at '45,' and Sharpness at '0.' We also left Color at the default value of '25,' and Tint (G/R) at '0.' Finally, we chose the 'Warm2' Color Tone, as it was closest to our calibration targets. We set the Gamma to '2.2,' as that is closest to our calibration target.

To make the image brighter in SDR, you should adjust the Brightness setting depending on your specific viewing conditions. Changing this setting doesn't have any impact on the overall picture quality as it increases the backlight intensity.

As we aim for an image that's as close as possible to the content creator's intent, we disable most image processing options, including Contrast Enhancer. You should adjust these to your personal preference though. However, Local Dimming is the one setting we leave on 'High' because this increases both the brightness and contrast ratio.

HDR is automatically enabled for the native apps. When you start playing HDR content, a small HDR icon appears next to the picture mode on the quick settings menu. Once you start playing HDR content, some of the settings change automatically, including the Brightness, which increases to 'Max.' We recommend leaving these settings to their default settings in HDR.

For HDR to work from external devices, Input Signal Plus usually has to be enabled from the External Device Manager menu for the input you are using. Older devices may have compatibility issues if this option is left enabled, so it's recommended to only enable this setting for devices that require it.

If you find HDR content too dim, set Contrast and Brightness to maximum, set ST.2084 to maximum, and set Contrast Enhancer to 'High.'

Although we disable most motion enhancing functions for most of our tests, you should adjust these to whatever looks best for you. Some settings may need to be adjusted depending on the specific content you are watching.

Although we usually leave these settings disabled during most of our testing, you should adjust the settings in the Picture Clarity Settings menu to your liking, as different people prefer different levels of motion interpolation. If you want to enable motion interpolation, set Picture Clarity to 'Custom', and adjust the Judder Reduction for 30fps content, and Blur Reduction for 60fps content. The LED Clear Motion setting controls the Samsung QN90A's Black Frame Insertion feature. Most of these settings will need to be adjusted depending on the specific content you are watching.

From the base SDR and HDR settings, very few changes are required for a great gaming experience. When you start gaming, it's best to enable Game Mode from the General settings tab to get the lowest input lag and use the recommended settings for SDR or HDR. For HDR gaming, it's important to make sure that Input Signal Plus is enabled for the input you are using.

The Samsung QN90A supports low latency motion interpolation, great for improving motion on low frame rate games. The options are almost identical to the Motion Interpolation settings. To enable motion interpolation in Game mode, enable Game Motion Plus, and adjust the sliders to your preference. The Judder Reduction slider adjusts the interpolation of low frame rate content (30fps), and Blur Reduction is for 60fps games. As mentioned before, the LED Clear Motion setting enables the Black Frame Insertion feature.

The Samsung QN90A supports FreeSync variable refresh rate technology. There's no setting to enable, as it now turns on automatically when the TV detects a game being launched from a device that has VRR enabled. The QN90A supports FreeSync when connected to a compatible device. It doesn't officially support G-SYNC, but it worked at times during testing. Let us know if you've noticed the same thing.

There's a way to see if VRR is working. By holding the Play/Pause button on your remote, the new Game Bar menu pops up, and it will show the frame rate and if VRR is working, amongst other options.

The Samsung QN90A will usually detect when it's connected to a PC, and will automatically enter PC mode, to ensure proper chroma 4:4:4 support. You can also manually enable PC mode by changing the input icon to 'PC.' In PC mode, some settings are disabled, including many picture settings, and there are only two Picture Modes: 'Entertain,' and 'Graphic.'

When watching lower resolution content, the upscaling method may need to be adjusted depending on the specific format. The screen position, zoom, and picture size can be adjusted from the Picture Size Settings sub-menu.