Adopting a bleeding-edge technology always comes at a cost — usually a large financial one — and the best 8K TVs from the likes of Samsung, LG and others have been no different.
It’s a shame that these TVs cost so much money, however, because they’re beautiful screens, especially the latest model to join their ranks — the Samsung QN900B QLED TV.
Having spent some time with the QN900B during a recent event at Samsung’s facilities, I was wowed by the sheer size of the screen and the detail of its pictures as well as its contrast and color saturation. Putting it through its paces with Hades on Xbox Series X, I was enthralled by how great the picture looked on Samsung’s 2022 flagship Mini-LED 8K QLED TV.
And yet, I’m not going to hand over $8,000 for one — and I’m not sure you should either.
Here’s why I’m not buying the QN900B 8K TV
Despite its gorgeous picture — and boy, was it great — 8K TVs are still a bit of a niche technology. Yes, their processors can upscale any content to fill the 8K screen, but native 8K content is near-impossible to find.
Moreover, while I might have the physical space for an 85-inch screen — space isn’t such a premium now that I moved out of a big city back to Western New York — I’m usually sitting closer than the recommended minimum distance of 7 feet.
A larger size might allow me to sit further away from the screen than I’m used to, but then I’d have to change the layout of my living room just to accommodate a bigger screen.
Outside of the logistical concerns, I’m simply more comfortable spending less on my 4K TVs rather than more. I’d absolutely pay $2,000 out of pocket for a new Samsung QN90B QLED or LG C2 OLED, but the $8,000 85-inch Samsung QN900B just feels like a bad return on my investment. Simply stated, there are great TVs that offer similar levels of performance (albeit in a limited 4K resolution) at a significantly more affordable price. (That’s why I put together the site’s best budget TVs guide.)
It’s not that I’m wholly against the TV — in fact, as far as 8K TVs go, the QN900B is one of the most appealing, It’s just that I’m not the TV’s target consumer, and I probably won’t be for a long time.
But there’s a chance that you should buy the QN900B 8K TV
Right, so if it’s not for the budget-conscious among us, who is the Samsung QN900B really for? From my perspective as a TV reviewer, it should be your go-to model if you’re ready to make the leap to 8K performance and have the space (and budget) for one.
The person who would most appreciate the TV is someone who appreciates the screen’s above-average brightness and color saturation and wants to pair it with both the latest gaming consoles and a 4K Blu-ray player. That person also has to be willing to pay someone to get the TV wall-mounted (or have a very, very trustable friend to help you out) and a place in which nothing is accidentally going to bump into it — basically, a proper home cinema.
The person buying an 8K TV has to be convinced that panel technology like QD-OLED won’t bring performance upgrades over Mini-LED (something I’m still measuring and testing for myself) and be willing to pay absolute top-dollar for a screen hoping that content will catch up.
I’m not saying that can’t happen or that QD-OLED won’t also be expensive for the next few years — I’m sure it will based off the 2022 Samsung S95B’s prices — but I also think that those prices are going to drop in the next few years when 8K content actually arrives.
Suffice to say, I think the Samsung QN900B is a great-looking QLED TV — it’s just not something I have the space, money or confidence in its longevity to buy for myself.
Looking for one of the best Samsung TVs that looks great and costs one-fourth the price? Check out Tom’s Guide’s winner of the best TV of 2021: the Samsung QN90A.
