Hands-on review with the Samsung QN990F Neo QLED 8K TV

Samsung's QN990F might be kitted out with more pixels than its siblings and a better processor than its predecessors but the fundamentals of what works (and what doesn't) are very much what you'd expect. Relative to the rest of the roster, the hardware here represents the apex of Samsung's 2025 AV lineup. More than just revving up the resolution, it's a showcase for Samsung's big bet on AI as an avenue for augmenting your living room entertainment experience.

We spent an evening putting the Samsung Q990F 8K TV through its paces. Here's what how we made of it.

• AI Mode. Although the emphasis on AI here is likely to grate at those who are well and truly sick of brands putting the controversial technology front and centre, I quickly found myself appreciating the way that Samsung has implemented it here. Since most consumers don't have access to any 8K content, everything you watch on the Q990F is going to be upscaled by the NQ8 AI Gen3 Processor inside it. Having the ability to tinker with and refine how those algorithms are interpreting the content on the screen feels like a really compelling and intuitive evolution of what you'd typically use the settings menu to do.
• Vivid colours. Samsung's Neo QLED panels have a well-earned reputation for bright and saturated colours and the company's 2025 flagship delivers exactly what you'd expect on that front. I found the results particularly impressive when it came to both spectacular set pieces like the escape from Aldhani in the first season of Andor, the chase sequences in Furiosa and the cel-shaded interiors of Blue Prince.
• Wireless One Connect. The Samsung Neo QLED 8K QN990F comes with a Wireless Version of the One Connect Box. I'm a big fan of the original One Connect setup so it's no shocker that this detail won me over fairly fast.  The fact that there's no fumbling around behind the TV goes a long way to making it feel more akin to a home cinema setup than a traditional TV-based one.
• Striking shadows: Even if the Mini-LED panel can't quite offer the same absolute contrasts found in an OLED one, the Samsung Neo QLED 8K QN990F still delivered dark and detailed blacks. Darker scenes in Andor looked great, as did sequences like the opening of Dune: Part Two.
• 8K is still great for anime. For as long as Samsung has been making 8K TVs, I've been using them to watch anime. The effect of the upscaling is really noticeable in a way that isn't always the case for other types of content. While this can take some getting used to the experience you're getting on the other side of it is well worth it. Castlevania Nocturne, Devil May Cry and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure all looked fantastic when rendered on the Samsung Neo QLED 8K QN990F. Other types of animation, such as Arcane, also benefited from a similar boost in colour depth and tone.

• Price. Obviously, the asking price of this TV is its biggest drawback. $13,799 is as far from affordable as you can. Even if it is a fair way down from the cost of a Samsung 8K TV a few years ago, it's still one of the most expensive options you can consider for your living room. The smaller sizes are a little more reasonable in price, but safe to say this isn't going to be one for budget-conscious consumers.
• Not enough options. While I have plenty of nice things to say about the menu-led setup for the AI Mode in the Samsung Neo QLED 8K QN990F, I can't help but wish Samsung had taken the feature further. The ability to try different settings and immediately see the result that this or that preference has on your content is a game-changer for those who want their content to look a certain way but don't want to deal with layers and layers of menus. It's as much about seeing how the magic happens as seeing where the money is going and while what's here is good, I quickly found myself wishing I had more options to play with.
• Upscaling doesn't always hit the mark. Although the upscaling and AI enhancement mostly hits the mark, the sheer size of the Samsung Neo QLED 8K QN990F makes it hard to ignore the moments where it falls short and leaves the odd visual artefact in its wake. This was especially noticeable with older content like Neon Genesis Evangelion.

The fact that Samsung's biggest and best 8K TV offers an immersive and impressive home entertainment experience isn't a huge shock. After all, it's building on a foundation that stretches back decades.

What's surprising about it is that it moves beyond hinting at a future that moves the magic of AI upscaling out from behind the scenes and into the limelight. 

More than just the freedom of choice, being able to tinker with the exact settings and tailor this TV to your preferences goes a long way to demystifying the impact that AI has on this particular category. Regardless of how unrealistic spending this much on a TV might seem in the current economic climate, the fact that it left me hungry for more says something about the future of TVs that Samsung has its sights set towards. 

While the Samsung QN990F 8K TV is expensive enough to deter those who would rather wait for its best features to trickle down to cheaper alternatives, it's still a tantalising taste of tomorrow. 

Samsung’s Neo QLED 8K TV range is available now from retailers like JB Hi-Fi, Bing Lee and Samsung itself.  See the table below for a comparison of local pricing for each available screen size.