Samsung QE65QN95D
A strong performing Mini LED set with a few frustrating quirks.
The QN95D is Samsung’s flagship 4K NEO-QLED model for 2024. It’s among a group of rather prestigious colleagues – the S95D and QN900D are its 4K OLED and 8K NEO-QLED counterparts and both are five-star stunners.
At £3299, the 65in QN95D is certainly priced as a flagship TV. It looks practically identical to the QN95C it is replacing, and features Samsung’s ‘Infinity One’ design, so the bezels around the screen are slim and modern-looking, with metallic-looking edges that give the TV a premium feel. The set is much thinner than some notable Mini LED TVS we have seen recently, while it has a centrally mounted pedestal that connects to a rectangular metal base plate – or you can wall mount using the TV’S 400 x 400mm standard VESA mounting points.
A host of Ai-powered features
If you’re unfamiliar with Neo QLED, this is simply Samsung’s term for combining a Mini LED backlight with Quantum Dots. It’s a 4K VA LCD panel with 1344 separately controlled zones on this 65in model. Samsung has also included its wide viewing-angle technology to ensure that the picture looks consistent across a variety of viewing positions. Samsung’s Neo Quantum 4K AI Gen 2 Processor is shared with the S95D and, as well as playing an integral role in the backlight’s local dimming function, powers a host of Ai-led features.
The AI Gen 2 processor has more than 20 separate neural networks that it can tap into, which play a key role in upscaling SD and 1080p content to 4K and provide an enhanced three-dimensional effect to images through the Real Depth Enhancer Pro system. Samsung also includes its Auto HDR remastering feature, which means the TV will attempt to convert SDR content into HDR.
The QN95D supports HDR10, HLG and HDR10+, but not Dolby Vision. Dolby Atmos is supported, while Samsung’s Q Symphony feature, which synchronises the TV’S speakers with those of a compatible Samsung soundbar connected over HDMI EARC, is also present.
Four full-fat HDMI 2.1s support the latest gaming features
There are four HDMI 2.1 sockets on the rear, each of which is capable of handling full 48GB bandwidth signals, supporting 4K/120HZ gaming with VRR and ALLM.
The AI influence is also felt in the set’s 4.2.2 channel, 70W sound system, with Active Voice Amplifier Pro (which brings dialogue forward in the mix) and Adaptive Sound Pro, which aims for an ‘as the creator intended approach’ using AI to optimise the sound performance based on the characteristics of your room and the content itself.
Bright, crisp, well balanced
The Samsung QN95D is bright, crisp and fairly well balanced – the only problem is that we have it set up side by side with a 65in S95D, which has the unfortunate tendency of highlighting its Mini LED counterpart’s deficiencies.
The QN95D makes a strong first impression, as it is immediately clear that the NEO-QLED set is brighter than its QD-OLED cousin. With the Blu-ray disc of Oppenheimer, outdoor scenes look vibrant and punchy, but not in an unnatural sense, while bursts of sun through windows make characters’ faces shine.
We watch Oppenheimer in Filmmaker and Movie mode, which leads us to an interesting realisation: while Filmmaker is undoubtedly the more accurate, we find Movie to be the more enjoyable picture preset thanks to its slightly heightened brightness and contrast. Both modes offer well-balanced colours (though there is more subtle variation in the S95D) and motion isn’t an issue with either.
Skin tones look well-judged, with a lively glow to actors’ faces that doesn’t make them look overtly orange – something some previous Samsung TVS have been guilty of. Colours still appear vivid and engaging, but we certainly approve of Samsung reining in its occasional overexuberance. Pair this with a crisp, well-defined picture that captures the finer details in both skin and environmental textures, and it has to be said that this TV can be really enjoyable to watch with scenes that lend themselves to its bright and sharp delivery.
The QN95D demonstrates another area in which it pulls ahead of the S95D – shadow detail. Finer textural details and patterns in dark suits seem to get a touch lost on the QD-OLED model, while the QN95D manages not only to retain them but also to deliver them with suitable definition. Lapels and stripes of dark suit jackets occasionally sink into a wholly dark mass on the S95D but remain distinguishable with plenty of detail on the NEO-QLED.
There are some notable oddities and downright deficiencies to the QN95D’S pictures, though, that become even more apparent when watching the same scenes on the S95D. The first is a peculiar blue halo effect around particularly bright objects that seems to happen in certain scenes. During a black-and-white segment in Oppenheimer in which a committee meets at a restaurant, there is a subtle but offputting blue tint to the whole image. Wall-mounted candelabras and overhead lights, are plagued by a distracting blue aura – and this is with the TV in its ‘Warm 2’ Colour Temperature’ setting.
This scene looks much better on the S95D, with a richer, more sepia-toned white to the image. This makes it look considerably more authentic, and it’s overall a lot more pleasant on the eyes. The S95D also looks more three-dimensional and impactful with almost all of the content we watch, thanks to its better handling of contrast.
We watch a night scene later in the film in which the strip of land leading up to the testing site is illuminated with spotlights. Thanks to the S95D’S OLED panel with its pixel-perfect light control, it looks very effective. The Mini Ledpowered QN95D, on the other hand, does not get the same commendation. This shot looks frankly woeful on this TV, with big, blotchy light halos surrounding each of the spotlights, as well as a smudgy, navy tinge to the rest of the picture that clouds the remaining part of the dark scene. Tweaking the local dimming and Contrast Enhancer settings doesn’t rectify things to a satisfying degree.
The 1080p True Grit on Blu-ray looks great on the QN95D, with excellent clarity and rich colours. The TV seems to have no problems displaying content at a lower resolution, as everything from skin textures to the sandy ground looks sharp.
Switching to an even lower resolution,
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri on DVD, is somewhat of a mixed bag. Edges of objects and characters look a touch soft, foliage looks blocky and colours lack subtlety. Some important detail is kept though, especially in faces, which look clear and retain some skin detail.
We are using our trusty Blade Runner 2049 disc to test sound, as it features a particularly tricky scene with lots of bass and atmospheric warbling sounds. The
Flight To The LAPD track that plays as Officer K returns to his base in the dystopian metropolis lacks weight from the QN95D, and while the higher frequencies sound fine, the bass response is very underwhelming. The TV does not project sound into the room to a great extent, nor does it make any great attempt to impress where dynamics are concerned. It does, however, extend the sound quite well vertically, making the soundtrack and dialogue feel a bit more spacious.
Speech is clear and easy to understand, even if the built-in sound system doesn’t
“The QN95D pulls ahead of its QD-OLED rival when it comes to shadow detail; it manages not only to retain finer textural details and patterns but to deliver them with suitable definition”
provide much in the way of low-level dynamics, so we miss some of the finer details in the actors’ delivery of dialogue.
Switching to Amplify Mode, the sound seems to open up slightly and it projects further too, but it severely impacts bass as a result. The deep, warbling bassline seems to completely lose timing with the rest of the track, to the extent it sounds rather unpleasant. As always, we advise pairing the TV with a Dolby Atmos soundbar.
Samsung’s pricey NEO-QLED gets a lot right, picture-wise – its punchy and vibrant brightness creates dazzling highlights, and it digs out dark details that its QD-OLED counterpart seems to miss. Unfortunately, a handful of factors hold it back from true greatness: distracting visual oddities and a middling sound system are frustrating, and the blooming effect found in particularly dark scenes is very disappointing.