(Pocket-lint) – It’s safe to say OnePlus has been on something of a journey over the past few years. It lifted itself out of that initial ‘plucky upstart’ role and started to become a real smartphone company.
It’s gone from being a company that launched one or two new phones a year to launching six phones in 2020, with varying specs and at different price tiers. In 2021 that output glut looks set to continue – and it starts with the OnePlus 9.
Design
Dimensions: 160 x 74.2 x 8.7mm / Weight: 192 grams
Finish options: Winter Mist, Arctic Sky, Astral Black
3D Corning Gorilla Glass back
Dual stereo speakers
Look at the camera housing and you’ll see an evolution of design when you compare the OnePlus 9 to its most recent predecessors: the OnePlus 8T and OnePlus 8. The 9’s two main cameras have very deliberate metallic ring around them, while the camera housing has been designed to colour-match the rest of the phone’s rear panel.
It’s a classy and minimalist look, now with the addition of a Hasselblad logo. Because, yep, OnePlus is all about a camera partnership with this new series.
It’s in the rest of the build where we’ve seen OnePlus move backwards compared to its previous models though. The 9’s frame is made from a similar shiny plastic to what we first saw on the OnePlus Nord. Or, as OnePlus calls it: “fibreglass infused polymer”. Thankfully, the back is covered in Corning Gorilla Glass for protection.
It’s not the slimmest or lightest phone around either, certainly feeling thicker than previous models, but that’s almost certainly down to the move towards a flat screen. Rather than have those curved edges on both sides of the phone, it only has them on one side, so you lose that more sleek effect. Still, the OnePlus 9 feels noticeably chunkier than the 8T – another flat-screened model – which was thicker than the OnePlus 8 before it.
Of course, there are real benefits to having a flatter screen. There’s very little chance you’ll suffer from accidental touches, because it doesn’t curve around the edges, so that makes the phone a bit easier to use.
Our own review unit is the Winter Mist model, which has a light purple colour, with the rear featuring a gradient refraction effect. That means the bottom part of the phone is really glossy and reflective, but the top is more frosted and gradients between these two finishes. We think some people will like it, but we prefer the softer fully frosted look of some of the blue Arctic Sky model. It’s also a bit of a fingerprint magnet, which diminishes the overall finish effect.
There are all the usual OnePlus buttons and ports though. That means the volume rocker is within easy reach on the left side, with the alert slider switch on the right near the power/sleep button. The dual nano SIM tray is on the bottom edge near the USB-C port and the bottom-firing loudspeaker – which joins with a speaker near the earpiece to form stereo sound that’s boosted by Dolby Atmos tech.
Display
6.55-inch AMOLED panel
Full HD+ resolution (2400 x 1080 pixels; 402ppi)
120Hz refresh rate
OnePlus has focused on having lightweight and fast software for years. Its latest iteration of Oxygen OS is no different, and the display is primed and ready to take full advantage of that fluidity too.
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The AMOLED screen on the front of the OnePlus 9 isn’t quite as sharp as that of the 9 Pro, but with a pixel density over 400 pixels-per-inch it should be sharp enough for most content you’d want to watch.
What’s more, with a refresh rate peak of 120Hz, it can keep up with any fast frame-rate gaming. OnePlus says it has improved the colour accuracy and the automatic brightness adjustment too – the result of adding in two ambient light sensors, while the brightness has more than 8000 different levels to enable smoother adjustment.
Like Apple’s True Tone, there’s a Comfort Tone feature that adjusts the colour temperature of the display to match your environment, which should be handy when reading ebooks on a white screen, making it seem a bit more like a paper surface.
Brightness itself shouldn’t be a problem either. With a peak of up to 1100nits and HDR10+ certification you should find a very attractive, vivid and bright panel. Of course, we need a bit more time to test it thoroughly, but all early indicators are good.
Hardware and performance
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 platform
128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 storage
8GB/12GB LPDDR5 RAM
4,500mAh battery capacity
Warp Charge 65W charging
15W Qi wireless charging
With a top OnePlus flagship you know one thing for certain: you’ll always get the latest, most powerful mobile processor. That means the Snapdragon 888 platform for the 9 series, along with suitably quick LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage.
What that means in daily use is that, not only will your apps and games load quickly, but any downloads and installs will be fast too. That’s helped further by 5G support, presuming you’re in an area with 5G coverage, for speedy and low-latency connectivity.
All this power needs cooling for efficiency. For the OnePlus 9 there’s something called the OnePlus Cool Play system. Essentially, the manufacturer has made the vapour chambers larger and added more layers of graphite and copper to dissipate heat when you’re powering your most demanding games.
We’ve not yet experienced a OnePlus phone that under-delivers on speed and performance, so we don’t expect the OnePlus 9 will be any different. Our first few days of use have been pretty much plain sailing.
Regarding the battery and it’s really the charging that sells this phone. You may remember OnePlus saying in the past that it didn’t want to use wireless charging until it was as fast and convenient as its fast wired system. Well, for the non-Pro model in the OnePlus 9 family, it turns out it’s forgotten all about that.
The regular OnePlus 9 does have wireless charging, but it’s not blindingly fast. Instead, it uses a fairly standard 15W Qi-compatible wireless charging. That means it’s nowhere near as quick as the new Warp Charge 65T wired charging capability which can keep those 65W speeds pumping for longer and give you a full charge in under 30 minutes.
Cameras
Triple camera system with Hasselblad tuning:
Main: 48-megapixel, f/1.8 aperture, Sony IMX689 sensor
Ultra-wide: 50MP, f/2.2, SonyIMX766 sensor
Mono: 2MP
Front-facing camera: 16-megapixel
Video: 8K30p / 4K120p
OnePlus has listened to its critics over the past few years and says it’s finally delivering a flagship level camera experience. That’s thanks in part to its new collaboration with Hasselblad, to help tune the image processing to strict standards, ensuring your pictures should come out looking great.
It’s not just that tuning that’s changed though. The regular OnePlus 9 features the same main camera sensor found in the OnePlus 8 Pro from 2020, and has the same sensor in the ultra-wide as found in the excellent (and more expensive) Oppo Find X3 Pro.
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Those two are joined by a low-res monochrome sensor for extra light detail, but that’s it. No macro lens or gimmicky chroma filter camera in sight this time.
What’s more, the video recording capability can reach the heights of 8K resolution at 30fps or – perhaps more impressively – can capture 4K up to 120fps, which should enable some fantastically sharp slow-motion video.
Hasselblad’s partnership has led to some other more inconsequential features, like the orange colour of the shutter button, and a leaf shutter sound when you press it. However, where you’ll see the biggest influence is in the ‘Pro’ camera mode.
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The user interface has been designed to look like one developed by Hasselblad for some of its cameras. This includes a focus peaking feature that will highlight in-focus areas in orange when you’re using the manual focus.
First Impressions
The OnePlus 9 design may not have wowed us that much, but this company knows its users are all about getting the best performance out of every area of its phones.
So if cutting corners and adding in a plastic frame means being able to stick two flagship cameras on the back, add wireless charging, a capacious battery, and market-leading speed, then we think that’s a compromise worth making.
We can’t quite get out of our heads that the OnePlus 9 is similar to the much cheaper Nord in some respects, and that might still be worth considering, but on the whole – from the spec conscious – this latest OnePlus looks like it will deliver an experience much closer to its Pro-labelled sibling this year.
Also consider
Pocket-lint
OnePlus Nord
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If you’re all about price then the last-gen affordable OnePlus model is a sensible option.
The wraps are finally off the OnePlus 9 Pro and OnePlus 9 smartphones and the features are very much what we would expect of a pair of 5G flagship Android handsets seeking to impress on the audio and video front.
The more premium OnePlus 9 Pro looks to be the one to choose for movies on the move with its 6.7in QHD+ (1440x3216px) gently curved, 1300nit, AMOLED display, including LTPO power saving technology. It is capable of 10-bit colour depth and a dynamic refresh rate up to 120Hz, but that can be controlled automatically to bring the speed down to something kinder on battery life when not gaming.
The 6.55in OnePlus 9 is a little lower-specified, but it still offers a healthy-sounding 2400x1080px, 1100nit, flat display with a pixel density of 402ppi (compared with 525ppi). There’s no LTPO with the AMOLED screen this time, and although there is the 120Hz refresh rate, there’s no dynamic switching.
Both units support HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos sound which should add some AV appeal. They support playback of MKV, MOV, MP4, H.265 (HEVC), AVI and other video formats, with both Apple lossless and FLAC enabled on the audio side.
Both phones will allow 8K video capture at 30fps, 4K video at 120fps (60fps with the OnePlus 9) and Super Slow Motion at 720p as well for those looking to make movies of their own.
OnePlus, like most manufacturers, continues its stance against the 3.5mm headphones socket. Instead, wired listening is done through the USB-C port, as is wired charging, via the OnePlus Warp Charge 65T power adaptor that’s included in the box. It allows a complete recharge of the 4500mAh battery in the OnePlus 9Pro and OnePlus 9 in just a claimed 29 minutes. The Warp Charge 50 Wireless charger (£70) is available to buy for both and should do the job in 43 minutes.
For wireless audio, there’s Bluetooth 5.2 with aptX and aptX HD included as well as LDAC technology which allows hi-res audio streaming over Bluetooth at up 24-bit/96 kHz.
Running the show for both mobiles is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chip and either 8GB or 12GB of RAM depending on whether you opt for the 128 or 256GB storage version respectively.
(Image credit: OnePlus)
Expect that space to disappear pretty quickly too if the Hasselblad cameras on these phones are as good as OnePlus is hoping. The OnePlus 9 range is the first of a three-year partnership between the two companies.
The 9 Pro features a four-camera array with the 48MP Sony IMX789 behind the main lens, a 50MP ultra-wide shooter, an 8MP telephoto with 3.3x optical zoom and a monochrome lens specially tweaked by Hasselblad to capture even more black and white information. The Swedish optical company has calibrated all of the cameras to provide what it feels are the best and most natural colours possible. Both phones get a 16MP front facing camera too but the OnePlus 9 doesn’t get the telephoto lens.
(Image credit: OnePlus)
The camera bumps on these devices have been designed to be more streamlined and in tune with the bodies of the phones than on previous OnePlus models. The 197g chassis on the 9 Pro is made of an aluminium frame and measures 163 x 74 x 9mm. It’s also IP68-rated for water and dust resistance. The OnePlus 9 is a 182g fibre glass infused polymer build of 160 x 74 x 9mm.
Both phones run Android 11 with the OnePlus Oxygen OS interface on top. They’re available to buy now in Astral Black, Arctic Sky or Winter Mist (OnePlus 9) and Stellar Black, Morning Mist or Pine Green (OnePlus 9 Pro). The Morning Mist and Astral Black 9 Pros come with 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage and cost £829/$969/€899. The souped-up Pine Green is the 12GB/256GB version and comes in at £929/$1069/€999.
As for the OnePlus 9, the Winter Mist colour (£729/$829/€799) indicates the better-specified phone, with 12GB RAM and 258GB of storage. The other two finishes are 8GB/128GB phones and cost £629/$729/€699.
The phones are available to pre-order from 3.30pm GMT today at OnePlus.com, Amazon, John Lewis and Three, with open sales from 31st March (OnePlus 9 Pro) and 26th April (OnePlus 9).
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And how about a pair of the very best headphones to go with them?
I just realized: I never came back to thank you for buying that $30,000 8K television. I mean, I’m sure the $1,500 coupon helped? But I feel like I still owe you a bit more.
How about this: why not be the first to stream PC games at 8K resolution to the other end of your mansion? When we saw that Steam now supports that feature, we immediately thought of you.
Imagine the possibilities: you could sit down on your fully immersive $9,000 toilet with your backup 8K TV — as you do — and instead wasting so many of those glorious pixels on a pillarboxed Snyder Cut, you can use all 33+ million of them to sling some not-terribly-demanding game at 8K resolution from your blinding rainbow death box of an RTX 3090-equipped gaming PC, without even disturbing its sanctum at the other end of your house!
You’ll likely need that level of PC, of course, and even then 8K may not be a given. “Results may very depending on hardware,” reads Valve’s release notes. I would also suggest a wired Ethernet cable to reduce latency, and you might want to unlock your bandwidth limiter in Steam > Settings > Remote Play > Advanced Client Options too — because 50Mbps may not cut it at 8K resolution. You’d know better than us, though.
8K Remote Play is now available in the stable Steam client, after coming to the beta a few days ago.
In all seriousness, it’s pretty cool to see Steam getting prepped for the TVs of the future. And please send us a very high resolution photo of your setup if it’s your TV of now, too.
On the other hand, if you’re the kind of person who can’t afford new games much less an 8K TV or high-end gaming PC, Valve has good news for you as well — the company just brought Steam Remote Play Together URL sharing out of beta, so friends can send you a link to join their local multiplayer games even if you don’t have a PC or a Steam account.
Looking for a brand new Dolby Atmos soundbar? Bluesound just added the Pulse Soundbar+ to its lineup of wireless home cinema products, and this one features a ‘3D immersive audio engine’ with support for Dolby Atmos. Bluesound says the Soundbar+ takes the firm’s original Pulse Soundbar 2i (which we awarded a highly-commended four stars under intense review) and pushes its credentials even further.
The Pulse Soundbar+ is billed as the “ultimate audiophile-grade soundbar that will satisfy any home entertainment need” and to that end it offers support for Dolby Atmos, 24-bit high resolution audio, 120W of full-frequency multi-room and multi-channel audio, a choice of black or white finishes and is configurable to a range of home entertainment applications. It also comes supplied with a wall mount bracket as well as two kickstand feet (if you don’t want it on your wall).
(Image credit: Bluesound)
Designed to fit perfectly under HD TVs, the Pulse Soundbar+ promises a fully immersive sonic experience thanks to a “full audio-chain redesign with advanced DSP processing” that now supports 3D audio from Dolby Atmos, meaning a wider, higher, and more enveloping soundstage.
The ‘bar itself boasts eight “audiophile-quality” drivers and, according to Bluesound, it “is to audio what the 8K TV is to video”, which sounds decidedly ambitious to us. The Pulse Soundbar+ can either be used alone or paired with the Pulse Sub+ (sold separately) to add drama through the low end, and Bluesound is quick to add that by including a pair of Pulse Flex 2i speakers as rear channels you’ll get a complete wireless Dolby surround sound experience.
Under the hood, the Pulse Soundbar+ features a custom-specified ARM Cortex A53 Quad-Core chipset that can, says Bluesound, process audio eight times faster than previous generations of Bluesound architecture. Combined with two wi-fi chips to prevent network latency, this flagship board design apparently provides rock solid and zero-lag audio performance, even for demanding gaming applications.
Connections? Of course. You can connect nearly any audio source to the Pulse Soundbar+. TVs, gaming consoles, music streaming services, laptops, and music libraries can all be accessed through HDMI eARC, Apple AirPlay 2, two-way aptX HD Bluetooth, TOSLINK, RCA, USB, and Bluesound’s own proprietary BluOS music streaming system.
(Image credit: Bluesound)
Newly added simple touch controls on the front panel now mean quick access to play, pause and volume, and with a smartphone or tablet, the built-in BluOS wireless multi-room streaming technology can connect and sync audio to, from, and around any room in the home. Hands-free control of your home entertainment is on board with Amazon Alexa Skills integration, Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri too, and the company states that professional smart home integrators can get access to drivers for other popular control systems such as Lutron, Crestron, RTI, Elan and others.
As with all Bluesound Pulse speaker models, the acoustic design and speaker voicing was performed at Canada’s National Research Council, by Lenbrook’s speaker design and engineering team.
It doesn’t come cheap, though. Available for pre-order now, the Pulse Soundbar+ will begin shipping in April 2021, priced at £799 (€999, $899) in black, or £899 (€1099, $999) in white.
MORE:
Read all our Bluesound reviews
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If pre-season testing in Bahrain and the return of Drive to Survive this week weren’t enough excitement for autosport fans, Motorport.com reports that Formula 1 will be carrying out its first HDR (High Dynamic Range) test broadcasts later this year.
The revelation came courtesy of Ian Holmes, F1’s director of media rights, after being questioned about plans for filming in 8K. Indicating that he sees HDR as a higher priority than 8K resolution, Holmes said: “One of the things that we’re specifically looking at – you mentioned 8K – is HDR, high dynamic range, which is very effective for fast-moving objects. We will be conducting tests this year, and that for us, I think is potentially the next stage of an offering”.
While 8K resolution increases the number of pixels and, therefore, detail in a broadcast picture, HDR offers higher contrasts between light and dark, more vivid colours and brighter images on the screen, creating a more exciting and dynamic experience.
BT Sport has already successfully delivered several 8K HDR Premier League football test broadcasts in the UK, while Sky is planning to have an extensive, live HDR broadcast infrastructure in place by the summer of 2021 – just in time for delayed UEFA Euro 2020 matches and 2020 Summer Olympics coverage.
F1 has been broadcast in 4K on Sky, which has exclusive UK television rights for the next 3 years, since 2017.
Indicating that HDR may not become standard for F1 broadcasts for some time, Holmes said: “We’ve also got to look at who could take it. If we had a feed tomorrow, there would be very few people who could take it.
“The other thing is sometimes you produce this wonderful technology, and the broadcasters have the ability [to show it], but people’s devices are not capable of taking it.
“There is a sweet spot. But that feed has got to be as good as it can be from every perspective.
“But certainly for us, I think HDR is something that we’re quite excited about.”
MORE
F1 live stream: how to watch the 2021 Formula 1 in 4K, F1 season pass
Best HDR TVs 2021: the ultimate high dynamic range TVs
Nikon has announced development of the Z9, its highest-end mirrorless camera to date and the first in the Z-mount line that the company describes as a flagship. Actual details are thin, but Nikon promises that it will deliver “the best still and video performance in Nikon history” upon release.
From the single image released, the Z9 looks like a cross between the current mirrorless Z7 and the D6 full-frame DSLR, with a built-in vertical grip. Nikon says the Z9 uses a newly developed full-frame sensor and a new image processing engine, with support for 8K video “as well as various other video specifications that fulfill diverse needs and workflows.”
That’s about it for details so far, except that Nikon says the Z9 will be released in 2021. Nikon tends to announce the development of its highest-end cameras this way, with full launches following a few months later. The D6, for example, was announced to be in development in September 2019, and the full reveal happened in February 2020.
Thunderbolt 4 is just starting to make noise in the consumer space, but, of course, the folks behind the technology are already looking toward the next generation. This week, executives from Intel stopped by The Tom’s Hardware Show to discuss Thunderbolt and what its next form could look like.
While celebrating Thunderbolt’s 10th birthday, Ben Hacker, Intel’s director of I/O strategy in the Client Connectivity Division, explained that the development of Thunderbolt 4’s successor is already in place with sights set on higher speed.
“What I think we’re pretty confident of is for at least another speed bump somewhere, and who knows exactly what that is, but call it roughly a doubling,” Hacker said on The Tom’s Hardware Show.
Thunderbolt 4’s max bandwidth is 40 Gbps, allowing it to support up to two 4K resolution displays at 60 Hz refresh rates or even an 8K one at 60 Hz. Increasing the bandwidth would bring support for even higher resolutions and refresh rates.
Hacker also pointed toward the need for more bandwidth for concurrent workflows, like editing data on a high-resolution screen, and SSDs as drivers for more bandwidth.
“Today our data path bandwidth within Thunderbolt 4 is kind of aligned to like a PCIe Gen 3×4 performance, and for some of our storage applications, you’re seeing storage in that kind of form factor already doubling in speed,” Hacker said.
“There’s already a need for kind of high-performance storage for, maybe, NVMe SSDs or desktop raid arrays that are going to be able to consume more than the 40 gigabits of bandwidth or just under 40 that we can provide today.”
Backward compatibility is also important for the next generation of Thunderbolt. Intel notably shared the Thunderbolt protocol for what is now known as USB4.
“We started first with that connector and cable convergence, and then we have the architectural convergence [with USB4],” Jason Ziller, Intel’s general manager of the Client Connectivity Division, said. “As we move forward, as USB4 evolves, we’ll continue to be converged on those elements of it. But we’ll continue to provide features and capabilities above that or just the optional features in the USB spec that we make required because we know computer users want them.”
The next version of Thunderbolt will presumably be called Thunderbolt 5, but Ziller said they don’t know what the branding moving forward will be yet. Whatever it’s called, Intel expects next-gen Thunderbolt to continue working over USB-C.
“I think we can definitely stay within the electrical kind of communication path and on the same connector so it’s truly a familiar, backward compatible … solution,” Hacker said. “ … At least kind of for the next step, whenever that comes, I think we’re pretty confident that we can keep that on a kind of same mechanical interface, same connector, roughly the same topology.”
Of course, we’re still years away from Thunderbolt 5 (or whatever it ends up being called) striking. In the more immediate future, development is in the works for more Thunderbolt 4 accessories, including docks in different sizes and shapes and docks that don’t require their own power adapter and instead uses a laptop’s USB-C charger.
And for those with the need, Thunderbolt 4 cables up to 50m (164 feet) long should be available around next year.
“We had in [the] previous generation optical cables up to 50m, and so we’re working on delivering that as well now,” Ziller said.
The Tom’s Hardware Show is live every Thursday at 3 p.m. ET. You can enjoy this week’s episode via the video above, on YouTube, Facebook, Twitch or wherever you get your podcasts.
(Pocket-lint) – Samsung’s Neo QLED TVs employ a revolutionary new LED backlight that’s significantly smaller and more efficient than previous generations. This enables the manufacturer to squeeze extra LEDs behind the panel, allowing for increased dimmable zones and greater precision.
This approach is generally referred to as Mini LED, and should not be confused with Micro LED, which is a completely different self-emissive display technology. However, Mini LED does promise to significantly improve local dimming and reduce unwanted blooming – all at an affordable price.
The QN95A is the flagship 4K TV from Samsung for 2021, and not only incorporates this Mini LED backlight but, in a change from last year, also includes the majority of features found on the high-end 8K models. So you’re not forced to buy the higher resolution TVs to get all the latest gizmos.
So just how jaw-dropping is Mini LED in the Samsung QN95A (which is the QN90A in other territories)? Spoiler alert: it’s very impressive indeed.
Design, connections and control: Slimmed down minimalism
Slimmer One Connect Box
Single fibre optic cable that includes power
4x HDMI inputs with eARC, 3x USB; Ethernet
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay 2
Along with those increased number of dimming zones, the QN95A includes a slimmed down One Connect box (where the connections go – it’s not on the TV’s frame as a result), comprehensive smart platform, AI processing, extensive gaming features, and Object Tracking Sound.
Plus, the QN95A is a gorgeous piece of industrial design, with a minimalist appearance, nearly bezel-less screen, and speakers cleverly hidden in the edges of the panel. The stand is well-made, providing solid support, and can be installed on a narrow surface.
It’s a testament to the smaller LEDs used that Samsung is able to cram a full-array backlight into a chassis only 15mm deep. It also means the QN95A looks great wall-mounted (using the optional ‘No Gap’ bracket), and the single cable from the One Connect box makes installation tidier.
The new slimmed-down One Connect box is sleeker and more elegant. Its reduced size is also discreeter, making it easier to hide away. The textured matte finish is also preferable, because the earlier glossy black boxes tended to attract fingerprints and smudges.
The box houses four HDMI inputs, one of which (HDMI 3) supports eARC. All of the HDMI inputs are capable of handling 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM, making this TV a great choice for next-gen gamers who want to take full advantage of their new consoles.
What is HDMI eARC? Why is it different to HDMI ARC?
There are also two USB 2.0 inputs, twin tuners for terrestrial and satellite broadcasts, a CI slot, an optical digital output, and an Ethernet port. In terms of wireless connections, there’s Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and support for Apple AirPlay 2.
The sleek metal Solar Cell remote is ergonomically-shaped, making it comfortable to hold and easy to use with one hand. While essentially the same as last year, the new zapper sports a solar panel on the back that recharges the batteries – making it eco-friendly and economic.
Features: Mini LED and multi-intelligent processing
Processing engine: Neo Quantum 4K Processor with AI
100% of DCI-P3 colour, 2000nits of peak brightness
Anti-reflection screen and Ultra Viewing Angle
HDR Support: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ Adaptive
The Samsung QN95A’s main selling point is its use of a Mini LED backlight, made possible by a newly-designed micro layer that contains LEDs significantly smaller than previous generations. This is possible due to the elimination of the protective packaging and lens around the diode, allowing for thinner panels, more LEDs, and an increased number of dimmable zones.
There are 792 zones in the QN95A – a big increase on the 480 zones used previously – but upping the number of zones also requires more processing power, so a new local dimming algorithm redirects power from darker areas to improve efficiency and peak brightness. All while the Quantum Matrix system coordinates all the zones, and the Black Detail Boost feature increases shadow detail.
The new Neo Quantum Processor increases the processing power by employing multi-intelligence deep learning. Instead of a single neural network, this processor combines up 16 to create a neural analyser specialised for upscaling and processing video. All this added power is designed to deliver the best possible experience, regardless of what you’re watching.
The QN95A supports high dynamic range (HDR) in the form of HDR10, HLG (hybrid log-gamma), and HDR10+ Adaptive. The last of which uses dynamic metadata designed to adapt the tone-mapping on a scene-by-scene basis, and now employs a sensor to customise the performance based on the ambient lighting conditions in your room.
The combination of Mini LED and Quantum Dot tech ensures brightness levels and a colour gamut that’s tailor-made for HDR. Samsung claims a peak luminance of 2,000 nits. In our measurements the QN95A topped 2,800 nits in Dynamic Mode, although the more accurate Filmmaker Mode maxed out at 1,700 nits.
What is QLED and Quantum Dot?
In terms of the colour gamut, this reached 94 per cent of DCI-P3 – not quite the claimed 100 per cent but still impressive given the overall brightness. It’s the combination of very bright peak highlights combined with saturated colours at increased luminance levels that gives QLED an inherent advantage over OLED when it comes to delivering impactful HDR.
The Filmmaker Mode was introduced in 2020, and is designed to deliver an image that represents the content creator’s original intentions. It uses brightness and colour settings to match the industry standards, and turns off any unnecessary processing or frame interpolation.
What is Filmmaker Mode and why does it matter?
Other features introduced previously and continued into 2021 include the anti-reflection screen and Ultra Viewing Angle technology. The former is designed to reduce reflections from ambient light in the room, and works well, making this an effective TV for daytime viewing. The latter reduces the colour and contrast drop-off experienced when viewing LCD TVs at extreme angles.
The processor doesn’t just improve the picture quality, it also analyses the audio signal and optimises the sonic performance based on the TV’s location in your room. Other acoustic features include Adaptive Sound+, with Active Voice Amplifier for clearer dialogue, and Adaptive Volume that adjusts the volume based on content.
Samsung
The QN95A supports Object Tracking Sound Plus (OTS+), which uses eight speakers and 70W of amplification to produce a more immersive audio experience. There are four speakers along the bottom for the left, right and centre channels, along with a pair of woofers and two speakers at the top for greater immersion.
This particular model also supports Q Symphony, so when combined with a compatible Samsung soundbar, the system employs the TV’s top speakers to give the overall soundstage a greater sense of height and immersion.
Finally there’s the new Tap View feature, which allows owners of compatible Samsung smartphones to instantaneously connect by simply tapping the phone against the TV’s chassis.
Picture quality: Impressive local dimming
The Samsung QN95A certainly delivers when it comes to picture performance, with all those extra zones put to good use. It’s relatively easy to add lots of zones behind an LCD panel, what’s considerably more difficult is orchestrating them in a way that delivers the deepest blacks and the brightest highlights without causing blooming or losing details in the shadows.
Samsung has always employed a highly effective local dimming algorithm in its TVs, and the latest iteration continues that tradition. The results are genuinely impressive, with the blacks appearing deep and inky, while the highlights are free of blooming. This is best demonstrated by the scene in First Man where the Apollo command module orbits into the shadow of the moon.
Samsung
In this sequence the screen goes completely black and then the surface of the brightly-lit Moon gradually appears through the spaceship’s window. This scene is incredibly difficult for any display that uses local dimming, but the QN95A does an excellent job of highlighting the details in the moon’s surface through the window without introducing haloing or other artefacts.
The QN95A also handles bright colourful HDR images with skill, allowing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 to take full advantage of the wider gamut offered by the format. The scenes on Ego’s planet are a riot of Day-Glo colours that pop with comic book vibrancy.
The same is true of Pan, where the Samsung delivers the film’s exaggerated colour scheme correctly, and reproduces the arriving-in-Neverland sequence with no clipping and a clearly defined sun setting over the mountain. This proves the QN95A is correctly tone-mapping HDR10 content, and retaining the original creative intent.
The film Overlord mainly takes place at night, and is often a very dark, but the Samsung handles this difficult material very well, delivering deep blacks, excellent shadow detail, and highlights where necessary. The TV also renders all the subtle differences in the film’s primarily green and brown colour design very effectively.
The QN95A is equally impressive when it comes to motion handling, with 24p content looking smooth, and free of judder or unwanted artefacts. The Picture Clarity motion settings apply frame interpolation, resulting in smoothing, which can be useful with sport, while the LED Clear Motion setting uses black frame insertion, darkening the image, but improving the motion.
Samsung
The built-in apps deliver excellent 4K and HDR images, and in the case of Amazon Prime there’s the added enhancement of HDR10+. The levels of detail and contrast are equally as impressive when watching Netflix, Apple TV+ and Disney+, despite the lack of Dolby Vision support.
What is Dolby Vision? Dolby’s own HDR tech explained
Since the QN95A uses an LCD panel, there’s no danger of screen burn. It also offers a host of features aimed at next-gen gamers, including VRR (variable refresh rate) for syncing the TV’s refresh rate with the console’s frame rate, thus reducing tearing. There’s also support for 4K at 120Hz, along with AMD Freesync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync.
There’s ALLM for automatically detecting a console and selecting the Game mode, which results in a class-leading input lag of 9.2ms. The Game Motion Plus is designed to smooth out motion, but in doing so it does increase the lag to 14ms – although that’s still very respectable. If all that isn’t enough, the QN95A even supports the 21:9 and 32:9 ultra-wide aspect ratio options offered by a number of PC games.
What is ALLM and VRR? TV gaming tech explained
Samsung has realised that with so many different gaming options and features now available, it’s easy to lose track of what exactly you’ve selected. The solution is the new Game Bar, which pops up when a game source is detected to provide at-a-glance key information. This includes HDR, frame rate, VRR, and key gaming picture adjustments.
Pocket-lint
Finally there’s a multi-view mode that allows users to watch two different sources simultaneously. You can adjust the size of the two picture-in-picture screens, change their relative position and choose which has audio priority. While this feature isn’t necessarily game-specific, it is useful for gaming while watching YouTube tutorials.
Smart features: Comprehensive platform
Tizen OS
SmartThings app
Alexa/Bixby built-in
The Samsung QN95A uses the same Tizen-powered smart platform as previous generations, which remains a responsive, intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface. There’s a launcher bar along the bottom and a second layer that provides faster access to the video streaming services.
In terms of those streaming services, the choice is fairly comprehensive and includes Netflix, Amazon, Now TV, Disney+, Apple TV+, Rakuten, YouTube, and all the UK TV catch-up services. The only problem with all this choice is it’s hard to keep track, but Samsung has a solution.
The Universal Guide helps you find the content you want by presenting it all via a user-friendly interface. It then uses AI machine learning to analyse your viewing habits and create a single ‘For You’ page with personalised content to suit your tastes.
The Digital Butler was introduced in 2020, allowing for quick and easy connection by automatically scanning for nearby devices, detecting them and then representing all of them in an easy-to-understand graphical fashion.
Finally there’s a brace of built-in smart assistants – Samsung’s own Bixby, and Amazon Alexa. You can also access Siri via Apple’s AirPlay 2, while the Samsung SmartThings app allows for quick and easy setup, plus a degree of control if you don’t fancy using the provided remote or your voice.
Sound quality: Object tracking sound
Object Tracking Sound Plus (OTS+)
4.2.2 speakers and 70W of amplification
Adaptive Sound+
Q Symphony
The QN95A sports Samsung’s Object Tracking Sound Plus (OTS+), which integrates eight speakers in a seamless fashion, hiding them in the outer edge of the TV cabinet. The audio performance is genuinely impressive, with an open soundstage, additional height, plenty of bass, clear dialogue and powerful amplification.
Samsung
Object Tracking Sound doesn’t just involve more speakers, it also analyses the audio signal and uses sophisticated processing to align sounds with the location of specific images on the screen. It really works, creating an engaging experience with improved directionality and immersion. There’s also an optimisation feature to fine-tune the audio based on the acoustic environment.
While there’s no on-board Dolby Atmos decoding, the QN95A can send the object-based audio format back via ARC from its internal apps to a supporting soundbar or AV receiver. Since it also supports eARC, the Samsung can even pass lossless audio back via HDMI to a supporting soundbar or AV receiver.
Anything missing?
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it really is time Samsung added support for Dolby Vision. The company is the only TV manufacturer not to embrace the dynamic metadata format, and while HDR10+ is similar, there’s significantly more content available in Dolby Vision.
While we’re on the subject of Dolby, the QN95A also doesn’t include on-board Atmos decoding. This is a shame because with all those extra built-in speakers, the Samsung could really take advantage of the additional height channels the format offers.
Samsung’s smart platform is undeniably comprehensive, but it doesn’t include Freeview Play. This isn’t really an issue because all the UK TV catch-up services are present and correct, but it does mean these aren’t integrated within the EPG (electronic programme guide).
Verdict
The Samsung QN95A makes an excellent case for embracing Mini LED as an alternative to OLED. While it remains an evolution of existing LCD backlight technology, rather than something completely new like Micro LED, it does offer an impressive picture performance.
The added precision of nearly 800 dimming zones results in deeper blacks, brighter highlights, improved shadow detail and almost no blooming. Add in the superior colour performance of Quantum Dot and upgraded processing, and you have a highly capable 4K HDR TV. Its pictures truly sing.
The QN95A is also a seriously specified model with a comprehensive smart platform, every necessary streaming app, the One Connect box, excellent audio quality thanks to OTS+, and a shed-load of features for next-gen gamers.
Also consider
Philips
Philips OLED+935
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Not fussed about Mini LED and OLED more up your street? Philips’ top-end 2020 telly integrates Ambilight – edge lighting that goes beyond the screen, for extra immersion and dynamism – plus a B&W soundbar for top notch sound quality. It’s a very different offering to the Samsung, but a very elegant alternative indeed.
Move over H.264/AVC and HEVC, there’s a new video streaming codec in town and it’s got you in its sites. AV1 is here and it’s going to be everywhere before you know it.
AV1 is an open, royalty-free video standard with an improved compression system that should allow huge data efficiency savings without reducing video quality – and that could be key going forward into a world of higher frame rates, 8K resolution, HDR standards and audio demands.
As such, AV1 brings implications for those who use services such as Netflix, Disney Plus and Prime Video; people looking to buy a new TV or media streamer; and anyone interested in 8K TV. And as a catch-all compression standard there are many uses beyond, including gaming, realtime applications such as video conferencing and anything else where video streams are required.
Best streaming services for TV and movies
What is AV1?
AV1 (AOMedia Video 1) is the the next evolution of the defacto video streaming codec across the internet. It’s planned as the successor to the HEVC (H.265) format that is currently used for 4K HDR video on platforms such as Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney Plus and Netflix.
It was developed by the Alliance for Open Media, which counts Amazon, Apple, ARM, Facebook, Google, Intel, Microsoft, Mozilla, Netflix, Nvidia and Samsung among its members, and is designed to offer internet streaming efficiency upgrades without affecting quality. That makes it an important step in the uptake of streamed 8K video, given the more data-heavy demands of this higher-res format.
The other big advantage to the streaming giants is that AV1 is royalty-free. That means video platforms, device manufacturers and, by proxy, users can avoid the hefty licensing payments previously associated with codecs such as HEVC. With any luck, that should also grease the wheels of AV1’s evolution and development by avoiding costly, time consuming and generally prohibitive law suits and patent claims.
At the time of writing, the AV1 video codec shows anywhere up to 30 per cent more efficient compression than HEVC, and those within the Alliance for Open Media will push for even bigger gains still. After all, it’s always good to leave room to squeeze more audio and video standards into the bitstream as and when they arise.
But while all sounds good for efficiency of the compression, there is a catch – it takes much, much longer to encode videos in AV1 in the first place. Imagine capturing a video on your mobile then having to wait an age for the AV1 file to be created before you can share it.
The aim for AV1 is for significant improvement here. Realistically, it’s a problem that needs to be solved before widespread adoption can happen. Until then, expect AV1 to be a more fringe player.
Best media streamers 2021: The best TV streaming devices
AV1 specs
(Image credit: AOAlliance)
AV1 decoders are available at different profile settings and levels, depending on each piece of hardware’s capabilities. Theoretically, though, there’s plenty of scope and the very upper limits of AV1 have not yet been defined.
For the time being, the codec can go as far as 8K at up to 120fps, involving bitrates at up to 800mbps. Bit depth for colour comes in 8-, 10- and 12-bit varieties and with colour sampling up to a 4:4:4 full pixel level.
Can I watch AV1 video now?
Google has already implemented some AV1 use onto YouTube and requires AV1 support to view its 8K videos on TV.
Netflix has also started streaming AV1 content on a few titles. In fact, the subscription giant first took on AV1 as a way of keeping costs down for Android customers. The Netflix ‘Save Data’ feature on Android devices prioritises the use of the less data-heavy AV1 streams where possible. The company has also committed to take AV1 use across the board going forward.
Vimeo has adopted AV1 for the streams of its ‘Staff picks’ channel. Facebook has promised a roll out of AV1 as browser support emerges, and Twitch has 2022 or 2023 targeted with universal support projected to arrive in 2024 or 2025.
To watch this AV1 content requires both hardware and software support, which mostly breaks down to which device you’ve got and what operating system it’s using. At the time of writing, there’s no AV1 support on MacOS or iOS.
Android (10 onwards), Chrome (70 onwards) and Linux can decode AV1 streams, as can Windows 10 devices (once updated) for certain Windows apps.
What is Google TV? Apps, features, compatible TVs, everything you need to know
What devices support AV1?
Any device looking to support AV1 will need to have an AV1 decoder built-in at the chip level. Compatibility to the codec cannot be added as a firmware update for most devices. That means the very vast majority of devices out there at the time of writing aren’t ready for it.
There are one or two that were future-proofed in 2020, though. Of those, the Roku Ultra is probably your best bet to get going with AV1 content straight away, although it’s only available in the US for now.
LG’s 8K TVs from 2020 are also AV1 compatible with a decoder built into the α9 (Gen 3) processor. It’s a similar story for Samsung’s 8K sets from the same time – you can actually watch AV1-encoded 8K content from the YouTube app of those sets now.
The other notable AV1-enabled hardware is the Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 Series graphics cards, which would make a very handy video streaming addition to most PCs.
Otherwise, it’s a list of AV1 promises but these include a particularly good one. Google recently announced that any device looking to use the Android TV 10 OS produced after the 31st March 2021 deadline will need to have an AV1 decoder built in.
So, expect plenty of set-top boxes and smart TVs launched in 2021 and beyond to be ready to go and, with Google putting its foot down, all sorts of other products and services should fall in line over the next 12 months, and that’s good news for everyone. Higher quality video, here we come.
MORE:
HGiG explained: what is HGiG? How do you get it? And should you use it?
ATSC 3.0: everything you need to know about NextGen TV
Samsung’s first Neo QLED is a force to be reckoned with, and the greatest threat yet to the dominance of OLED
For
Superbly bright, punchy and sharp
Exhaustive feature set
Lovely design
Against
Artificial boost to dark detail
Reticence with extreme contrast
Still no Dolby Vision
This year looks very much like the year of Mini LED. The technology, which sees the traditional LEDs of a TV backlight miniaturised in order to increase contrast, is a feature of the 2021 line-ups of most major TV brands, including LG and Philips.
For those brands, Mini LED TVs sit below their OLED models, but for Samsung, Mini LED is its flagship technology (assuming you discount its eye-wateringly expensive new Micro LED sets). The company has developed its own Mini LEDs, which it says are even smaller and more efficient than those of its rivals, and combined them with its existing Quantum Dot tech to create a range of premium TVs that it calls Neo QLEDs.
The QE65QN95A is the first Neo QLED we’ve tested. It’s the top 4K model in Samsung’s 2021 range, and it purports to offer a huge upgrade on last year’s equivalent without any increase in price.
This is the model that Samsung is pitching against LG’s incredibly popular C-class OLED, the 2021 version of which (the C1) we have yet to review. When it does appear, the C1 is going to have its work cut out because the Samsung QN95A is the best QLED there’s ever been, and that makes it a serious challenger to even the best OLEDs.
Pricing
The Samsung QE65QN95A is priced at £2999 – exactly the same price its predecessor, the QE65Q95T, launched at, despite this new model representing what appears to be a serious technological upgrade.
The QN95A is exclusive to Europe. US buyers instead get the QN90A, which does without the QN95A’s One Connect box and has just one HDMI 2.1 socket (the QN95A has four). Confusingly, the US QN90A is different to the European QN90A, which is more heavily downgraded. Apparently, Europe will in fact get an as-yet-unannounced model called the QN94A, which will be the same as the US’s QN90A.
If you’ve completely lost track, it’s no surprise. It feels as though Samsung has gone out of its way to make its model structure even less coherent than it was in 2020. Sony, meanwhile, is putting a concerted effort into unifying its model numbers across all regions, and LG has been doing that for years, at least in terms of its OLEDs.
Build
(Image credit: Future)
Besides the benefits in terms of contrast, a Mini LED backlight is much slimmer than one consisting of standard LEDs. Samsung has also worked hard to reduce the distance between the backlight and the Quantum Dot panel, making the whole display section slimmer.
Samsung QE65QN95A tech specs
(Image credit: Future / Escape From Pretoria, Amazon Prime)
Screen type QLED
Backlight Mini LED
Resolution 4K
Operating system Samsung Tizen
HDR formats HDR10, HDR10+, HLG
HDMI x4
USB x3
Optical x1
Of course, a TV also needs to pack in processing hardware and speakers, but Samsung has still managed to reduce the thickness of the QN95A to just 2.6cm, down from the 3.5cm of last year’s Q95T.
That doesn’t make the QN95A as thin as an OLED is at its thinnest point (the LG CX is under 4mm thick here) but its uniform depth measurement means it is much thinner than most OLEDs are at their thickest points (the CX is 4.7cm here) and arguably makes for a more stylish, picture frame-like proposition when wall mounted.
The QN95A also gets the new, redesigned version of Samsung’s One Connect box. The concept is the same – all connections, including power, go into a separate unit that’s connected to the TV via a single cable – but the chunky brick design has been replaced by one reminiscent of a stack of five or six placemats. While this One Connect can be mounted to the rear of the stand of Samsung’s 2021 8K models, it can’t be mounted to the QN95A at all.
Also slightly disappointing is that the cable that runs between the One Connect box and display is significantly thicker and less flexible than that of previous versions. Samsung says the cable has changed in the name of “performance stability and durability”, but we weren’t aware of any issues with the previous design.
While the move to a thicker wire is a bit of a shame, having just one cable running to the display rather than multiple HDMIs and power is still undeniably neater. And, if your set-up means that the One Connect box will be visible in your TV rack, this new version is significantly easier on the eye than its predecessor.
Features
(Image credit: Future / Escape From Pretoria, Amazon Prime)
The One Connect box also gives the QN95A a more advanced set of connections than other 2021 Samsung models such as the QN90A. It’s all down to the HDMIs: all four of the QN95A’s HDMI sockets are 2.1-spec, while its siblings get just one HDMI 2.1 socket. That probably won’t make a huge difference right now, but anyone planning to buy both the PS5 and Xbox Series X will need more than one HDMI 2.1 socket to take full advantage of both consoles, and there will only be more HDMI 2.1 sources in the future.
Of course, simply having HDMI 2.1 sockets isn’t enough to guarantee support for all of those fancy next-gen HDMI features, but the QN95A offers support for eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel), ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), 4K@120Hz (aka High Frame Rate) and VRR (Variable Refresh Rate). VRR is supported in all three of the formats currently available: standard HDMI VRR, Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync (this is the first TV to be FreeSync Premium Pro-certified, in fact).
As is probably already clear, Samsung is even more committed to courting gamers than before, going as far as creating the ‘Game Bar’ – a pop-up menu that gives you quick access to various game-related features and delivers live information on the signal being received, including the VRR format and frame rate. Input lag, meanwhile, has been reduced to under 10ms, which is entirely imperceptible. If you don’t mind sacrificing a little of that speed, you can enable some gaming-specific motion smoothing, although we don’t find that necessary during testing.
Finally, on the gaming front, the HGiG (HDR Gaming Interest Group) setting that was added to Samsung’s 2020 QLEDs via a software update late last year is also present on the QN95A. This is well worth using in conjunction with your console’s HDR calibration settings as it results in a more accurate picture with deeper blacks and more detailed highlights.
Samsung has also long been the market leader when it comes to integrated streaming apps, and the QN95A is just as well-appointed as its predecessors in that regard. Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV, Google Play Movies & TV and Rakuten are all present in 4K and HDR; BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4 and My5 complete the set of catch-up apps; Now TV and BT Sport are also here; and Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, BBC Sounds and TuneIn mean every major music and radio app is on board, too. In short, there’s no app of significance that’s missing here, and there are loads of niche apps in there too.
There is, though, an HDR format of significance that’s missing – Dolby Vision. While Samsung’s rival HDR10+ has made undeniable in-roads in recent years, Dolby Vision is clearly the more dominant format and it’s very hard indeed to see the power balance shifting. Even if Samsung truly believes HDR10+ is better, it should by now be offering Dolby Vision support as well.
(Image credit: Future)
The operating system is more or less unchanged from last year, which is no bad thing. It’s still the best in the business, slickly getting you to the content you’re after quicker than any rival. One new feature that has the potential to be great is Multi View, which allows you to split the screen in two and watch an HDMI source in one window while you access an app via the other. We could see this could be useful for watching two football games at once, for example, one via your Sky Q box and the other the BT Sport app, but currently the only apps supported in Multi View are YouTube and a wellness app called Calm, rendering it almost useless.
The QN95A’s new remote has a useful new feature, though: on the bottom is a light panel that allows it to be charged via sunlight and even house lights. It works really well – during testing, the remote’s battery level doesn’t drop below about 95 per cent as it constantly tops itself up. That said, the remote does also have a USB-C socket that can be used as a backup charging method.
Under the TV’s skin is a new version of Samsung Quantum Processor, called the Neo Quantum Processor 4K. The big new feature here is referred to as Ultra Precision Light Driving, which involves more precise dimming and a local power distribution feature that sends power to the brightest areas of the picture and away from the darker parts. It also works in conjunction with a sensor integrated into the TV’s frame to adjust brightness and contrast in response to ambient lighting conditions. There’s a new level of ‘deep learning’ applied to contrast enhancement, too.
Of course, the biggest new feature of the QN95A is its Mini LED backlight. Samsung explains that the majority of a typical LED’s size is made up of its protective packaging and light-guiding lens, both of which it has done away with for its so-called ‘New LEDs’. Not only that, but it has also miniaturised the LEDs themselves, to astonishing effect: the new LEDs, packaging and all, are a fortieth the size of their traditional counterparts and look like little more than sparkly grains of sand.
Instead of a lens, this New LED backlight works with a new ‘micro layer’ that guides the light through the quantum dots (which provide the set’s colours). The result is apparently no light leakage or blooming.
Crucially, because the New LEDs are so much smaller, significantly more of them can be packed in, creating more individual dimming zones in the process. While Samsung doesn’t quote official figures for these dimming zones, we understand that the QN95A has just under 800 of them. Last year’s Q95T and Q90T are thought to have had around 120 dimming zones each so, on paper at least, this appears to be a massive upgrade that should have a startling impact on contrast.
Picture
(Image credit: Future / Escape From Pretoria, Amazon Prime)
Kicking off with the 4K Blu-ray of John Wick: Chapter 3, it quickly becomes clear that this is a massive upgrade in real terms, too. Not only does the QN95A go vastly brighter than the OLED competition, in most conditions it combines bright and dark picture elements unlike any commercially available TV before it. As John cuts through the chandelier shop near the start of the film, the warm, piercing light contrasts brilliantly with the rain-soaked streets in the background, with the bulbs and the glass sections of the chandeliers sparkling to a degree that makes the Award-winning Philips 65OLED805 look decidedly dull.
Crucially, this brightness doesn’t come at the expense of black depth, which is close to OLED-quality. If you look closely at a still image, you can see that the top black bar loses a bit of purity as one of the shining bulbs lingers at its edge, but in action, this isn’t noticeable. What’s more, there’s no obvious haloing around bright objects on dark backgrounds, or any other real hint that this is a backlit telly. It’s not totally perfect, but it could be argued that it’s close enough to not matter.
That said, the QN95A is, like its predecessor, a little cautious when confronted by small bright objects in otherwise overwhelmingly black images. During the opening scene of It, Pennywise’s eyes should glow menacingly bright out of the gloom of the basement, but they’re barely noticeable here. As the camera heads through the tunnel towards daylight for the start of the film, it’s clear that the TV is holding back, presumably for fear of introducing blooming, and it makes the image less exciting than it should be.
The same trait is clear in the company logos and intro text at the start of Blade Runner 2049. It could be that Samsung is playing things just a little too safe here, but crucially, these ultra-high contrast images are relatively uncommon, and in isolation, the Samsung’s delivery rarely looks wrong. It’s only in a side-by-side comparison with one of the punchier 2020 OLEDs that this reticence becomes clear.
The only other slight flaw in the QN95A’s delivery is regarding the balance of dark detail and black depth. Not that the TV isn’t capable of both, but we struggle to find the perfect balance. There’s a dedicated Shadow Detail setting that does exactly that but it also somewhat washes out the image. Switching the Contrast Enhancer to High, meanwhile, reveals so much dark detail that it feels as though artificial light is being added to some dark scenes.
We’ve always appreciated Samsung’s bold and straightforward picture settings, but for this TV, a Contrast Enhancer setting between Low and High might have proved perfect. As it is, you have to trade just a bit of dark detail to get inky blacks, or have slightly artificially boosted shadow detail.
Ultimately, though, the QN95A is a stunning performer overall. It’s so dynamic and vibrant that it makes its rivals look flat and boring. Whites, in particular, are incredibly pure and punchy, from John Wick’s shirt to the fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling of the first-floor armoury above the chandelier shop.
(Image credit: Future / Escape From Pretoria, Amazon Prime)
Colours are incredibly lush, too, but also natural and controlled – as long as you tone down the Colour setting just a bit. It’s the perfect foil for the comic book-style exaggeration of John Wick 3, pumping up the pink of the shirts of the call centre staff and bringing the Marrakesh market to life with its varied and vibrant hues.
Switch to 1917 and the vibrancy is tempered by a slightly unexpected degree of naturalism. Some TVs we’ve reviewed have, in their quest for vibrancy, pushed the green fields at the film’s start from verdant to lurid, but the QN95A doesn’t fall into this trap and the film is delivered with both punch and poise.
The same effortless balance is applied in regards to detail and sharpness, too. Where some TVs, including previous Samsung models, can over-sharpen edges and details, giving everything an artificially etched look, the QN95A ensures that everything is crisp and clearly defined without any of that exaggeration. The detail is all there, but it isn’t rammed down your throat, and that’s the way it should be.
In 2020, Samsung took a big step forward in terms of motion processing, and it’s good to see that that balance of smoothness and naturalism continues into 2021. Again, you need to select the right setting: the default Auto setting is forced and unpleasant, but switching to Custom and setting Blur Reduction and Judder Reduction to 10 and 3 respectively keeps motion controlled without adding fizz around fast movement or any of the dreaded soap opera effect.
Switching from 4K to 1080p with the Looper Blu-ray, it becomes clear that this Samsung takes a surprisingly subtle approach to SDR content. While many TVs attempt to give SDR content an HDR sheen, the QN95A opts instead for subtlety. Compared with the Philips OLED805, the Samsung’s image is less dynamic and instantly exciting, but also more nuanced in its shading and a fair bit more detailed. Both approaches have their merits, but Samsung’s feels more authentic.
The same relative characteristics are present as we switch to our trusty Dirty Harry DVD. While the Samsung is once again less punchy in its delivery, it’s subtler and cleaner, too.
Sound
(Image credit: Future)
Considering the QN95A’s sound system is essentially invisible, it packs in a large number of drivers – eight of them, in fact – in a 4.2.2 arrangement that Samsung refers to as OTS+ and is rated to 70W. ‘OTS’ stands for ‘Object Tracking Sound’ and refers to the fact that the system is designed to create a sense of three-dimensionality akin to Dolby Atmos. All of which makes it slightly baffling that the QN95A can’t natively play Dolby Atmos soundtracks, although it can pass them out to a connected speaker system (even a Samsung soundbar).
Regardless of the tech involved (or not), the QN95A puts in a solid audio performance that’s clear, direct and punchy but with good weight and openness. It delivers a strong sense of space and atmosphere while ensuring that dialogue and effects are presented clearly. Detail levels are high by the standards of an integrated sound system, too.
That said, the QN95A’s speakers struggle with the super-deep bass at the start of chapter 2 of Blade Runner 2049, with its woofers flapping uncomfortably. This is far from the only TV to have problems here – LG’s CX OLEDs suffer at least as badly – but it’s a shame all the same. Still, we would always recommend partnering a TV as impressive as this with a dedicated sound system, and this flaw only reinforces that message.
If you are determined to stick with the Samsung’s integrated speakers, Adaptive Volume is best switched off as it tends to sound quite forced and hard, but Adaptive Sound+ is worth using as it adds spaciousness and a slight sense of cinematic envelopment. Amplify is worth trying, too: it sacrifices a bit of low-level dynamic subtlety for bigger overall dynamics and more punch, making it useful for action films. Standard is probably better if you want to use one setting for all content, though.
Verdict
While Mini LED might not quite be the revolution that Samsung is pitching it as, it’s still a substantial upgrade to an already excellent range of TVs. The overall contrast offered is staggering, and the QN95A combines near-OLED black levels with awesomely crisp white highlights and fabulously vibrant colours, all while retaining an effortless sense of naturalism.
Throw in the best, most app-packed operating system in the business, a delightfully slim design and a full set of next-gen HDMI sockets and this is (a lack of Dolby Vision support aside) as complete a package as can be imagined.
It’s early days for 2021 TVs, but Samsung has thrown down the gauntlet in emphatic style and it will be fascinating to see how its rivals respond.
The Samsung S21 FE (Fan Edition) will be the cheapest model of the 2021 S-series. How will this phone look like and what are the expected specs?
Last September, Samsung launched the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition, as an entry-level model within the high-end S20 series. The device was equipped with a relatively large display, a large battery, powerful hardware and the latest software. In addition, the S20 FE was marketed significantly cheaper than the other S-series models. It is therefore not surprising that this phone model became very popular. Now that the Galaxy S21 series has been officially announced, the question arises; will Samsung also release a Fan Edition of the S21 this year?
Although the S20 FE was the first Fan Edition within the S-series, it is likely that Samsung will release another FE edition in 2021, in the form of a Samsung Galaxy S21 FE. After all, the previous model was a direct hit and it was also a good replacement for the significantly less popular S10 Lite.
When is the Samsung S21 FE expected?
The timing of the release was also better. The S10 Lite was announced in January. While the S20 FE saw the light of day in September, so it was another half year wait for the new S-series models to be announced annually in February.
It is in line with expectations that Samsung will maintain this release schedule, in other words, an S21 FE will probably be released in the second half of 2021. Just as there seems to be a Samsung Galaxy Note 21 FE in the planning for the second half of the year.
This brings up the question; What can we expect from the S21 Fan Edition this year? Samsung has taken some unexpected steps within the S-series this year. Although flagship smartphones normally only get improved, this certainly wasn’t the case with the Samsung S21.
The S21 adopted various features of the cheaper S20 FE, such as the flat display with Full HD resolution and the plastic back. As a result, the S21 has also been marketed more cheaply than the S20 a year earlier. The first sales results show that Samsung has made the right decision in this regard. The pre-order sales of the S21 series went significantly better than the year before.
Now that the Galaxy S21 is cheaper than the S20, the question remains; what features will the S21 FE get. Which features will Samsung be able to omit to still deliver the same high-end experience, at a lower price level?
Design of the Galaxy S21 Fan Edition
For the time being, the specifications of this new model are still unknown. But now that the Samsung S21, S21 Plus and S21 Ultra have been officially announced, we can already look carefully ahead to the fourth model.
To give a first impression of the possible design of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, in-house graphic designer Giuseppe Spinelli, aka Snoreyn, made a series of product renders. The 3D images are designed based on the already available S21 and S20 FE and are cast in a matching Samsung style.
With the Galaxy S21 FE, Samsung will want to appeal to successful youngsters. That is why we have opted for four stylish colors with a light color palette; gray, blue, purple and green. The previous model appeared in no less than 6 sparkling colors, so you can assume that at least several color options will be offered.
Of course, the new Fan Edition is also made dust and waterproof (IP68), as you would expect from a high-end phone. Furthermore, the SIM compartment will most likely be moved to the bottom of the device, as is the case with the other S21 models. Audio enthusiasts will unfortunately have to do without a 3.5mm headphone jack.
What is immediately noticeable about the Samsung S21 FE, designed by Giuseppe, is the camera system. The three available S21 models are characterized by a specially designed camera, where the camera is merged with the frame on the side and top of the device. To make the Fan Edition cheaper, we decided not to implement this design twist in the S21 FE.
The design of the triple camera is comparable to that of the S20 FE. We have chosen to keep the color of the camera module the same as that of the housing. Last year, the camera island got a dark color scheme with a harder contrast, regardless of which color variant you chose.
In terms of camera specifications, we do not expect any major differences compared to last year. After all, the camera of the S21 and S20 is also largely identical to each other. The FE model was equipped with a 32MP selfie camera. The triple rear camera consists of a 12 megapixel wide angle and ultra wide angle camera and an 8 megapixel telecamera with 3x Hybrid zoom and 30X Space Zoom. The S20 FE can record videos in 4K resolution and played back in 8K.
The S21 FE will probably have the same camera configuration as the S20 FE. Additional functions are made possible by the renewed Android 11 OS, in combination with the One UI 3.1 interface. Think of the new features such as Object Eraser and Multi Mic recording, as well as an improved Single Take function and touch autofocus.
Expected technical specifications
The screen sizes of the S21 models have remained the same as last year. The S21 is the smallest with its 6.2 ” display, followed by the S21 Plus with its 6.7” display. The S21 FE will probably feature a 6.5 ”Full HD+ display again – meaning it will be positioned between the base and Plus model in terms of size.
The screen will most likely support the high 120 Hertz refresh rate, but HDR support will likely be lacking. Logically, a punch-hole camera system will again be chosen to accommodate the selfie camera.
Presumably the same Exynos 2100 will be used as with the other S21 models. However, less RAM will probably be built in, but two options may again be offered: 6GB and 8GB RAM. The storage capacity of 128GB / 256GB will probably be maintained.
It will be interesting to see whether the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE will have a memory card slot. With the other S21 models, Samsung has chosen to omit the microSD compartment, so that the options for expanding the memory are limited to cloud storage. Samsung may keep the microSD memory compartment with the Fan Edition, although it is just as likely that it will be left out for cost reasons.
Furthermore, it is in line with expectations that the S21 Fan Edition will also have an extra large battery. After all, this was also one of the strong features of the previous FE model. The S20 FE was equipped with the same size battery as the S20 Plus; 4500 mAh.
If Samsung continues this line, it would mean that the S21 FE will be equipped with a 4,800 mAh battery with support for 25W wired / 15W wireless charging. Since the FE has a slightly smaller screen than the Plus variant, it is likely that this model also delivers a slightly better battery life. The 4,800 mAh battery of the S21 Plus guarantees a battery life of more than 12 hours.
Probably the charger will not be included, the same goes for the earplugs. Samsung has already started this trend with the other S21 models. The official reason for this is that Samsung wants to counteract eWaste. By not supplying a charger / earplugs the environment can be saved.
Unfortunately, Samsung does not leave this decision to the consumer. If the environment is the main driver, why not offer the phone both with and without a charger for the same amount of money – as Xiaomi is doing with the Mi 11. At the end, many do want to purchase a fast charger which now needs to be packaged separately, be shipped separately etc. The environmental benefits will therefore be very limited.
How much will the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE cost?
The Samsung S20 FE 5G (128GB) carried a suggested retail price of € 750 last year, a 4G model was also released for € 650. The S21 models are cheaper than last year and, moreover, are only available with 5G. Most likely, the S21 FE will also be released exclusively as a 5G model, after all, 5G is the future and it will replace 4G in the coming years.
The basic model within the 2021 S-series is available for a starting price of € 850 (128GB). In six months’ time, the S21 will undoubtedly have dropped in price, making it plausible that the Galaxy S21 FE will also be marketed more cheaply than last year. This way, Samsung can prevent the Fan Edition from being even more expensive at launch than the basic model. You may be able to buy the new model for about € 650. By keeping the entry-level price the same as last year, but this time with 5G, the S-series will remain accessible to a wide audience.
For the already available S21 models, Samsung has chosen not to include a charger or earplugs in the sales package. This new trend, initiated by Apple last year, does not appear to have had a negative effect on sales numbers. It is therefore certainly not inconceivable that the new Galaxy S21 FE will also be delivered without a charger and earplugs.
Samsung will probably offer the Fan Edition in a range of standard colors. The S21 Plus and Ultra can also be purchased in various custom colors, which can only be ordered on request via the Samsung website. However, this option is not available for the base model, so it is unlikely that custom colors will be designed for the S21 FE either.
Nevertheless, different color variants will undoubtedly be made available. In addition, Samsung will undoubtedly announce a range of matching accessories, including phone cases made of a variety of materials such as silicone, fabric and leather.
The fourth model in the S-series will probably be announced around September, before then we first expect a new Galaxy Note smartphone. In the coming months, more details will undoubtedly be known about the technical specifications and design of the new Samsung Galaxy S21 FE.
Note to editors : The product images in this publication are created by in-house graphic designer Giuseppe Spinelli (aka Snoreyn). The presented concept renders are for illustrative purposes only. The images are copyright protected. Feel free to use the pictures on your own website, please be so respectful to include a source link into your publication.
Samsung has begun shipments of its 2021 TV lineup, which is is led by new “Neo QLED” 8K and 4K TVs that use Mini LED technology to achieve greater contrast and improved picture quality than in previous years. With Mini LED, the company is able to cram much smaller LEDs — and way, way more of them than before — into the TV’s backlighting system. This gives the TV much finer control over dimming zones and black levels, and it should dramatically cut down on any unwanted “blooming” effect.
This year’s upper-end Samsung TVs also include a number of gaming-centric features like a new settings bar that puts all the crucial next-gen options — refresh rate, aspect ratio, input lag, and so on — within easy reach. Many of the TVs will start reaching customers within the next two weeks, with others to follow in April and thereafter.
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
The Frame, one of Samsung’s “lifestyle” TVs, is being refreshed with a thinner design and more bezel options for making it look like a piece of art on your wall. And Samsung now says it’s increasing the internal storage from 500MB to 6GB so that customers can now store more artwork — up to 1,200 ultra hi-res images — on the TV that is displayed when it’s not actively being used.
And the company also announced it’s introducing more traditional form factors for its futuristic MicroLED TVs that aim to leapfrog OLED as the next great TV technology. Instead of offering modular, any-size-you-want options as it does with The Wall, Samsung will be selling the MicroLED set in 110-inch, 99-inch, and 88-inch sizes. Now it’s been announced that a 76-inch model will be added in the future. The 110-inch and 99-inch MicroLED TVs will be available in April.
Here’s how Samsung’s 2021 lineup shakes out in terms of pricing. I’m not about to recommend you get an 8K TV, though it’s unfortunate that the gorgeous, barely-there bezel design is reserved exclusively for the top-tier 8K series. I’m definitely eyeing one of the Neo QLED 4K sets — especially once sales start to kick in.
Neo QLED 8K QN900A series (the flagship “no bezel” design) 85-inch: $8,999.99 75-inch: $6,999.99 65-inch: $4,999.99
(Pocket-lint) – For most people, buying the latest flagship usually means buying an iPhone or buying a Samsung Galaxy. But, there are some equally compelling powerful phones from other brands on the market too. Two of those are the latest from Chinese brands, Xiaomi and OnePlus. Those are – of course – the Mi 11 and the 8T.
Look down the spec sheet numbers and you might just conclude an easy win for the Xiaomi. But as many of us well know: numbers on spec sheets don’t tell the whole story, and there’s price to consider. Xiaomi’s premium model is more expensive. So which should you buy?
One thing that can be said about Xiaomi’s design is that the manufacturer has pushed the envelope when it comes to making its phone at least look different to others on the market. That triple layer camera housing with the contrasting ring and black pill-shaped under layer makes it instantly unique against the OnePlus, with its relatively standard rectangle housing.
In the hand, they don’t feel all that different though. Both feature a similar curved glass back, but the texture between the two specific models in the video above is different. Xiaomi’s frosted glass is softer to the touch, although it is ever so slightly longer, wider and heavier than the OnePlus, there’s not a lot in it, not enough to make a huge difference on a daily basis.
Turn them over to the front and you’ll notice a few more differences. Primarily Xiaomi’s curved glass on the edges. OnePlus went for a completely flat display, with only subtle curving at the bezel, which is similarly slim on both devices.
Saying that, looking closely you’ll notice that Xiaomi’s bezels are skinnier and that the punch-hole camera takes up a little less space in the panel.
While curved screens are technically more advanced than flat ones, Xiaomi’s implementation does mean it suffers from accidental touches.
Holding the phone in landscape we often found ourselves struggling to get deliberate touches to register as an unbeknown to us part of our palm was touching the edge of the screen.
Both phones support dual SIM setups, and neither phone has a microSD card tray, so you get the storage in the phone and that’s it. Which, in both cases is generous. You’ll get either 128GB or 256GB.
Display
Xiaomi: 6.81-inch 20:9 ratio AMOLED display
OnePlus: 6.55-inch 20:9 ratio AMOLED display
Xiaomi: QHD+ (3200 x 1400) resolution – 515ppi
OnePlus: FHD+ (2400 x 1080) resolution – 402ppi
Both: HRD10+ compatible and maximum 120Hz refresh rate
Look at the display specs and there’s surely one winner here? Well.. not quite. Xiaomi’s is the more advanced, technically, and has a sharper maximum resolution. That pushes it to more than 500 pixels per inch, compared to the 400 pixels per inch on the OnePlus. It is QHD over FHD after all.
That means on finer details when you look closely, the Xiaomi does look crisper. Despite similar peak brightnesses however, the OnePlus screen does seem a little brighter and more vivid with both pushed to maximum brightness.
The two phones offer plenty of calibration tools though, so you should be able to get them looking the way you want.
There’s really not a huge amount in it and – while Xiaomi’s is technically better overall – we’d be perfectly happy to game and watch movies and tv shows on either display. In fact, sometimes the flatter display is preferable. If only because none of your images are curved around an edge.
Both offer super smooth 120Hz refresh rates, so you’ll get smooth, sharp animation whatever you’re doing. Providing the content is optimised to run at those speeds.
Software
Xiaomi: MIUI 12 – based on Android 11
OnePlus: Oxygen OS 11 – based on Android 11
When it comes to software, we have to say OxygenOS 11 is a more reliable and less intrusive version of Android. Both are similarly fluid and fast with similar features like always on display when your phone is in standby.
However, Xiaomi has this habit of double-checking your Play Store apps are safe before installing, which can be a pain if you’re downloading apps in the background while doing something else. A popup screen takes over, interrupting whatever you’re doing.
More obtrusive however is that all apps are pushed to reserve battery mode by default, meaning unless you go into settings and give them unreserved access, you’ll miss notifications. If you don’t tinker in settings to allow them permanent ability to run, you have to physically open the apps to check if you have messages and updates.
Similarly, OnePlus seems a little more suited to one-handed use with its default apps at least, bringing controls down to a more thumb-able level.
Performance and battery
Xiaomi: Snapdragon 888 processor
OnePlus: Snapdragon 865 processor
Both: 5G support
Xiaomi: 8GB/128GB, 8GB/256GB and 12GB/256GB RAM/storage options
OnePlus: 8GB/128GB and 12GB/256GB RAM/storage options
Xiaomi: 4600mAh – 55W wired and 50W wireless charging
OnePlus: 4500mAh – 65W wired Warp Charge
With performance there’s not a huge amount to say, except that both phones are really quick and able to run the most demanding games and apps without a worry.
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Xiaomi has the upper hand, since it’s using Qualcomm’s latest 888 processor, but with similar memory and RAM levels and speed, you likely won’t notice a huge amount of difference on a daily basis. Run a benchmark and you probably will, but you’ll never have to worry about demanding games with either phone.
Similarly, battery life will comfortably get even the most demanding users through a full day. You get similar battery capacities – it’s 4,500 vs 4600 mAh – on the two phones, although, OnePlus is the smaller of the two. Still, with its lower resolution display, it doesn’t seem to use it up quite as quickly when doing visually intensive activities. So with similar screen time, the OnePlus lasts a little longer.
When it comes to fast charging, OnePlus wins this one with its 65W warp charge that can completely refill the battery in under 40 minutes.
Still, Xiaomi’s no slouch and not only can it do a full charge in 45 minutes, it has fast 50W wireless charging too, provided you get Xiaomi’s bespoke compatible wireless charger. OnePlus features no wireless charging.
Cameras
Xiaomi: triple camera system
108MP f/1.9 wide main camera w/OIS
13MP f/2.4 ultra-wide
5MP f/2.4 macro
OnePlus: quad camera system
48MP f/1.7 wide main camera w/OIS
16MP F/2.2 ultra-wide
5MP f/2.4 macro
2MP depth
Both: 4K up to 60fps
Xiaomi: 8K up to 30fps
Xiaomi: 20MP 1080p selfie camera
OnePlus: 16MP 1080p selfie camera
While resolution and sensor sizes are different, the makeup of the two camera systems are similar. There’s a primary lens alongside the ultra-wide and macro lenses. OnePlus also has a depth sensor, which is essentially useless on its own. It’s just for extra data.
Now, neither phone has a telephoto lens, but both will let you zoom further using a digital zoom. Xiaomi’s lets you go pretty far too, but once you push either over the 5x zoom mark the results can pretty ropy.
The one thing we did notice was that – while both take sharp, vivid pictures in daylight – the Xiaomi’s were consistently darker and more contrast-heavy. Sometimes that made them appear too dark and crushed, with the OnePlus looking more life-like and natural. Other times, the OnePlus looked comparitively washed out.
As for macros – it’s tricky getting a sharp in-focus shot with the Xiaomi, but it can take fantastic looking macros if you get up close. Xiaomi’s tends to magify the macros a lot more, but more importantly, the macro shot on the Mi 11 consistently had a much nicer and smoother background blur. OnePlus was noisy and grainy and just looked harsh a lot of the time.
As for night time, both phones have a night mode you can use on the primary and ultra wide cameras, but the ultra-wides are nowhere near as effective at drawing in light on either camera.
Results were a little inconsistent, with the OnePlus often struggling to focus and evening out the minor hand shake. But when it did, it often delivered better colour, dynamic range and detail than the Xiaomi. However, the Mi 11 was more often better at focussing and producing the sharper image when the light levels got particularly low, even if the colours are a little cooler and washed out.
As for selfies, the Xiaomi seemed generally softer and a little less natural looking than the OnePlus in both daylight and at night using the screen as a flash.
Pricing and availability
Xiaomi: Pricing around €750/£750
OnePlus: Pricing from €549/£549
The interesting part of this comparison is looking at pricing. Xiaomi’s latest flagship – due to its higher spec in a few places – means you pay more for it. In fact, around £200/€200 in some places. Even the higher spec 12GB/256GB OnePlus model is cheaper than Xiaomi’s.
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Xiaomi’s phone is brand new too, so you may struggle to find it as easily available in a lot of markets. OnePlus’ latest flagship has been on the market for a few months already and can be found direct through OnePlus or through partner carriers in a lot of countries. Or even through Amazon.
Conclusion
All in all, Xiaomi may have some features better than the OnePlus. The display for one stands out but – in a lot of ways that matter – the OnePlus more than matches it. The less intrusive software experience for one is a reason to choose it, as is saving money.
Still, the Mi 11 is a very capable flagship packed with potential. There’s no doubt it has a better display and camera system and maybe – just maybe – the software experience will improve when MIUI 12.5 arrives.
(Pocket-lint) – Despite the overall TV trend being towards ever bigger screens, when it comes to OLED technology there’s actually been a growing clamour for something smaller. Not everyone can fit a 55-inch screen in their living room – yet that size has traditionally been as small as OLED TVs get.
Happily there are finally no less than three 48-inch options out there for people who want the contrast-rich picture quality OLED is renowned for but in a more manageable package: the LG OLED48CX, the Philips 48OLED+935, and on review here, the Sony KD-48A9.
Sony KD-48A9 review: Design
4x HDMI inputs, 3x USB ports
LAN & Wi-Fi multimedia options
From the front, the 48-inch Sony A9 is gorgeously minimalistic. The frame around the screen is both exceptionally narrow and sits in the same plane as the image, so it all looks like one immaculate sheet of glass.
The screen sits so low on its heavy duty, centrally mounted desktop plate stand, too, that from any regular viewing distance the screen appears to be holding itself upright using some sort of magic.
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The outer edges of the screen are less than a centimetre deep, too. This outer trimness does contrast starkly, it has to be said, with a central section of the rear that actually sticks out more than the backsides of most modern tellies. Unless the set is going to be hung on a wall, though, the A9’s chunky bits don’t detract much at all from the overall supremely elegant look.
The 48-inch A9’s design doesn’t appear to include any forward-facing speakers. Except that actually, it does. For despite being Sony’s smallest ever OLED TV, the A9 still uses the brand’s unique Acoustic Screen technology, where precisely positioned actuators are used to turn the screen itself into a speaker.
The 48-inch A9 isn’t short of connections either. Four HDMIs, three USBs, and support for both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi wireless connectivity are all present and correct.
Disappointingly, though, none of the HDMIs can handle enough data to support 4K streams at 120Hz, or variable refresh rates (VRR). In other words, this A9 can’t support the two most important new features of the latest games consoles and PC graphics cards. Despite Sony actually making one of those games consoles.
Sony KD-48A9 review: Picture Features
HDR Support: HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG
Processing engine: X1 Ultimate
While this A9 might be smaller than other Sony OLED TVs, it’s certainly no less clever. It gets the same premium X1 Ultimate processor that all of its bigger OLED siblings also get, complete with all of its proven benefits.
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For starters, it converts sub-4K sources to 4K using a vast dual database of picture analysis to give more effective results in real-time. There’s also a Super Bitmap system for refining striping out of HDR (high dynamic range) colour blends, and a Triluminos colour system that uses precision colour mapping to deliver an enhanced range of colour tones more accurately.
Sony’s Pixel Booster technology is on hand, meanwhile, to deliver enhanced contrast by better sharing power around between the individual pixels in the A9’s self-emissive OLED screen, while Sony’s renowned MotionFlow processing contributes to improved motion handling. There’s even a new option that inserts partial black frames into the image to create a more authentic looking 24 frames per second (24p) cinematic experience, but without the same degree of brightness reduction that black frame insertion usually causes.
The X1 Ultimate processor also powers a standard dynamic range (SDR) to HDR conversion system that’s sophisticated enough to treat various objects in the image differently, rather than just applying a conversion algorithm to the image as a whole. Sony is so confident about this system that it’s applied by default and undefeatably to most of the A9’s picture presets.
Unlike Sony’s A8 OLED TV range, the A9 is designated as one of Sony’s Master Series OLED TVs. This means that each set has been individually checked over and fine tuned in Sony’s factories before being released for sale.
As an OLED TV, of course, the 48-inch A9 gives you the technology’s key advantage of every single pixel in its 4K screen producing its own light source and colour, so that the darkest pixel in any image can appear right next to the brightest – without either compromising the other.
Sony
Being self-emissive also means the A9 can be watched from pretty much any angle without any loss of contrast or colour – something which the vast majority of LCD TVs cannot compete with.
In the interests of fairness, it needs to be stressed that OLED TVs can’t achieve the sort of brightness levels that LCD sets can. The highest brightness the 48-inch A9 can achieve is 665 nits in its Standard preset, dropping to 590 nits in Cinema mode. For comparison: premium LCD TVs can routinely hit more than 1,000 nits. In fact, Sony itself has managed almost 4,000 nits from its ultra expensive ZG9 8K LCD TVs.
The A9 supports three high dynamic range (HDR) formats: the standard HDR10 system; the HLG format typically used for live HDR broadcasts; and the premium Dolby Vision format, which adds extra scene-by-scene picture information so that compatible TVs can deliver more accurate images. There’s no support for the Dolby Vision-rivalling HDR10+ system – but that’s much less commonly found in the content world than Dolby Vision.
Sony KD-48A9 review: Smart Features
Smart System: Android TV plus YouView
Happily, after a buggy and cumbersome past life, the Android TV interface is finally improving to the point where you can actually start to appreciate the platform’s main strength: the amount of content it carries.
Sony’s implementation even includes Apple TV alongside the usual Netflix, Google Play, Amazon Prime, Rakuten, and other suspects, while Android TV’s remaining blind spots when it comes to the streaming services of the main UK broadcasters are covered by the inclusion on the A9 of the excellent YouView app. This brings all the UK streaming services together into one attractively presented, easy to browse umbrella app.
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Android TV on the A9 proves to be significantly less buggy than previous generations, and integrates smoothly with the TV’s setup menus. There’s none of the excessive menu sluggishness Android has sometimes caused in the past, either.
There’s still something a little dated about its full screen presentation, and it still doesn’t feel quite as well adapted to TV (as opposed to smartphone or tablet) usage as some rival TV smart systems. But it’s now something that isn’t actually a chore to use, and that’s a definite step in the right direction!
It’s worth adding, too, that Android TV supports Chromecast out of the box, while voice recognition/control support is on hand courtesy of Google Assistant.
Sony KD-48A9 review: Picture Quality
While the 48-inch A9 isn’t the only 48-inch OLED TV on the market, its picture quality ensures that it’s a unique proposition.
The best way to start developing an impression of just how lovely the A9 is to watch is to say that it’s the closest Sony has got yet to matching the renowned picture quality of its legendary BVM-X300 professional OLED mastering monitor (a screen that cost tens of thousands).
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The A9’s handling of dark scenes and black tones isn’t just great, as would be expected of any OLED TV, it’s pretty much perfect. It’s completely consistent, for instance, with no hint of the sort of sudden shifts in the overall black tone that you see with some OLED rivals.
There’s no sign of noise, either, be it fizzing or blocking, in areas of near-black detail. Yet at the same time the amount of subtle shadow detail the A9 brings out of even the darkest parts of the image is exceptional.
In other words, the screen doesn’t just take the easy route to clean, dark areas by sneakily crushing subtle details out of dark areas.
Colours, too, are exceptionally handled. Not a tone looks out of place or unnatural, no particular shades end up getting too much emphasis, potential colour banding is handily suppressed by the Super Bitmapping system, and the sheer range of tones the screen can produce does justice to even the most aggressive HDR/wide colour gamut sources.
Thanks in part to the finesse of its colour management and light control, the A9 delivers native 4K images with excellent sharpness and texture. So much so that you’re never in doubt that you’re watching a 4K screen despite the A9 being relatively small by today’s standards.
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Just as importantly, though, the sharpness doesn’t feel forced. The set just looks like it’s bringing out every subtlety that’s present in a 4K image, rather than using processing to artificially sharpen things up.
The natural clarity continues during action scenes and sports events, too, thanks to Sony’s excellent motion processing system. The new black frame insertion system is pretty effective – motion looks less juddery without sliding into the ‘soap opera effect’, and the image doesn’t lose as much brightness as you’d expect with a BFI-based system. Sony’s regular MotionFlow True Cinema option, though, is so effective that most users likely won’t feel the need to trade even a little brightness for the BFI option’s slightly more authentic cinematic flicker.
It’s not just native 4K images that look detailed and clean on the A9. The upscaling prowess of Sony’s X1 Ultimate processor adds detail while removing source noise pretty much flawlessly, achieving remarkably convincing results with all but the most heavily compressed sources. Even Sony’s (sensibly restrained) SDR-to-HDR conversion system delivers results so natural and believable that even the most die-hard picture accuracy obsessives will likely find the system hard to resist.
While it’s useful to break the A9’s pictures down into their different elements, the really key point about them is that they are almost free of distracting shortcomings, errors or inconsistencies. Which means, of course, that they’re phenomenally immersive and satisfying.
Sony
If there’s an issue with the 48-inch A9’s pictures, it’s just that they’re not very bright. The measured brightness figures quoted earlier are around a fifth lower than the numbers measured in the same circumstances from many rival OLED sets. Something to consider for people looking for a TV to go into a typically bright room, perhaps.
It’s important to add, though, that the local contrast impact achieved by the Pixel Booster feature is good enough to ensure the A9’s picture still feels startlingly punchy in a dark room, and certainly doesn’t completely fade into the background when the lights are on.
Sony KD-48A9 review: Sound Quality
Concerns that the 48-inch A9’s smaller screen size might lead to a diminished performance from Sony’s Acoustic Surface technology prove unfounded. The sound still projects forward into with pleasing directness, and swells out nicely to create a sound stage that spreads far beyond the outer edges of the screen.
There’s a lovely open, rounded feel to the sound’s tone, too, that even holds up in very loud, dense film moments. In fact, the sound expands really nicely to embrace raucous action scenes; there’s no levelling off too early or thinning out with the heaviest content like you get with many TV sound systems.
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Also impressive is how detailed the A9 sounds. This includes some startlingly accurate positioning of specific sounds – voices, gunfire, moving vehicles – on the screen, and lots of general detailing.
The soundstage’s precision slips once it expands far beyond the screen, though, limiting the effectiveness of its Dolby Atmos support. Bass, too, while clean and lively, doesn’t sound particularly meaty, denying big soundtrack moments the foundation of rumbles they need to deliver their full sense of scale and impact.
Verdict
The Sony KD-48A9’s pictures are as good as it gets. Close to the sort of thing typically only seen on pro-grade monitors, in fact. Especially if you’re prepared to darken your room for serious viewing.
It sounds good for its size too, and even its Android smart system is finally turning into a reasonably friendly place to hang out.
But the 48-inch A9 doesn’t quite bag a full five-star score for two main reasons: first, its puzzling lack of support for the latest cutting-edge gaming features (120/4K and VRR). Second, its asking price is pretty steep when a very similar 55-inch Sony KD-55A8 is available for hundreds less.
Alternatives to consider
LG OLED48CX
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LG’s 48-inch OLED telly is brighter and slightly cheaper than the Sony. It also, crucially, supports all the latest 4K/120Hz and VRR gaming features across all four of its HDMI inputs. Its picture quality isn’t quite as overall refined as that of the 48A9, though, and its more conventional speaker system is not quite as effective as the Sony’s Acoustic Surface approach.
Read our review
Sony KD-55A8
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Aside from sporting a less premium design and not having each set individually optimised in Sony’s factories before shipping, the A8 OLED range is a very close sibling indeed to the 48A9. And this 55-inch mode can be yours for less cash than the A9 too – if you’re ok with it being a bigger set.
High-end TV brand C-Seed has taken the wraps off what’s said to be “the world’s first” folding 165-inch MicroLED TV.
Aimed at luxury homes (and presumably Elon Musk), the 7ft-high C-Seed M1 “rises silently” out of the floor and unfolds four panels to make up a monster 4K HDR display. The company’s Adaptive Gap Calibration Technology aims to create a seamless effect, so the multi-sectional design resembles one giant 165-inch TV.
“Big wall-mounted TV screens are an anachronism in modern interior design,” says C-Seed co-founder Alexander Swatek, who created the company in 2009 with two ex-Bang & Olufsen managers. “Therefore, C-Seed took a totally different path and came up with a revolutionary design.”
The M1 uses MicroLED technology, which has the potential to go brighter than OLED sets (handy if you’re trying to watch a 165-inch TV on a sunny day in a gleaming white apartment). C-Seed also notes that the M1 supports HDR10+ and boasts an integrated 2.1 speaker system.
If you’re familiar with C-Seed you’ll know the Austrian outfit specialises in ultra-luxurious indoor and outdoors TVs, many of which, like this 2017 4K model, are the size of a small bus.
The firm’s latest masterpiece will be available in black, gold, silver and a matt “Titan” grey from July 2021. The price? An eye-watering $400,000 (that’s around £290,000 or AU$510,000).
Buying one might be the easy bit, though. Burying a folding TV weighing 1350kg in the floor of your marble-clad penthouse could be tricky…
In the mood for a MicroLED TV? Samsung’s 110-inch The Wall is arriving soon and LG has launched this 163-inch monster.
MORE:
Our guide to next-gen MicroLED TVs
Top tech tech compared: OLED vs QLED
10 of the world’s most expensive TVs
Browse our list of the best 8K TVs
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