Tag Archives: HDR10 Plus

Xiaomi Mi TV 5X 55 Review: Improved, And Still Reasonably Priced

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Although Xiaomi and its Redmi sub-brand have much of the budget and mid-range television segments in India covered, its focus will always be on value for money, and that applies to the high end as well. Big screens, plenty of features, thoughtful software, and discrete design have largely defined the Mi TV range. The company’s latest television series, the Mi TV 5X, hopes to carry that forward without compromising on the one thing that has attracted buyers to the brand – competitive and reasonable pricing.

Priced at Rs. 45,999 in India, the Xiaomi Mi TV 5X 55-inch Ultra-HD LED Smart TV is very impressive on paper and promises capable performance, without forcing you to spend too much. Some of its key features include support for Dolby Vision, hands-free Google Assistant voice controls, and the combination of Android TV 10 and the company’s popular PatchWall UI. Is this the best 55-inch television you can now buy under Rs. 50,000? Find out in this review.

Xiaomi Mi TV 5X 55 design and specifications

Televisions from Xiaomi’s Mi brand have sported the Mi logo thus far, but with the Mi TV 5X, there’s a big change. The company announced that it is switching to ‘Xiaomi’ as its brand name on future products, and the Mi TV 5X shows that, even if it’s still called a ‘Mi TV’.

Displayed prominently right below the screen is the new Xiaomi logo on a silver strip, just above the module that has a few indicator lights and the power button. The rest of the borders around the screen are considerably slimmer and similarly silver in colour, giving the Mi TV 5X a distinct look that stands out among the competition as well as other televisions from Xiaomi such as the Redmi TV X Series and Mi TV 4X range.

The Mi TV 5X isn’t quite as slim as some of the flagship TVs I’ve reviewed recently, but it’s reasonably well built and not too thick even at the bottom, which bulges a bit. It looks good for a TV in its price range, whether placed on a wall or on stand mounts. The lower part of the back of the TV has a carbon-fibre-like texture, with one set of inputs and ports facing downwards, and a second set facing to the left of the screen.

The less frequently used ports, including the Ethernet, optical audio out, composite AV input, and antenna port all face downwards, while the two USB ports, three HDMI 2.1 ports, and 3.5mm audio out socket face to the left. The television can be stand-mounted using the metal stands included in the box, or wall-mounted using any aftermarket VESA-compatible kit. Xiaomi can provide a wall-mount kit at an extra cost at the time of installation.

The Mi TV 5X sports the company’s new ‘Xiaomi’ brand logo, instead of ‘Mi’ 

 

While I’m reviewing the 55-inch model in the Mi TV 5X series which is priced at Rs. 45,999, you could also choose the 50-inch and 43-inch models, priced at Rs. 41,999 and Rs. 31,999 respectively in India. All three are Ultra-HD TVs with support for up to the Dolby Vision format for HDR.

The Mi TV 5X 55 has a 55-inch Ultra-HD (3840×2160-pixel) LED-backlit screen, with support for the Dolby Vision and HDR10+ high dynamic range formats.

This television has a rated sound output of 40W, and support for Dolby Atmos and DTS-HD through its two-speaker system. HDMI ARC is supported on one of the HDMI ports, and there’s also dual-band Wi-Fi ac and Bluetooth 5 for connectivity. The TV has a quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage for apps and app data.

Xiaomi Mi TV 5X 55 remote and features

While the general design and branding of Xiaomi’s televisions have changed over the months and years, the company’s approach to the remote has been largely the same. The Mi TV 5X has Xiaomi’s familiar, minimalist remote, and expectedly yet still disappointingly, the needed AAA batteries are not included in the sales package.

The remote itself is one that I’m very used to, and the company’s software tweaks such as Quick Mute and Quick Settings access have long since made up for its physical shortcomings. It’s suitably equipped to get you anywhere within the TV’s software quickly, and you can navigate around both the Stock Android TV UI and Xiaomi’s own PatchWall UI easily enough.

Other key features of the Mi TV 5X include hands-free Google Assistant access, Google Chromecast built-in with support for Ultra-HD and HDR casting from supported apps and services, an auto low-latency mode for use with gaming consoles, and the ability to use Alexa as your default voice assistant if you prefer.

The remote of the Mi TV 5X is a familiar one, with a minimalist, compact design

 

The television has a microphone that can be set to always-on mode to listen for the ‘OK Google’ or ‘Hey Google’ wake words, just as you’d have it on a smart speaker such as the Google Nest Audio. It’s possible to turn off the microphone if you have privacy concerns or just don’t want to use voice commands; there’s a physical sliding switch to control this at the bottom of the TV, just below the Xiaomi logo.

Xiaomi Mi TV 5X 55 software and interface

Just like the remote, the software experience on the Xiaomi Mi TV 5X remains familiar for anyone who has used a Xiaomi television before. The television runs on Android TV 10, with both the stock Android TV user interface, as well as Xiaomi’s own PatchWall 4 launcher. All major apps are supported, and users have full access to the Google Play Store for Android TV to download any of over 5,000 apps available.

The stock Android TV UI will be familiar for users of other Android TV devices as well, since it works without any real manufacturer-enforced limitations here. The settings are accessible from anywhere in the interface, including if content is playing, by long-pressing the Mi button on the remote. A short-press of the button will switch to the PatchWall launcher, which shows a wide selection of curated content from various streaming services.

PatchWall 4 is slightly improved over previous versions, with IMDB ratings integrated into most titles, a new look for the information pages for titles with additional details, and more. PatchWall allows for easy access to the TV’s settings and other source inputs, as well as different apps that you might have installed on the TV.

Users who like a lot of recommendations and content curation will enjoy what PatchWall has to offer, thanks to its content-centric approach. Also worth mentioning is that the Mi TV 5X supports the Mi Home app through the PatchWall launcher, allowing you to control IoT devices in your home through your TV or through voice commands, if you have the Mi Home app linked to your Google account. This could be convenient if you own and use devices such as the Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop P and Mi LED Wi-Fi Smart Bulb.

Xiaomi Mi TV 5X 55 performance

Good looks and features aside, the Xiaomi Mi TV 5X 55 is also well equipped to deliver a pleasant viewing experience, driven by its focus on value. Picture and sound performance are very good for a 55-inch television priced under Rs. 50,000, delivering the sheer impact of a big screen TV, while also doing a good job across resolutions and content types. That said, I did face occasional lag and UI performance issues, which I’ll elaborate on in this section.

Ultra-HD Dolby Vision content brings out the best in the Mi TV 5X 55

 

The Mi TV 5X 55 is a high dynamic range (HDR) television with support for the HDR10+ and Dolby Vision formats. Naturally, the 55-inch screen means that this TV is best considered for top-quality content, such as Dolby Vision movies and TV shows on Netflix and Disney+ Hotstar which looked considerably better than anything else I watched.

Watching Korean hit TV show Squid Game in Ultra-HD and Dolby Vision on Netflix, the Mi TV 5X made for an enjoyable experience. The picture had a gentle, easy-going tone to it, with colours that didn’t quite pop as much as on more premium TVs, but were refined and impactful nonetheless. The bright pinks and greens of the uniforms worn by the guards and contestants in the show were subtly, yet strongly brought out by the TV.

The picture is sharp and detailed, without appearing too jarring and edgy. There was a sense of smoothness to Ultra-HD content, with Dolby Vision content looking even better through brightness and contrast. Visually striking shows such as Our Planet looked impressive on the Mi TV 5X, as did gentler and less impactful viewing such as Clarkson’s Farm on Amazon Prime Video.

While there is a definite boost in brightness, and the ability to have varying levels of contrast and impact in the same frame with HDR content, the biggest benefit of Dolby Vision on the Mi TV 5X was in the tone. This television usually captured the feel and essence of TV shows well, providing a sombre, dark feel to shows such as Squid Game and movies such as Greyhound on Apple TV+, while the light-hearted Somebody Feed Phil looked bright and fun as Phil Rosenthal explored cities and their unique eateries.

The television retains the tone of shows and movies with Dolby Vision; Squid Game looked sombre and haunting, even while the colours looked good

 

Many LED-backlit TVs, particularly those priced at under Rs. 50,000, tend to choke a bit when it comes to black levels. The Mi TV 5X, while not quite as impressive as televisions such as the OnePlus TV Q1 Pro (which has local dimming), does a reasonably good job with darker scenes and black tones. Although there was a mild grey wash on the screen, it wasn’t as intense or distracting as on the Redmi TV X55, which costs about Rs. 5,000 less than the Mi TV 5X. Dark scenes looked decent in dully lit rooms as a result, while bright scenes were watchable even with sunlight striking the TV.

Standard dynamic range and standard definition content, while naturally not as attractive to watch as HDR, was decent on the Mi TV 5X 55 nonetheless. The Last Dance on Netflix, as well as assorted full-HD content such as The Good Place, Parks and Recreation, and Schumacher were good to watch, with the TV handling the older, upscaled footage of the Bulls’ historic championship runs and Michael Schumacher’s F1 dominance in the 1990s particularly well. In general, this TV made for a consistently bright, sharp, and clean viewing experience across resolutions and content.

Sound on the Mi TV 5X is comfortable and acceptable in ordinary viewing situations; the TV can get quite loud thanks to its 40W speakers. The sound is well-tuned and uniform, without too many jarring volume spikes. Interestingly, while Dolby Atmos is supported on the TV and was activated with a slider switch in the sound settings menu, the Mi TV 5X doesn’t support Dolby Atmos detection by content platforms – Netflix and Disney+ Hotstar both showed support for 5.1-channel audio at best.

Instead, enabling Dolby Atmos on this TV seems to upscale the sound signal at the hardware stage. This still made a slight difference in sound quality with most content. Some virtualised surround effects could be heard while watching Squid Game, and the sound felt a bit more refined and detailed overall. Even with this switched off, or with content that doesn’t really benefit from the format, sound was decent enough. That said, a good speaker system such as the Sony HT-S40R, which I reviewed alongside this TV, might help improve the listening experience.

PatchWall shows a growing collection of curated content from across various streaming services and content providers

 

Although the picture and sound were generally good, and the software experience was satisfactory for the most part, I did experience some performance glitches with the Mi TV 5X. These included occasional lag and stutter in the picture when streaming Ultra-HD content, delayed responses to button-press commands from the remote, and a few Wi-Fi connection drops.

I also experienced delays in subtitle timing on some occasions, with the words appearing on screen about a second or two late but clearing on time, making it hard to read along when watching foreign-language content. While these issues weren’t very bothersome and were often fixable by turning the TV off and on again, they did come up every once in a while, so they are worth pointing out.

Verdict

Xiaomi’s focus on value for money and competitive pricing continues to pay off for the company, and the Mi TV 5X is a good example of why affordable TVs are worth considering. Priced at Rs. 45,999, this is quite easily my top pick among 55-inch televisions priced at under Rs. 50,000 right now. It delivers a good blend of design, features, and…

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OnePlus TV 55 Y1S Pro 55-inch Ultra-HD LED TV Review: Sensibly Priced, Good Software

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OnePlus entered the television segment with the Q1 series of quantum-dot LED TVs in 2019, but has since turned its attention towards making TVs with varied screen sizes and budgets for a price-conscious India. This includes the Y1S Pro series of televisions, which offer bigger Ultra-HD screens at reasonable prices, familiar software experiences, and some integrations and ecosystem benefits if you have other OnePlus hardware. While the 43-inch and 50-inch variants in the Y1S Pro range were launched earlier in 2022, the company only recently put the largest 55-inch variant on sale.

Priced at Rs. 39,999, the OnePlus TV 55 Y1S Pro Ultra-HD LED TV has been developed with value in mind, and goes up against the competition from brands such as Xiaomi and Redmi, TCL, and Hisense, among others in the deeply competitive, affordable big-screen TV segment. The OnePlus television offers support for HDR10+ high dynamic range content, and promises a software experience that works well with your OnePlus smartphones and accessories. Is this the best television you can buy for under Rs. 40,000 right now? Find out in this review.

The OnePlus TV 55 Y1S Pro is considerably different from the company’s more expensive options when it comes to design

 

OnePlus TV 55 Y1S Pro design and specifications

OnePlus’ television range in India fits roughly into three categories, of which the Y-series range is the most affordable. That said, the Y series in itself has standard and ‘Pro’ models. The Y1S Pro range features three size options — 43 inches, 50 inches, and 55 inches — with all featuring Ultra-HD (3840×2160-pixel) LED screens. The largest of the three sizes, the one on review here, is priced at Rs. 39,999 in India.

This isn’t a particularly fancy television when it comes to design, but it does check the boxes for a competitively-priced television of this size. The OnePlus TV 55 Y1S Pro is available in a single black colour, and has slim borders surrounding the screen on all sides and a good screen-to-body ratio. There is a small OnePlus logo on the bottom strip and a fairly conspicuous module, but the TV has a design that is largely distraction-free and keeps the focus on what’s on the screen.

The OnePlus TV 55 Y1S Pro weighs around 10.9kg without the included table stands attached, and can be wall-mounted using standard VESA-compatible wall mounts (not included in the box, but can be arranged for at the time of installation). It isn’t particularly slim, and there is a reasonably wide gap behind the TV even when wall-mounted, but the TV doesn’t come across as too thick either. However, the ports on the left side of the TV are far inwards from the outer edge and can be a bit difficult to reach if you have the OnePlus TV Y1S Pro on a standard low-profile wall mount.

Connectivity options on the OnePlus TV 55 Y1S Pro include three HDMI 2.1 ports (one supports ARC/eARC), two USB ports, a digital Optical (Toslink) port, an Ethernet port, and a single socket for AV input (to be used with a 3-in-1 adapter). There is also Bluetooth 5 and dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity on the television.

As mentioned, the OnePlus TV 55 Y1S Pro has a 55-inch Ultra-HD (3840×2160-pixel) LED screen, with support for high dynamic range content in the HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG formats. The speaker system has two drivers, with a total rated output of 24W and support for Dolby Audio. There is 2GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage for apps and app data on the OnePlus TV Y1S Pro.

OnePlus TV 55 Y1S Pro remote and features

Minimalist remotes are now the norm, and the OnePlus TV 55 Y1S Pro has a fairly standard remote which keeps the focus on the basics of the smart TV user experience. Interestingly, there is no dedicated power button; the button with the OnePlus logo controls the power and standby modes, in addition to quickly switching to the Oxygen Play interface.

The OnePlus Connect app lets you use a smartphone as a remote for the OnePlus TV 55 Y1S Pro

 

Apart from this, there is a standard D-pad and selection button for navigation, home and back buttons, volume and Google Assistant controls, and hotkeys for Disney+ Hotstar, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video. The remote uses both IR and Bluetooth for connectivity, and is powered by two AAA batteries.

It’s a good looking and conveniently-shaped remote, and the learning curve (particularly related to the power controls) wasn’t too much to handle. I would recommend keeping the TV on standby much of the time rather than powering it down completely, since this ensures a quick boot-up when you turn it on again. However, you might need to do a full shut-down every few days to keep the system running smoothly.

In terms of features, the OnePlus TV 55 Y1S Pro is like any other budget Android TV device, with Ultra-HD Chromecast built-in, and support for Miracast and HDMI CEC. As mentioned, there is voice assistant support through Google Assistant, with the invoking button and microphone on the remote.

OnePlus TV 55 Y1S Pro software and interface

Similar to Xiaomi’s dual-UI approach, the OnePlus TV 55 Y1S Pro runs on Android TV 10 with the refreshed stock Android TV user interface as the primary UI, but with the addition of the company’s Oxygen Play launcher. Oxygen Play has no content of its own, instead focusing on curation of content from various OTT platforms and services. This includes movies, shows, sports, kids content, and news telecasts, from services such as Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, Zee5 and Sony Liv, among others.

As with other curation-focused launchers, you’ll need paid subscriptions for most of the services, and you might also need to install the apps if they aren’t already installed. Apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, Sony Liv, and Voot are preinstalled on the TV, but some can be uninstalled to make things a bit lighter if you prefer. On the whole, Oxygen Play is great for those looking for recommendations — particularly popular Indian content, but there are also curated lists for globally relevant movies and TV shows.

If you know what you want to watch, or prefer browsing through content within specific apps, the stock Android TV launcher might be better suited to you. I do, however, recommend lightening the installation load by removing any apps you don’t intend to use and leaving only the ones important to you.

You can also install the OnePlus Connect app (available on Android and iOS), which lets you use the smartphone or tablet as a remote for the TV when connected to the same Wi-Fi network. The app also provides access to other interconnectivity features such as screen casting, local video casting, and file transfers to the OnePlus TV Y1S Pro. If you have other OnePlus devices such as earphones or smartwatches, these can be connected to or used with the TV quickly and fairly seamlessly.

Oxygen Play provides curation of content, but you’ll still need the apps and subscriptions to be able to watch most of what’s on offer

 

The television has only 8GB of internal storage, and on one occasion I was asked to clear some space to be able to install a 1.2GB firmware update, considering the size of existing loads such as Oxygen Play and apps such as Netflix and YouTube which can’t be uninstalled. Although 8GB of storage is adequate on most Android TV devices, OnePlus’ software package makes it fall short, and there should ideally have been 16GB of space on the Y1S Pro television.

Performance and navigation on the user interface was a bit slow at times but content, once streaming, worked well with not much lag. I did receive a firmware update during my time with the OnePlus TV 55 Y1S Pro, and most popular apps for Android TV are supported through the Google Play Store. Apps tend to display content in the maximum possible resolution (based on availability and your own subscription plan), with Ultra-HD HDR content available on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ Hotstar.

OnePlus TV 55 Y1S Pro performance

The affordable big-screen television segment typically focuses on specifications and format support, but OnePlus’ approach to the space is a bit different. This is an Ultra-HD TV with high dynamic range support, but OnePlus has skipped the more expensive Dolby Vision format support in favour of better overall performance with picture quality and sound quality for the price.

While the company’s more expensive Q1 Pro is better equipped including a front-firing soundbar speaker system and support for Dolby Vision and Atmos, the Y1S Pro is expectedly simpler given the price difference. On paper, it might even seem a bit under-equipped as compared to competing options from brands such as Xiaomi, Vu, Hisense, and TCL, but the overall experience was largely on par with what I’ve experienced with other 55-inch televisions priced at around Rs. 40,000.

Ultra-HD HDR10+ content expectedly looked best on the OnePlus TV 55 Y1S Pro

 

While Dolby Vision support might have been a good addition given the variety of content for the format available through platforms such as Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, and Apple TV+, the OnePlus TV Y1S Pro manages to make do reasonably well even with the step down to HDR10. Some content from services such as Amazon Prime Video is available in HDR10+, but the differences between the two formats weren’t significant, and seemed more to do with the quality of the content itself.

I watched a number of TV shows and movies across various services and formats, including the first season of Andor and Rogue One on Disney+ Hotstar, season three of Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime Video, and Kaleidoscope on Netflix, to test performance with high-quality Ultra-HD HDR content. I also watched various other HD and full-HD shows and content including the Football World Cup final, assorted episodes of Modern Family, and videos on YouTube.

Among the various Ultra-HD HDR shows I watched on the OnePlus TV 55 Y1S Pro, picture performance was best with Jack Ryan, particularly during well-lit, daytime scenes. Europe’s scenic cities, as well as the Greek coastline on display in the third season looked great, with decent levels of brightness, reasonably accurate colours, and plenty of visible detail.

While the typical punch and vibrancy visible on more expensive TVs with better displays was expectedly missing, it still made for a good viewing experience — if you can cut out enough ambient light in the room. There was also a noticeable difference in the way bright and dark scenes were handled by the TV, which also tended to affect certain types of content such as action shows and thrillers, making for a less consistent viewing experience.

The OnePlus TV 55 Y1S Pro is unique in that it offers LED backlight dimming. However, it’s what can be termed as ‘global’ dimming where there is a single backlight zone that automatically adjusts the entire backlight for the LED display according to the scenes and detected colour levels. The settings menu allows for adjustment in the intensity of this, and it did seem to make a bit of difference with dark scenes, although not by much.

This being an affordable LED TV, the OnePlus TV Y1S Pro doesn’t benefit too much from this, and black levels weren’t particularly good in dark scenes across the shows that I watched. Some of the darker scenes in Kaleidoscope and Rogue One appeared to be ‘grey washed’, with significant noise visible even with the most gentle of movements. Content remained watchable, but I did need to darken the room as much as possible, and tended to watch mostly at night in order to cover for the TV’s shortcomings in this regard.

Lower resolution content performed similarly to Ultra-HD content in terms of brightness, black levels, and the general adaptability of the OnePlus TV Y1S Pro to changing scenes and varying picture conditions. There was, of course, a visible difference in the sharpness that was made more obvious by the 55-inch screen size, but this is to be expected from any television of this size and didn’t heavily impact the viewing experience.

Sound quality on the OnePlus TV 55 Y1S Pro is very good for a television in this price segment

 

The Football World Cup final with its bright lights and colours looked fine, as did episodes of sitcoms such as Modern Family and The Big Bang Theory. Conversely, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 didn’t look as good because of its generally dark tone and the TV’s weakness with dark scenes, which also tended to bring out the shortcomings in the upscaling.

Gaming…

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Samsung 55-inch QN95B Neo QLED Ultra-HD Mini LED TV Review: The Futuristic Flagship TV

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Modern flat-panel televisions typically slot into one of three common categories – LED, quantum-dot LED, and OLED, with standard LED TVs being the most affordable and OLED TVs usually being the most expensive. Recently, a few brands including TCL, LG, and Samsung have introduced a fourth category in India – Mini LED. This panel type is a middle ground between the affordability and brightness of LED models, and the colour and contrast levels that OLED panels offer.

The product I’m reviewing today is the current flagship Ultra-HD television from Samsung, the QN95B Neo QLED TV, which combines Samsung’s expertise in quantum-dot technology with the modernity of Mini LED technology. Priced at Rs. 2,14,990 in India, the 55-inch Samsung QN95B Neo QLED Ultra-HD TV is a modern marvel in many ways, including its use of quantum dot technology, Mini LED backlighting, and its uniquely slim design. There is also support for high dynamic range up to the HDR10+ format, and Dolby Atmos audio with a 70W speaker system. Is this the best flagship 55-inch television you can buy right now? Find out in this review.

The Samsung 55QN95B TV runs on the Tizen operating system for televisions, which has a particular focus on the Samsung TV Plus streaming service

 

Samsung 55-inch QN95B Neo QLED TV design and specifications

The Samsung QN95B Neo QLED is one of the company’s flagship Ultra-HD TV ranges in India, and you can choose between two sizes, 55 inches and 65 inches. Samsung sent me the 55-inch variant for review, which is priced at Rs. 2,14,990 in India. This places it firmly in the premium category, going up against flagship options from brands such as LG and Sony, covering various display technologies including quantum-dot LED and OLED.

What sets the Samsung QN95B series apart from much of the competition is the use of Mini LED backlighting, combined with the company’s highly-rated QLED quantum-dot technology. Mini LED technology uses much smaller LEDs for backlighting, allowing for more, smaller local dimming zones, and a promise of reduced backlight bleeding effects. This precision backlighting comes close to what OLED technology offers. It also has the distinct advantage of much higher peak brightness; the Samsung QN95B has a claimed peak brightness of 2,000 nits.

There’s more to the Samsung QN95B television that aims to justify its premium pricing, particularly how this TV looks. The main body of the TV is completely flat, with a uniform thickness that allows it to maintain a low profile when wall mounted, with barely any gap between the screen and the wall on all sides. The back of the TV has just two ports, for the One Connect cable (more on that in a bit), and one USB Type-C port for a webcam (which is an optional purchase, priced at Rs. 8,900). All eight drivers of the 4.2.2-channel speaker system are also at the back.

You can also table-mount the Samsung QN95B television, using the centre-positioned stand included in the box. The stand is very heavy at around 8kg, and feels solidly built to be able to safely hold up the screen. I had the Samsung QN95B TV wall-mounted for my review, using my own VESA kit. Samsung states that the TV weighs around 16.1kg without its stand, which is quite heavy for a 55-inch television, especially this one given its slim proportions.

The screen unit is, quite literally, just the screen of the Samsung 55-inch QN95B television; the ‘brains’ of the TV is the One Connect box that comes with it. This box connects to the screen, sending both power and audio-visual signals to the screen and its 4.2.2-channel speaker system. The single cable that connects the two is transparent and thin for easy concealment, and is about 1m long. This allows for easy access to the ports and sockets, and is the reason for the screen unit being so slim.

The One Connect box connects to your mains power supply and has four HDMI 2.1 ports (one supports HDMI eARC), three USB Type-A ports, an RF In cable socket, an Ethernet port, and a digital optical audio output (Toslink). The box also handles wireless connectivity over dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.2, and interfaces with the remote. This flat box can be positioned anywhere near the TV, although it is a bit large and will need some space on a flat surface such as a TV furniture unit.

The design of the Samsung QN95B TV is particularly impressive, with a slim form factor that leaves little space between the TV and the wall

 

The Samsung QN95B Neo QLED TV has a native refresh rate of 100Hz, variable refresh rate of 144Hz (under certain conditions when used for gaming), and a resolution of 3840×2160 pixels for its 55-inch screen. The TV uses Samsung’s Neural Quantum Processor 4K, and supports high dynamic range content up to the HDR10+ format and Dolby Atmos audio (but not Dolby Vision). The 4.2.2-channel sound system has two top-firing speakers to simulate overhead channels, and has a rated output of 70W.

Samsung 55-inch QN95B Neo QLED TV remote and features

The Samsung 55-inch QN95B Neo QLED TV is fairly well-equipped when it comes to the remote and features. The remote is unique for its solar charging capability, with a small solar panel on the back to keep the rechargeable internal battery going. Usefully, there is also a USB Type-C port for urgent, quicker charging when needed. That said, The remote was sufficiently charged straight out of the box and didn’t need to be charged over USB at all during my review.

The remote itself is compact and somewhat minimalistic when it comes to buttons; there is no number pad and no dedicated playback controls, but there is a D-pad for navigation, hotkeys for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, and Samsung TV Plus, and a few others.

You can use the remote’s microphone to give voice commands to the voice assistant of your choice, and you can also directly access the settings from any screen on the TV. I quite liked the remote and didn’t have any trouble with it during my review, apart from the markings on the buttons being a bit hard to read in the dark and the tactile feel of the buttons not really helping either.

If you have any Samsung smart appliances that are compatible with the company’s SmartThings framework, you can control them directly from the TV. Other features include EyeComfort mode which adjusts brightness and colour levels according to time of day and ambient light, support for multiple voice assistants including Google Assistant, Alexa, and Samsung’s own Bixby, Multi View for mirroring your smartphone screen while simultaneously watching content on the TV (from select apps and services), and more.

There is no Google Chromecast functionality, but you do get Apple AirPlay 2 on the Samsung QN95B Neo QLED TV, which worked well for me. I was able to use AirPlay to mirror my iPhone screen on a part of the TV screen, while using select apps such as Samsung TV Plus or YouTube for the Multi View feature.

The remote of the Samsung 55QN95B has a solar panel for charging, but also can be charged quickly with USB Type-C

 

Gaming-focused features such as a 144Hz variable refresh rate, auto low-latency mode, and support for AMD FreeSync Premium Pro make this TV reasonably well suited for use with modern gaming consoles. There is also Object Tracking Sound which claims to create a realistic soundstage according to what’s on screen, and Q-Symphony, which allows the TV’s speakers to work in conjunction with compatible audio systems.

Samsung 55-inch QN95B Neo QLED TV software and interface

Samsung continues to use its own Tizen software for its televisions, but the QN95B Neo QLED TV sees significant changes in the user interface compared to earlier Samsung TVs. This includes a much more content-focused UI with viewing recommendations from various apps and services. This is similar to Xiaomi’s approach with PatchWall, although Samsung’s curation and layout feel a bit cluttered and awkward in comparison.

A key focus point of the interface is Samsung TV Plus, a free streaming service that comes preinstalled on the television. This service has a linear TV programming format, with over 60 channels including Discovery, TLC, and Boomberg. The content on these channels is scheduled, and is streamed using the TV’s Internet connection.

However, the user interface tends to put this service front and centre, including starting up the most recently viewed channel immediately in a small preview box when this TV is turned on, which can be annoying and disturbing if the volume was left at a high level. There is also a lot of emphasis on free movies and TV shows from various streaming services, but you will need each one’s app to be installed, and in some cases, you’ll need to register and sign in.

All of this aside, the core functionality of the user interface is decent enough, and it’s easy enough to switch between connected source devices. Apps are easy to access as well thanks to a dedicated row on the home screen, and the app marketplace has various options for popular streaming services, games, and other apps. The settings menus are a bit complicated to navigate, but the TV offers plenty of options for customisation and tweaking. The UI isn’t quite the best among the various options available right now, but it’s entirely functional and usable.

The Samsung 55QN95B Neo QLED TV supports HDR up to the HDR10+ format

 

Samsung 55-inch QN95B Neo QLED TV performance

Before I get into the performance section of this review, it’s worth noting that we are aware of reports that Samsung has reportedly been caught cheating on certain TV tests carried out by reviewers; the QN95B TV is itself the subject of allegations brought up by FlatpanelsHD in its review. However, our testing process does not involve the specific tests that the Samsung QN95B TV is alleged to detect and manipulate, and we have no reason to believe that the television sent to us for this review is not a standard retail unit.

The Samsung 55-inch QN95B is a modern flagship that delivers the kind of performance you would expect from a television priced at over Rs. 2,00,000. The quantum-dot Mini LED screen provided a bright, vibrant picture with most of my viewing, and this TV was able to use its careful calibration and technical capabilities to deliver flagship-grade HDR performance even with HDR10+.

I tested the Samsung 55QN95B with a variety of content across resolutions and dynamic ranges, and as is usually the case with high-end models, this TV was optimised for Ultra-HD HDR content. Apart from obvious differences in sharpness, parameters such as motion handling, colour accuracy, and brightness were all visibly better with high-quality content.

Perhaps the best experience I had with the Samsung 55-inch QN95B TV was watching Spider-Man: No Way Home in Ultra-HD HDR with Dolby Atmos through the Apple TV streaming service. Everything including the sharpness, colours, and detail levels were expectedly good, but the brightness of this television with good HDR content was what truly stood out. Even after ensuring that this TV wasn’t artificially boosting brightness levels, its picture was still visibly brighter and more vibrant than most other competing options I’ve had a chance to see or review.

The bright colours of this superhero movie were a treat to watch, and looked on point throughout, thanks to the effective and powerful backlighting provided by the superior micro-dimming ability of the Mini LED tech and the quantum-dot filter. I found black levels to be practically as good for regular viewing as what I’ve seen on high-end OLED TVs. I also found blooming and light bleed issues to be handled well on the Samsung QN95B Neo QLED TV, with very little light spillover visible even in bright scenes.

The brightness was, on occasion, a bit too much, particularly in dark rooms. Changes in brightness were quite visible and sometimes a bit sudden. However, this TV does have a mode that allows it to adapt to light conditions, and this largely worked well for me. This mode can also boost brightness during the daytime, making it possible to quite easily and conveniently watch TV even with bright daylight shining in the room. Although a dark room undoubtedly made for the best viewing experience, this TV didn’t deviate too much in performance even when the room was well lit.

The Samsung One Connect Box powers the TV screen, and also holds all the ports and inputs for the device

 

Although Dolby Vision HDR is said to be technically superior to Samsung’s…

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