The Samsung QLED q90a will be released in a 43" model.

And Amazon hasn't contact you regarding it?? Huh, sounds like a nice little surprise.
No I actually contacted them because the 55 is too heavy for the mount I was going to use. The CS agent said "are you not happy with the 55" and told me there is no option to return it for replacement with a 50". They basically said keep it or return for refund. I spend a ton with Amazon every year and this isn't something that's out of the ordinary TBH. I've been sent 1000w PSU's when I ordered an 850, etc. When I ordered a 2x SVS SB1000 Pros and decided 1 was good enough, they told me to just keep the 2nd and refunded me. They've been really good to me.

As for the rainbow effect yeah it's definitely there but only really visible in specific scenarios so not a deal breaker.

I'm going to borrow my friend's 50" to see how it stacks up since he's busy with his G9 Neo.
 
You know what lol I've decided I'm going to get a 50" QN90A & a 3080 or 3080Ti. That's it, I'm done waiting, life's too short! Ill post back when I return with success on my new mission I'm hellbent on achieving! :D

Definitely up for hearing what you think because I'm still on the fence about the same decision (bar the overpriced 3000 series card). As long as it's not along the lines of your FV43U comments...

I can honestly say that I have zero complaints about the FV43U. Not a single complaint. None. I am the happiest camper on this side of town & i would buy the same monitor again if I had the chance.

...a monitor you ended up returning for some reason anyway. :LOL: Honest opinions would be great though. All I find elsewhere are just endless threads about how it performs as a TV, understandably.
 
No I actually contacted them because the 55 is too heavy for the mount I was going to use. The CS agent said "are you not happy with the 55" and told me there is no option to return it for replacement with a 50". They basically said keep it or return for refund. I spend a ton with Amazon every year and this isn't something that's out of the ordinary TBH. I've been sent 1000w PSU's when I ordered an 850, etc. When I ordered a 2x SVS SB1000 Pros and decided 1 was good enough, they told me to just keep the 2nd and refunded me. They've been really good to me.

As for the rainbow effect yeah it's definitely there but only really visible in specific scenarios so not a deal breaker.

I'm going to borrow my friend's 50" to see how it stacks up since he's busy with his G9 Neo.

Native contrast did suffer because of the Wide Viewing Angle layer according rtings so the 50" without it may have better native contrast but don't know if you can see the difference.
 
Definitely up for hearing what you think because I'm still on the fence about the same decision (bar the overpriced 3000 series card). As long as it's not along the lines of your FV43U comments...



...a monitor you ended up returning for some reason anyway. :LOL: Honest opinions would be great though. All I find elsewhere are just endless threads about how it performs as a TV, understandably.
I have been flip-flopping back & forth for months even feels like years lol the FV43U is still the best 43" no complaints but I returned it on a whim because at that moment I decided to keep my 2080ti.

Then all of a sudden I decided, that's it! I'm getting a 3080Ti I'm tired of waiting! So talking to Wizz33 he recommended the QN90A & after reseaching all the information about it I decided you know what I'm going to kick it up a notch & get the brightest HDR display to match because I'm not interested in paying 3k for the asus with FALD so the only logical choice is obviously the QN90A. The reviews are overwhelmingly positive about the QN90A. I had to try it.

I found a EVGA RTX 3080Ti FTW3 Ultra Hydrocopper on offer up for $150 over retail price so I jumped on it. Whether or not he was a scalper or not I just don't care anymore. I'm not willing to wait any longer and the money spent in exchange for my happiness is well worth it judging by the undetermined amount of time I would need to wait maybe months maybe a year maybe 2 years no way I'm done 150 bucks extra more than worth it for me to wrap this situation up and never look back I spend double that at the grocery store every week all good.

At the same time the additional $150 I spent on the Hydrocopper FTW3 Ultra I made back in buying a "open box" 50" QN90A for -$270 off retail price at best buy. So looking at it as a package as I wanted to run 4k with an RTX3000 series card I actually got ripped 150 then saved 270 so I'm still on the positive when comparing to actual retail price of both of the items combined.

I have not installed the hydrocopper yet I'll get to that next week. But the QN90A is mind blowing. Remember I am not a display snob, I am not extremely nitpicky about every little thing. I am definitely a technology enthusiast who tends to look at the positives that outweigh the negatives for the most part. Most average consumers are more along these lines. In this regard the QN90A is stunning. I can't believe how nice it is. The brightness in HDR is just amazing. The color saturation and brightness combined is really such a satisfying treat for the eyes. I'm not gonna hesitate to say I highly recommend the QN90A also, of course this thing is gorgeous. If I had to nitpick something about it I would say the 120hz refresh is the absolute lowest acceptable frame rate I would be ok with coming from 165hz. But as we know right now there is no perfect display & one needs to make trade offs in areas for gains in others. It may take me a lil while to get used to the slower frames but I'm hoping the 3080Ti's average gain in horsepower will help alleviate this issue giving me a constant 120 more as having more higher average frames rather than having a 165hz monitor not being able to hit 165 because I like higher settings for better graphical eye candy. Other than the FV43U I would say the QN90A destroys everything else in the large format screen playing field when it comes to HDR brightness so if It's the best I can do right now, let's do it lol.
 
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I'm kind of bummed out that you can't clamp to sRGB in PC mode. It forces "native" color space which is it's entire gamut and way over saturated. Didn't really realize this until now.

There really isn't much difference outside of brightness and viewing angle between the 50 and 55". The 50" actually has the least gamma shift I've ever seen off angle from a VA that doesn't use one of these ultra viewing angle filters, it's actually super impressive.

As for response time, it's super clean most of the time. It struggles in predominantly dark transitions but IMO as a whole it's faster than the FV43U to my eyes. There is no visible overshoot in game mode and VRR works flawlessly. BTW it is BGR.

DSE is very minor unlike the G9 Neo but like the Neo, there are patches of the screen with a visible FALD grid/outline on both 50 and 55 that's visible on solid colors and the skyboxes of games. It seems there is no escaping this from Samsung and miniLED. FALD settings function identically to the Neo with "low" being the least intrusive on the desktop at the expense of bigger zones. I prefer content and games on FALD "High" but it makes a mess of desktop use just like the G9 Neo.

I like this 50" so much I just bought one to use. Hopefully mine suffers from the FALD grid thing to a lesser extent. I have a meter so I'll try to measure it's contrast/brightness when mine comes since I had to mess with my friends at his place and couldn't bring it home.
 
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I'm kind of bummed out that you can't clamp to sRGB in PC mode. It forces "native" color space which is it's entire gamut and way over saturated. Didn't really realize this until now.

There really isn't much difference outside of brightness and viewing angle between the 50 and 55". The 50" actually has the least gamma shift I've ever seen off angle from a VA that doesn't use one of these ultra viewing angle filters, it's actually super impressive.

As for response time, it's super clean most of the time. It struggles in predominantly dark transitions but IMO as a whole it's faster than the FV43U to my eyes. There is no visible overshoot in game mode and VRR works flawlessly. BTW it is BGR.

DSE is very minor unlike the G9 Neo but like the Neo, there are patches of the screen with a visible FALD grid/outline on both 50 and 55 that's visible on solid colors and the skyboxes of games. It seems there is no escaping this from Samsung and miniLED. FALD settings function identically to the Neo with "low" being the least intrusive on the desktop at the expense of bigger zones. I prefer content and games on FALD "High" but it makes a mess of desktop use just like the G9 Neo.

I like this 50" so much I just bought one to use. Hopefully mine suffers from the FALD grid thing to a lesser extent. I have a meter so I'll try to measure it's contrast/brightness when mine comes since I had to mess with my friends at his place and couldn't bring it home.

So how would you rank the FALD blooming and speed performance against the Asus PG32UQX and 27UQ? That is the biggest factor for me as I sit here crossing my fingers for a non gimped 43" 2022 model
 
I'm kind of bummed out that you can't clamp to sRGB in PC mode. It forces "native" color space which is it's entire gamut and way over saturated. Didn't really realize this until now.
What's the difference between "Entertain" and "Graphic" when set to PC input then? I'd have guessed it was clamping to colour space but I guess not.
 
So how would you rank the FALD blooming and speed performance against the Asus PG32UQX and 27UQ? That is the biggest factor for me as I sit here crossing my fingers for a non gimped 43" 2022 model
I just wrote a reply to you but just found out a new firmware version drastically improves FALD performance as of yesterday. Let me install it on my 55 and have my friend do the same on his 50" to see if it makes any difference.
 
What's the difference between "Entertain" and "Graphic" when set to PC input then? I'd have guessed it was clamping to colour space but I guess not.
Let me go out of game mode to see if either of those limit color gamut.

EDIT: Yeah neither clamp color gamut but also force you out of game mode to select them so no go either way.
 
Ok so the update did make a change which is now it does not completely ruin the desktop with FALD set to High.

As for how it compares to a PG32UQX it's difficult to say because there is no way to do so apples to apples. I say this because Samsung not only gimps FALD in game mode but it further gimps FALD a level beyond game mode when setting input label to PC which is necessary for 4:4:4. I only discovered this because letterbox bars when watching a trailer on my PS5 were much darker (Input label Game Console, game mode On). Switching to PC to test the same trailer, the bars are noticeably brightened by highlights below/above. So to verify this, I switched my PC's input label to Blu-ray while still in game mode and lo and behold the letterbox bars are much darker. By gimp, I mean make zones larger.

Overall though even in this gimped form, IMO it's superior to a PG32UQX in most ways because it's smarter about what to dim/highlight. Not only that but it's native contrast makes a substantial difference. I think most will end up preferring FALD on Low because it raises the overall minimum brightness of the entire backlight when the content on screens average picture level is high in order to minimize blooming. It's like a mix of global lighting & FALD together that switches based on how big/small the highlight on screen is. FALD Standard and High are like your typical FALD display and only alter how aggressive it behaves.

Where someone might consider it worse than the monitors is in it's speed (it's way faster outside of game mode, makes no sense). In game mode it takes a bit of time for zones to transition off. I assume this was done to prevent the "shimmering" seen with PG32UQX FALD while it's constantly switching zones on and off in it's highest FALD speed setting during gaming. It can be a real eye sore on Standard/High but I see the same behavior on the FALD monitors when dragging a window where it "breaks" like waves on a coast line as zones transition.

The hard pill to swallow is you are paying for 400+ zones but unless most of the screen is dark, you're not using it to it's potential in game mode. My estimate is the real world zone count with the game mode FALD algorithm is something like 1/2 that due to how big the zones become in most content.

My 50" is arriving Tuesday so I'll come to a definitive conclusion once I'm able to use it in the dark.
 
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Ok so the update did make a change which is now it does not completely ruin the desktop with FALD set to High.

As for how it compares to a PG32UQX it's difficult to say because there is no way to do so apples to apples. I say this because Samsung not only gimps FALD in game mode but it further gimps FALD a level beyond game mode when setting input label to PC which is necessary for 4:4:4. I only discovered this because letterbox bars when watching a trailer on my PS5 were much darker (Input label Game Console, game mode On). Switching to PC to test the same trailer, the bars are noticeably brightened by highlights below/above. So to verify this, I switched my PC's input label to Blu-ray while still in game mode and lo and behold the letterbox bars are much darker.

Overall though even in this gimped form, IMO it's superior to a PG32UQX in most ways because it's smarter about what to dim/highlight. Not only that but it's native contrast makes a substantial difference. I think most will end up preferring FALD on Low because it raises the overall minimum brightness of the entire backlight when the content on screens average picture level is high in order to minimize blooming. It's like a mix of global lighting & FALD together that switches based on how big/small the highlight on screen is. FALD Standard and High are like your typical FALD display and only alter how aggressive it behaves.

Where someone might consider it worse than the monitors is in it's speed (it's way faster outside of game mode, makes no sense). In game mode it takes a bit of time for zones to transition off. I assume this was done to prevent the "shimmering" seen with PG32UQX FALD while it's constantly switching zones on and off in it's highest FALD speed setting during gaming.

The hard pill to swallow is you are paying for 400+ zones but unless most of the screen is dark, you're not using it to it's potential in game mode. My estimate is the real world zone count with the game mode FALD algorithm is something like 1/2 that due to how big the zones become in most content.

My 50" is arriving Tuesday so I'll come to a definitive conclusion once I'm able to use it in the dark.

Problem is that it always takes them months if not years to work out new firmware and it's never done. The new firmware for the Q90T that was released a month or so ago finally addressed some of the problem that's been around since launch and there's still more to be improved. It's seems that the TV division have no contact with the computer product division at all, which they should.
 
Is it possible to defeat the local dimming entirely, for desktop purposes? Just leave the FALD all at the same level.
 
Is it possible to defeat the local dimming entirely, for desktop purposes? Just leave the FALD all at the same level.
Only way I'm aware of is through the service menu but that disables it system wide (it's how Rtings measures it's native contrast).
 
What's the difference between "Entertain" and "Graphic" when set to PC input then? I'd have guessed it was clamping to colour space but I guess not.
I'm curious what the difference is also? I'm not sure I think it looks more vivid & brighter in entertain mode but not certain what the exact differences are.
 
Ok so the update did make a change which is now it does not completely ruin the desktop with FALD set to High.

As for how it compares to a PG32UQX it's difficult to say because there is no way to do so apples to apples. I say this because Samsung not only gimps FALD in game mode but it further gimps FALD a level beyond game mode when setting input label to PC which is necessary for 4:4:4. I only discovered this because letterbox bars when watching a trailer on my PS5 were much darker (Input label Game Console, game mode On). Switching to PC to test the same trailer, the bars are noticeably brightened by highlights below/above. So to verify this, I switched my PC's input label to Blu-ray while still in game mode and lo and behold the letterbox bars are much darker. By gimp, I mean make zones larger.

Overall though even in this gimped form, IMO it's superior to a PG32UQX in most ways because it's smarter about what to dim/highlight. Not only that but it's native contrast makes a substantial difference. I think most will end up preferring FALD on Low because it raises the overall minimum brightness of the entire backlight when the content on screens average picture level is high in order to minimize blooming. It's like a mix of global lighting & FALD together that switches based on how big/small the highlight on screen is. FALD Standard and High are like your typical FALD display and only alter how aggressive it behaves.

Where someone might consider it worse than the monitors is in it's speed (it's way faster outside of game mode, makes no sense). In game mode it takes a bit of time for zones to transition off. I assume this was done to prevent the "shimmering" seen with PG32UQX FALD while it's constantly switching zones on and off in it's highest FALD speed setting during gaming. It can be a real eye sore on Standard/High but I see the same behavior on the FALD monitors when dragging a window where it "breaks" like waves on a coast line as zones transition.

The hard pill to swallow is you are paying for 400+ zones but unless most of the screen is dark, you're not using it to it's potential in game mode. My estimate is the real world zone count with the game mode FALD algorithm is something like 1/2 that due to how big the zones become in most content.

My 50" is arriving Tuesday so I'll come to a definitive conclusion once I'm able to use it in the dark.
I will be running mine in game mode 100% of the time as I like the feel of "fastest" input & response times. Not sure how it affects the FALD & would be hard for me to tell, but I'm interested in any facts you can find out specifically about running in game mode. I'm not interested at all in any of the other modes & will never use them as I've bought this display to actually be a monitor fully, nothing else will ever be connected to it except my PC.
 
Just updated to firmware 1708 auto update couldn't find the release notes. I wonder what was improved.

At the same time the website has an even newer update released 2 days ago

here https://www.samsung.com/us/support/downloads/?model=N0054538 version 1805.4

firmware ver1805.4.png


Also the release notes for this update here
firmware ver1805.4 release notes.png


When doing an "auto-update" from the displays OSD menu it does not allow suggest this new 1805.4 update rather says visit the website for any potential new updates. Not sure if there is a USB method to update to this brand new firmware & if this is considered a "beta" not yet offered directly through the displays software update menu option.
 
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EDIT: Yeah neither clamp color gamut but also force you out of game mode to select them so no go either way.
I assumed "PC mode" was Game Mode anyway, as in low input lag. Just with forced chroma 4:4:4 support. I still have no way to prove it myself because I don't have one, just done a lot of reading up on it before grabbing it.
 
I can feel a huge difference in input lag between just labeling the input as PC and turning on game mode. Without game mode it's really laggy.

Besides that, game mode is necessary for VRR and for PWM to not drop down to 120hz.

Samsung needs to decouple a lot of these forced settings that are attached to picture modes and let you choose as you please. Maybe in 2027.
 
Another comparison video just for thought. Cool thing is at least it's done with a bit of ambient lights.

 
This things FALD has a mind of it's own. It's behavior is completely dependent on the average level of the entire screen. If you look at a loading screen with a icon on the bottom right, the FALD illuminates exactly on a per zone basis to illuminate just the icon, as soon as text appears in the middle of the black loading screen, the FALD bloom around the bottom right loading icon grows in size.

Seems like it's a % based system depending on the picture level of the entire screen. I personally don't mind it since it corrects scenarios where a PG32UQX falls apart like HUD/Crosshairs. The Samsung would just light up the entire area where the HUD/Crosshairs are instead so there is no bloom.

Also with a Nvidia GPU, it engages LFC right around the 50-52FPS mark. As a result there is no noticeable overshoot or response time issues with VRR enabled at low FPS. Overall it's tuned extremely well.
 
This things FALD has a mind of it's own. It's behavior is completely dependent on the average level of the entire screen. If you look at a loading screen with a icon on the bottom right, the FALD illuminates exactly on a per zone basis to illuminate just the icon, as soon as text appears in the middle of the black loading screen, the FALD bloom around the bottom right loading icon grows in size.

Seems like it's a % based system depending on the picture level of the entire screen. I personally don't mind it since it corrects scenarios where a PG32UQX falls apart like HUD/Crosshairs. The Samsung would just light up the entire area where the HUD/Crosshairs are instead so there is no bloom.

Also with a Nvidia GPU, it engages LFC right around the 50-52FPS mark. As a result there is no noticeable overshoot or response time issues with VRR enabled at low FPS. Overall it's tuned extremely well.

Sounds like a winner. If Samsung doesn't give the 2022 43" the full fat treatment then I guess I'll just bite on the 50" model at a discount.
 
Sounds like a winner. If Samsung doesn't give the 2022 43" the full fat treatment then I guess I'll just bite on the 50" model at a discount.
That's exactly what I did. I didn't want to wait with the what if or maybe they will literally for years I just said I'm done waiting & waiting I bought the 50" & extremely happy the HDR is incredible & the display is super fast It is one hell of a gaming monitor no regrets just amazing immersion & eye candy. Life's short enjoy it (y)
 
That's exactly what I did. I didn't want to wait with the what if or maybe they will literally for years I just said I'm done waiting & waiting I bought the 50" & extremely happy the HDR is incredible & the display is super fast It is one hell of a gaming monitor no regrets just amazing immersion & eye candy. Life's short enjoy it (y)
Gonna keep it this time? ;)

Certainly hearing more good than bad. Gonna have to come off the fence and grab one I reckon.
 
Gonna keep it this time? ;)

Certainly hearing more good than bad. Gonna have to come off the fence and grab one I reckon.
I can honestly say I have no intention of returning it. I will keep it 100%. I love this thing so much. Honest to goodness It's so fun to play PC games on it I don't know what else to say I'm in love with this damn thing lol
 
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I have a generic remote coming to try and disable local dimming and get an idea of the 50's native contrast. I'm also going to measure peak brightness to see what it actually does. VesaDisplay HDR test reports 1500nits 10% and 800 nits 100% so we'll see.

I think if you're on the fence maybe wait until I can do this. The European review with the HDR EOTF all of whack was for sure with Contrast Enhancer on high which is what the TV defaults to. It's way brighter like this but completely blows out highlights. I think that reviewer messed up with those measurements.

EDIT: Just going off memory/eyes, in like for like HDR settings with Samsungs Game Mode tonemapping enabled (looks more accurate to me), I feel like it's roughly 20-25% brighter than my CX when it comes to highlights. Full field no comparison.
 
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From AVS:

Each setting, movie, standard etc is pairred with separste Eco mode settings. You need to turn it off for each mode. And again settings are individual for HDR, SD cable etc, you need to do this many times.
 
The more I learn (here and elsewhere) about the 50" QN90A, the more I like it. Since we're closing in on the holidays, I'm going to wait for some BF type sales. I'm definitely interested in trying this TV despite its size being out of my usual comfort zone.
 
I thought Samsung gimped the FALD in game mode.

They do. But it still performs decently, and this time around there isn't as huge of a difference between game mode on and off like previous years. They will probably continue to refine it with newer models I imagine.
 
I thought Samsung gimped the FALD in game mode.
I can tell you in game mode with HDR on it is amazingly bright and rich in color. It's spectacular. I've never seen anything look this good.

I just hooked up my 3080Ti FTW3 Hydrocopper & holy crap actually mind blowing lol
 
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I can tell you in game mode with HDR on it is amazingly bright and rich in color. It's spectacular. I've never seen anything look this good.

I just hooked up my 3080Ti FTW3 Hydrocopper & holy crap actually mind blowing lol
Is it time we have a 48" C1 vs the 50" QN90A as a desktop monitor discussion? Just wondering, as I rarely see the QN90A being considered, as the C1 has obviously been accepted as a standard consideration.
 
Is it time we have a 48" C1 vs the 50" QN90A as a desktop monitor discussion? Just wondering, as I rarely see the QN90A being considered, as the C1 has obviously been accepted as a standard consideration.
Been there, done that. I had the LGC1 for a week & returned it very unhappily. In my opinion I love the QN90A, & actually disliked (hated is a strong word lol) the C1 very much for various reasons. Never buying an oled screen ever again not for a tv, monitor, or phone. Lol.
 
Don't know about everyone else but I'm kinda tired of every thread being taken over by the LCD vs. OLED battles.
 
Don't know about everyone else but I'm kinda tired of every thread being taken over by the LCD vs. OLED battles.

Guilty as charged 😛. Will try to resist next time. As bad as AVS can be sometimes. At least very few people is stupid enough to jump into a QLED thread and try to claim that OLED is better. 😁
 
I assumed "PC mode" was Game Mode anyway, as in low input lag. Just with forced chroma 4:4:4 support. I still have no way to prove it myself because I don't have one, just done a lot of reading up on it before grabbing it.
You can turn game mode on/off while being PC mode. Even though I'm not interested in any other mode except for PC mode with game mode on.
 
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