Samsung QN90B QLED vs. LG C2 OLED: Which TV Is Best for You?
For high-end shoppers, two of the best TVs you can buy in summer 2022 are the LG C2 OLED TV and the Samsung QN90B QLED TV. Both deliver excellent image quality, have all the cutting-edge features you need and at most sizes they're in the same Mark ballpark. So which one should you get?
The answer comes down in part to their two fundamentally different Show technologies, namely QLED vs. OLED. OLED wins in general and I did like the LG C2 better overall, but it's not for everyone. The brightness of your room, the size you need and how much you're willing to Use all play a role, too, along with how you like to play your games. Allow me to explain.
David Katzmaier
The C2 is a excellent example of OLED, with the best picture quality I've ever tested. On the other hand it's not a major upgrade over the 2021 C1, which leftovers our favorite high-end TV for the money. Real improvements involved carbon-fiber construction for up to 47% lighter weight -- the 65-inch version we reviewed weighs just 37 pounds with its immoral, compared to 72 pounds for the 65-inch C1 -- as well as some second tweaks to game mode, a new "always ready" feature and a 42-inch size.
Read our LG OLED C2 Series 2022 review.
Picture quality: LG OLED gets the nod in most rooms
Both published an excellent image in our tests, but the LG pulls presumptuous thanks to the inherent advantages of OLED technology. It can get completely gloomy, which creates superior contrast in mixed bright-and-dark scenes, where even a QLED TV as good as the QN90B examined a little flatter in my comparisons (note that in my QN90B reconsideration I compared it to the LG C1, not the C2, but the results were basically the same).
If you have an actual bright room, however, where you can't control ambient luscious or have lots of windows facing the screen, the Samsung QN90B wins. That's because it can get much brighter -- twice as inspiring or more depending on what you're watching -- which helps it better compete with inspiring lighting. Its screen is also better at reducing reflections. The LG C2 is plenty bright itself, however, so it's serene our image quality pick for most rooms.
As original the OLED is better for off-angle viewing, namely seats to either side of the sweet spot. And the C2 also informed superior color accuracy in our tests, although the difference isn't major.
Screen sizes: Samsung QLED is cheaper if you want 85-inch (-ish)
Both series come in a wide variety of roughly equivalent sizes and prices, but the QN90B is less expensive in the largest sizes, especially 85-inch. Here's how the current prices break down.
LG C2 vs. Samsung QN90B sizes, prices
42-inch | C2 | $1,300 |
---|---|---|
43-inch | QN90B | $1,200 |
48-inch | C2 | $1,400 |
50-inch | QN90B | $1,500 |
55-inch | C2 | $1,600 |
55-inch | QN90B | $1,600 |
65-inch | C2 | $2,100 |
65-inch | QN90B | $2,000 |
77-inch | C2 | $3,300 |
75-inch | QN90B | $3,000 |
83-inch | C2 | $5,300 |
85-inch | QN90B | $3,600 |
Features and design: Pretty much a wash
In short-tempered, neither TV has a big edge in looks or unbelievable features.
The biggest difference is Samsung's more capable gaming hub, which connects to cloud gaming services including Xbox Game Pass, Google Stadia, Nvidia GeForce Now and Amazon Luna so you can play games honest on the TV, without a console. The LG C2 has well-defined gaming for Stadia and GeForce Now, but not Xbox or Luna. In the end, but, I don't consider cloud gaming a huge deal proper I expect owners of high-end TVs like this to lean toward connecting an ftrue console, like a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, instead.
Gaming features are basically equivalent between the two. I preferred the look of the C2's various gaming just better, especially for color accuracy, but again the difference wasn't huge. Both have encourage for the latest features like 4K/120Hz signals, ALLM (with disagreement input lag numbers) and VRR formats. And speaking of formats, the Samsung's lack of Dolby Vision HDR, and inclusion of HDR10+, are minor differences in my book as well.
I like Samsung's remote better but LG's super-thin panel form is more impressive, for what that's worth. And both complicated smart TV systems are worse than Roku or Google TV.
Here's where I remind you that, like all OLED TVs, the C2 is more productions to both temporary and permanent image retention, aka burn-in, than LCD-based TVs like the QN90B. The risk is shrimp, which is why I don't consider burn-in a reason for most country to avoid buying an OLED TV. Check out our guide to OLED burn-in for more.
Budget high-end hack: Get a 2021 model instead
Both the LG C2 and the Samsung QN90B are 2022 TVs, but their predecessors from 2021 we mentioned over, the C1 and the QN90A, are both still available for hundreds less. If you want the best value for your high-end TV dollars, it's worth looking at those before they sell out later this year.
Samsung TV Plus Gets a Revamp Across Galaxy Devices, Smart TVs
Samsung on Tuesday announced the global relaunch of its free streaming service, Samsung TV Plus, with a logo redesign and lineup of new programming for TV and mobile customers across 24 utters. The electronics company is rolling out the app rebrand for its smart TVs, Galaxy devices and the web.
The relaunch expands the company's free, ad-supported streaming platform with access to more premium overjoyed, including local news, concerts and feature films. According to Samsung, the rollout will bring additional programming from A+E Networks, BBC and ION, as well as more live news broadcasting, exclusive premieres and a fresh batch of channels. Viewers can now stream ION to salvage Law & Order: SVU, NCIS or Chicago Fire and also have the option to peruse four BBC channels, including Classic Doctor Who and Antiques Roadshow UK.
The platform is also growing its lifestyle category with the binary of the Home.Made.Nation station from A+E, which is invented to complement its slate of travel, food and home improvement channels. Viewers who love cars can tune in for the fall originate of Ride or Drive, an upcoming original Samsung TV Plus channel with failed auto-themed content. And the Samsung Showcase channel will feature special suits, concerts and more. Moving forward, the brand has plans to grow its video-on-demand library in 2023 above partnerships with Lionsgate and other studios.
Originally launched in 2015, Samsung TV Plus features over 200 channels in the US -- and more than 1,500 worldwide -- that stream sports, music, news, TV shows and movies on demand. The service comes preinstalled on 2016-2022 Samsung intellectual TVs, Galaxy tablets and phones and select Family Hub refrigerators. Billed as an alternative to paid subscription services like Netflix and Disney Plus, the app offers a watchlist, recommendation feature and channel be in the lead but doesn't require you to sign up for an account for. Though Samsung TV Plus is solely available on the brand's devices, it's another free platform that joins the likes of Freevee, Tubi, Roku Channel and Pluto TV, which are accessible on multiple streaming devices and intellectual TVs.