Sing when you're dimming

Samsung's premium-priced 75in Neo QLED TV presents John Archer with an 8K showcase

- John Archer

Even though it’s a relatively new TV technology, it’s already obvious that not all mini LED TVs, which replace a conventional LED backlight with one featuring thousands of tiny light sources, are created equal. A mini LED backlight is only one part of the picture quality story – the number of available dimming zones is another. And in the case of this 75in range-topper from Samsung, it's a story with a happy ending.

Elsewhere in this issue we audition a relatively affordable (£1,500) 4K mini LED set from TCL that combines its backlight with local dimming across 160 zones. Here, we’re looking at a high-end (£7,000) 8K mini LED TV that boasts an eye-popping 1,920 local dimming zones. And while my experience suggests that moving to mini LED can bring a positive performance difference to any TV, Samsung's QE75QN900A proves that going the extra mile can really help unlock the technology's full potential.

I'm getting ahead of myself. Let’s start exploring this set properly from the outside in – because that outside is so spectacular.

To infinity and beyond

This is the latest Samsung flatscreen to feature the brand's so-called ‘Infinity’ design. The screen is housed in a frame so narrow you can barely see it when sitting directly in front. What’s more, because the switch to mini LED removes the lenses and packaging that bulk up regular LED lighting, the set's sides are much trimmer than you might expect. The QE75QN900A therefore becomes a much better wall-mounting option than previous Samsung 8K bigscreens.