Earlier this year, Samsung Electronics debuted its 2021 Neo QLED lineup. Leading business and consumer technology publications have already awarded the lineup top honors, highlighting the televisions’ exceptional picture quality, sound innovations and design upgrades.

The Neo QLED portfolio – which includes 4K and 8K models – delivers an entirely new kind of display technology. The introduction of this technology emphasizes not only Samsung’s rich engineering and innovation heritage, but also its commitment to new advancements in accessibility and sustainability that are redefining how consumers use their TVs in their homes.

Complementing their vivid picture quality, Samsung’s Neo QLED TVs feature a premium Infinity One Design and Object Tracking Sound Pro that ensure that the TVs look and sound incredible from every angle. Neo QLEDs also carry Samsung’s award-winning Tizen operating system, which now offers new smart features like Samsung Smart Trainer to enhance the Samsung Health feature and new tools to optimize the gaming experience.

Here are some of the early reviews and reactions to the 2021 lineup:

Samsung’s flagship 4K Neo QLED TV, the QN90A, received top honors from Forbes in a review that highlighted how the TV’s processing capabilities offer almost three-dimensional detail and a top-of-the-line gaming experience. The outlet noted that “The 65QN90A’s upscaling is almost unfathomably good,” and praised, “the eye-popping beauty of the QN65QN90A’s gaming images.”

TechRadar also praised Samsung’s Neo QLED technology, awarding the QN95A a five-star review and the distinction of ‘Editor’s Choice’. The publication commented that, “Samsung’s first foray into Mini LED is a resounding success, with this Neo QLED TV.”

Techaeris applauded Samsung’s QN800A 8K Neo QLED TV for its “stunning picture quality” and smart features. The outlet noted that “Multi-View is especially useful for gamers” as it offers users new ways to play through difficult levels while taking advantage of top-notch picture quality and processing.

Video Magazin rated Samsung’s QN900A 8K Neo QLED, 966 out of 1,030 points in its review – the highest score the outlet has ever granted in the TV category. The outlet noted: “Samsung proves time and again that you can still achieve a lot of additional quality with technical refinements and elaborate innovations – now with mini-LEDs.” The QN900A was given three awards with distinction in the following categories: Reference, Innovation and Design Tip.

For more information on Samsung’s award-winning 2021 Neo QLED 8K and 4K TV lineups along with the company’s other leading TV and audio innovations, visit Samsung’s TV and Audio product page.

Samsung’s QLED TVs recently became the first TVs to be certified burn-in free by video, an acclaimed German tech magazine.

The magazine’s comprehensive evaluation assessed vulnerability to burn-in and afterglow, which can permanently impair picture quality. The results of the test proved that Samsung’s TVs were as free of both, and demonstrated what makes QLED TVs some of the most durable displays on the market today.

The Details

‘Burn-in’ refers to the phenomenon in which static images (such as channel logos, or the health bar in a console game), displayed for an extended period of time, leave a permanent outline on a screen.

Examples of burn-in on conventional TVs

Conducted in conjunction with connect Testlab, a world-renowned testing lab, the 72-hour stress test evaluates a TV’s ability to stand up to the exacting levels of performance that we require in TVs today, focusing specifically on the portrayal of HDR (high-dynamic-range) video.

With some display technologies, memory effects will already keep glowing after one minute of TV use if static picture elements are shown on their screen in high luminosities. In the test, the TVs were therefore made to display a checkerboard pattern for deep black and very bright white values for longer periods of time. The test engineers added variable text elements and an intermittently blinking white frame to the test picture so that the automatic stills detection customary for modern HDR TVs could not spring into action. This helped the testers create similar conditions as in HDR games. In addition to the standard analysis the testers used dark gray images with brightness values of 10 nits– which will show if dark pixels are brightened up. The findings indicate that QLED TVs are unaffected by burn-in and afterglow, and that fixed images may be displayed on them without risk, regardless of duration.

Why Burn-in Matters

Assessing a TV’s susceptibility to burn-in is key to determining how long it will last – and ultimately whether it’s worth your money. Although all screens get dimmer with age, burn-in’s adverse effect on picture quality can significantly shorten a TV’s lifespan.

On average, based on typical use, consumers should expect their TV’s picture quality to remain roughly the same for anywhere from seven to ten years. What’s interesting to note is that the definition of that term – ‘typical use’ – has expanded in recent years with the rise of binge-watching video and the development of exciting ‘smart TV’ functionalities. Now, on a typical day, we may switch on the TV to watch the latest episode of a favorite show, start a gaming session with friends, or manage our home’s IoT appliances.

Speaking of enjoying dynamic content, these days, so many of our favorite shows and games feature HDR support, which means video that’s brighter and more immersive than ordinary content. As time goes by, however, HDR content can wear down a TV – accelerating burn-in and reducing its lifespan.

In addition, as illustrated by innovative functions like Ambient Mode, which allows QLED TVs to display beautiful, aesthetic-enhancing images when switched off, Samsung is constantly exploring ways to help people get more use out of their TV. Each new function results in TVs being utilized for longer periods of time, which makes durability issues like burn-in more important than ever.

How QLED TVs Deliver

The source of QLED TVs’ durability lies in Samsung’s use of inorganic Quantum dots. Unlike display technologies based on organic materials, Quantum dots do not degrade over time. This allows QLED TVs to offer exceptional picture quality that not only lasts much longer than other displays, but is guaranteed to be burn-in free.

The experts at video are not the first to put Samsung’s guarantee to the test. In fact, industry-trusted TV review site Rtings.com recently conducted a stringent series of tests that measured image retention in dozens of TVs from the market’s leading brands. The pivotal portion of the tests, which reflected typical use conditions, placed colorful logos on the TVs for 10 minutes and measured how many minutes, if any, it took for the imprinted images to disappear.

Samsung’s QLED TV passed with flying colors, earning a perfect score for image quality and lack of burn-in. When subjected to the same tests, however, other displays fared far less well – succumbing to burn-in, and in doing so, further confirming QLED TV’s industry-leading durability.

What it means for Samsung

Rtings’ assessment and video’s certifications are products of Samsung’s steadfast commitment to offering consumers the very best in terms of picture quality.

As Doochan Eum, Samsung Electronics’ Vice President of Visual Display Business, explains, “Consumers simply don’t want to put up with a display that’s not built to handle how we use our TVs today. Quantum dots’ longevity and ability to express 100 percent color volume allow QLED TVs to provide a level of picture quality that will remain consistent and captivating for many years to come.”

Following comprehensive lab tests, the magazine awarded Samsung Electronics’ 65-inch Q9F a rating of 920 on a 1,005-point scale – the highest score it has ever granted. Samsung QLED TV was honored for its advanced specs, smart features and versatile design, which together create the seamless viewing experience that Samsung has dubbed ‘Lifestyle TV’.

Samsung earned its score by thinking outside the box (or screen, as it were), not only optimizing QLED TV’s picture quality, but also honing the televisions’ form and components to simplify use and allow the devices to blend in in any home.

Products of this approach include QLED TV’s Invisible Connection cable, No Gap Wall Mount and refined One Remote Control, which earned high marks in the Innovation category of the evaluation. Other features designed to complement users’ living rooms include QLED TV’s boundless, 360° design and stylish array of stands.

The ability to offer a premium viewing experience while enhancing the user’s living space is at the core of Samsung’s Lifestyle TV range. In addition to QLED TV, this lineup includes The Frame, an intelligent display that doubles as a work of art, exhibiting artworks or the user’s personal photos when powered off.

Samsung QLED TV is the first product reviewed by Video Magazin to receive high marks in all three of its evaluation categories. In addition to Innovation, QLED TV received a high score in the Reference category, for its luminosity, innovative cable solution and signal processing, as well as the Highlight category, for its brightness, deep blacks, wide viewing angles, and ability to achieve 100 percent color volume.

Together, these features demonstrate how Samsung designed QLED TV with users’ lifestyles in mind, to redefine how the world experiences television.