Samsung QN990F 98"

The Samsung QN98QN990FFXZA is a massive, absurdly bright 98-inch 8K TV with a game-changing wireless connection box and top-tier gaming chops. The built-in 120W audio system is best-in-class, and the anti-glare screen makes it perfect for bright rooms. But 8K content is still missing in action, and the price is going to be eye-watering compared to excellent 98-inch 4K alternatives. Buy it for the size, the wireless freedom, and the 4K 240Hz gaming, not for the 8K resolution.

The picture out of the box is stunning, especially in a well-lit room. The Quantum Matrix Mini-LEDs deliver the kind of brightness that makes HDR highlights genuinely pop, and the anti-glare coating is some of the best we've seen. You can have a bay window directly opposite this screen and still see deep blacks and saturated colors. In our database, the display quality is top of the charts, and the HDR performance is a standout, handling HDR10+ and HLG with ease. Motion is buttery smooth thanks to the 120Hz native panel, and the AI processor does a solid job cleaning up low-resolution sources without making everything look like a soap opera.

Gaming is where this TV gets seriously fun. You're getting 4K at 240Hz support, which puts it among the absolute best right now for PC gamers with a beefy graphics card. VRR, ALLM, and FreeSync Premium Pro are all here, and input lag is low enough that we'd happily use this for competitive shooters. The 6.4.4-channel, 120W speaker system is also a real surprise. It's not just loud; it actually creates a convincing Dolby Atmos soundstage with decent height effects. For a built-in system, it's best-in-class, easily beating most soundbars under $500. You might not even feel the need to add external audio, which is rare for a TV this thin.

The most direct competitor is the LG OLED evo AI 4K G5 Series in its massive 97-inch size. The LG will give you perfect, inky blacks and pixel-level contrast that this Samsung's Mini-LED backlight can't quite match, especially in a dark room. But the Samsung fights back with significantly higher peak brightness, that incredible anti-glare coating, and the wireless connection box. If your room has a lot of ambient light, the Samsung is the better pick. If you have a dedicated, light-controlled theater, the OLED's contrast might win you over.

Then there's the Sony BRAVIA XR A95L, which uses QD-OLED tech. It's a color volume monster and Sony's processing for motion and upscaling is arguably more natural than Samsung's sometimes aggressive sharpening. But Sony doesn't offer a 98-inch QD-OLED, so you're dropping down in size. For sheer cinematic impact, the Samsung's 98-inch canvas is hard to beat. On the more sensible end, a 98-inch TCL QM6K gives you Mini-LED and great gaming features for a much lower price. You lose the 8K resolution, the wireless box, and the premium audio, but you keep the massive screen. For most people, that's the smarter buy.

We don't have a firm price on this specific 98-inch model yet, but let's not kid ourselves. It's going to be expensive. Like, 'buy a used Honda Civic' expensive. Samsung's top-tier 8K sets always launch at a huge premium, and you're paying for the privilege of that wireless box, the AI processing, and the sheer scale. The value proposition is tough when you can get a phenomenal 98-inch 4K Mini-LED TV from TCL or Hisense for a fraction of the cost. You're leaving a lot of money on the table for a resolution bump that most people can't even discern at a normal seating distance.

That said, if you're cross-shopping this against other ultra-premium 98-inch options like the LG OLED evo G5, you're getting a brighter picture and no risk of burn-in, which matters for news tickers and gaming HUDs. The built-in audio here also saves you from immediately needing a soundbar, which closes the gap a little. But make no mistake: this is an emotional purchase, not a rational one. You buy it because you want the biggest, most advanced LCD on the market, not because it's a smart way to spend your money.

Samsung's QN98QN990FFXZA is their flagship 98-inch 8K Neo QLED, and it's basically a tech flex in TV form. This is the set you buy when you want the biggest, sharpest, most AI-packed screen on the block and you have a living room wall that can handle it. The Mini-LED backlight and that matte, glare-free screen mean it's designed to dominate bright rooms, not just pitch-black home theaters. It's aimed squarely at people who want a statement piece that also happens to be a killer gaming display and a surprisingly capable all-in-one sound system.

What makes this thing interesting isn't just the 8K resolution. It's the wireless One Connect box. You can stash your consoles, cable box, and streaming sticks completely out of sight, up to a few feet away, and the TV pulls the signal in without a single HDMI cable snaking up the wall. It's a genuinely clean setup trick that we haven't seen done this well before. Pair that with a nearly invisible bezel and you've got a TV that feels more like a window than a gadget.

But let's be real: 8K content is still basically nonexistent. You're buying this for the upscaling, and Samsung's NQ8 AI Gen3 processor with its 768 neural networks is doing the heavy lifting. It's taking your 4K Blu-rays, your streaming shows, and even old cable feeds and sharpening them to fill those 33 million pixels. The results are impressive, but you're paying a massive premium for that processing power and the sheer size. This isn't a value play. It's a halo product for people who want the best Samsung can make right now.

If you have a dedicated, light-controlled home theater, you should probably skip this and look at a 97-inch OLED like the LG G5 instead. The Samsung's Mini-LED backlight can't match the pixel-level contrast and perfect blacks of OLED in a dark room, and blooming around bright objects is still visible in challenging scenes. You'd be paying more for brightness you don't need and an anti-glare coating that slightly compromises those inky blacks.

Also, if you're just looking for a huge screen for casual TV watching and don't care about cutting-edge gaming or wireless setups, save your money. A 98-inch TCL QM6K or Hisense U7 will give you a massive, bright Mini-LED picture for a much more reasonable price. You'll lose the 8K resolution and the fancy audio, but for streaming Netflix and watching cable news, you honestly won't miss them.

If you're a PC gamer with an RTX 4090 who wants to push 4K at 240Hz on a screen the size of a wall, this Samsung is basically your only option, and it's a glorious one. The gaming performance here is unreal, and the wireless box means you can keep your rig tucked away neatly. It's also a no-brainer for a bright, open-concept living room where you want a TV that disappears into the decor when it's off and fights glare like a champ when it's on. The built-in audio is good enough that you can skip the soundbar and keep that clean look.

For everyone else, it's a lot harder to recommend. If you mostly watch movies in a dark room, a 97-inch OLED will give you better picture quality for less money. If you just want a giant screen for football and Netflix, a 98-inch 4K Mini-LED TV gets you 90% of the experience for a third of the price. This Samsung is an engineering marvel, but it's a halo product for a reason. You have to really want the specific combination of size, brightness, and wireless freedom to justify the cost.