Samson – Page 71 – Appliances catalogue

20 Apr

Honor Band 6 Review: Fitness Tracking Done Right

April 20, 2021
Posted by Samson

Honor ribbon 6 rating

Honor Band 6 review: just what a fitness tracker should be

"It's exactly what a good fitness tracker should be – inexpensive, not too big, and with an emphasis on full health monitoring features and some welcome extras."

Compact and light
Excellent sleep tracking
Useful smartwatch-like notifications
Very inexpensive

USA import only
No always on the screen

It's probably best to think of the Honor Band 6 not as a simple fitness tracker as it counts more than just your steps, but for a lot less money than a smartwatch. All of the health monitoring sensors and technology you'd expect are inside, and Honor has added some smartwatch-like features, just like the Honor Watch ES. Does this make the Honor Band 6 a desirable hybrid device or is it a messy amalgamation that doesn't really know what it's supposed to be? I found out.

design

The Honor Band 6 is shaped like the Honor Watch ES, only smaller and less complicated, and that does it just right. The Honor Band 6's plastic case features a 1.47-inch touchscreen on the front, a single button on the right, and Honor branding on the left. It's chunkier than the Samsung Galaxy Fit 2, but because it's very light, it'll never bother your wrist. Despite the taller 11mm profile, I've worn it with shirts and overnight without any problems, and the solid strap has plenty of holes in it to make adjustment easier.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

There are three colors available – black, gray, and pink – but the incognito black or gray goes best with this. It's not particularly stylish, but because it doesn't try too hard, it's not offensive to the eye. All the time I wore it, I didn't want to hide it under my sleeve out of embarrassment, but I didn't want to show it off either. Most of the time, I've forgotten it's there until somehow it reminds me.

The small, simple body comes closer to a traditional fitness tracker and so much the better.

It may not sound like it, but that's a compliment. Honor's decision to bring Band 6 closer to the smartwatch and further away from a basic fitness band was a risky one. Design can quickly become overwhelmed and in the end it doesn't serve anyone very well. That's what happened with the Watch ES, but the Band 6's small, simple body gets closer to a traditional fitness tracker and so much the better.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The screen is a winner. The 194 x 368 pixel resolution makes it sharp enough to be conveniently viewed and read, the thin frames keep it from looking cheap, and it's very responsive and easy to press because of its well-assessed size. Unfortunately, there is no screen available so either press the button or the screen to activate it, or raise your wrist. Gesture recognition is quick and accurate, but it's annoying that the screen doesn't wake up automatically to show notifications when they arrive.

Using the Honor Ribbon 6

The Honor ribbon 6 does the design of a hybrid fitness tracker right, but what about the functionality? With its big screen, the Honor Band 6 has more smartwatch features than you can expect at this price point. I connected it to an Apple iPhone 12 Pro using the Huawei Health app and it has proven to be reliable at showing notifications even though there is no way to interact with them. However, the text shown is clear and extensive. It has a variety of general features, including the weather, a stopwatch, a timer, and the ability to ping your phone if it's misplaced.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The focus remains on fitness. It's not that drastically different from Honor fitness bands I've tried before, but that's not a negative. There are 10 different training modes – including running, walking, biking, swimming, rowing, and elliptical training, plus a free training mode – for indoor and outdoor use that covers all common basics. However, the list looks anemic alongside fitness products from Amazfit, which often have more than 100 different training modes. The question is how often do you go climbing, surfing, or kayaking? If the answer is never, then the Honor Band 6's 10 modes will likely be just fine.

The Band 6 recognizes workouts automatically or can be started manually in a very short time. The menu is navigated by swiping and tapping, while the physical button on the side of the case acts as the home and back button. It's smooth and fast, and I had no problem controlling the Honor Band 6 on my wrist.

Data-rich exercise records are displayed on the watch. Distance, pace, speed, cadence, steps, step and heart rate are recorded during a walk and presented in an easy-to-read format. It's annoying that these records on my iPhone couldn't always be easily synced to Huawei Health, making it difficult to build historical trends.

Health traits

In addition to normal fitness tracking, the Honor Band 6 measures heart rate, blood oxygen content (SPO2) and stress. It also tracks sleep and has an app for breathing exercises. You can choose to have constant heart rate and stress monitoring, but the SPO2 values must be recorded manually. How do the results of the Honor Band 6 compare to the Apple Watch Series 6?

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

I recorded a 55 minute workout with both of them. The Honor Band 6 claimed I took 3,058 steps and burned 417 kilocalories with an average heart rate of 120 beats per minute. The Apple Watch showed I took 5,738 steps and burned 380 kcal with an average heart rate of 122 beats per minute. Throughout my use, the Honor Band 6 has underestimated the number of steps compared to the Apple Watch. The difference is considerable, but it may not affect overall health statistics as heart rate and calorie expenditure are very similar.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Blood oxygen measurements are taken quickly, and the results are consistent with those from the Apple Watch. The usefulness of the feature outside of sleep tracking or mountaineering is questionable, but it's always good to have more health-related data to spot any discrepancies. The Honor Band 6 also features a menstrual cycle tracker.

The sleep tracking is excellent and Huawei's TruSleep is one of the best systems I've used. The automatic sleep detection is very precise and assesses my sleep and wake times correctly on most days, even if I don't get out of bed immediately. The data provided is detailed – duration, stages, and breathing – and assigns a sleep score with guidance on how to improve your sleep patterns.

Honor ribbon 6 rating sleep Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Honor Ribbon 6 Rating Huawei Health App Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Honor Band 6 Review Huawei Health App Notifications Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The combination of all of these statistics helps build a complete picture of your overall health with minimal financial outlay. The Huawei Health app shows all the collected data in a clear and precise way. The Huawei Health app is available for iOS and Android. It's easy to set up and sync, and the app provides plenty of information, as well as ways to customize the clock with different watch faces.

Battery life

Honor claims the Band 6's battery will last 14 days before it needs to be charged. However, this is either optimistic or it depends on when all features are turned off. During my time with it, the battery has dropped about 10% every day when using heart rate and stress monitoring and tracking my sleep. If you add a workout every other day, you get a maximum of 10 days of one fee. That's still decent, but not what Honor says.

Price and availability

The Honor Band 6 is available in the UK for £ 45 / US $ 62 through Amazon. Although Honor stated that Band 6 would come to the US through their own online store, it has not yet done so, so US buyers will have to use an import service. For example, it's $ 52 on AliExpress.

Our opinion

I found the Honor Band 6 very easy to live with and its wide range of features is useful. It is crucial that it is not overwhelmed with pointless features like the Watch ES's personal trainer or a clunky design. It maintains the simplicity of a regular fitness tracker while integrating an attractive screen and simple but helpful smartwatch-style functions. Trying to be everything to everyone is usually not a good product, and the Honor Band 6 does the right mix.

It has just the right level of complexity when it comes to health monitoring, with easy-to-use features (some of which are automated) and enough sensors to provide an informative view of your daily health. It won't satisfy the hardcore athlete, but it's more than enough for ordinary people. This is the Honor Band 6's strong point – it does what a good fitness tracker should do without messing with features that don't matter at this price point.

Honor hasn't raised the price above $ 100 either, which is where smartwatches appear that look like watches. Instead, it's the kind of fitness tracker that you should buy instead of the mostly terrible cheap smartwatches available on Amazon. It's a different world in terms of build, polish, and performance. Only availability affects the Honor Band 6, but if you are ready to put in the effort, it is definitely worth it.

Is there a better alternative?

The Honor Band 6 is very affordable, and it's difficult to find a competing fitness tracker with the same features for the same price. The $ 50 Samsung Galaxy Fit 2 is our affordable fitness tracker. It's not as feature-rich as the Honor Band 6, but it's more readily available.

Outside of the US, the Xiaomi Mi Band 6 will likely be the biggest competitor as it offers very similar features. While the final price has not yet been confirmed, it will likely cost about the same as the Honor Band 6.

How long it will take?

The plastic housing, the strong silicone band and the water resistance of 5 ATM ensure that the Honor Band 6 does not break so quickly. Even if treated roughly, it should prove to be durable. Provided the software is kept up to date and the Huawei Health app is supported, the Honor Band will last 6 years.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The Honor Band 6 is an affordable, feature-rich fitness tracker that also manages to take advantage of some helpful smartwatch-like features.

Editor's recommendations

20 Apr

Blog

Leg Curl : The Ultimate Way To Perform

April 20, 2021
Posted by Samson

The leg curl is a beginner's workout that requires you to do the exercise with a gym bench. If you are exercising at home, any common bench can be used indoors as well. With this exercise, you can easily target your hamstrings, glutes, calf muscles, and even shins to improve your flexibility and body strength.

Performing the leg curl is easy. You need to follow the steps directed to you and do what it says. In no time, you will be able to reach the body of your dreams without much discomfort. When done as part of your overall strength training program, it will also help boost your cardiovascular strength and weight management game.

Find out more while reading!

Leg curl: A light workout

The standard leg curl is one of the best ways to build strength, flexibility, and muscle growth. But that's not all. Strong hamstrings also support your strength, balance, and overall body endurance. This has a strong positive influence on your daily functions.

You can also try the variants of this workout to achieve the greatest possible comfort. The prone hamstrings and seated hamstrings are some of the ways for beginners to do this workout according to your comfort and preference. You can also try the many variations such as Gym Ball Leg Curl, Slider Leg Curl and Weighted Slider Leg Curl.

How do I do standard leg curl training?

Lie flat on your stomach.

Adjust the roller pad so that it can stretch properly a few inches under the calves. Make sure the seats aren't too high for you.

Now try to stretch your legs more fully. Pull your ankles close to your buttocks. Do this as much as you can.

Now, as you exhale, lift your feet up and keep your hips firmly on the bench.

Try to breathe while straightening your knees. Pull your ankles against your buttocks as much as possible.

Hold this for a second and gradually lower your legs.

Now inhale fully as you gently return to the starting position.

Repeat the workout for 8 to 12 reps for the best experience possible.

Variations in leg curl to improve your exercise routine

TRX Hamstring Curl

Set up a chassis trainer. This allows the handles to hang close to the floor. Now lie on your back and place your feet in the handles. So your feet should rest on them. Now lift your hips into a bridge position and form a straight line between your shoulder and knees. Now bring the handles close to you with your legs. Move your feet back up gradually, resisting the temptation to drop your hips to the floor. Repeat the workout.

Gym Ball Leg Curl

All you have to do is lie on your back with your calves on the exercise ball. Lift your hips. Roll the ball near you so your feet are on the ball. Now try again to roll the ball away.

Slider leg curl

Lie on your back with your heels on the slider. Now bring your hips into a bridge position and gradually slide your feet away from you until your legs are straight. So try to keep your hips off the floor and keep your core engaged throughout. Finally, bring your feet back up and bring yourself back to the bridge position.

frequently asked Questions

How is the curl of the exercise ball helpful?

It improves the core challenge of standard hamstring. The exercise ball device increases its value.

Is Weighted Slider Curl Training Important?

Those looking to add weights to their slider curl workout can add this to their routine. It can help you improve your hamstrings dramatically.

Are These Workouts Effective?

Yes, all of the workouts we've listed for you above are extremely beneficial. You can try any of them to decipher the benefits.

The bottom line

Leg curl workouts seem quite challenging for the first few days, but don't panic. Once you get the hang of it, the exercise appears like a cheesecake to you. Make sure you practice these workouts timely to improve your hamstrings, cardiovascular parts, and general strength.

20 Apr

Blog

How To Optimize Your Training for Next Year’s CrossFit Open With Former Champ James FitzGerald

April 20, 2021
Posted by Samson

Here's some food for thought from 2007 CrossFit Games Champion James FitzGerald on what to look for in order to maximize the next 320 days of training for next year's CrossFit Open.

For more than 99 percent of those who participated in the 2021 CrossFit Open and the quarterfinals, it's the drawing board again: eleven months of training ahead of you in hopes of improving your efforts over the next year.

Have you spent a lot of time thinking about the method you will use to maximize, give or take your performance in 320 days??

20 Apr

Blog

Nutrition for Building the Most Muscle Possible

April 20, 2021
Posted by Samson

By the end of this episode, you will have all of the information you need to plan your muscle building diet plan.

In this episode, I'll explain exactly how I think you should eat to get as much muscle as possible.

Most people exercise their asses, but they build very little muscle. That result is because they are only fighting half the battle.

19 Apr

Blog

How To Optimize Your Training for Next Year’s CrossFit Open With Former Champ James FitzGerald

April 19, 2021
Posted by Samson

Here's some food for thought from 2007 CrossFit game master James FitzGerald on what to look for in order to maximize the next 320 days of training for next year's CrossFit Open.

For more than 99 percent of those who took part in the 2021 CrossFit Open and the quarterfinals, it's the drawing board again: eleven months of training ahead of you in hopes of improving your efforts over the next year.

Have you spent a lot of time thinking about the method you will use to maximize, give or take your performance in 320 days??

19 Apr

Blog

Things to Remember Before Buying Dental Instruments Online

April 19, 2021
Posted by Samson

Good oral health is important to your general wellbeing. Oral hygiene contributes to both your mental and physical health. Therefore, a visit to the dentist at least every six months is important for your well-being. Dentists use a wide range of equipment and tools to provide medical care to patients. Getting new dental equipment takes a lot of thought and thought. Dental equipment and tools are essential to running a clinic. The tools not only help guide the doctor with proper treatment, but also help maintain high quality infection control. There are a variety of dental instruments – some are basic and needed for the most common purposes, while others are special and needed for more advanced procedures.

There are many things to consider when buying dental tools online. For example, if you are planning to buy a glass bead sterilizer, you need to find the best online stores for it. DentalKart.com has offered the best tools and equipment for ages. Purchasing the right dental tools would also benefit your business. You should also ensure that all of your employees are adequately trained in using the tools. You can also promote these tools as part of your marketing plan to attract potential patients.

How to Choose the Right Dental Equipment?

When it comes to buying the right equipment for the dental facility, this is a big decision. The tools you buy now will be used for a long time later. The primary goal is to offer patients the best possible care. Therefore, it is extremely important to make sure that you are purchasing the correct supplies. Although there are different types of dental equipment available online these days, there are certain things that you need to consider before purchasing them for your dental office. Some of them are listed below:

Know Your Budget: Budgeting is a huge part of buying or investing in anything. When it comes to maintaining your dental facility, it's important to set a financial limit. While having the best quality tools you can afford is important, you won't run out of money later. Check out the price tags online – do you need these probes, hand scales, diggers, chisels and carvers for your clinic? Can you afford them with your budget? If not, what tools are urgently needed? It is better to choose them first. With a planned budget, the whole process would be smoother. No matter how sweet the deal, don't buy things that would put you in heavy debt.
Know your priorities: make a list of the tools you would need. Then prioritize them in the correct order. First select the ones from the list above, then choose according to your budget. Do a little research and find out which tools are important and needed for most patients. Choosing the right tools is important not only for your patients, but also for running the clinic.
Your Patients' Comfort: You can perform multiple procedures for a single treatment. Usually, you need to educate the patient about the options and decide what they are comfortable with. Thinking about patient comfort should also be a high priority for you. Most patients avoid invasive procedures when a safer option is available. In this case, it is better to choose the most commonly used tools and machines.
Staff Training: While you may be a dentist, you will need nurses and other health professionals to assist you. They would also handle the instruments. So, when buying dental instruments, consider their comfort. For example, everyone should be properly trained beforehand when dealing with electrical devices. It takes time to get used to new tools. Proper training is essential.
Quality of dental instruments: The quality of the products has the highest priority. You would treat your patients with these tools. They deserve nothing but the best of care from you. Hence, it is important to check out the dental equipment company and make sure they are supplying the best products. Good dental equipment helps prevent infections and allergies.
The Importance of Investing: There are many things that you think you would need for the clinic but you don't and that would result in a total waste of money. Sit down and make a list of all the products you think you will need. Then go through them and prioritize them in order of their needs. That way, you would end up saving more money and using it for other important tasks.

Last shot

Dental instruments form the core of every dental practice. They are important for treatments. Therefore, you should only buy high quality tools for performing dental procedures. Proper servicing and maintenance are also essential. By regulating your dental instruments from time to time, the risks to patients will be reduced.

19 Apr

Blog

Samsung QN90A Neo QLED 4K HDR TV Review (QN65QN90A)

April 19, 2021
Posted by Samson

"The QN90A is a TV knockout."

Impressive brightness
Fixed black levels
Excellent overall contrast
Brilliant color
Ideal for playing

One HDMI 2.1 input
Possible screen uniformity issues

If the chatter I see online is any clue, a lot of people have questions about Samsung's Neo QLED TVs. I'm happy to say I have answers. AND some opinions on it. Let's take a look at the QN65QN90A Neo QLED TV, a device that comes with thousands of mini LED backlights and nearly 800 zones of local dimming.

But does it look great? Let's find out.

Out of the box

A quick fix to the video review (above): Samsung strongly recommends not using the stand mounting method as in the video – and I have to agree. I may prefer my method, but there is a reason manufacturers create these instructions and I would hate it if someone had a bad experience because I made up my mind to become a villain and disregard the instructions. So do what I say (now) and not like me and we'll all be right like rain.

The assembly of the stand is a bit precarious, no matter how you proceed. A positive note, however, is the appearance of the stand. While the TV will flex a little on the stand, this is a safe arrangement. Because it is centralized, there is less of a concern that a media stand has to be wide enough to support it.

Of course, if you're wall mounted – and if so, I recommend Samsung's own no-gap wall mount bracket for the best look – the stand isn't an issue.

Everything else about the unboxing experience is great. There's not a lot of lint, just a bit of plastic peeling off the edges of the TV, and when you're done you're staring at a very attractive TV with almost invisible bezels and a surprisingly thin profile.

Samsung QN90A Neo QLED 4K HDR details

While we tested the 65-inch model QN65Q90A, our test also applies to the other screen sizes available in the series.

Screen size	Model no	RRP
55 inches	QN55QN90AAFXZA	$ 1,800
65 inches	QN65QN90AAFXZA	$ 2,600
75 in	QN75QN90AAFXZA	$ 3,500
85 in	QN85QN90AAFXZA	$ 5,000

User experience

Spoiler Alert: I have very few negative things to say about this TV, but one thing I would love to see is the Samsung smart TV interface is being redesigned. That doesn't seem like a big deal if Chromecasts with Google TV and Roku sticks are so cheap these days, but if you used the TV's apps and the like, we'd all benefit from a little update to Tizen.

Samsung QN90A TV streaming and apps Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Fortunately, Samsung gets almost all good apps, sometimes before others. If you want to use intelligent assistants, you can choose from the most popular options. We like to have decisions.

While we talk about menus and the like, I have to say hello to Samsung for making this TV so easy to set up and tweak. Choose your preferred SDR picture settings and do some HDR picture adjustments. These are global – across all HDMI inputs and apps – which is a great remedy for headaches for all of us. So yes.

What is this Neo QLED about?

Now let's talk about this Neo QLED business. Neo is Samsung's trademark for its mini backlit LED TVs. You can still get QLEDs with standard LED backlighting – these are a little cheaper – or you can raise extra cash and get into a Neo QLED. For those unfamiliar, mini LED backlighting means the TV has thousands of tiny LED lights instead of hundreds of larger ones. It also has a lot more control zones – just under 800 on this set. In theory, this means that the TV should be able to get brighter, especially on HDR highlights, while keeping bloom and halo effects at bay – this is where you get a glow of light around a bright object on a black background and have a long time the plague of LCD-based televisions.

Samsung QN90A TV Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Samsung QN90A TV close-up Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Samsung QN90A TV Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Samsung QN90A TV close-up Dan Baker / Digital Trends

I'll get into brightness, uniformity, and black level performance soon, but first I'd like to point out that the backlight system seems a little slow. I noticed that when a bright image comes up on the screen after a darker scene, the television says, "Oh, I need to get lighter," and then it does. It may take a second for the TV to catch up at times. To be clear, this is something you don't see often when looking at most of the content – but I've seen it in the content at times before I started taking measurements and noticing it on color window test patterns. It's not something to be upset about, just an indication that there may be room for improvement.

Test results

Speaking of measurements, let's ditch a little. I tested the QN90A with Portrait Display's Calman software, an X-Rite i1 Pro meter, and a SpectraCal C6 meter. In SDR movie mode without adjusting the brightness setting from 23, I got 275 nits straight away, which is great for SDR in most cases. You can increase the brightness to a maximum of 50, and I measured 638 nits with my meter. When I jumped back to HDR in movie mode, I got about 1,583 nits. In standard mode, the TV shot past it and hit just under 1,900 nits – 1867 to be precise.

Samsung QN90A TV remote control Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Now I've seen some comments about these peak brightness numbers being disappointing and I'll have to respectfully disagree. More is not always better. Take the Hisense H9G, for example. The maximum HDR brightness in a similar movie frame setting was a little over 1200 nits, and yet I found it to be unobservably bright at times, most likely due to the processing. On the flip side, the Vizio P-Series Quantum X-Series measures a bit brighter, but honestly, I'd rather see this TV (I'll explain why in a moment). My point is that I am completely satisfied with the HDR presentation of this TV. Part of it has to do with the black levels and backlight controls. Let's look at that.

Brightness, black levels and contrast

I often use a test pattern where white boxes are placed in each corner of the TV screen on an otherwise black background. In this case, I did. I started with SDR and if I look at the pattern with the naked eye you would probably see a little bit of halo around the edges of the white boxes.

Samsung QN90A - flourishing Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The HDR enhancement makes the boxes brighter and again it seems like there is more halo, albeit much less than on previous TVs, including the already excellent Samsung Q90T from last year. However, over the years I've learned that bright images on a black background in a dark room can play tricks on the eye.

The brightness and contrast of the QN90A are excellent.

In the video above, you can see that I cover the white box with a piece of cardboard up to the edge. When I do this, the halo or blooming appears noticeably reduced. Why? It has to do with our vision. This isn't the time for an anatomy lesson, but anecdotally we've seen the same pattern supposedly blooming on an OLED TV, and yet we know it can. On an OLED, the black pixels are black. Totally turned off.

What I'm saying is that sometimes what we find blooming when we're in a pitch black room with a white box in our eyes doesn't actually bloom. Don't get me wrong, it's blooming here, but it's less than I've seen in the past, and let me be clear here – the black uniformity on this TV is excellent.

Samsung QN90A Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The problem of shadow detail (often referred to as Black Crush) – or a lack of it – is always an issue, especially for players who need to see details in the shadow in order to play competitive first-person shooters. So I ran low-luminance and high-luminance star field patterns and found that the QN90A came out of black very well. For those who want to purposely increase black for gaming, Samsung offers an adjustment of the settings for just such things.

To sum it up, the QN90A's brightness and contrast are excellent.

colour

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

In the film preset, my measurements immediately indicated that red was a little too far ahead, so I undid that a bit in the two-point white balance menu, and – bam – the color mixing of this TV has reached an extremely impressive area. With HDR, the TV sometimes overshoots or undershoots some colors. Again, this isn't perfection, but the color on this TV is scary good.

From the sweet spot

One of the dangers of using a VA LCD panel is that off-axis issues, blooming, and color shifting become very apparent. I think one of the things that impresses me the most about the QN90A is the off-axis viewing experience. You can see that there is more blooming from the extreme side, but even less than in the Q90T last year, which was again well ahead of the pack. There's also very little color shift – overall, it's one of the best off-angle TVs we've tested here. That means a better place in the house for everyone.

The anti-glare agent is also excellent. If a lot of light comes into the room and you're watching a dark scene, you might see a rainbow effect, but I'd argue that this is better than looking in a black mirror.

Real picture quality

Enough with the nerd stuff. What does this TV look like when you watch normal content in SDR or HDR? It's really damn good. This is proven to be a better TV than the previous Q90T, and that was a pretty good TV already – I know, I repeat myself.

This TV has a very fast response time, which is great news for gamers and movie fans alike.

The images are lush and vivid, colors and HDR highlights pop, and the superior black levels convey a sense of depth that you normally can't get with an LCD-based television. I did notice some screen evenness issues with large swaths of light colors, but overall there was very little dirt-screen effect.

The movement processing is a mixed bag. This TV automatically removes all stuttering from 24p movie content – there isn't even a setting you can access to turn this off, which I think will be fine for most people.

But stuttering. That’s a different story. This TV has a very fast response time, which is good news for gamers, but for movie fans – just like with OLED – stuttering effects can occur. The only way to counter that is by smoothing motion, which creates a soap opera effect that most people seem to hate far less than I do. So maybe it's not a big deal. Movie fans will likely want to choose the lowest setting they can tolerate.

Sound quality

The sound quality of the QN90A is above average. There's not a lot of bass – that's typical – but overall it's balanced and bearable while many of the TVs I test make me wince. It's a little strange that you have to turn the volume up pretty high to get a normal volume in the room, but I suppose that means more precise control over the volume levels.

I'll say that Samsung's object tracking sound is pretty effective too, but not on par with a Sony OLED where the screen is the speaker. Samsung's soundbars go well with the TV, and the Samsung Symphony sound, where the TV's speakers work together with the soundbar, is particularly impressive.

Play

This TV is an excellent choice for gaming because it has remarkably low input lag – less than 10 milliseconds in game mode for all resolutions at 60 Hz and less than 6 milliseconds for all resolutions at 120 Hz. The TV also supports Freesync, but unfortunately no G- Sync. I'm not sure if this is a huge loss for most people as the variable refresh rate is there regardless.

Fortnite on the Samsung QN90A TV Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Games on the Samsung QN90A TV Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Caleb gaming on the Samsung QN90A TV Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Either way, HDR gaming is great on this TV too, with very little crushing of the blacks. If you're playing a really dark game, you can turn up the blacks a bit for slightly better shadow detail. I didn't really need to play it in a dark room, though. The TV comes out of black pretty well and retains most of the shadow detail. However, it's the bright highlights that really sold me. Games popping on this TV.

On the other hand, the TV only has one HDMI 2.1 input. So if you own both the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, you'll have to manually swap them out, or opt for a full-featured HDMI 2.1 A / V receiver to switch between them. Add a gaming PC to this mix – and it's more of the same.

My attitude

With only one HDMI 2.1 input, no Dolby Vision and a smart TV interface that can withstand a facelift, the Samsung QN90A is not a perfect TV. But by the most sensible measures it is really excellent. Setting all the numbers aside, I like to do a simple gut check – I watch a lot of TVs and some of them are a letdown, some are okay, some are great, and some are real knockouts. I have to put the Samsung QN90A in this last category. I just love to see it.

Is there a better alternative?

At this point, I haven't tested a better LCD TV than the QN90A. I'm excited to see what the Sony X95J looks like this year, and LG's top-notch TV looks promising too, but it's hard to imagine that the QN90A will be significantly outperformed. Another alternative could be the brighter LG G1 OLED, although it comes at a pretty high price.

For more options, check out our best 2021 TVs.

How long it will take?

Although the QN90A only offers one HDMI 2.1 input, it supports the latest and greatest in connectivity and backlight technology. It should last owners for many years.