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Samsung HW-QS700F on tabletop
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Samsung HW-QS700F soundbar review: Dolby Atmos and DTS:X in a flexible package

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Samsung HW-QS700F: Two-minute review

The Samsung HW-QS-700F is one of the company’s latest soundbars. It combines the performance of Samsung’s Q series models with a stylish lifestyle-friendly design usually found in Samsung’s S series soundbars. Does this mean this crossover soundbar is twice as nice, though, or has becoming a jack of all trades made it a master of none?

At first glance, you might be forgiven for not understanding why the Samsung QS700F might be considered a designer ‘lifestyle’ example of the best soundbars. With its long, angular, hard-finished main soundbar and compact, roughly cubic subwoofer, it looks mighty similar to the components of Samsung’s latest performance-led Q series models.

That’s not to say it’s ugly; it’s slender enough to fit beneath most TV screens, long and deep enough to promise some potent sound, and robustly finished enough to feel like a premium product. And the new subwoofer design Samsung has adopted across most of its soundbar range this year might even be called cute thanks to its relatively small footprint, rounded edges, crisp black finish and jauntily large circular drivers.


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In the end, though, despite unfortunately not joining most of Samsung’s performance-oriented Q series models in carrying a proper built-in LED display, it shares more immediate DNA with the Q series than the usually sleeker, smaller S Series.

The S part of the QS700F deal heaves into view with its so-called Convertible Fit feature. This “dynamic dual set-up” system means that, unlike the vast majority of other soundbars, the QS700F can be configured to truly work in either a wall hanging or stand placement.

Of course, many other soundbars out there can either be attached to a wall or placed on a bit of furniture. Practically none of those other soundbars, though, do what the QS700F does and actually adjust their speaker configuration to optimise their performance for their separate wall-hanging or stand placement options.

What happens with the QS700F, essentially, is that the front and up-firing height speakers in play when the soundbar is sat on a TV stand can reverse their functionality if you tip the soundbar up into a vertical position and turn it upside down to place it flat on a wall. There’s even a gyro system built into the QS700F’s main bar component that can automatically tell if the soundbar is being used flat or vertically, adjusting the sound channel configuration accordingly.

Pictures are worth a thousand words when it comes to explaining this extremely rare feature, so I suggest you take a moment to peruse the below images if you’re still struggling to figure out how it does what it does – and why the result is so different to simply sticking a regular soundbar on a wall bracket.

  • Samsung HW-QS700F (Black) at Amazon for $547.99

Image 1 of 2

A gyro system built into the QS700F reverses the front and the up-firing height speakers when the soundbar is tipped up into a vertical position to place it flat on a wall for a wall-mount installation (see next slide).(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

The QS700F isn’t the first soundbar that’s been expressly designed to look good and work well when mounted on a wall. Most wall-based soundbar designs, however, can’t also be used in a stand set-up. And soundbars that can do what the QS700F does and completely reconfigure their driver array to support both horizontal and vertical setups are very rare indeed. The main current model I can think of is the Devialet Dione, with its ‘rotating ball’ centre channel speaker, but that will currently set you back £1,800 / around $2,440 – two and a half times what the QS700F costs.

Delivering genuine wall or stand placement flexibility isn’t the QS700F’s only attraction, though. Its 3.1.2 channel count is also more numerous than might have been expected with such an affordable and customisable soundbar – especially given that the .2 bit indicates the presence of two up-firing speakers for Dolby Atmos height effects that are available in either of the soundbar’s two orientation options, and the .1 bass channel bit is delivered by an external subwoofer.

This subwoofer manages to combine likeable, compact aesthetics, too, with two startlingly large drivers on two of its opposing sides. One of these is an active 8-inch driver, while the other is a smaller, passive unit, with the dual-sided approach intended to make it possible to underpin music and, especially, film soundtracks with smoother and less directional bass than Samsung’s previous sub designs did.

The Dolby Atmos playback support (for music as well as movies) mentioned earlier is joined by support for DTS:X soundtracks too, while music lovers can enjoy their favourite tunes streamed in via direct Chromecast, Spotify Connect, Airplay and Tidal Connect support. Supported music file formats are expansive, too, including MP3, AAC, OGG, FLAC, WAV, ALAC and AIFF.

Stereo music can be played in its basic two-channel format by the QS700F, as you would expect, but its sound presets also include a couple of options that can upmix two-channel music to take advantage of all of the system’s available channels. The Surround mode is the most straightforward of these two options, while an Adaptive option brings AI into play, with a particular focus on optimising volume and enhancing detailing and clarity.

A Game preset, meanwhile, emphasises the multi-channel directionality of the surround sound (often Dolby Atmos) audio tracks modern games typically use, to both make the game world feel more immediate and intense, and to give you a better idea of exactly where approaching or attacking enemies are relative to your own position.

The QS700F’s compact remote control (Image credit: Future)

While the QS700F doesn’t carry nearly as many channels as you get with Samsung’s flagship soundbars for 2025, there’s still enough going on to potentially present you with a bit of a setup headache. Happily, though, Samsung has equipped the QS700F with a so-called SpaceFit Sound Pro system that automatically and constantly works to optimise the tone and impact of the bass to keep it in line with the rest of the soundstage, as well as keeping dialogue and effects in balance.

If you decide you want to make the QS700F a full surround system, you can either add a pair of Samsung’s SWA-9500S speakers for £249 / $299, or a pair of Samsung’s Music Frame speakers for a £800 / $600. As well as being much cheaper, I’d suggest the SWA-9500Ses would be the much better option for adding to the QS700F because they include extra up-firing speakers as well as the main forward-facing drivers, enhancing Dolby Atmos’s hemisphere of sound effect.

The QS700F is decently connected considering how affordable it is for such an innovative design, with an HDMI pass-through being joined by an optical digital audio input and the now expected Bluetooth and Wi-Fi streaming options. The Wi-Fi functionality even extends to support for Samsung’s Wireless Dolby Atmos streaming, where the soundbar can receive Dolby Atmos soundtracks from compatible Samsung TVs without the need for any cables.

The QS700F supports Samsung’s Q Symphony system, too, where the speakers in the TV can work alongside those in the soundbar to create a more detailed and well-staged soundscape, rather than the soundbar just taking over all sound duties by itself.

The one disappointment with the QS700F’s connections is that the HDMI pass-through doesn’t join the HDMI ports on Samsung’s Q990F flagship soundbar in supporting 4K 120Hz gaming feeds. So if you have a console or PC capable of outputting graphics to that format, you’ll have to connect your gaming device directly to your TV and use eARC functionality to send game sound from the TV to the soundbar. That approach can sometimes, though thankfully not that often these days, cause a loss of synchronisation between the pictures on your TV and the sound coming from the soundbar.

The QS700F’s top surface control buttons (Image credit: Future)

The QS700F’s performance turns out to be startlingly uncompromised by its innovative multi-placement design. There are some mild differences in how it sounds in its two usage configurations, but overall, it sounds excellent whichever way round you use it, and better, in fact, than most ‘standard’ soundbars at the same sort of price point.

Looking first at performance features that remain consistent regardless of whether you’re using the QS700F in its vertical or horizontal stance, the most immediate thing you notice is how powerful it is. Despite its fairly compact two-piece design, it’s capable of both getting seriously loud and projecting its sound far beyond the boundaries of its physical form. The result is a sound that’s capable of filling at least the front half of even quite a substantial room with a really potent soundstage.

There’s much more to the QS700F’s power and projection than just brute force and loudness, though. Its speakers are also sensitive enough to deliver impressive amounts of detail, be it a mild background ambient sound or a more specific, placed effect. Yet it does so with an excellent sense of balance, where no sound stands out artificially brightly from the mix.

Spot effects are accurately placed in the three-dimensional sound space the QS700F creates in either of its vertical or horizontal placement configurations, too, and sound transitions as noisy objects move around the three-dimensional space are tracked with strong and involving accuracy, clarity and consistency, even if there are multiple moving objects to track at the same time.

Impact sounds are delivered with a degree of venom and projection that’s rare indeed at the QS700F’s price point, while the subwoofer performs well beyond its size, underpinning action scenes with seriously deep and distortion-free rumbles. These also, crucially, feel like natural extensions of the dynamic range delivered by the main bar, with no sense of bagginess or dislocation in the way the subwoofer’s sound ‘attaches to’ it.

Treble effects, finally, also emerge without sounding distorted or overly shrill, especially as the subwoofer’s contributions at the other end of the spectrum provide such a potent counterpoint.

While the QS700F is at its absolute best as an ultra-flexible movie soundbar, it’s also a strong music performer. In either of its vertical or horizontal configurations, music enjoys good staging, with effective but not over-stated stereo separation, nicely positioned vocals that sit at the centre of and slightly above the rest of the mix, and some tight and typically well-timed and consistent bass from the subwoofer.

They might not be to everybody’s taste, but the surround sound upmixing options the QS700F provides for stereo sources work unusually well, too. There’s a level of intelligence and naturalism about the way elements in a stereo mix are separated out and redirected around the system’s 3.1.2 channels that you don’t get with arguably any other soundbar brand bar except, perhaps, Sony. Add a pair of the optional rear speakers and the upmixing becomes even more effective, sounding at times more like a professional surround mix than something that’s being essentially made up on the fly by Samsung’s processing.

The QS700F’s rear ports include HDMI pass-through for connecting an external source like a Blu-ray player (Image credit: Future)

Looking at the differences in the way the QS700F sounds in its vertical and horizontal configurations coincides for the most part with the weaker aspects of the soundbar’s performance.

Due I think to its rather unusual configuration, where it sits tucked up into the upper edge of the soundbar when it’s placed on a desktop so that it can also work when the soundbar has been turned upside down and placed vertically on a wall, the centre channel speaker isn’t a total success. It can sound a touch muffled at times when using the soundbar in its TV stand set up, and in the wall-hanging configuration, while dialogue sounds clearer, it can also sound like it’s coming from slightly below the onscreen action. (Simply overriding the auto-calibration system and turning the centre channel volume output up a couple of notches helps the stand set up centre channel issue, mind you.)

With the QS700F used vertically, for wall hanging, height and ambient effects in a Dolby Atmos mix aren’t spread quite as far and wide or with quite as much authority and polish as they are when the soundbar is in its desktop position. Finally, stereo music sounds slightly more open, rich and detailed with the QS700F in its vertical stance. In stand mode, stereo music sounds a bit hemmed in, not quite escaping from the soundbar’s bodywork as cleanly and effectively as movie soundtracks do.

In the end, I’d suggest sticking with Standard mode for stereo music playback if the soundbar’s hanging on a wall, but at least giving an extended trial to the Surround mode for two-channel music if the soundbar’s sat on a surface.

I need to wrap all this up, though, by circling back to the point I made earlier that while there are one or two mostly minor performance differences in how the QS700F sounds in its two different set ups, Samsung’s new soundbar’s unique convertible fit design doesn’t stop it from still sounding much better, especially with movies, in either of its configurations than the vast majority of normal soundbars do.

Samsung HW-QS700F review: Specs

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Dimensions (W x H x D)

Main bar: 1160 x 51 x 120mm/45.67 x 2 x 4.725 in, Subwoofer: 249 x 252 x 249mm/9.8 x 9.92 x 9.8 in

Speaker channels

3.1.2

Connections:

HDMI input, HDMI output (eARC), Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, Airplay, digital optical input, wireless Dolby Atmos

Dolby Atmos/DTS:X

Yes/Yes

Sub included

Yes

Rear speakers included

No

Features

4K 120Hz passthrough, voice assistant support, room calibration

Samsung HW-QS700F review: Price & release date

The QS700F comes with a compact, dual-driver subwoofer (Image credit: Future)

  • First available: April 2025
  • Price: £749 / $699.99 / AU$999

The QS700F was released globally in April 2025. While the brand launched a slim-design Q700D soundbar in 2024, the QS700F’s unusual convertible fit design means that it stands as a new product category for Samsung rather than just being an evolution of a previous soundbar model.

The HW-QS700F costs £749 in the UK, $699.99 in the US and $999 in Australia. These prices make the QS700F great value for such a flexible but still high-performance model.

Should I buy the Samsung HW-QS700F?

(Image credit: Future)Swipe to scroll horizontallySamsung HW-QS700F soundbar

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

3.1.2 channels of sound, Dolby Atmos and DTS support, Bluetooth, and a rare true multi-placement design

4.5 / 5

Performance

Outstanding power, detail and staging that mostly holds up no matter which way round you use it

4 / 5

Design

The way the speakers change their role to suit different setups is genius, and both the main bar and wireless sub are surprisingly compact for such a powerful system

4 .5/ 5

Value

Considering the combination of performance and features it provides, the QS700F looks like a pretty good deal

4.5 / 5

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Samsung HS-QS700F soundbar: Also consider

Swipe to scroll horizontallyRow 0 – Cell 0

Samsung HW-QS700F

Sonos Arc Ultra

Samsung HW-Q800D

Price:

£749/$699/AU$999

£999/$999/AU$1,799

£699/$699/AU$799

Dimensions (w x h x d):

Main bar: 1160 x 51 x 120mm/45.67 x 2 x 4.725 inches, Subwoofer: 249 x 252 x 249mm/9.8 x 9.92 x 9.8 inches

1178 x 75 x 110.6mm/46.38 x 2.95 x 4.35 inches

Main bar – 1110.7 x 60.4 x 120mm/43.73 x 2.38 x 4.73 inches; Subwoofer – 403 x 210 x 403mm/15.87 x 8.27 x 15.87

Speaker Channels:

3.1.2

9.1.4

5.1.2

Connections:

HDMI input, HDMI output (eARC), Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, Airplay, digital optical input, wireless Dolby Atmos

HDMI input (eARC), Bluetooth, Ethernet port, Wi-Fi, Airplay, Sonos Multiroom

HDMI input, HDMI output (with eARC), Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi, digital optical audio, Airplay, Wireless Dolby Atmos

Dolby Atmos/DTS:X:

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Sub / rear speakers included:

Yes/No

No/No

Yes/No

How I tested the Samsung HW-QS700F

(Image credit: Future)

  • Tested across 9 days
  • Used in both a regular living room environment and a dedicated test room, in both its wall-mount and stand mount orientations
  • Tested with a mixture of music and video sources

Testing the Samsung QS700F was more complicated than usual, thanks to its Convertible Fit technology, requiring it to be used for half the time in a regular surface-mounted stance, and half the time in a vertical wall-mounted stance. I tested it extensively in both of its configurations with a range of CDs, high-quality audio streams and 4K Blu-ray movie soundtracks.

The 4K Blu-ray soundtracks I used included both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X mixes, since the QS700F supports both, while stereo music was tested both in native two-channel mode and using the soundbar’s multi-channel upmix feature.

First reviewed: June 2025

Read more about how we test

Samsung HW-QS700F: Price Comparison



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Samsung QN90F showing colorful artwork
Product Reviews

Samsung QN90F TV review: an outstanding mini-LED TV for bright room viewing

by admin



Why you can trust TechRadar


We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Samsung QN90F: Two-minute review

The Samsung QN90F is the company’s flagship mini-LED TV series for 2025. It’s available in 43-inch to 98-inch screen sizes, and is a showcase for the full range of new features Samsung is bringing to market in its 2025 TV lineup.

A key feature found in the Samsung QN90F and other 2025 flagships, such as the Samsung QN990F 8K TV and Samsung S95F OLED TV, is a ‘2.0’ version of Glare-Free technology. Previously limited to the S95F, one of the best TVs of 2024, this effectively eliminates screen reflections, and does so while retaining the deep black levels needed to maintain picture contrast when watching movies in a bright room – something the S95F stopped short of delivering.

The QN90F also has a new NQ4 AI Gen3 Processor, which allows for a range of AI-driven picture enhancements to improve picture upscaling of lower-resolution sources and motion handling for sports. It even adds HDR to standard dynamic range programs being upscaled to 4K, giving them a high dynamic range-like look.


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Picture quality on the QN90F is stunning. The TV’s powerful, refined local dimming delivers images with strong contrast and deep, detailed shadows. This is the kind of performance we expect to see from the best mini-LED TVs, and the QN90F has set the bar high for 2025.

The QN90F’s 4.2.2-channel built-in speakers provide clear and dynamic sound over a wide volume range. Dialogue clarity is good at the default settings, but there are also processing modes, such as Active Voice Amplifier Pro, to further improve clarity. The TV’s Object Tracking Sound Pro+ feature ensures that both dialogue and sound effects accurately follow the onscreen action.

As with other high-end Samsung TVs, the QN90F has a full suite of gaming features, including support for 4K 165Hz across its four HDMI 2.1 ports, FreeSync Premium Pro, and Samsung’s Gaming Hub, which offers cloud-based, console-free gaming. The TV’s ultra-low input lag makes gaming performance as responsive as one can expect from the best gaming TVs.

The QN90F’s Tizen smart TV platform is among the most advanced in the industry, and Samsung has given it a range of tweaks for 2025 to improve navigation and expand content offerings. The company’s own Samsung TV Plus free ad-supported TV portal provides a wide range of channels. There’s also the Samsung Art Store, a subscription-based service previously limited to Samsung’s The Frame TVs that lets you view a wide range of art offerings when the TV is in standby mode.

At $2,499.99 / £2,499 / AU$3,499 for the 65-inch model I tested, the Samsung QN90F isn’t cheap, and it faces stiff competition from the flagship mini-LED TVs from Hisense and TCL. However, the QN90F more than holds its own when it comes to picture quality, features, and design, making it a premium choice for discerning viewers.

  • Samsung 43QN90F at Amazon for $1,297.99

Samsung QN90F review: Price and release date

The Samsung QN90F’s Glare-Free tech eliminates screen reflections when viewing in bright rooms (Image credit: Future)

  • Release date: March 2025
  • 43-inch: $1,299.99 / £1,199
  • 50-inch: $1,499.99 / £1,299
  • 55-inch: $1,799.99 / £1,699
  • 65-inch: $2,499.99 / £2,499 / AU$3,499
  • 75-inch: $2,999.99 / £3,499 / AU$4,499
  • 85-inch: $4,499.99 / £4,999 / AU$5,999
  • 98-inch: $14,999.99 / £8,999

The Samsung QN90F is the company’s flagship 4K mini-LED TV series for 2025. Launch prices are lower compared to 2024’s Samsung QN90D series, with the 65-inch QN90F I reviewed priced at $2,499.99 / £2,499 compared to $2,699.99 / £2,699 for the 65-inch QN90D.

Pricing for new Samsung TVs typically takes a substantial drop by mid-year – the same 65-inch QN90D was priced at $1,899 / £1,999 / AU$3,995 when we reviewed it in September 2024, for example – so buyers can expect discounts going forward.

Such discounts will let the QN90F compete more effectively with affordable brands such as Hisense, which at the time of writing had reduced the price of its new 65-inch flagship Hisense U8QG mini-LED TV to $1,399 in the US.

Samsung QN90F review: Specs

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Screen type:

QLED with mini-LED

Refresh rate:

Up to 165Hz

HDR support:

HDR10+, HDR10, HLG

Audio support:

Dolby Atmos

Smart TV:

Tizen

HDMI ports:

4 x HDMI 2.1

Built-in tuner:

ATSC 3.0 (USA)

Samsung QN90F review: Benchmark results

Samsung QN90F review: Features

The QN90F has four HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 165Hz support (Image credit: Future)

  • Glare-Free screen
  • NQ4 AI Gen3 Processor with 4K AI Upscaling Pro
  • 4K 165Hz gaming support

The Samsung QN90F’s headline feature is its Glare-Free screen. This anti-reflection tech was previously limited to the Samsung S95D OLED but has migrated to all of the company’s flagship TVs in 2025. It very effectively reduces screen glare from ambient room lighting and can even minimize reflections from direct lighting sources such as lamps.

Samsung’s new NQ4 AI Gen3 Processor is used in the QN90F series and enables features such as 4K AI Upscaling Pro, Auto HDR Remastering Pro (upscales standard dynamic range programs to high dynamic range), and AI Motion Enhancer Pro (reduces motion blur in sports and other fast-action content).

Other picture enhancements include Wide Viewing Angle, which improves screen uniformity when viewing from off-center seats, and Real Depth Enhancer Pro, which analyzes scenes to emphasize the difference between foreground objects and backgrounds for a more 3D effect.

The QN90F has a similar audio feature set as its predecessor, including a 4.2.2-channel speaker array powered by 60W, Object Tracking Sound Pro+ for accurate dialogue and sound effects placement, and Active Voice Amplifier Pro to enhance dialogue in complex movie sound mixes. The Q-Symphony feature requires a compatible Samsung soundbar to unlock and combines the TV’s speakers with the soundbar’s output for an expanded soundfield.

Samsung’s Tizen smart TV platform supports both Samsung’s own Bixby and Amazon Alexa voice assistants, and the TV features built-in far-field mics for hands-free voice control. Samsung has added a wide range of custom apps to Tizen for 2025 – everything from the Samsung Art Store (a feature previously only available on its The Frame TVs) to Dr. Tail, an online pet care consultation platform.

The QN90F series supports FreeSync Premium Pro for gaming, with up to a 165Hz refresh rate across its four HDMI ports. There’s also Samsung Gaming Hub for cloud-based gaming, with a wide array of selections from apps like Xbox, Nvidia GeForce Now, Boosteroid and Luna.

Samsung QN90F review: Picture quality

The QN90F’s picture looks consistently great when viewing in bright and dark lighting conditions (Image credit: Future)

  • High brightness and refined local dimming
  • Good off-axis picture uniformity
  • Effective Glare-Free screen tech

My measurements of the Samsung QN90F were made with its Movie picture mode active. While the Filmmaker Mode provided a slightly more accurate picture, the extra brightness from Movie mode made it a better all-round option for both dark and bright room viewing, and I found myself subjectively preferring it.

Peak brightness measured on a white 10% window pattern with HDR was 2,086 nits in Movie mode, and 1,987 nits in Standard mode. Fullscreen brightness measured on a white 100% window pattern with HDR was 667 in Movie mode and around the same level in Standard.

Those are excellent brightness results, and roughly similar to what we measured on last year’s Samsung QN90D.

UHDA-P3 and BT.2020 color gamut coverage results in Movie Mode were 93.6 and 76.5, respectively, marking a slight improvement over the Samsung QN90D. Color accuracy, meanwhile, averaged out to a 6.3 Delta-E value (the margin of error between the test pattern source and what’s shown on-screen), which is a higher level than the 3 threshold we normally look for, though Filmmaker Mode showed better results.

After calibrating the QN90F’s grayscale, its picture looked fantastic. Colors were rich and detailed, and the TV’s high brightness and contrast gave the picture a strong visual punch in both dim and bright room lighting conditions.

Image 1 of 4

The Samsung Art Store has a wide range of famous artworks on offer, along with images from Disney, Star Wars, and National Geographic(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

Watching the movie Mountainhead (streamed on Max in 4K HDR), the bright orange outerwear worn by the tech bros wandering the grounds outside the mountain retreat popped nicely against the snowy background. The white sky and snow-filled trees displayed an impressive level of highlight detail, and the picture had good uniformity even when watching from off-center seats.

The QN90F’s strong contrast also gave excellent depth to darker shots in movies like Oppenheimer. Shadows looked deep, and I saw almost no evidence of backlight blooming effects. While the QN90F’s rich color display carried over to Oppenheimer, the movie’s black-and-white scenes also revealed excellent uniformity across the picture’s full range of black, white, and gray tones.

Motion handling on the QN90F was also very good, with only a minimal level of judder and blur visible in a reference scene from No Time to Die where James Bond walks across a craggy hillside cemetery. To evaluate this scene, I selected the TV’s Filmmaker Mode, which disables all motion processing, but setting the judder and blur adjustments to 3 in the Custom menu fully eliminated motion artifacts without adding any unnatural “soap opera” effect.

As mentioned above, I preferred the QN90F’s Movie picture preset for its extra brightness kick, a factor that helped bring out shadow detail and highlights when viewing in both dim and bright rooms. With my room’s overhead lights turned on, the TV’s Glare-Free screen was completely free of reflections. And even when I turned on a lamp in front of the screen to see how it could handle strong light sources, the light was effectively diffused.

The QN90F’s Glare-Free screen performs as advertised. And, unlike the version used in last year’s Samsung S95D OLED TV, it manages to maintain solid black levels, even when viewing in a bright room.

  • Picture quality score: 5/5

Samsung QN90F review: Sound quality

The QN90F (side view shown above) has impressively clean, full sound for such a slim TV, but a soundbar is recommended to take movie viewing to the next level (Image credit: Future)

  • 4.2.2-channel, 60W speaker array
  • Clean, well-defined sound
  • Object Tracking Sound Pro+ and Active Voice Amplifier Pro features

The QN90F has a 4.2.2-channel, 60W speaker array, along with Samsung’s Object Tracking Sound Pro+ feature to optimize dialogue and sound effects placement. Active Voice Amplifier Pro uses AI to analyze, separate, and amplify dialogue in sound mixes. There are two preset sound modes, Standard and Amplify, with the latter also giving dialogue levels a general boost.

I found the QN90F’s sound to be clean and well-defined, even when played at fairly loud levels. Bass, while lacking the weight and extension you’d get from using one of the best soundbars with a separate subwoofer, was also suitably punchy.

Sound effects, while well-delineated, were mostly contained to the screen area, with little in the way of a surround effect. Dolby Atmos height effects were also modest, though certain scenes, such as one from No Time to Die with a close-up shot of clanging church bells, proved more effective here than others.

The QN90F supports Samsung’s Q-Symphony feature, which combines the TV’s speaker output with a Samsung soundbar for enhanced and expanded sound. As good as the QN90F’s built-in sound is, this slim TV would definitely benefit from being paired with a Samsung soundbar or one from another brand.

Samsung QN90F review: Design

The QN90F’s sturdy aluminum pedestal stand (Image credit: Future)

  • Ultra-slim, bezel-free design
  • Sturdy pedestal stand with cable management
  • Solar-powered remote control

The Samsung QN90F has a remarkably slim design for a mini-LED TV. The panel depth is a mere 1.1 inches, and the TV’s ‘bezel-free’ display means there’s a disappearingly slim black border surrounding the screen.

Samsung’s ‘Sharp Neck Hexagon’ aluminum pedestal stand provides firm support, and a cable management system on the back makes for tidy installation. The side-mounted input section features four HDMI 2.1 ports plus an antenna connection for the TV’s ATSC 3.0 tuner (US-only).

The QN90F’s battery-free SolarCell remote control draws power from ambient room lighting, but can also be charged via its USB-C port. I’m of two minds about this compact, minimalist remote. On the one hand, its small size and uncluttered layout fit with the design philosophy of the QN90F. On the other, it lacks a dedicated input button – something I complained about in my LG G5 OLED TV review – and it mostly facilitates onscreen menu navigation to perform functions, along with voice-controlled searching.

Samsung QN90F review: Smart TV and menus

Image 1 of 2

Samsung’s Tizen smart TV interface neatly divides browsing options into multiple categories(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

  • Samsung Tizen Smart TV platform
  • Samsung Art Store
  • Some settings buried deep in menus

As with all Samsung TVs, the QN90F series uses the company’s Tizen Smart TV platform. This presents a mostly uncluttered ‘For You’ homescreen, with program recommendations, a customizable row of app selections, and tabs to access additional Live TV and App screens.

A vertical row of icons on the homescreen’s left side provides access to the Search, Art, Daily+, and Gaming hubs. The Art Hub now features the full Samsung Art Store, which costs $4.99/month or $49.90/year in the US, and offers selections from partners such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museo del Prado, the Tate, and, new for 2025, Star Wars and Disney. Think of this as a streaming service for artwork, which looks fantastic on the TV’s Glare-Free screen.

Daily+ is Samsung’s lifestyle hub, and you’ll find a wide range of fitness and productivity apps here, along with telehealth services for you (HealthTap) and your pets (Dr. Tail).

The Live tab on the homescreen features programming from Samsung’s own Samsung TV Plus and other free ad-supported TV channels. There are an almost ridiculous number of free channels here to explore, and you can also view a program grid that integrates live channels received via the TV’s ATSC 3.0 tuner in the US.

With most picture settings buried deep in the TV’s menu structure, it can be difficult to access even basic picture adjustments like brightness. Some of the drudgery is lessened by the QN90F’s quick menu, which presents a compact screen overlay with a customizable range of settings and setup options, including sound and picture preset modes and, yes, brightness.

Another advantage of the quick menu is that by selecting the All Settings icon, along with a full list of menu options for picture, sound, advanced features, and more, you’ll see a list of your five last used settings for easy access. There’s also a search option here, with voice control support, if you don’t want to scroll deep through menus.

  • Smart TV & menus score: 5/5

Samsung QN90F review: Gaming

Image 1 of 2

Samsung’s Gaming Hub (1) and onscreen game menu overlay (2)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

  • Four HDMI 2.1 ports
  • 4K 165Hz, FreeSync Premium Pro, and HDR10+ gaming support
  • 9.5ms input lag

Higher-end Samsung TVs regularly rank among the best gaming TVs, and that’s still very much the case with the QN90F. With four HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 165Hz support, FreeSync Premium Pro, HGiG, and Samsung’s Gaming Hub, which features apps such as Xbox, Nvidia GeForce Now, Boosteroid, and Luna, there’s little here that’s been overlooked, with the exception of Dolby Vision Gaming (HDR10+ gaming is supported, however).

The QN90F’s ultra-low 9.5 input lag results in highly responsive gaming performance. Gaming is also enhanced by the TV’s game bar menu, which lets you quickly make gaming-related picture and sound adjustments and access the Super Ultra Wide Game View and MiniMap Zoom features.

Samsung QN90F review: Value

The QN90F’s compact SolarCell remote control has a limited button count and is mainly designed for navigating onscreen menus (Image credit: Future)

  • Great performance and features help justify the price
  • Impressive competing TVs available for less
  • A complete package for TV perfectionists

Making a value call on the Samsung QN90F can be tough. It’s an excellent all-around TV with great picture and sound quality, a complete set of gaming features, and an attractive, living room-friendly design.

The QN90F faces stiff competition from other TV brands, such as Hisense and TCL, which also make great mini-LED TVs and ultimately sell them at a much lower price. As mentioned above, the 65-inch Hisense U8QG that earned 4.5 out of 5 stars in our review now costs $1,399 in the US. We haven’t yet reviewed the new TCL QM8K, but if its pricing history follows the same trajectory as last year’s TCL QM851G, that model will eventually cost around the same as the Hisense U8QG.

Nevertheless, the QN90F scores value points over its competition with better overall picture and sound quality, a superior smart interface, a more advanced feature set, and a sleeker design. It really is the complete package and an excellent option for watching movies and sports, gaming, or even scheduling a telehealth appointment for your pet.

Should I buy the Samsung QN90F?

(Image credit: Future)Swipe to scroll horizontallySamsung QN90F

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

Feature-packed, with AI picture and sound enhancements and a wide array of gaming features

5/5

Picture quality

High brightness and refined local dimming plus a Glare-Free screen make this a great TV for viewing in a range of lighting conditions

5/5

Sound quality

A built-in 4.2.2-channel speaker array provides clear, and reasonably full sound, but it’s light on bass and immersion

4/5

Design

A wonderfully sleek design with sturdy pedestal stand, but the SolarCell remote provides few options for direct control outside the menu system

5/5

Smart TV and menus

Samsung’s relatively uncluttered Tizen smart interface is easy to navigate and there’s a wide range of apps plus the Samsung Art Store

4/5

Gaming

An impressive suite of gaming features plus cloud-based gaming and fast, responsive performance

5/5

Value

Pricey compared to the mini-LED competition, but great performance, features, and design for the money

4/5

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Samsung QN90F: Also consider…

Swipe to scroll horizontallyHeader Cell – Column 0

Samsung QN90F

Hisense U8QG

Samsung QN90D

TCL QM851G

Price (65-inch)

 $2,499.99 / £2,499 / AU$3,499

 $2,199 / £TBC / AU$2,999

$2,699 / £2,699 / AU$4,299

$2,999 / £2,999

Screen type

QLED w/ mini-LED

QLED w/ mini-LED

QLED w/ mini-LED

QLED w/ mini-LED

Refresh rate

165Hz

165Hz

144Hz

144Hz

HDR support

HDR10+/HDR10/HLG

DolbyVision/HDR10+/HDR10/HLG

HDR10+/HDR10/HLG

DolbyVision/HDR10+/HDR10/HLG

Smart TV

Tizen

Google TV / VIDAA

Tizen

Google TV

HDMI ports

4 x HDMI 2.1

3x HDMI 2.1

4 x HDMI 2.1

4 (2x HDMI 2.1)

How I tested the Samsung QN90F

Measuring a 10% HDR white window pattern during testing (Image credit: Future)

  • I spent about 15 viewing hours in total, measuring and evaluating
  • Measurements were made using Calman color calibration software
  • A full calibration was made before proceeding with subjective tests

When I test TVs, I first spend a few days or even weeks using them for casual viewing to assess the out-of-box picture presets and get familiar with the smart TV menu and picture adjustments.

I next select the most accurate preset (usually Filmmaker Mode, Movie or Cinema) and measure grayscale and color accuracy using Portrait Displays’ Calman color calibration software. The resulting measurements provide Delta-E values (the margin of error between the test pattern source and what’s shown on-screen) for each category, and allow for an assessment of the TV’s overall accuracy.

Along with those tests, I make measurements of peak light output (recorded in nits) for both standard high-definition and 4K high dynamic range using 10% and 100% white window patterns. Coverage of DCI-P3 and BT.2020 color space is also measured, with the results providing a sense of how faithfully the TV can render the extended color range in ultra high-definition sources – you can read more about this process in our guide to how we test TVs at TechRadar.

For the Samsung QN90F, I used the Calman ISF workflow, along with the TV’s advanced picture menu settings, to calibrate the image for best accuracy. I also watched a range of reference scenes on 4K Blu-ray discs to assess the TV’s performance, along with 4K HDR shows streamed from Max, Netflix, and other services.

Samsung QN90F Neo QLED 4K TV: Price Comparison



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Samsung SSD
Gaming Gear

The super fast Samsung 9100 Pro 4TB SSD is now just $449 at Amazon

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If you’ve been holding out for a top-of-the-line SSD, you might want to check out this offer on the Samsung 9100 Pro 4TB SSD. This ultra-fast SSD debuted at $549 and has hovered chiefly in that ballpark. Today, however, you can find it at Amazon for just $449—its lowest price.

We reviewed the Samsung 9100 Pro earlier this year and enjoyed our experience overall. The SSD has great performance from many angles, earning a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars. Check out our list of best SSDs to see how it compares to some of our favorite and most recommended SSDs.

The Samsung 9100 Pro is definitely a performance-driven SSD. It’s offered in various capacities, but this deal is just for the 4TB drive. All of the SSDs in this line have an M.2 2280 form factor and are compatible with PCIe 5.0 x4 and NVMe 2.0 interfaces.

(Image credit: Future)

The Samsung 9100 Pro 4TB SSD can reach some of the highest read/write speeds we’ve ever seen, as high as 14,800/13,400 MB/s. Amazon’s 30-day return policy and Samsung’s five-year manufacturer’s warranty support the purchase. The Samsung warranty will only be void if the drive reaches 2,400 TBW before the 5-year period has passed.

If you want to check out this deal, you can find the Samsung 9100 Pro 4TB SSD on Amazon. Click on the image for purchase options and additional details.

Follow Tom’s Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.



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The Best Samsung Phones of 2025, Tested and Reviewed
Product Reviews

The Best Samsung Phones of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

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Other Samsung Phones to Consider

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

If you don’t see a Samsung phone mentioned in this guide, that might be because it’s not sold in the US and is a little harder to source for testing. But here are a few other Samsung phones I’ve tried to consider.

Samsung Galaxy A36 5G for $400: The Galaxy A36 (6/10, WIRED Review) doesn’t quite measure up to its peers from Nothing and Motorola. Performance is just too choppy, and that’s not acceptable at this price. It’s manageable—it’s not so slow that it will frustrate—but you can do better. If your needs are very minimal, it’s an OK phone, and the camera system is good, with day-long battery life, a nice AMOLED screen, and 6 years of software updates.

Galaxy A16.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

Samsung Galaxy A16 for $200: Samsung’s Galaxy A16 still doesn’t reach the highs of the Galaxy A14, and that’s largely due to sluggish performance. Sure, Samsung is promising six years of software updates, but that remarkable update window doesn’t matter when the phone is frustratingly slow, and you want to throw it out the window. If you barely plan on using this device but want something from a reliable brand that will stay secure, the Galaxy A16 is fine. Its performance just isn’t competitive with other similarly priced phones.

If you’re looking to save some cash, it’s fine to buy Samsung’s Galaxy S23 range or the Galaxy S23 FE from 2023, as long as the prices are a good deal lower than the original MSRP. (They’re hard to find at most major retailers.) These phones will still get support for a while, and they’re pretty great. I don’t think it’s worth buying anything older.

Should You Invest in Samsung’s Ecosystem?

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

Samsung is one of the few smartphone manufacturers that can match Apple in its hardware ecosystem. Not only does the company make smartphones, but you can also expand your experience by adding on a Galaxy Watch7 smartwatch, Galaxy Buds3 Pro earbuds, Galaxy Ring fitness ring, Galaxy Tab S10+ tablet, and even a Windows-powered Galaxy laptop.

There are certain perks to this, too, like how some features on the Galaxy Ring and Watch7 are only available when paired with a Samsung phone, and its earbuds will automatically switch between Samsung devices based on what you’re using. There’s not much in the way of exclusive features when using a Galaxy phone with a Galaxy laptop, but features like Quick Share let you speedily send photos and documents between your devices.

Again, it’s not necessary, and these other devices might not be the right ones for you within their respective categories, but if you’re chasing hardware parity, you have that option with Samsung.

What Is Galaxy AI?

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

With the Galaxy S24 series, Samsung launched “Galaxy AI,” a selection of artificial intelligence features, many of which are powered by Google’s Gemini large language models. These enable smart features that may be helpful day to day, like real-time translations during phone calls, real-time transcriptions in Samsung’s Voice Recorder app, the ability to summarize long paragraphs of text in the Samsung Notes app, or change a sentence’s tone with the Samsung Keyboard. In the Galaxy S25 series, Galaxy AI expanded to include Gemini as the default voice assistant and the ability for Gemini to work with multiple apps simultaneously. It also debuted Drawing Assist, which lets you sketch or enter a prompt and get an AI-generated image.

You can find many of these features by heading to Settings > Galaxy AI to toggle them on or off.

What Is Samsung DeX?

Courtesy of David Nield

Samsung’s DeX (short for “desktop experience”) launched in 2017, and it’s a way to plug in your Samsung phone to an external monitor and trigger a desktop version of the Android OS, all completely powered by the phone. You can find a list of compatible Samsung phones here, and you’ll need a monitor, mouse, and keyboard, plus a cable to connect the phone to the monitor. (You can also cast DeX to select screens wirelessly.)

When in DeX mode, you can resize Android apps and have them all open in separate windows. It’s a proper computing platform, though you probably won’t want to use this as a permanent laptop replacement or anything of the sort. It’s great if you’re visiting another office, or working out of a coffee shop or airplane (if you have a portable display). We have a whole guide to setting up and using DeX here.

How I Test Phones

I’ve been reviewing smartphones for a decade, but one of my earliest smart devices was a Samsung Galaxy Captivate, which I got for “free” from my carrier at the time. After working during college, I finally saved enough cash for a Galaxy S3, my first flagship. I’ve spent years using Samsung phones in my personal life and began reviewing them for work not too long after.

With each Samsung smartphone, I always put my personal SIM card inside and spend as long as I can (a few weeks) using the phone as my own. I do camera testing and compare the results with similarly priced devices, I benchmark performance and play graphically demanding games to see how they fare, I try out all the new features, and even take calls to make sure that ol’ function still works fine.

Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting that’s too important to ignore for just $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year. Includes unlimited digital access and exclusive subscriber-only content. Subscribe Today.



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The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is a big phone with small phone energy
Product Reviews

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is a big phone with small phone energy

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Oh shit. Did I leave my phone at home?

I experienced that moment repeatedly while testing the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. I’d glance into my bag, or note the lack of weight in my jacket pocket, and my stomach would drop. The phone isn’t there. But lo and behold, after another moment of digging through my purse, or by reaching into my pocket, I’d find it. These moments don’t usually happen when I’m carrying a big phone — but the Galaxy S25 Edge isn’t your average big phone.

On paper it might not sound so impressive. The Edge is 1.5 millimeters thinner than the Galaxy S25 Plus and about an ounce lighter. That’s what all this fuss is about? I was skeptical, too. And I haven’t been completely slim-phone-pilled by the S25 Edge, either. But after living with it for a couple of weeks, I’ve come around to the idea as a pleasant alternative to chunky phones I can barely wedge into an evening bag. Especially since I’ve been able to draw one important conclusion: the battery life is fine.

$1100

The Good

  • Like a regular phone, but slim
  • Surprisingly lightweight
  • Battery life isn’t as bad as I feared

The Bad

  • No telephoto camera
  • Battery life not as strong as a standard phone

It feels like a cop-out to say that you really have to hold the S25 Edge to understand it, but I’ll say it anyway. Maybe after a decade holding phones that are roughly the same size and weight we’ve become hyperaware of even slight weight differences — at least that’s the theory one of my colleagues put forth when I handed the phone to him. I think he’s right.

There are a few scenarios where the slightly slimmer dimensions and lighter weight make a difference. It doesn’t look or feel as bulky as other phones usually do in the side pocket of my yoga pants. I spend a lot of time in yoga pants (and if I’m being honest, zero time actually doing yoga) so I appreciate this. And the S25 Edge actually fits into a slender clutch that’s only designed to hold a couple of credit cards and a chapstick. No other modern phone — save the iPhone 13 Mini — has gone in without a fight.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge key specs

  • 158.2 x 75.6 x 5.8mm | 163g (5.75 oz)
  • 256GB storage | 12GB RAM
  • Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset
  • 6.7-inch 1440p 120Hz LTPO OLED
  • 200-megapixel f/1.7 main camera with OIS | 12-megapixel f/2.2 ultrawide | 12-megapixel f/2.2 selfie
  • IP68
  • 3,900mAh battery
  • 25W wired charging | 15W wireless | Qi2 Ready

I’d be less willing to endorse the S25 Edge if it cost a lot more or the battery life was markedly worse than the standard S25-series phones. Great news: it only costs a bit more, and battery life is only a bit worse. It’s $1,099 compared to the $999 Galaxy S25 Plus. An extra $100 is nothing to sneeze at, but if you’re spreading that cost out over three years the difference is a few bucks a month.

My biggest concern when I started testing this phone was the battery life. The Edge’s 3,900mAh capacity is much lower than the 4,900mAh cell in the S25 Plus. And no surprise, the S25 Edge’s battery doesn’t stretch as far as what you’ll get in the S25 Plus or Ultra. But it’s fine.

Compared to the S25 Plus (left) the difference is noticeable, but you feel the impact once you pick the phone up.

As a rule, I turn on every battery-draining feature I can when I test a phone, including the always-on display and the highest screen resolution and refresh rate settings. With all this enabled I embarked on a trial by fire: a full day covering Google I/O in person. With about three hours of screen-on time and an hour-ish using it as a mobile hotspot to post photos to our live blog, it managed to get through the day with 20 percent left by that night. Did it feel great? No. Under normal circumstances I would have charged it partway through the day, because I suffer from battery anxiety. But it was fine.

I’ll give it a stamp of approval, but with the caveat that if you watch a lot of streaming video or do a lot of graphics-intensive gaming, this is probably not the phone for you. I’m also concerned about what the battery performance will look like a few years from now as its capacity naturally degrades. If you’re the kind of person who wants to hang on to your phone for as many years as possible it wouldn’t be a bad idea to plan on getting a fresh battery swapped in after a few years — take it from an iPhone 13 Mini owner.

On the subject of small phones: the S25 Edge isn’t one. It’s a lighter, more approachable big phone, but I still struggle to get my thumb to the far corner of its 6.7-inch screen. Most people will want to put a case on this phone anyway, which takes it from “slim” to “just kinda regular” rather than “wow this is super chunky.” This is a very vibes-based assessment, but I don’t want any of my fellow small-phone fans to make the mistake of thinking this could be a small phone in disguise.

This is the first non-Mini phone to go into this bag without a fight.

Battery life might be the biggest tradeoff you’ll have to make for this phone, but it’s not the only one. The Galaxy S25 Edge comes with only two rear cameras — a 200 megapixel main similar to the S25 Ultra’s and a 12-megapixel ultrawide. On the standard S25 and S25 Plus you get a 3x telephoto, too. Obviously the size constraints were a factor on the Edge, and Samsung included a top-shelf main camera to make up for the telephoto. I think that was the right call.

I love a dedicated telephoto camera as much as the next guy, especially with Samsung’s excellent portrait mode, but the 2x crop zoom works fine for a little extra reach. As always, you’ll either love Samsung’s punchy, bright colors or they won’t be your cup of tea. I’ve learned to live with them.

Outside of battery life and camera options, the S25 Edge gives up remarkably little. You still get a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, full IP68 dust and water resistance, and a 6.7-inch screen with 1440p resolution. Even with the slimmer profile heat dissipation is fine. In everyday tasks I rarely noticed the phone heating up, and it managed a 20-minute Diablo Immortal session with every display setting I could access cranked up. It was toasty by the end, but I didn’t see any drop in performance.

More than meets the eye.

Using the Galaxy S25 Edge for the past couple of weeks has cleared up some of my concerns with this new form factor — one we’re likely to see from Apple in the near future, too. Battery life is alright. Using a thin phone really does feel different. Subtracting 1.5 millimeters in thickness actually does make it appreciably easier to carry.

The S25 Edge makes a kind of sense for someone who likes a large screen but not the bulk and weight of a big phone. But this person should also be someone who’s easy on a battery, and isn’t the kind of person who just wants to buy a phone and not have to think about replacing it (or more likely its battery) for as long as possible. Those are some pretty serious caveats.

At the very least, I encourage you to go find this phone at your wireless carrier or Best Buy or whatever and just pick it up. It doesn’t seem that impressively slim or light on paper, but you might just be amazed at how it feels in your hand.

Photography by Allison Johnson / The Verge

Agree to Continue: Samsung Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Edge

Every smart device now requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it — contracts that no one actually reads. It’s impossible for us to read and analyze every single one of these agreements. But we started counting exactly how many times you have to hit “agree” to use devices when we review them since these are agreements most people don’t read and definitely can’t negotiate.

To use the Samsung Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, or S25 Edge, you must agree to:

  • Samsung’s Terms and Conditions
  • Samsung’s Privacy Policy
  • Google’s Terms of Service (including Privacy Policy)
  • Google Play’s Terms of Service
  • Automatic installs (including from Google, Samsung, and your carrier)

There are many optional agreements. If you use a carrier-specific version, there will be more of them. Here are just a few:

  • Sending diagnostic data to Samsung
  • Samsung services, including auto blocker, customization service, continuity service, nearby device scanning, personal data intelligence, and smart suggestions
  • Google Drive backup, location services, Wi-Fi scanning, diagnostic data
  • Bixby privacy policy (required to use Bixby), plus optional for Bixby options like personalized content, data access, and audio recording review

There may be more. For example, Samsung’s Weather app also has its own privacy policy that may include sharing information with Weather.com.

Final tally: there are five mandatory agreements and at least 10 optional ones.





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Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge from a 3/4 angle with black lights and an Android figuring blurred in the background
Product Reviews

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: a little bit less and never the most

by admin



Why you can trust TechRadar


We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Two-minute review

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Samsung understood the assignment with the Galaxy S25 Edge, but it didn’t strive for extra credit. The goal was to make a Galaxy S25 Plus that’s easier to hold, but Samsung did not set out to make the thinnest phone possible – in fact the Galaxy S25 Edge isn’t even the thinnest phone Samsung makes today. Instead, it did what Samsung does best: it gave us a little more inside a little less.

The Galaxy S25 Edge is a very good phone, and it feels like something unique compared to every other phone I’ve reviewed. The difference is noticeable; it’s much slimmer and lighter than almost everything else, even when wearing a case. Still, the S25 Edge isn’t a revolutionary new design, and I can’t help but anticipate the competition it’s going to face from Apple in the shape of the rumored iPhone 17 Air.

This is the thinnest Galaxy S device Samsung has ever crafted. It’s 1.5mm thinner than the Galaxy S25 Plus, and almost 2.5mm thinner than the Galaxy S25 UItra.


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Could I feel that millimeter in my hand? I’m not sure, but between the thinness and the weight reduction – it’s almost a full ounce lighter than the Plus and two ounces lighter than the Ultra – the Galaxy S25 Edge is undoubtedly a standout.

Front to back: Galaxy S25 Edge, Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus, Galaxy S25 Ultra (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The Galaxy S25 Edge isn’t the phone for you if you want the thinnest phone possible. It’s the phone for you if you want a Galaxy S25 Plus, but wish it were easier to hold. It’s the Galaxy S25 Ultra, minus the extra bits that you wouldn’t use, like the S Pen stylus. It’s not something totally new, but it’s a better option for the right buyer.

But why didn’t Samsung go for broke? Why not make the Edge the absolute thinnest smartphone ever? The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is 5.6mm thin when it’s unfolded. Had it shaved another 0.3mm off the Edge, Samsung could have at least said that this is the thinnest Samsung phone you can buy.

The answer, of course, is battery life. The Galaxy Z Fold 6 is super thin, but the battery is split between the two halves. Each half of the Z Fold 6 packs only about 2,200mAh of battery life (for 4,400mAh total), which is a lot less than the 3,800mAh the Galaxy S25 Edge offers.

A thinner Galaxy S25 Edge would have meant a smaller battery, and based on my testing, the S25 Edge is using the smallest battery it can get away with.

The Edge had trouble lasting past dinner time in my testing period. If Samsung had made the Edge the thinnest phone ever!, it probably wouldn’t last through my lunch break. I have no doubt Samsung could build such a phone, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

That makes the S25 Edge a pleasantly thin phone that is simply not very special. There are no special features that set it apart from the rest of the Galaxy S25 family. There’s nothing new here. It’s a well-crafted device that delivers exactly what I expected; no more and no less. That’s not a bad thing! It’s just… predictable.

Front to back: Galaxy S25 Edge, iPhone 16 Pro Max, Galaxy S25 Ultra (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The big problem is that Samsung is competing against a specter. The iPhone 17 Air could arrive later this year, and it’s hard not to see the Galaxy S25 Edge as a preemptive attack by Samsung on Apple’s next design concept. Because make no mistake, Apple is going to make a big deal out of going thin.

Apple is going to pretend it invented the millimeter. If and when Apple launches an iPhone Air in September, it will act like thinness is the biggest design innovation since the capacitive touchscreen. All other specs be damned! And I think Apple will be willing to shrink the battery and cut back on cameras even more severely than Samsung.

If that happens, the iPhone 17 Air will probably be less capable than the Galaxy S25 Edge in many ways, but it will give Apple the all-important bragging rights. Apple could use the dual-OLED display found on the iPad Pro, and recent rumors suggest the rumored phone will be around 5.5mm, making it thinner than any phone Samsung currently sells.

In a way, this takes the pressure off Samsung. The Galaxy S25 Edge is a very nice phone, and it fits neatly into Samsung’s price ladder as a little nicer than the Galaxy S25 Plus, but not as feature-packed as the Galaxy S25 Ultra. It doesn’t need to prove anything – the Galaxy S25 Edge does fine with less, without trying to be the most.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Price and availability

  • Starts at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,849 for 256GB/12GB configuration
  • That’s $100 / £100 / AU$500 more than S25 Plus, $200 / £150 less than the Ultra

Left to right: Galaxy S25 Ultra, Galaxy S25 Edge, Galaxy S25 Plus, Galaxy S25 (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The Galaxy S25 Edge slots in neatly between the Galaxy S25 Plus and S25 Ultra in Samsung’s lineup. It’s closer to the Plus, which makes sense because it lacks more of the Ultra features than it possesses – there’s no S Pen, no telescopic zoom lens, and no big battery inside, for instance, although it is, like the S25 Ultra, built from titanium.

Otherwise, you get most of what you’d expect from the Galaxy S25 Plus, minus the zoom camera. It packs a sensor with a lot of megapixels, and that sensor is actually larger than the main sensor on the Galaxy S25 Plus. Both cameras use sensors that are smaller than the main 200MP sensor on the mighty Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Now I need a moment with my Australian friends, because something very odd is happening down under. The Galaxy S25 Ultra has come down in price by AU$400 since launch, which means it costs less than the Galaxy S25 Edge by AU$100. Also, the S25 Edge seems priced a bit high in Australia compared to the rest of the world – it’s AU$500 more than the Galaxy S25 Plus?! That seems like a mistake, but it’s the real price for now, so I would wait until Samsung offers a discount to buy the Edge.

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Storage

US price

UK price

AU price

256GB

$1,099

£1,099

AU$1,849

512GB

$1,219

£1,199

AU$2,049

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Specs

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge (left) and Galaxy S25 Plus (right) are very similar inside (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Like the rest of the Galaxy S25 family, the S25 Edge gets 12GB of RAM to support the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset inside. This platform has proven powerful and very efficient in my reviews of the best Android phones this year.

The 6.7-inch display on the S25 Edge seems to be identical to that on the S25 Plus. The main camera uses a new 200MP sensor that we haven’t seen before, which is a bit smaller than the 200MP sensor on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but larger than the 50MP sensor on the Galaxy S25 Plus. There’s no telephoto lens, but the Edge seems to use the same 12MP ultrawide camera as the S25 Plus.

The Galaxy S25 Edge comes with a 3,900mAh battery under its display, which is even smaller than the 4,000mAh battery beneath the Galaxy S25’s 6.2-inch screen. That’s what you sacrifice when you make a phone thin.

Swipe to scroll horizontallyHeader Cell – Column 0

Samsung Galaxy S25

Dimensions

158.2 x 75.6 x 5.8mm

Weight

163g

OS

OneUI 7, Android 15. 7 major Android upgrades promised.

Display

6.7-inch LTPO AMOLED, 120Hz

Chipset

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy

RAM

12GB

Storage

256GB / 512GB

Battery

3,900mAh

Rear cameras

200MP main, 12MP ultra-wide

Front camera

12MP

Charging

25W wired, 15W wireless

Colors

Titanium Silver, Titanium Icyblue, Titanium Jetblack

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Design

  • Feels exceptionally light when you hold it
  • Even with a case, it’s a very thin phone

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The real selling point for the Galaxy S25 Edge isn’t the thinness, it’s the lightness. You have to hold this phone to appreciate it; you can’t just look at the S25 Edge if you want to experience how thin and light it is. Photos don’t do justice to the remarkably light weight, and that’s a big part of the experience.

If you get pinky-finger fatigue from balancing your phone, the S25 Edge might be the phone that will save your favorite digit. Even though it has a huge 6.7-inch display, the Galaxy S25 Edge is lighter than the iPhone 16 (6.1-inch screen, 170g), or the Pixel 9 (6.3-inch screen, 198g). It’s only one gram heavier than the 6.2-inch Galaxy S25, but it feels lighter since it’s less dense.

I almost always use a case with my phone, and since Samsung did not have cases ready for my review period, I asked my friends at Casetify to send over their thinnest cases for the Galaxy S25 Edge. Even with a case on the phone, it still feels remarkably thin and light, especially considering that huge screen size. My S25 Edge in a protective Casetify shell is still lighter than my Galaxy S25 Ultra with no case.

Image 1 of 3

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is almost as thick as the Galaxy S25 Edge in a case, including the camera bump(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)The MagSafe magnets make this Casetify case worth buying(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)Still thin, even in a case(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The design overall looks nearly identical to that of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but on very close inspection things are less impressive. Frankly, the build quality of the Galaxy S25 Edge seems messy compared to the Ultra or to any Apple iPhone.

There are gaps between the frame and the back glass. The SIM card tray doesn’t line up perfectly. There’s a gap between the camera bump and the back of the phone that I worried would pick up dirt – and by the end of my review period, that was the dingiest part of the phone.

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

This phone could have been special. Samsung could have tried something new, like capacitive buttons on the side – a trick that rumors say Apple is considering. It could have had super-fast charging to go with that slim battery. It could have had unique colors or a unique finish.

Instead, it’s just a slimmer version of a phone we got six months ago, and it’s not even a really nice version at that.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Display

  • More Galaxy S25 Plus than Ultra, but that’s pretty great
  • Fingerprint scanner was totally unreliable

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The Galaxy S25 Edge, like the Galaxy S25 Plus, is sort of a hidden gem in Samsung’s lineup when it comes to display quality. While the S25 Ultra has a slightly-larger 6.9-inch screen, all three phones all have the same resolution. When you pack the same pixels into a smaller display, you get a screen that’s technically sharper, in terms of pixel density.

Which is to say the Galaxy S25 Edge has a fantastic screen, one of the best you can find on any phone. It is plenty bright, even in bright sunlight, though the Ultra does beat the Edge thanks to the addition of the remarkable coating that Samsung has been using for a couple of years to eliminate glare on its flagship flat phone.

The display can refresh at up to 120Hz – take that iPhone 16 Plus – and thanks to LTPO tech you can even get a full-color always-on display that refreshes as slowly as 1Hz to save power.

I’ve never had great luck with Samsung’s fingerprint scanners, and the S25 Edge didn’t recognize me any faster than other Galaxy phones, and unlocking failed more often than not. I know I have fingerprints because my OnePlus 13 sees them with 99% accuracy, so I assume this is a Samsung problem, not a me problem.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Software

  • OneUI 7 is well built, but doesn’t add much to the Edge experience
  • AI features can be useful, but many feel like even more bloat

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

For better and for worse, the Galaxy S25 Edge uses the same One UI 7 interface as the rest of the Galaxy S25 family, with Android 15 serving as the engine. Samsung and Google seem to be locked in a perpetual struggle to control Samsung’s phones, so you’ll get two web browsers, two photo gallery apps, even two wallets and two different password managers.

It’s getting to be a bit much. I’m the first to insist that Samsung’s software – like its Internet web browser – performs better than Google’s alternative. But nobody wants two of everything; you don’t get an extra steering wheel when you buy a car. It’s time for Samsung to end the duplicate-apps project.

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

There are plenty of Galaxy AI features on the phone, and it comes with Google Gemini preloaded and ready to take over the power button at your beck and call.

I think we may have already hit the wall with AI features. Samsung has been touting its Now Brief widget and app since the Galaxy S25 launched, and it’s a completely useless piece of software. It’s supposed to learn things about me and then offer information tailored to my needs, but nothing like that happens.

I’ve been wearing a Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro while using the S25 Edge for weeks. The Now Brief offers no more than today’s weather, a missive that feels creepy coming from an AI (‘Wishing you well’?!), and the first few events on my work calendar, which are usually the first three people who took the day off and logged it properly.

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

At worst, Now Brief offers me partisan political news. I filter out most politics from my social feeds, and I don’t talk about politics in my text messages, so I’m not sure why Now Brief thinks politics are what interests me. It’s inescapable.

Thankfully, Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy S25 Edge will get seven years of major Android and security updates, so it should last through Android 22, just like the rest of the Galaxy S25 family.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Cameras

  • Exactly what I expected based on the specs
  • Samsung’s processing can be fun, or inconsistent

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

When I heard that the Galaxy S25 Edge would use fewer cameras than its S25 stablemates, with one big 200MP main sensor and a supporting ultra-wide, I was excited at the prospect. After all, one of Leica’s most popular cameras, the Leica Q3, uses a single large sensor and a wide lens, and fakes all of the zoom with digital cropping. If anybody can pull off the same trick on a camera phone, it’s Samsung.

Nope. I’m disappointed to say the cameras are fine, but not groundbreaking. I was hoping the Edge would be a trendsetter. Instead, it runs down the middle of the road without faltering. It does a great job at the things Samsung camera phones do well, but it can’t handle the all-in-one duties of the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

There are no surprises with the Galaxy S25 Edge cameras. The main camera uses a 200MP sensor with a wide lens, and that sensor is a bit smaller than the 200MP sensor on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. No surprise then that the Ultra is still the best Samsung camera phone, in more ways than one.

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The main camera produces images that are a bit fuzzier than what I got from the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and I was surprised to find the colors dialed back a bit as well. The Edge’s cameras don’t seem to be tuned to pop colors as much as the Ultra cameras do. It still managed to take excellent food photos and warm portraits, like I expect from Samsung.

Image 1 of 2

Taken with Galaxy S25 Edge(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Galaxy S25 Edge 100% crop

Taken with Galaxy S25 Ultra(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

Galaxy S25 Ultra 100% crop

If you need a zoom lens, the S25 Edge isn’t going to satisfy you. The digital zoom doesn’t come close to providing the detail and quality I get with optical zoom on the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max. A heron across the river looked like a white, featherless blob when I snapped a pic with the Edge. The iPhone and Galaxy Ultra images revealed a beak and some plumage.

Image 1 of 2

Taken with the Galaxy S25 Edge(Image credit: Philip BerneFuture)

Galaxy S25 Edge 10X digital zoom

Taken with the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

iPhone 16 Pro Max 5X optical zoom, enhanced to 10X

If you take a lot of photos outdoors, the S25 Ultra has a coating on the display to reduce glare, and it makes a big difference even compared to the S25 Edge, which has a nearly-identical display otherwise. The Edge can get bright, but it’s much easier to see the Ultra’s screen if the sun is shining directly on you.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Camera samples

Image 1 of 7

(Image credit: Philip BerneFuture)(Image credit: Philip BerneFuture)(Image credit: Philip BerneFuture)(Image credit: Philip BerneFuture)(Image credit: Philip BerneFuture)(Image credit: Philip BerneFuture)(Image credit: Philip BerneFuture)

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Performance

  • Excellent performance from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite
  • The Edge stayed very cool under conditions that break other phones

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

I was expecting excellent performance from the Galaxy S25 Edge, and this phone delivered beyond my expectations. It was plenty fast, with that overclocked Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset providing a bit more boost than you’ll get on a non-Samsung Snapdragon phone. Samsung has also done a remarkable job of keeping the phone cool, even when you push the performance to the limit.

I perform a stress test where I run multiple mapping apps on a phone, and play music over Bluetooth, then sit the phone above my car dashboard in the sunshine. Most phones take less than an hour of this punishment before they shut down due to overheating.

The S25 Edge never quit, managing to stay cool enough to function for as long as I needed. That’s incredible – every iPhone, Pixel phone, and Galaxy phone I’ve tested has failed this endurance test. The Edge really lives up to Samsung’s claims of much better cooling – that 10% larger vapor chamber clearly makes a real difference.

This makes the Galaxy S25 Edge an easy contender for a best gaming phone ranking. It offers great performance and superior cooling – everything a gaming phone needs.

I also had fun playing games with the Galaxy S25 Edge clipped onto my Xbox wireless controller using a cheap third-party attachment from Amazon. The phone is so lightweight that gaming for long periods was a breeze – it’s a nice way to kill time while I wait for my Switch 2 to arrive.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Battery

  • Good battery for the thin size, but not great
  • Couldn’t last a full day if I used it aggressively

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

As I said above, Samsung could have made a thinner Galaxy S25 Edge, but the battery life would be terrible – as it is, during my review period the S25 Edge often needed a recharge while I was eating dinner, especially if I played games, took a lot of photos, or otherwise taxed the phone heavily.

If I scrolled my social feeds and listened to music on the train into work, I would be concerned about whether the battery would last until the train ride home.

It’s too bad Samsung didn’t use the latest silicon carbon battery technology found in the OnePlus 13, which might have helped it to pack in more power. I also wish this phone charged faster than other Galaxy S25 models, not slower – if it had 80W charging like the latest OnePlus phones I wouldn’t be worried about having to top up throughout the day, because that top-up would take less than 15 minutes.

(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

As it stands, 15 minutes of charging got me just past 25%, and a full charge took about an hour. That’s pretty slow by today’s standards, especially considering that this battery is smaller than any other inside a Galaxy S25 phone.

Samsung might also be exaggerating its battery claims. It told us to expect the Edge to offer longevity somewhere between the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S25, but in our lab benchmark tests the S25 Edge lasted for less than 13 hours of constant use where the Galaxy S24 lasted more than 13 hours, and the Galaxy S25 topped 15 hours.

If you really need good battery life the Galaxy S25 Plus is the Samsung champ, delivering almost 19 hours of screen time in our rundown test. But it’s not the Edge’s lack of battery life as such that bugs me; it’s how long it takes to top the phone up.

Swipe to scroll horizontallySamsung Galaxy S25 Edge score card

Value

Not a bad price for the svelte design and pocketability. You know what you’re getting, there are no surprises, so it seems like a fair upgrade from the Galaxy S25 Plus (or is it a downgrade from the Ultra?)

4/5

Design

A bit thinner and much lighter than any other flat phone you’ve tried. You can’t tell by looking; you have to pick it up to feel the difference. The finish is a bit shoddy, but the design might still satisfy buyers with a sore pinky.

3/5

Display

The same great display I saw on the Galaxy S25 Plus (with the same lousy fingerprint scanner). It’s super sharp and very bright, though if you’ll often be in bright sunshine the Ultra has a better anti-glare coating that makes it worth a look.

5/5

Software

Samsung’s One UI looks as good as ever, though the AI features are starting to wane in terms of their usefulness. Thankfully, this phone gets seven years of updates, so it will have no problem running your favorite apps and hopefully improving in the years to come.

3/5

Cameras

You get fewer cameras on a thinner phone, but the main camera still takes fantastic shots, albeit ones that are a bit subdued by normal Samsung standards. They don’t pack the same detail as the Ultra, but food photos and portraits are especially gorgeous.

3/5

Performance

Fantastic performance from the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy is paired with some of the most impressive cooling I’ve experienced on a smartphone. I couldn’t get the Edge to fry itself, no matter how much I pushed past its performance limits.

5/5

Battery

Battery life isn’t terrible considering the weight reduction, but I wish the smaller battery came with faster charging to make me forget how long I need to wait. I had to charge the phone most nights after dinner, unless I was careful.

3/5

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review: Also consider

Swipe to scroll horizontallyHeader Cell – Column 0

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus

Galaxy S25 Ultra

Price:

$1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,849

$999 / £999 / AU$1,699

$1,299 / £1,249 / AU$2,149

Display:

6.7-inch LTPO AMOLED

6.7-inch LTPO AMOLED

6.9-inch LTPO AMOLED

Cameras:

200MP main, 12MP ultra-wide

50MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP 3x telephoto

200MP main, 50MP ultra-wide, 10MP 3x telephoto, 50MP 5x telephoto

Battery Life HH:MM (Future Labs test):

12:45

18:46

18:35

How I tested the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge

  • I tested the phone for two weeks
  • I took dozens of photos
  • I played games and watched movies
  • I checked email and worked in Slack
  • I used AI features extensively
  • Benchmark testing is for comparison, not scoring purposes

I tested the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge for more than two weeks before posting this review. I received the Edge before I traveled to Google I/O, and I took the phone along as my primary work device and for entertainment on flights.

When I got back from Google I/O I had Covid, so the Galaxy S25 Edge was my primary couch companion, and my source of entertainment and contact with the world. I used it to play games, watch movies, and listen to audiobooks.

When I’d recovered, I took the S25 Edge car shopping and connected it to a number of different cars to test. I used the phone to take photos, research cars, and more. I even asked for help from Google Gemini and Samsung’s Galaxy AI to do research, answer calls, and respond to solicitors.

I connected the Galaxy S25 Edge to a Galaxy Watch Ultra, Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, and an Xbox Wireless controller, among numerous other devices.

Future Labs tests phones using a mix of third-party benchmark software and proprietary, real-world tests. We use Geekbench, CrossMark, JetStream, WebXPRT and Mobile XPRT, and 3DMark for performance testing. We test a phone’s performance on video tasks using Adobe Premiere Rush. We also measure display color output and brightness.

For battery testing we perform proprietary tests that are the same for every phone, which enable us to determine how long it takes for the battery to run down.

Read more about how we test

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Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Price Comparison



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Samsung Monitor
Product Reviews

The 32-inch QHD Samsung Odyssey G5 G55C monitor drops to $209

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Anyone holding out for a curved gaming monitor should take a moment to check out this offer from Woot, on the Samsung Odyssey G5 G55C. This large curved gaming display is usually priced around $349 and has been known to dip periodically to around $300. However, today we came across the monitor at Woot for one of its lowest prices to date — just $209. While it has been listed lower, this is still one of the best offers we’ve ever seen for the Odyssey G5 G55C.

This monitor has plenty to offer both casual gamers and enthusiasts, with an AMD FreeSync certification to back up its performance. That said, if you want to take a look at how well it compares to other displays, check out our list of best gaming monitors to see what screens we recommend and what their specs are like.

The Samsung Odyssey G5 G55C isn’t the largest on the market, but it’s still pretty big, measuring in at 32 inches across. It features a curved VA panel with a curvature graded at 1000R. The resolution is still acceptable at this size, measuring in at 2,560 x 1,440px (QHD). You get a low response time of 1ms along with a high refresh rate of 165 Hz.

This monitor is AMD FreeSync certified for tear-free, flicker free, and low latency gameplay. The brightness can get as high as 300 Nits under optimal conditions. There are multiple options available when it comes to video input, including one DisplayPort 1.2 input and one HDMI 2.2 port. A 3.5mm jack is available for connecting external audio devices, as well.

As of writing, no expiration has been specified for the offer, so we’re not sure for how long it will be made available at this price. But for now, you can check out the Samsung Odyssey G5 G55C curved gaming monitor at Woot for purchase options,

Follow Tom’s Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.



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Samsung S90F showing colorful abstract image
Product Reviews

Samsung S90F 65-inch review: more affordable QD-OLED TV image quality comes of age

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Why you can trust TechRadar


We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Samsung S90F 65-inch: Two-minute review

The Samsung 65S90F TV I tested features the brand’s quantum dot approach to OLED technology. It doesn’t push the brightness of this relatively new take on the best OLED TV tech as hard as the flagship Samsung S95F OLED TV does, but that doesn’t stop it from delivering a big improvement over last year’s Samsung S90D – a level of improvement that makes it arguably the most all-round attractive TV in Samsung’s 2025 TV range once you’ve taken value into account.

Movie fans will be in awe at the Samsung 65S90F’s phenomenal contrast and light control, which finds stunningly deep black levels (provided you’re not shining some sort of spotlight at the screen…) balanced with highlights that hit levels of intensity we once thought OLED would never achieve.

Samsung’s approach to OLED technology also helps the 65S90F deliver incredibly vivid colors, while its latest NQ4 AI Gen3 Processor ensures that there’s much more subtlety and nuance in the way these fantastically rich tones are used to create more natural, three-dimensional pictures than its already illustrious predecessor managed.


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Gamers are in for a treat with the 65S90F too, as it delivers such console and PC-friendly features as support for 4K at up to 144Hz, variable refresh rates across all four of its HDMI 2.1 ports, and one of the fastest response times I’ve ever seen from a TV.

Its Tizen smart system is packed with content and increasingly easy to use, too, and notwithstanding the occasional bass fumble, the 65S90F even manages to sound good despite its ultra-slim design.

Add to all this the fact that the 65-inch S90F costs hundreds less than its flagship S95F sibling, and it starts to become seriously hard to resist. But let me point out that this review and the performance figures only apply to the 65-inch version – at other sizes, instead of a QD-OLED panel, you may get a W-OLED panel, with different performance.

  • Samsung OLED S90F 4K Vision AI Smart TV at Amazon for $1,197.99

Samsung S90F series: Prices and release date

The mid-range Samsung S90F brings the picture benefits of QD-OLED to a lower price point (Image credit: Future)

  • Release date: April 2025
  • 42-inch: $1,299 / £N/A / AU$1,799
  • 48-inch: $1,499 / £1,499 / AU$2,499
  • 55-inch: $1,799 / £1,899 / AU$3,299
  • 65-inch: $2,499 / £2,699 / AU$4,299
  • 77-inch: $3,499 / £3,799 / AU$5,999
  • 83-inch: $5,399 / £5,999/ AU$7,999

The 65-inch S90F was released worldwide during April 2025. It sits in the second tier of Samsung’s 2025 OLED TV range, below the significantly brighter and more expensive S95F flagship series.

Its $2,499 / £2,699 / AU$4,299 pricing places it right at the heart of today’s upper mid-range TV marketplace, and pitches it squarely against such key rivals as the LG C5 and Samsung’s premium mini-LED TV for 2025, the Samsung QN90F.

The sizes above are the official prices for the other options in the S90F model range, but again, we’re only focusing on the 65-inch here.

Samsung S90F 65-inch review: Specs

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Screen type:

QD-OLED

Refresh rate:

144Hz

HDR support:

HDR10+, HDR10, HLG

Audio support:

Dolby Atmos, Eclipsa Audio

Smart TV:

Tizen 9.0

HDMI ports:

4 x HDMI 2.1

Built-in tuner:

ATSC 1.0 (US)

Samsung 65S90F review: Benchmark results

Samsung S90F 65-inch review: Features

The S90F has four HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 144Hz support for gaming (Image credit: Future)

  • 4K quantum dot OLED TV
  • HDR10, HLG and HDR10+ HDR support
  • Gaming support up to 4K 144Hz with VRR

For many AV fans, the 65S90F’s key appeal will be getting Samsung’s QD-OLED technology for substantially less money than the brand’s S95F flagship OLED costs.

The attraction of QD-OLED technology is that it delivers red, green and blue colors without the additional white element used by traditional OLED screens, yet still manages to at least match those ‘WRGB’ OLEDs when it comes to high dynamic range-friendly brightness for video and gaming content.

The tech has already delivered some truly spectacular picture quality results since Samsung first launched the technology back in 2022, including multiple TV of the Year award-winners.

Samsung claims to have improved the performance of the 65S90F over its S90D predecessor with increased brightness and more granular control of its QD-OLED panel, as well as an upgraded NQ4 AI Gen 3 processor.

This is stated to run NPU and GPUs that are twice as fast as the ones used in Samsung’s step-down S85F OLEDs, as well as a 17% faster CPU, while introducing new AI-driven picture and sound elements on the back of a 6.4 times increase in the number of neural networks the TV carries.

The 65S90F’s sound also benefits from Samsung’s OTS technology, which, despite the TV only having a 2.1-channel speaker configuration, uses clever audio processing to try and make sounds appear to be coming from the correct part of the screen. Or even the precise area beyond the screen’s edges if that’s what an audio mix dictates.

If you partner the 65S90F with a Samsung soundbar, you get the additional advantage of Samsung’s Q-Symphony feature, where the speakers in the TV join forces with those in the soundbar (rather than being replaced by them) to deliver a larger center channel sound with more accurate detail placement.

The 65S90F’s connections are outstanding for a mid-range TV, dominated as they are by a set of four HDMI ports that are all built to cope with the latest gaming features of 4K 120Hz feeds (actually 4K 144Hz is supported via Samsung’s Motion Xcelerator technology), variable refresh rates (including both AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync, with the latter coming in a software update), and auto game mode switching.

All of that is backed up by both a dedicated gaming hub within the TV’s Tizen operating system and a specific game monitoring and adjustment menu, but more on this later.

As ever with Samsung TVs, the 65S90F’s HDR support includes the ‘core’ HDR10 and HLG formats, as well as the premium HDR10+ system that adds extra scene-by-scene image data to help compatible displays deliver more accurate and punchy results.

This HDR10+ support extends to the Adaptive version that can adjust its output to compensate for ambient light conditions, and HDR10+ gaming.

Samsung continues, though, not to support the Dolby Vision HDR format on its TVs.

One other thing the 65S90F does not have is one of the potent anti-glare screen filters sported by Samsung’s S95F flagship OLED TVs and some of its 2025 premium LCD TVs.

That doesn’t mean the 65S90F’s screen is so reflective that it often or severely gets between you and the TV’s outstanding picture quality in a regular living room set up, though. And while I personally have a lot of time for Samsung’s anti-glare TV filters, some people actually prefer a slightly glossy screen, and for those people, the 65S90F is therefore a potentially great QD-OLED alternative to the S95F.

Samsung S90F 65-inch review: Picture quality

The S90F’s above-average brightness makes it good for bright room viewing, though it lacks the anti-reflective screen coating found in the flagship S95F (Image credit: Future)

  • Exceptional contrast
  • Rich, pure RGB colors
  • No viewing angle limitations

Despite not being the flagship 65-inch model from Samsung’s 2025 OLED range, the 65S90F still delivers a gorgeously potent demonstration of what the latest QD-OLED panels are capable of.

Its light control and contrast are particularly phenomenal. The ability of each pixel in any OLED screen to deliver its own brightness and color entirely independently of its neighbors always gives OLED TVs an instant and important area of advantage with home theater fans, of course – but for the vast majority of the time the 65S90F manages to combine the sort of phenomenally inky, deep black tones expected of OLED TVs with brighter HDR image highlights than its S90D predecessor managed.

And that’s while also revealing substantially more consistently visible shadow detail in the darkest image corners – it’s better in both bright and dark scenes.

Its brightness sees the 65S90F managing to reach as high as 1,500 nits on a 10% white HDR test window – a huge increase of almost 50% over the brightness in the same test circumstances achieved by 2024’s 65S90D.

This can be delivered on the 65S90F, too, without causing any of the backlight haloing and clouding problems rival LCD TV technology would typically present when dealing with the sort of contrast the 65S90F loves to show.

Just occasionally, the 65S90F can still sometimes crush the subtle detail out of the picture in some of its presets – but if this becomes problematic to you, then nudging the TV’s Shadow Detail adjustment up to level three or four pretty much fixes the issue without causing any unwanted side effects.

I was also struck by how clean the 65S90F’s dark picture areas and scenes look. There’s really zero sign of the sort of graininess or grey blocking noise that less able OLED screens can show in dark areas, revealing a fantastically granular level of control over the QD-OLED panel even in challenging near-black image areas.

Having so much extra brightness in its arsenal hugely increases the intensity the 65S90F can pump into HDR playback, resulting in HDR images that look more natural and realistic as well as more dynamic.

It feeds also into a significantly richer color performance than the S90D served up, getting much more value out of the QD-OLED pixel design. This is particularly and spectacularly obvious in the hard-to-resist Standard picture preset, but crucially, the more accurate Movie and Filmmaker Mode presets also look richer and warmer than they did on the 65S90D without losing that sense of ‘as the director intended’ authenticity home cinema fans are so often looking for.

On that accuracy point, the 65S90F’s measured color and white balance results with SDR content in Filmmaker Mode average out at marginally above the Delta E average error level of three – anything below this is where the human eye is considered incapable of perceiving a visible difference between what the TV is showing and the established video standards.

But since the results average only misses that Delta E error margin goal of three by a puny 0.48, I’m pretty confident that only the most trained eye will have any chance of spotting anything off-key about the Filmmaker Mode’s glorious efforts.

In fact, thanks to the refinements the 65S90F can apply to its more vibrant colors, the Filmmaker Mode looks as gorgeous in its own calmer, more nuanced way as the much more vibrant Standard mode does, with both presets bringing out the extremes of the QD-OLED panel’s capabilities. Extremes that now include a level of subtlety to go with the potency that just wasn’t there before.

The S90F’s brightness reserves give highlights and colors in images added punch (Image credit: Future)

The 65S90F’s extremes of light and color precision also play their part in creating a beautifully crisp and clean picture with both native 4K sources and, thanks to the efforts of Samsung’s latest AI picture engine, upscaled HD images.

The only thing that damages the 65S90F’s sense of clarity and detail is the out-of-the-box motion settings Samsung applies to some of its picture presets, which can cause quite aggressive glitches in the picture during camera pans or around/over fast-moving objects.

Happily, though, it’s possible to tweak these issues away pretty straightforwardly by choosing a Custom setting for the Picture Clarity settings, and then turning off noise reduction and reducing the judder and blur reduction processing components to around level three or four.

Unlike most LCD and even some rival OLED screens, the 65S90F’s pictures don’t lose contrast or suffer from shifting color tones when viewed from even a really wide angle, making it a great option for big families or awkward room layouts.

I could find only two real issues with the 65S90F’s pictures. First, despite being much brighter than its predecessor, its brightness falls a fair way short of the sort of numbers we’re seeing now from the high-end OLEDs out there from the likes of LG, Samsung, and Philips. And second, if the 65S90F is being watched in very high levels of ambient light, its typically stunning black levels can start to look a bit gray.

The brighter OLEDs out there are typically much more expensive than the 65S90F, though, unless you pick up a 2024 model if you can find one. And the circumstances that cause grayness to creep into black areas are rarer and the degree of grayness milder than it was with the 65S90D, so much so that most home setups will seldom notice it.

  • Picture quality score: 5/5

Samsung S90F 65-inch review: Sound quality

The S90F’s stand uses a pair of feet that slot screw-free into the TV’s bodywork (Image credit: Future)

  • 2.1-channel, 40W speaker array
  • OTS Lite system accurately positions sound effects
  • Dolby Atmos and AI sound modes

The 65S90F’s sound isn’t quite as talented as its pictures, but it still is much better and louder than you might expect from such an ultra-thin TV.

For starters, it gets good traction from its Object Tracking Sound (OTS) system. As its name suggests, this enhancement ensures that soundtrack elements are coming not just from the screen generally, but from the correct part of the screen. The system also manages to stage ambient sounds and music so that they appear, correctly, to be hanging out somewhere beyond the on-screen action.

The 65S90F’s OTS Lite system isn’t quite as uncannily precise with its sound effect positioning as Samsung’s higher-end TVs are – not least because it only carries a 2.1-channel speaker system versus the 4.2.2-channel speaker setups typically provided by those more premium models. But it’s still effective enough to make soundtracks feel detailed, busy and immersive.

The staging includes a good sense of forward impact with hard sounds like gunfire, punches and explosions too, despite the TV lacking any forward-facing speakers, while shrill treble effects avoid sounding distractingly harsh or thin.

The 65S90F isn’t the loudest TV we’ve heard – at least at the sort of volume levels you’ll need to stick to if you don’t want the speakers to start feeling a bit strained. Its speakers have enough headroom, though, to be capable of shifting up at least a few gears as action or horror scenes escalate towards a crescendo – even if they don’t quite have that ‘fifth gear’ required to carry the movie world’s loudest moments all the way home.

The 65S90F even manages to find a bit of bass from somewhere, despite its skinny form. This can succumb to buzzing interference, however, and sound a bit strained with the most extreme bass drops, but such moments don’t crop up all that often.

Samsung S90F 65-inch review: Design

The S90F’s pedestal stand (Image credit: Future)

  • ‘LaserSlim’ design at its extremities
  • Screw-free stand design
  • Ultra-thin bezel

At first glance, the 65S90F looks like one of the most futuristic TVs you’ll see. This is because at its outer edges, the screen is incredibly thin – barely deeper than a couple of credit cards stacked on top of each other. The width of the frame around the screen is also unusually narrow, adding to the feeling that you’re watching pictures being conjured up out of thin air.

The 65S90F is not actually as skinny as it initially appears, though. There’s a much deeper mid-section on its rear hosting the TV’s speakers, connections and electronics. This results in a slightly awkward two-tier appearance if you’re looking at the back of the TV, with the screen seeming like it’s just been stuck onto the chunky section rather than the two areas coming together to forge a truly unified design.

Who in their right mind, though, wants to look at the back of a TV rather than its front? And from the front – and, actually, even from quite wide viewing angles – the 65S90F is a futuristic cutie.

While the 65S90F can be hung on a wall if you wish, most users will probably opt to place it on its included stand. This features a unique design that finds a pair of feet slotting screw-free into the TV’s bodywork, and a metallic plate then slotting onto the feet to create what looks like a centrally mounted pedestal support. The resulting central pedestal enables the TV to sit on pretty much as narrow a piece of furniture as you want.

Samsung S90F 65-inch review: Smart TV and menus

The S90F’s Tizen 9.0 smart interface (Image credit: Future)

  • Tizen 9.0 smart TV system
  • Multiple voice control systems
  • AI-bolstered content recommendation

The Tizen OS carried by all Samsung TVs is now in its ninth generation, and after a few stumbles along the way, all that experience has paid off handsomely.

For starters, Tizen is now extremely rich with content, including – so far as I can tell – all of the main streaming apps used around the world, as well as many more obscure ones besides.

The only obvious absentee in the UK is the Freeview Play app that brings together all of the streaming services of the UK’s main terrestrial broadcasters. But crucially, each of those catch-up apps is still available on an individual basis.

The Tizen interface can feel a little overwhelming when you’re first presented with it, and it can also run a touch sluggishly for a moment or two after the 65S90F is switched on. Once it’s settled down, though, and you’ve spent just a few moments exploring what it can do, it’s now a friendly and – in the way it learns your viewing habits and recommends content accordingly – highly intelligent TV OS.

Tizen 9.0 has also now resolved most of the navigational quirks that used to affect it when it first switched to a full-screen interface, and it’s customizable enough to easily be adapted to your personal preferences. Also, it can adapt to the personal preferences and viewing habits of different members of your household thanks to its support for multiple user profiles.

Accessing the 65S90F’s setup menus from within the Tizen OS is a bit long-winded, but pressing the settings menu on either of the two remote controls the TV ships with offers a shortcut to all the most-used adjustments.

A notable addition to Samsung’s 2025 menu system is a new AI shortcut option that both makes Samsung’s AI-based picture and sound enhancements easier to access, and makes users more aware that such AI features exist.

Purists likely won’t care for the AI enhancements, of course, and things can get a bit complicated when it turns out that some of the other picture settings you can choose can have an impact on how aspects of the AI enhancements work. But I’d recommend that most people at least experiment with them, even if only with broadcast or sub-4K content too if you prefer how it sharpens things up.

One of the remote controls I just mentioned is a fairly chunky, button-crowded ‘standard’ one, while the other is a much sleeker, less button-heavy smart handset that I suspect will become the one most people use.

  • Smart TV & menus score: 4.5/5

Samsung S90F 65-inch review: Gaming

Samsung includes its Solar Cell rechargeable remote control with the S90F (Image credit: Future)

  • 4K 144Hz support on all four HDMI ports
  • Variable refresh rates support, including FreeSync and G-Sync
  • Game hub and Game Bar screens

The 65S90F is an outstanding gaming display. For starters, all of its HDMI ports can take in full bandwidth gaming feeds, meaning you could simultaneously attach four 4K 120Hz-capable consoles and PCs if you wanted to.

All four HDMIs also support variable refresh rates, including in the AMD Freesync Premium Pro format and Nvidia G-Sync (though this is being added via an update), as well as auto low latency mode switching so that the TV automatically switches into its fastest response mode when the TV detects a game is incoming.

When in its Game mode, the 65S90F only takes 9.2ms to render incoming 60Hz feeds – a truly outstanding result for a TV that pretty much halves, too, if the game you’re playing supports 120Hz.

The 65S90F also lets you call up a dedicated Game Bar menu screen rather than the usual TV menus when it knows a game is being played, and from this Game Bar you can both get key information about the incoming gaming feed and access a few gaming aids, including a mini map zoom, the option to raise the brightness of dark picture areas without impacting bright areas, and a crosshair superimposed over the center of the screen.

The Tizen OS homescreen, meanwhile, includes a dedicated Game Hub page, where all of your gaming sources, from connected consoles to game streaming services, are gathered together.

The 65S90F’s gaming performance, finally, is fantastic. Its rich color and contrast are perfectly placed to deliver gaming graphics with exceptional exuberance and dynamism, especially with titles that make particularly aggressive use of high dynamic range. The speedy input lag time ensures that gaming always feels ultra fluid and responsive, too.

The only negative thing to say about the 65S90F’s gaming performance is that unless you’re taking advantage of its HDR Gaming Interest Group (HGiG) support, where the console takes control of the HDR that’s fed out to the TV, the default game settings can cause some distracting brightness fluctuations as you run around any map that has a mix of light and dark areas.

If this is troubling you with whatever game you’re playing, though, you just need to turn off the TV’s dynamic tone mapping setting.

Samsung S90F 65-inch review: Value

The S90F’s design weds an ultra-thin display panel with a comparatively bulky section for the inputs and electronics (Image credit: Future)

  • Cheaper QD-OLED option than flagship Samsung S95F
  • Enhanced picture quality over S90D predecessor
  • Lacks S95F’s anti-reflection filter

While the 65S90F is not by any stretch of the imagination cheap, it does sit slightly at the right end of the same price ball park as its key rivals.

Also, more importantly, it’s around £700 / $800 cheaper than its 65-inch S95F sibling, while delivering a more potent sense of QD-OLED technology’s strengths than its S90D predecessor.

The S95F series does look set to deliver a major brightness upgrade over the S90F, to be fair, as well as carrying a really strong anti-reflection filter that the S90F does not have.

But that price difference adds up to a lot of 4K Blu-rays and/or other home theater gear.

Should I buy the Samsung S90F 65-inch?

Dual bass drivers on the TV’s rear convey the “.1” subwoofer channel in Atmos soundtracks (Image credit: Future)Swipe to scroll horizontallySamsung S90F 65-inch

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

Aside from not supporting the Dolby Vision HDR format, the 65S90F overall delivers a mammoth set of smart, gaming, audio and video features for its money.

5/5

Picture quality

The 65S90F’s pictures radically improve on those of its already excellent predecessor, delivering a mid-range OLED masterclass.

5/5

Sound quality

While more robust bass handling would have been nice, the 65S90F is loud enough, detailed enough and clever enough with the accuracy of its staging.

4/5

Design

While its two-tier design feels a little awkward during setup, the narrow, well-built bezel, and stunning thinness at its outer edges make it an opulent, elegant addition to your living room.

4.5/5

Smart TV and menus

It takes a little getting used to, but once you do, the rewards offered by the intelligence and scope of its content recommendation and voice recognition systems are immense.

4.5/5

Gaming

As well as looking gorgeous thanks to the screen’s rich colors and sensational contrast, games on the 65S90F feel fantastically responsive and crisp.

4.5/5

Value

The 65S90F delivers a massive chunk of QD-OLED goodness for way less than Samsung’s flagship S95F range.

4/5

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Samsung S90F 65-inch review: Also consider…

Swipe to scroll horizontallyHeader Cell – Column 0

Samsung 65S90F

LG OLED65C5

Panasonic 65Z85A

Philips 65OLED909

Price

£2,699 / $2,499

£2,699 / $2,699

£1,999 / $1,799

£2,499 / $N/A

Screen type

QD-OLED

OLED

OLED

OLED (w/ MLA)

Refresh rate

144Hz

144Hz

144Hz

144Hz

HDR support

HDR10+/HDR10/HLG

HDR10, HLG, HDR10+, Dolby Vision

HDR10, HLG, HDR10+, Dolby Vision

HDR10, HLG HDR10+, Dolby Vision

Smart TV

Tizen 9.0

webOS 25

Fire TV

Google TV

HDMI ports

4x HDMI 2.1

4x HDMI 2.1

4 (2x HDMI 2.1)

4 (2x HDMI 2.1)

How I tested the Samsung 65S90F

  • Tested over 13 days
  • Tested with 4K Blu-rays, multiple streaming platforms and resolutions, Freeview HD broadcasts, and HD Blu-rays
  • Reviewed in both dark and light dedicated test room conditions, on its stand in both corner and flat wall positions

The nature of the 65S95F’s QD-OLED technology required me to spend as much time testing it in daylight conditions as I did testing it in darkened rooms, to make sure I wasn’t disturbed by the potential for bright light to impact the screen’s contrast. So it became my full-time living room TV for much of the nearly two weeks I spent with it.

That said, I also tested it under the same specific dark test room conditions TechRadar tests all of our TVs in, with a wide range of disc, game and streaming test content. Disc content included the 4K and HD Blu-rays of It: Chapter One, Blade Runner 2049 and Pan, while for gaming tests, I deployed both a PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X running such titles as Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6, Forza Horizon 5 and South Of Midnight.

Finally, as ever I put the 65S90F through a barrage of objective tests using Portrait Displays’ Calman Ultimate analysis software, G1 signal generator, and newly released C6 HDR5000 light meter.

You can read an in-depth overview of how we test TVs at TechRadar for more information.

Samsung OLED S90F 4K Vision AI Smart TV: Price Comparison



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Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack leaning on plinth, on desk with pink background
Product Reviews

Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack review: a sleek and capable power bank, but it might not offer the best value

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Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack: review

The Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack is a power bank designed for charging Galaxy and other small devices.

It has quite a sleek design with an organic-looking finish, emphasized by the beige colorway of my unit, which is mottled for a pebble-like appearance. It also feels quite solid, although there is some flexing to the panels, so it isn’t the most rugged power bank around.

However, it’s pleasingly thin and light, and combined with the rounded edges at one end, this makes the Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack relatively easy to carry around. However, it’s quite long, even for a wireless power bank, and many of the best power banks with similar power and capacity specs are smaller than this.


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What also mars its seamless design is the hump of the wireless charging pad, although its soft material offers extra cushioning and grip for your device, and seems quite resistant to tears and scratches.

There’s no real interface to speak of on the Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack. It features a single power button and five LED dots: one indicating charging activity and the other four representing battery life. These are placed at the end of the unit, next to the USB ports, and are large and bright enough to be seen clearly.

The wireless charging feature is capable of outputting 7.5W of power. It also features two USB-C ports, both of which serve as inputs and outputs. These offer Super Fast Charging, providing 25W of output power each when charging a single device.

Three-way charging is also supported when using both ports and the wireless pad, although the power output drops to 7.5W for all outputs in such cases. It’s also a shame that while charging, the battery life indicators don’t remain lit, so you can’t tell how much battery the Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack has left without pressing the power button first, which is somewhat inconvenient.

It managed to wirelessly charge a Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus, which has a 4,755mAh battery, from empty to full in about three and a half hours, which is quite a good performance. In the process, the Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack lost all but one of its LED dots, indicating that it had between 5-20% left in reserve.

This is somewhat disappointing, since it means you’ll only get one full wireless charge out of it. What’s more, charging the bank itself from empty to full took over three hours, which isn’t particularly fast; other 10K power banks are faster at charging themselves than this.

The Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack is reasonably priced considering its wireless charging capability and the inclusion of two USB-C ports for additional charging. However, there are other wireless chargers out there with smaller form factors that perform just as well, such as the Anker MagGo Power Bank (10K), which even includes a handy flip stand for propping up your phone.

(Image credit: Future)

Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack review: price & specs

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Price

$44.99 / £44 / AU$79

Capacity

10,000mAh

Total wattage

25W

Number of ports

2

USB-C

2

Wireless charging

Yes

Weight

7.8oz / 222g

Power-to-weight

45mAh/g

(Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack Battery Pack?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Samsung 25W 10,000mAh Wireless Battery Pack review: Also consider

Samsung 25W 10000mAh Wireless Battery Pack EB-U2510 : Price Comparison



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Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 open on desk with pink background
Product Reviews

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 review: a small and expertly crafted Chromebook, but it lacks the grunt of more powerful machines

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Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360: Two-minute review

The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is a 2-in-1 Chromebook with a small form factor for easy portability. It’s this miniature size that first strikes the eye, followed by the sleek and minimal design. It also has a sturdy construction, although it’s thicker and heavier than you might expect. Regardless, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is still easy to carry around.

Opening up the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 further reveals its high level of engineering. The hinge mechanism, for instance, is silky smooth to operate yet provides plenty of stability.

Of course, as you may have guessed from its name, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is convertible, so you can flip the screen all the way back and use it as a tablet. However, this isn’t ideal, as the aforementioned heft prevents this from being practical for extended periods. It does much better, though, when tented upside down on a desk, as you can still operate it via the touchscreen, but without being burdened by the weight.


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When it comes to performance, there are some disappointments. The specs of the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 are rather middling compared to the best Chromebooks, which means that multitasking and even moderate gaming can be a stretch for it. Thankfully, it does much better at light productivity and playing back video content.

The 12.4 inch display I had in my review unit was glorious, rendering images and scenes vividly and with plenty of brightness. The 2560 x 1600 resolution also provides stunning clarity, as does the high gloss finish.

However, the latter aspect can cause prominent reflections, and the contrast can be too high. However, these drawbacks aren’t persistent or egregious, and they didn’t ruin the overall experience for me.

The touchscreen is very responsive and easy to use, as is the trackpad and keyboard. I could type accurately thanks to the generous spacing of the keys, which is impressive when you consider the small form factor of the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360. They’re also very tactile for Chromebook keys.

The Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 sits at the mid-to-high end of the market in terms of pricing, which may seem unjustified given its performance is lacking in certain departments, especially when compared to Windows or Mac laptops. However, that small and sublime build, combined with the exquisite display, might just be enough to win you over.

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 review: Price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

  • $429.99 / £419 / AU$707
  • Available now
  • Higher end of the market

The Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 costs $429.99 / £419 / AU$707 and is available now. However, we have seen it on sale for considerably less. It can be configured with either 32GB or 64GB of storage, and various screen sizes are available, although only one colorway is offered.

This is a good price for a convertible and expertly crafted Chromebook. However, the CPU and RAM it’s equipped with are on the weaker side, but the performance is still capable enough.

It’s still quite a lot more expensive than the Acer Spin 314 Chromebook, though, which is one of our favorite models. This has more storage and a much better battery life than the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360, although its resolution isn’t as high, and we found it can get quite hot when processing strenuous workloads – but these were about the only drawbacks we could find with it.

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 review: Specs

My Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 review unit was configured with a 12.4-inch display and 64GB of storage.

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Price

$429.99 / £419 / AU$707

CPU

Intel Celeron N4500 1.10GHz (2 threads, 2.80GHz)

Graphics

Integrated, Intel UHD Graphics

RAM

4GB LPDDR4x

Screen

12.4-inch WQXGA LED Display (2560 x 1600), Touch

Storage

64GB e.MMC

Ports

1x USB-A, 2x USB-C, 1x microSD, 1x 3.5mm audio

Wireless

Wi-Fi 6, LTE (Option), Bluetooth v5.1

Camera

HD 720p / 8MP

Weight

2.82lbs (1.28kg)

Dimensions

11.3 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches (28.8 x 20.7 x 1.7cm)

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 review: Design

(Image credit: Future)

  • Looks premium
  • Heavier than expected
  • Great hinge mechanism

The design of the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is a notable step up from the usual budget fare of many Chromebooks. It looks very sleek, especially in the light grey colorway, and its metal-looking imparts a premium appearance that rivals even some of the best laptops around.

Every dimension is almost completely flat, save from the most minimal of protrusions of the power and volume buttons on either side. Even the underside is free from unsightly vents or etchings, and the four rubber feet are very small and thin, which also makes it easier to slide the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 into your bag.

Despite appearances, however, the unit is made from plastic, not metal, and as a result the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 doesn’t feel quite as premium as it looks. It’s still well-made, and Samsung even markets the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 as a tough device, with its spill-resistant keyboard and ability to withstand light drops.

The downside is that it’s thicker and heavier than its small form factor might lead you to believe. This is a minor disappointment from a portability perspective, although it’s still easy to carry around.

Flipping open the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 and positioning the screen at different angles is easy, thanks to the silky smooth hinge mechanism. There’s a small amount of wobble after making adjustments, but this isn’t concerning and it remains perfectly stable in use.

The screen can also rotate all the back to 360 degrees, letting you use the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 as a tablet. This works well to an extent, although the aforementioned thickness and weight means this mode isn’t practical for long periods, and isn’t a match for the best tablets in this regard. However, it works much better when you rotate the screen by about 315 degrees instead, flip it upside down, and tent it on a desk.

The keyboard is also well made, although it feels less premium than the rest of the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360, since the keys have a scratchy texture that doesn’t feel the most pleasant to touch. However, they operate very well, and despite the small layout, they’re generously spaced apart. There’s also a good selection of keys available, including various ChromeOS shortcuts on the top row, arrow keys and a long enter key.

The trackpad falls more in line with the overall standard of the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360. It’s quite small but reasonably wide and feels very smooth to the touch, making it easy to operate.

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 review: Performance

(Image credit: Future)

  • Unimpressive specs
  • Some stuttering
  • Excellent display

Benchmarks

These are the results of our benchmarking tests for the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360:

TechRadar Battery Life Test: 6 hours and 30 minutes
Jetstream2 Benchmark: 108.216
Kraken Benchmark: 1298.6ms
Speedometer 3.0: 4.79 (±0.23)

The Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 features an Intel Celeron N4500 1.10GHz CPU and 4GB RAM, neither of which are particularly promising in terms of performance, even by Chromebook standards.

It can handle light tasks, from entertainment to general productivity, but it can come somewhat unstuck even when reasonable demands are made of it. For instance, switching between various windows isn’t always the smoothest experience, and I did experience some stuttering when loading pages and navigating between multiple tabs in Chrome, despite not having an excessive amount open.

Light productivity work is also subject to small amounts of lag on occasion, although for word processing and spreadsheet editing, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is still capable enough to be usable without frustration.

When it comes to gaming, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is even less impressive. Playing Asphalt Legends Units was a slow and stutter-ridden experience, even on moderate graphical settings.

However, it was much more competent when streaming video content, with 4K videos loading quickly and playing without buffering midway. The viewing experience is further enhanced by the excellent display of the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360.

The WQXGA resolution is very welcome on a Chromebook device, and even more so on a display this small, since the crispness and sharpness is more apparent. This benefits not just video content, but also general navigation and productivity, since the whole UI is rendered with brilliant clarity.

Colors are vivid and there’s plenty of brightness on offer too, both of which mean the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is immune to the washed-out look that some Chromebook displays suffer from.

(Image credit: Future)

However, the contrast can be a little too strong, which creates a more garish image at times. What’s more, the screen is very glossy, which, while radiant, is prone to heavy reflections. This is more noticeable at lower brightness settings, but thankfully it didn’t ruin my viewing experiences completely – although there were certainly occasions when it was less than ideal.

This high shine also means that finger marks are highlighted more than I would’ve liked, so you’ll likely want to have a cloth to hand if you’re using the touchscreen frequently.

Thankfully, the touchscreen performs excellently: it’s responsive and smooth, which makes navigation and gesturing easy. It’s also great for doodling and creating signatures, although it’s a shame no stylus is included to unleash its full potential in this regard.

The Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is a joy to type on, with the aforementioned spacing of the keys helping me to achieve greater accuracy. They also have a surprising amount of depth to their travel, which makes them feel more tactile.

The trackpad is pleasant to use as well, despite its relatively small size. Cursor movements are incredibly smooth, and, as with the touchscreen, it’s responsive to the various gestures you can perform.

As for audio, the integrated speakers on the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 are sufficient for clear, distortion-free listening; however, as you might expect, they lack low-end depth. I wouldn’t recommend them for listening to music, but for the odd podcast or YouTube video, they fit the bill.

  • Performance score: 3.5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 review: Battery life

(Image credit: Future)

The battery life of the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 isn’t terribly impressive. During our TechRadar test, where we play a video on a continuous loop, it managed to last six and a half hours. This is considerably down on the Acer Chromebook Spin 314 (2023), our current pick as the best Chromebook overall, which managed over ten hours.

Still, it did better than the Acer Chromebook Plus 515, which we rate as the best student Chromebook, as this managed just over five hours. What’s more, charging the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is reassuringly quick, as it took just just over two hours to fully replenish from empty.

Should I buy the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360?

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Price

The Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 verges towards the higher end of the Chromebook market, but its design and screen are class-leading.

4 / 5

Design

Small, good-looking, and well-made, the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 puts many other Chromebooks to shame.

4.5 / 5

Performance

The Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is capable enough, but serious multitasking and gaming are beyond its means. The display is excellent, though.

3.5 / 5

Battery life

The Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 is on the lower end of the longevity spectrum, and didn’t perform terribly well in our battery test.

3 / 5

Total Score

The excellent design and display of the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 are great, but don’t expect blistering multitasking or gaming performance. If you want a small device to do some light work and watch content, it could be the ideal choice.

4 / 5

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 review: Also consider

Swipe to scroll horizontallyHeader Cell – Column 0

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360

Acer Chromebook Spin 314

Acer Chromebook Plus 515

Price

$429.99 / £419 / AU$707

$380 / £329 (around AU$661)

$399.99 / £399.99 (around AU$633)

CPU

Intel Celeron N4500 1.10GHz (2 threads, 2.80GHz)

Intel Pentium N6000 Processor

Intel Core i3-1215U

Graphics

Integrated, Intel UHD Graphics

Intel shared graphics

Intel UHD Graphics

RAM

4GB LPDDR4x

4GB DDR4

8GB

Screen

12.4-inch WQXGA LED Display (2560 x 1600), Touch

14-inch Full HD 1920 x 1080p

15.6-inch full HD (1920×1080) display with IPS, 16:9 aspect ratio

Storage

64GB e.MMC

128GB eMMC

128GB

Ports

1x USB-A, 2x USB-C, 1x microSD, 1x 3.5mm audio

USB Type-C x 2, USB 3.1 x 1 , HDMI x 1

1x Type-A USB port, 2x Type-C ports, 1x HDMI port, and 1x headset jack

Wireless

Wi-Fi 6, LTE (Option), Bluetooth v5.1

Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0

Intel Wireless Wi-Fi 6E AX211, Bluetooth 5.1

Camera

HD 720p / 8MP

720p webcam

1080p HD video at 60 fps

Weight

2.82lbs (1.28kg)

3.42lbs (1.55kg)

3.7lbs (1.68 kg)

Dimensions

11.3 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches (28.8 x 20.7 x 1.7cm)

26.5 x 326 x 227mm

14.2 x 9.39 x 0.79 inches (360.6 x 238.5 x 19.99 mm; W x D x H)

If the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 doesn’t seem right for you, here are some alternatives:

How I tested the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360

  • Tested for full day
  • Ran benchmark tests
  • Experienced Chromebook reviewer

I tested the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 for a full day, during which time I used it for general browsing, working, and gaming.

I also put it through TechRadar’s battery test for laptops and Chromebooks, which involves playing back a 1080p movie on a continuous loop. I also ran various benchmark tests to further assess its performance.

I have reviewed numerous laptops and Chromebooks in the past, including other Samsung models. These have ranged in price, form factors, and specs, so I am well versed in the wider portable computer market and know how the Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 stacks up to the competition.

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook 2 360: Price Comparison



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