Neo QLED Samsung Neo QLED (Quantum Mini LED)

What Neo QLED is

Neo QLED is a Samsung brand for LCD televisions that combine quantum dots with a Mini LED backlight. Techaeris lists the 65-inch QN80H panel as Neo QLED, combining Quantum Mini LED with full-array local dimming. Samsung does not publish the backlight layout for every tier, and Best Buy lists the 2025 entry-level QN70F as edge-lit, so check the specific model before assuming full-array dimming. Wikipedia explains the underlying QLED label: Samsung rebranded its SUHD TVs as QLED in 2017 and shared the name with Hisense and TCL, where it refers to LED-backlit LCDs with a quantum-dot film that improves color and contrast. Neo QLED pairs quantum dots with a Mini LED backlight. None of this is the self-emissive "true QLED" that Wikipedia describes as experimental.

The 2026 Neo QLED names I could confirm are the QN80H, the QN70H and the 8K QN990H. BGR lists QN80H sizes of 55, 65, 75, 85 and 100 inches at $1,299.99 to $5,499.99, and QN70H sizes of 43, 50, 55, 65, 75 and 85 inches at $599.99 to $2,299.99. SamMobile calls the QN990H Samsung's only Neo QLED 8K TV for 2026. I found no QN90H in any page I loaded, so I do not list one.

How Neo QLED works

A grid of Mini LEDs sits behind a VA LCD panel, grouped into dimming zones. Zone count is the limiting factor for contrast. choose.tv counted exactly 110 zones, a 10 x 11 grid, on the 65-inch QN80H. A 65-inch 16:9 panel has about 1,805 square inches of area, so that is roughly 16.4 square inches per zone, a square about 4.05 inches (10 cm) wide. The same arithmetic on the 75-inch Micro RGB R95H with 1,792 zones gives 1.34 square inches per zone, so a small bright object lifts a far larger patch of backlight on the Neo QLED, and blooming is the cost. Techaeris saw minor blooming around white subtitles and loading icons in a dark room.

Measured performance from choose.tv on the 65-inch QN80H: SDR panel brightness of 459 cd/m², HDR scene peaks of 694 nits (sun against sky) and 703 nits (flashlight), with synthetic tests above 1,000 nits; DCI-P3 coverage of 92.7% and BT.2020 coverage of 70.0%; input lag of 9 to 11 ms in game mode; and an 83% brightness drop at 45 degrees off-axis. The panel refreshes at 144 Hz (4K) with VRR on all four HDMI ports, per Techaeris, and supports HDR10+ Adaptive, Gaming and Advanced. The processor is the NQ4 AI Gen2 with 20 neural networks.

The scene-based contrast ratios choose.tv reports for the 65-inch QN80H range from 3,800:1 to 23,200:1 (18,900:1, 7,100:1, 23,200:1, 7,750:1 and 3,800:1 across five scenes). These are scene results, not a native panel figure, and they swing by a factor of six depending on the content. Film-based gamut measurements were 92.6% DCI-P3 and 69.9% BT.2020, essentially matching the synthetic 92.7% and 70.0%. The QN80H also reaches up to 240 Hz in a Full HD PC mode, and the NQ4 AI Gen2 processor uses 20 neural networks for upscaling, where Techaeris notes Samsung's 128-network Gen3 chip is reserved for its flagship OLED models.

Neo QLED vs QLED vs OLED

Against plain QLED, Neo QLED's difference is the Mini LED backlight and the dimming zones. BGR groups all 2026 Samsung QLED TVs under the NQ4 AI processor, with the higher-end model using the Gen2 version, and does not otherwise separate the terms. Against OLED, Techaeris says the QN80H "still cannot completely touch the flawless black uniformity of an OLED or MicroRGB alternative" and points OLED buyers to the S90H. The Neo QLED case rests on brightness, price and no burn-in risk. See Mini LED vs OLED for the full tradeoff.

Against Samsung's own Micro RGB, the difference is the light source: Neo QLED pairs a Mini LED backlight with quantum dots, while Micro RGB mixes red, green and blue LEDs directly. A measured comparison is imperfect because the labs differ, but eCoustics measured 93.3% BT.2020 on the R95H against choose.tv's 70.0% on the QN80H. Micro RGB costs more at the same size: the 55-inch R85H launched at $1,599.99 against $1,299.99 for the 55-inch QN80H. LG's QNED is the competing LCD brand.

Which models and what they cost

The QN990H is the flagship: an 8K VA LCD with Mini LED backlighting and Glare Free coating, up to 120 Hz at 8K and 240 Hz at 4K, five HDMI 2.1 ports on a Wireless One Connect box, a 6.2.4-channel speaker system rated 90 W RMS and the NQ8 AI Gen3 processor. SamMobile lists HDR10, HDR10+, HDR10+ Advanced and HLG. The 85-inch model was priced at CHF 8,999 in Germany and Switzerland and reportedly €9,999 elsewhere in Europe. The QN80H is the mainstream pick; Techaeris lists a $1,599.99 MSRP for the 65-inch, often discounted to $1,249.99. Samsung promises seven years of software updates across the range, which matters for a TV you keep.

Common confusions

"Neo" is not a pixel technology, and "QLED" does not mean the pixels emit light. Spec sheets that say "Quantum Mini LED" describe the backlight system. Techaeris's spec sheet lists Dolby Vision "in compatible modes" while its review text says Dolby Vision is not supported, so verify before buying if you depend on it. Because the QLED label covers many LCDs, check the zone count and refresh rate rather than the badge. For the broader picture, read TV panel types explained.