Samsung and LG are two of the biggest names in television manufacturing, so it’s no surprise thatm for many TV buyers, a new television is often a choice between these two titans.

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For anyone looking at either the LG C2 or Samsung QN90B, you’ll find two of the best televisions on the market. Between excellent image quality, “smart” TV options, and great extras for gaming and audio, it can be a tough choice to identify which one is exactly right for you.

Well, let’s help make things a little easier and deep dive into both of these units to determine which one deserves your hard-earned money. 

LG C2 OLED vs. Samsung Neo QN90B: A Side-by-Side Comparison

LG C2 OLED vs. Samsung Neo QN90B: 5 Must-Know Facts

  • LG uses (and manufacturers) OLED Evo panels, whereas Samsung uses QLED technology for its panel displays. Both televisions offer advanced gaming features including VRR, ALLM, G-Sync, and FreeSync, and Samsung offers built-in support for Xbox GamePass. The Samsung QN90B adds 4.2.2 channels of sound with 60 watts of power, which outperforms the LG C2’s 2.2 channels with 40 watts of power. Both the LG and Samsung include four HDMI 2.1 inputs which are the fastest for data transfer and essential for both sound and gaming. Dolby Vision, a popular HDR format, is available on the LG C2, while Samsung skips Dolby in favor of HDR10+.

LG C2 OLED vs. Samsung Neo QN90B: What’s the Difference? 

Build

The good news is that no matter which of the two TVs you buy, the LG or the Samsung, you’re getting two refined models that are thin and look great in just about any room. Both come in a variety of sizes ranging from 42 to 83 inches for the LG and 43 to 85 inches for the Samsung, so you’re going to find many similarities if the screen size is a concern. 

Where things start fanning out is if you take the popular size of 65” and compare the two sets, LG’s composite fiber material helps the LG really differentiate itself as far as overall weight. At 40 pounds with its pedestal stand (36.6 pounds without any stand), it weighs far less than Samsung’s 69.2 pounds with a stand (and 53.8 pounds without the stand).  

The LG C2 is also razor-thin and feels like it’s roughly as thin as an average smartphone, save for the middle piece of the TV where the parts are housed. The Samsung QN90B is undoubtedly thin as well, but LG’s work is currently unmatched in this area.

Panels

The focal point of any conversation around these two TVs is ultimately going to come down to panels and, therefore, the picture. There are a lot of defenders on both sides, but at the end of the day, the OLED Evo panel on the LG offers a better picture of the two. Except, that isn’t the whole story.

On the one hand, the LG C2 will produce deeper blacks over those on the non-OLED screen of the Samsung. On top of that, the C2 has much better viewing angles even as Samsung has committed to its “wide angle viewing layer.” Deeper blacks and viewing angles make this category a win for the LG C2. 

Reflection 

One area that favors Samsung is reflection, or lack thereof, on the part of the QN90B.

Samsung integrates an anti-reflective layer into the QN90B screen as one of their top TV models, and it really does a standout job of minimizing reflection in well-lit rooms. The difference is noticeable, especially if you put these two TVs next to each other. You will notice that you will not have as much overall reflection with the Samsung as you do the LG.

This is a win for Samsung, for now, as LG is starting to make moves in this area as the OLED Evo screen on the LG C2 is 20% brighter than LG’s standard OLED panel. 

Dark Rooms

Things lean more toward LG in darker rooms as the OLED Evo screen beats out Samsung’s Quantum Matrix technology.

Both televisions offer excellent color reproduction and, to the point above, Samsung really excels with colors in bright rooms. Contrast is where LG really starts to pull ahead as it outpaces Samsung’s QLED panel pretty handily, thanks to the improved OLED technology.

There’s an argument for both sides, but the LG C2 offers super color accuracy overall, and that’s best visualized in a dark room where colors really pop. 

Audio

As much as pictures and panels matter greatly for both of these televisions, so too does audio, as it can make or break content viewing.

Unsurprisingly, both the Samsung QN90B and LG C2 excel at audio and they are both great, but for different reasons. Both televisions offer two excellent audio formats, Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos, as well as support for eARC via HDMI. 

Where they start to differ is the individual features promoted by each manufacturer. Samsung offers 60 watts of power creating 4.2.2 channel sound and combines that with their proprietary technology called Q-Symphony. Q-Symphony is essentially a way of integrating a soundbar with the QN90B and creating an environment that syncs both the television and soundbar into one cohesive sound. Of course, this requires a compatible soundbar but it’s a great way of creating a significant differentiator for the QN90B. 

LG adds 2.2 channels with 40 watts of power but notes that, when combined with its Alpha 9 Gen 5 AI processor, their AI Sound Pro technology up-mixes the 2-channel audio, so it becomes a virtual 7.1.2 channel surround sound system. Now, all of this is just fancy language by two manufacturers trying to compete with one another, but overall, Samsung grabs a small victory with audio. 

Gaming

LG

Gaming is a definite high point of both televisions, but for different reasons.

On the LG C2 side, you have myriad reasons that help clarify why this is widely considered one of the best gaming televisions. Along with more basic inclusions like four HDMI 2.1 inputs, and 4k at a 120Hz refresh rate (and frames per second), you also get VRR and ALLM, both of which are going to help push your gaming experience to the next level. 

On top of all these benefits, LG also offers NVIDIA G-Sync, which helps prevent screen tearing, and FreeSync, which is especially helpful with OLED technology and VRR to reduce any stuttering on screen, especially during fast-action gameplay. Throw in the OLED screen’s near-perfect blacks, “game optimizer” mode, HDR, and excellent audio, and you have a great television for gaming. 

Samsung

Samsung makes its own strides to create an excellent gaming experience, starting with FreeSync Premium Pro on the QN90B. Driving down latency and upping the HDR visuals, it’s a great way to experience gaming on the latest generation consoles.

Ultimately, both televisions excel at gaming but for different reasons. They both offer something unique but, as exciting as Samsung’s gaming hub might be, the OLED screen wins for the best panel for gaming. 

Smart TV

Another big decision maker for any smart TV purchase is the actual smart operating system. Spoiler alert: in this case, it’s pretty much a wash between the two televisions. 

LG’s webOS 22 is a good system on its own and offers a navigation-friendly interface paired with LG’s “magic remote” that makes pointing and selecting content a fun experience. You can customize your viewing experience by creating separate personalized profiles if there are multiple TV viewers in your home as well as utilizing Google Voice Assistance and Alexa. 

There’s nothing particularly earth-shattering about webOS that gives it an advantage over, say, Roku or Google TV, arguably the two best smart operating systems. However, webOS can act as a smart hub for all of the smart devices in your home plus it supports the new Matter standard.

LG also adds more than 175 free channels for local news and sports that can be streamed over WiFi, free. 

Samsung runs its own proprietary software with Tizen OS and, like LG, is good enough for everyday use. Like the LG C2, Samsung’s QN90B can stream more than 150 free channels by live streaming local news, sports, world sports, and more all through WiFi. The dedicated home screen is a starting point for all content discovery and is also where personalized content recommendations will surface. 

A downside to both the LG and Samsung interfaces is that third-party ads are possible, just as is the case with Roku. It’s an irritant, but certainly not enough to favor one system over the other. Samsung also adds support for its own voice assistant, Bixby, which is comparable to Apple’s Siri, as well as support for Alex and Google Assistant.

Where to Buy

LG C2 vs. Samsung QN90B: Which One is Better? 

Making a decision between the LG C2 and the Samsung QN90B is a tough one as both offer distinct advantages.

  • Experience amazing, beautiful picture quality with infinite contrast, deep black, and over a billion colors, now even brighter*, thanks to LG’s 8 million self-lit OLED pixelsEngineered exclusively for LG, the α9 Gen 5 AI Processor 4K adapts to the content you’re watching, automatically adjusting the TV’s settings for improved picture and sound qualityEliminate unnecessary processing with movies and preserve the action the way film directors intend with Filmmaker Mode, and enhance every moment of your viewing experience with Dolby Vision IQ and…LG Game Optimizer mode with NVIDIA G-SYNC, FreeSync Premium, and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) improve your gaming experience with fluid on-screen motion. Game Optimizer manages your game settings all…Mount it on the wall with a 300 x 200 VESA mount (sold separately). Magic Remote with Magic Tap, remote control batteries (AA), power cable, wall mount, and quick start guide are included. TV stand…

  • HANDPICKED BY AMAZON: They did the research so you don’t have to.QUANTUM MATRIX WITH MINI LEDs: Brilliant details shine even in daylight; Powered by a huge grid of Samsung’s ultra precise Quantum Mini LEDs, it takes exact control of the individual zones of light…QUANTUM HDR 32X: Every detail bursts to life with realistic contrast and brilliance; With HDR 32X and its wide range of vivid shades of color, you’ll discover all the nuances in the latest movies…NEO QUANTUM PROCESSOR WITH 4K UPSCALING: See all you enjoy upscaled to spectacular 4K resolution; The Neo Quantum Processor 4K uses AI based deep learning to analyze your content and optimize it to…ANTI-GLARE WITH ULTRA VIEWING ANGLE: You’ve got the best view from every seat. Designed to reduce glare and deliver brilliant color across your screen, Ultra Viewing Angle makes sure you’ve got…

The OLED panel on the LG is undoubtedly the better option over Samsung’s QLED panel, but there’s also that very small (really very small) risk of burn-in. There is also no doubt that the LG provides deeper blacks, superior contrast, and a better overall picture, and that’s true of all of the available sizes for the LG, of which there are many. 

On the flip side, the Samsung excels with audio quality, thanks to its 60W of power and support for compatible soundbars that make for an outstanding movie viewing experience. Samsung also stands out for its “EyeComfort Mode,” which reduces blue light to help your eyes stay comfortable for longer. 

When you start to factor in gaming, smart TV, and viewing angles, the LG C2 starts to pull away. The most popular sizes of the LG C2 (55 and 65”) are often on sale and cheaper than similarly sized Samsung QN90B models, which only helps reiterate why it’s the better option for most people.

If there is any reason to take a second look at the Samsung QN90B, it’s because you do most of your TV viewing during the day when its extra brightness will stand out. For any other purpose, the LG C2 is the way to go.