Samsung Electronics is expanding its super-sized TV lineup with a new “Crystal LCD” model that delivers a mammoth, 98-inch screen for the ultra-low price tag of just $3,999. At that price, it’s one of the most affordable 98-inch TVs on the market, but the question on everyone’s lips is, is it any good?
Many people share the notion that if something is cheap to buy, it must look and feel pretty cheap too. But then again, Samsung is a highly respected brand in the TV industry, and it has a certain level of standards that it must live up to, regardless of how much its products actually cost.
So with that in mind, there’s a lot of optimism around the capabilities of the new, 98-inch Samsung DU9000 Crystal 4K UHD TV. It is the latest in a range of 98-inch models that were previously announced by Samsung this year, sitting below its Neo QLED and regular QLED models.
It’s available now on Samsung.com and through select online retailers in the U.S. It’s notable that the $3,999 price tag is way, way cheaper than the company’s higher-end models, such as the Samsung QN90D Mini-LED TV, which costs $14,999.
One of the concerns we have is that, the larger the TV becomes, the bigger the individual pixels have to be. As pixels get bigger, they can reveal more picture noise and other flaws that might not be visible on smaller screens. But Samsung says it has addressed this through its new Supersize Picture Enhancer technology that’s available on all of its 98-inch TVs, the DU9000 included. The technology helps to reduce noise and increase sharpness at the individual pixel level, for both 4K and upscaled media, delivering what the company promises is a quality, consistent viewing experience for big-screen content.
As such, the Samsung DU9000 should be good for viewing movies, and it may also interest gamers. While Samsung didn’t reveal many specifications, last year’s CU9000 Crystal LCD TV series came with three HDMI 2.1 inputs that support 4K at 120Hz, which is a key feature for modern games consoles. So we assume the DU9000 will offer the same.
Other features include the Tizen operating system that’s found on all Samsung TVs, which includes the Gaming Hub for accessing cloud-based gaming services such as Xbox, Nvidia GeForce Now and Utomik. The upgraded Game Bar 4.0 menu comes with a new AI Auto setting that identifies the kind of game being played and automatically optimizes the picture and sound settings.
Affordability comes at a cost
Projector enthusiasts will be the first to tell you that it’s much better to watch movies on a super-size screen, as they provide a much more immersive experience. It’s the same story for video games, with the increased visual immersion seriously elevating the overall gameplay.
However, Samsung’s cheaper DU9000 does come at a cost, as it lacks the quantum dot technology and full-array local dimming found on the company’s higher-end Neo QLED and QLED televisions, and that almost certainly means the overall picture quality will be reduced. Added to that, Samsung’s CU9000 TVs from last year were nowhere near as bright as the company’s Neo QLED and regular QLED models, and the black uniformity was somewhat disappointing too, according to most reviews.
That said, Samsung has had a year to enhance the capabilities of its budget-range DU9000 and so there’s a chance that it will still deliver a decent picture. With its incredibly low price tag, it’s a tempting purchase, particularly for those who do not consider themselves to be connoisseurs who demand the most clear and compelling picture quality. But if you’re one of those who gets irked by poor quality on-screen images, you’ll clearly need to read some reviews, or better still, try before you buy to avoid any disappointment.
