One of 2024's biggest surprise hits was the exceptional Samsung HW-Q990D, a complete surround sound system comprised of a Dolby Atmos soundbar, dual wireless surround speakers and wireless subwoofer that we called "a complete Dolby Atmos sound system in a box". We liked it so much, in fact, that it was awarded Product of the Year in the soundbar category of our yearly Awards, after it beat five-star rivals from the likes of Sonos and Sony.
It's a new year, which can only mean one thing: a new Samsung TV and AV lineup. The brand has revealed a fully refreshed lineup of TVs and home cinema audio products, and we've had the privilege of spending quality time with them not once but twice.
A behind-the-scenes look at some early units in the South Korean brand's headquarters in Suwon and a preview at CES in Las Vegas have allowed us to gather our thoughts on some of Samsung's upcoming releases, and the latest entry to the HW-Q990 series was one such product.
The HW-Q990F will succeed the HW-Q990D later this year, but while we patiently wait for its full release, here is some key information on what's new, and what we think of this soundbar system so far. Fair warning: these aren't our final conclusive thoughts – those will come later this year when the HW-Q990F graces our AV testing room.
Price
It's early days, which means the HW-Q990F's pricing has yet to be revealed. However, looking back at the launch price of its predecessor might give us a clue as to how much it might cost when it's released later in 2025.
The HW-Q990D launched at £1699 / $2000 / AU$2099, though it was very quickly discounted to around the £900 / $1100 / AU$1500 mark. We have our fingers tightly crossed for either an identical launch price or, better yet, a price drop this year.
Only time will tell, and we'll monitor this hotly anticipated soundbar package closely to determine its cost when Samsung unleashes it onto store shelves.
Build
For the most part, the design of the HW-Q990F is identical to its predecessor. We're neither upset nor enthralled by this decision, as the HW-Q990D was a decent-looking 'bar. That being said, the design has been recycled for a couple of generations now, and the angular, edgy aesthetics are starting to look a tad dated now. As the saying goes, beauty is skin deep, and sound performance is obviously paramount; but a design refresh to modernise the soundbar and surround speakers would have been appreciated.
On the subject of the surrounds, they remain compact and require only a power cable to work thanks to their handy (and neat) wireless connectivity with the main soundbar.
One area that Samsung has radically changed the design, however, is with the wireless subwoofer. It's traded the roughly knee-height cuboid from the previous generation with a more compact 25 x 25 x 25cm cube subwoofer. It looks identical to the woofer currently paired with Samsung's S-series of slim soundbars, which is good and bad news.
The good news is that it looks much more modern and sleek, while the shrunken-down size makes it ideal for those with limited space. However, to our eye, its smooth, rounded cube chassis looks somewhat mismatched with the sharp angles of the soundbar and speakers.
Features
Due to a fairly brief and secretive demonstration from Samsung, we've not received the full comprehensive specifications for this soundbar package. However, we know a few crucial specs and features for this soundbar and we're assured we'll have more information soon.
Much like its predecessor, this is an 11.1.4 system. While we don't yet have specifics on the new drivers inside, we anticipate it will feature a similar layout to its predecessor.
The main 'bar of the Q990D features a whopping 15 drivers; six elliptical midrange drivers, three forward-firing tweeters, four side-firing speaker units, and two up-firing speakers for Dolby Atmos height effects. The surround units feature two midrange drivers – one forward-firing and one side-firing – and an upward-firing speaker in each satellite unit. We anticipate that the Q990F won't stray too far from this formula.
The upgraded subwoofer is a greater departure from its predecessor. It features dual 8-inch opposing drivers, which Samsung claims will offset vibration for cleaner and more precise bass. This subwoofer will reportedly produce 300W of power and reach frequencies as low as 32Hz.
Furthermore, we know that Samsung is sticking with its SpaceFit automatic calibration system, which constantly runs during the soundbar's operation and can compensate for the position of the surround speakers and the shape of your room (if you decide to use this feature, that is).
We're willing to make an educated guess on sound formats here, as Samsung will likely continue supporting both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X with this new model. However, it has just announced that its new immersive audio format Eclipsa Audio – which was developed in partnership with Google – will come to its full range of 2025 TVs and soundbars, and it's a confirmed addition to the HW-Q990F.
A few question marks are remaining. We know that the HW-Q990D featured HDMI 2.1 passthrough, which supported 4K/120Hz with VRR and ALLM. However, some of Samsung's recently announced models will support refresh rates up to 165Hz; so will the passthrough sockets on this soundbar accommodate this?
Sound
Here is where we have to once again caveat that these aren't our final thoughts on the HW-Q990F, as we'll need to test the package for ourselves in our dedicated home cinema room. However, a brief listening session in a sound treated room at Samsung HQ was conducted, and we have some early impressions.
Admittedly, the notion of a smaller subwoofer raised an eyebrow, as concerns of performance being sacrificed for convenience and style crept in. However, it was immediately evident that this small-yet-mighty sub could pack a punch despite its adorable facade.
Bass seemed notably punchy yet controlled in our brief stint listening to the system, which is a good sign in our opinion. We did notice some occasional crackle on the previous model and some lacklustre tonal variation in the bass department on the Q990D, so we hope Samsung has addressed this with the upgraded sub.
The rest of the system seemed to provide much of what we liked regarding the previous generation model, with its excellent sense of enveloping sound thanks to the harmonious pairing between the main 'bar and surround units.
We had a brief demo with some music and film content, and the system appears to be as dynamic, musical and theatrical as its predecessor, though it feels as if Samsung has done some tweaking to make it feel even more engaging.
Early verdict
It would be an understatement to say we're quite excited to get the HW-Q990F into our AV testing room. After its predecessor proved to be a smash hit, we're eagerly waiting to see what this updated model can handle.
More importantly, we're eager to find out if it too will earn the coveted Product of the Year title at this year's What Hi-Fi? Awards.
MORE:
Check out all of the latest CES 2025 announcements
Read our full Samsung HW-Q990D review
And check out our list of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars
