I have spent the past few days testing and reviewing the Samsung HW-Q990F, the latest version of the company's popular Dolby Atmos soundbar system. Spoiler alert if you haven't yet read the full review: it's exceptional, and will certainly join the ranks of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars.
However, there is something peculiar about Samsung's approach to its soundbars that occurred to me during my testing, and it has nothing to do with sound, features or design.
It's about how the South Korean tech giant opts to release a new lineup every year. To my knowledge, it is the only company to do so – even its biggest rival, LG, decided not to launch a successor to the S95TR this year.
Broadly speaking, manufacturers leave gaps of anywhere from three to five years between their respective soundbar releases. Take Sony, for example, which released the Bravia Theatre Bar 9 in 2024, three years after the HT-A7000, which launched in 2021.
Sonos, in turn, left a four-year gap between the Arc and Arc Ultra soundbars. And Sennheiser is yet to launch second-generation models of any of its Ambeo soundbars, with 2019's Ambeo Soundbar Max recently celebrating its sixth birthday.
This got me thinking, "Does Samsung seriously need to launch a new soundbar every year?" It already releases new TVs and Galaxy smartphones annually, but is there enough innovation in the world of soundbars to justify a yearly upgrade?
Thankfully, before I had to get too introspective, the HW-Q990F answered that question for me. In fact, it taught me a valuable lesson: a small change can make a huge difference with products such as these.
While I was excited to see what Samsung had in store after the Q990D's success last year, it was only the subwoofer that seemed to have been altered on paper. The rest of the system looked very similar, both in design and features, but the new 300W subwoofer with dual 8-inch drivers seemed to be the major new addition.
While the subwoofer in the last system was certainly the weakest link – although it wasn't bad – Samsung's new subwoofer actually steals the show in this latest system. It adds a new dimension to the bass, with a more textured and tonally varied approach that uplifts the package as a whole.
Of course, if Samsung had followed the example of its peers, rather than launching this new 2025 model, we could have been waiting years for this upgrade. And that's what made Samsung's strategy click for me. Looking at the past three generations of this product – the HW-Q990C, HW-Q990D and HW-Q990F – we can see a steady performance increase with each generation.
The Q990D took the series from four to five stars thanks to its subtle yet appreciated upgrades. The Q990F, once again, delivers a solid improvement over its predecessor, even if the upgrade might not appear game-changing at first.
So, the two options seem to be this: wait a few years while stockpiling upgrades and deliver a soundbar that is a greater leap over its predecessor, or roll soundbars out annually with moderate upgrades. Ultimately, I don't know anyone who upgrades their soundbar every year, and if you do that, you should probably stop.
Samsung's approach is to target customers who are considering an upgrade over an older model, and who don't want to wait three or more years for the latest model to launch. It makes sense to me, as I couldn't imagine the frustration of finally springing for a Sonos Arc in late 2024, only to be met with the surprise launch of the Arc Ultra immediately afterwards.
And while there is always that fear of buying a product when its bigger and better next-generation version is on the horizon, Samsung's approach is at least fairly consistent. This means you can always bide your time if only the latest and greatest model will do.
MORE:
Read our full Samsung HW-Q990F review
As well as our Samsung HW-Q990D review
And check out our picks for the best Dolby Atmos soundbars
