Samsung's 2026 flagship Dolby Atmos soundbar is here, but you should get the 2025 model instead

Samsung has quietly released its 2026 flagship soundbar in the US. The new HW-Q990H replaces last year’s HW-Q990F, and while it does bring some welcome improvements, the upgrades are few and far between. They mostly amount to software features with no real upgrade to the hardware whatsoever.

That probably explains why Samsung isn’t making a huge deal out of the HW-Q990H like it did with last year’s model. While the Q990F was also an incremental upgrade, it did bring a radically revamped, compact subwoofer with improved bass performance. This year, the focus strictly centers around AI enhancements and audio processing.

To that end, Samsung has added two exclusive features to the HW-Q990H:

• Sound Elevation: This filter utilizes the soundbar's up-firing speakers to enhance the center channel, effectively expanding the perceived height of the audio to better integrate with the picture on your screen.
• Auto Volume: Samsung claims this new enhancement helps deliver a consistent volume by preventing those sudden loudness spikes we have all encountered when switching content. It does this by analyzing incoming audio across all sources and then creating smoother transitions between channels and content.

Samsung has also injected more AI into software processing. For example, the upgraded AI Adaptive Sound refines volume and clarity in real time to match the flow of your content, while an enhanced SpaceFit Sound Pro utilizes microphones on the bar and sub to tailor the acoustic output to your specific room environment.

No real changes to design or speaker setup

Under the hood, the HW-Q990H retains the exact same 11.1.4 channel configuration and 23-speaker setup as the 2025 model. You still get dual HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 120Hz passthrough, alongside support for Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and Google's Eclipsa Audio format. And you still get all the software enhancements previously available like Active Voice Amplifier Pro, Game Mode Pro, Moderate Bass, and Private Rear Sound.

Last year’s model is still the better buy

At $1,999, the Samsung HW-Q990H doesn’t appear to be great value for money. It barely improves upon its predecessor in a meaningful way, especially considering you can easily find last year’s Q990F for under $1,500—or even under $1,000 during major sales events. Not to mention, the HW-Q990D from 2024 is still around and can be found for under $980 at various retailers. It packs the same speaker setup and almost all the essential software enhancements as these two, so you won’t be missing out on much in terms of overall performance and sound experience.

Pricing & Availability

The Samsung HW-Q990H 2026 Dolby Atmos soundbar is now available for purchase from Samsung’s online store and major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H Photo Video. As of this writing, Samsung has yet to detail the wider availability of the latest soundbar, with the UK, Europe, Canada and Australia still awaiting exact pricing and availability details.