I'm a gamer. I game on PC, and sometimes on my PS5. Having both connected to my soundbar at the same time without swapping cables every time I switch between the two is something I didn't even think about when buying the Samsung HW-Q990F. But it turns out to be one of the things I appreciate most about it.

The Q990F has two HDMI 2.1 input ports. Both support 4K 120Hz passthrough, VRR (variable refresh rate), and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), which are all the gaming features you'd want. That means my PC and my PS5 can both stay plugged in at the same time, and I can switch between them without ever touching a cable.

Samsung has actually been offering two HDMI inputs on its flagship soundbars for a while now, and starting with the Q990D, those ports were upgraded to HDMI 2.1 with full support for modern gaming features.

This is especially handy if you have a non-Samsung high-end TV. A brand like TCL, for example, often gives you just two HDMI ports that support all the gaming features, and one of those goes to your soundbar via eARC. That leaves you with only one port for everything else. Having two inputs on the soundbar itself solves that problem.

This might sound like a small thing, but good luck finding it elsewhere. Sony's flagship soundbar, the Bravia Theater Bar 9, has just one HDMI input. Sonos doesn't even offer an HDMI input on the Arc Ultra. Neither is a budget option and compete directly with the Q990F on price.

In fact, both are arguably much costlier, since the rear speakers and a subwoofer are optional, separate purchases. And yet they give you one HDMI input port or none at all.

Samsung isn't usually the brand I associate with this kind of generosity. It's typically the smaller brands that have to fight harder for your money and price their products more aggressively. Samsung's flagship soundbars aren't cheap by any stretch of the imagination, but they do offer excellent value for money if features other than just good sound quality are also important for you.