Samsung Q80D TV Review | Samsung’s Best Mid-Range QLED TV

QN75Q80D QLED Smart LED TV (120Hz)

Intro

The Q80D is part of Samsung’s standard QLED lineup and sits below their high-end Neo QLED models. Moreover, it’s the top model in their standard QLED lineup for 2024 and sits above the Q70D and Q60D.

The Q80D is available in various sizes including 50”, 55”, 65”, 75”, and 85-inch models. All Q80D models use VA panels. All models use 120Hz panels except for the 50” which uses a 60Hz panel.

Design & Features

The Q80D has a slim profile and slim bezel design, which is the norm on today’s flat-panel TVs. This minimalist approach ensures that your focus remains on the picture images while drawing you deeper into the action. The screen has a semi-gloss finish and uses full-array LED backlighting with local dimming to illuminate the panel. This technology improves picture contrast, black levels, and brightness, and allows for tighter control over the TV’s dimming zones.

The stand type is a Hexagon Plate design made of metal and is center mounted beneath the TV. The stand provides ok stability with some panel wobble when gently rocked back and forth. Another noteworthy design feature is the back of the pedestal stand has routing for cable management hidden under a plastic cover. The back panel of the TV is made of sturdy plastic which gives the TV a solid overall build quality.

Features Highlights:

• FALD (Full Array with Local Dimming) LED backlight offers very good brightness, contrast, and black levels
• Quantum Dot Color and Quantum HDR+ for excellent picture quality with a variety of video sources
• EyeComfort Mode evaluates your room’s brightness and adjusts the TV’s contrast settings accordingly
• Quantum HDR+ (HDR10, HDR10+ Adaptive/Gaming, and HLG) for great picture contrast and brightness when viewing HDR content
• Quantum Dot technology provides 100% color volume — full color with full brightness
• NQ4 AI Gen2 processor improves contrast, shadow detail, and color accuracy
• 4K AI Upscaling enhances standard-def and high-def video signals for optimum display on a 4K screen
• Filmmaker Mode automatically adjusts picture settings to preserve the director’s intent
• Real Depth Enhancer – mimics how the human eye processes depth by increasing the contrast in the foreground of an image
• Motion Xcelerator Turbo blur reduction (50″ has Motion Xcelerator)
• Built-in 2.2-channel speaker system
• Object Tracking Sound Lite helps locate sounds where they appear on-screen
• Active Voice Amplifier analyzes ambient room noise and enhances voices for clear dialogue
• SolarCell Remote can be charged using your home’s lighting or USB. The mic button activates the voice assistant
• Ambient Mode+ can help the TV blend into your room or display photos, artwork, or information

Smart TV Features:

• Tizen OS smart TV platform
• Smart Hub makes navigating to your favorite content fast and easy
• Built-in Bixby and Amazon Alexa voice control assistants
• TV is also compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa devices (sold separately)
• Built-in Apple AirPlay 2 allows wireless streaming from your Apple device
• Samsung TV Plus lets you enjoy subscription-free TV with 150+ channels

Gaming Features:

• Game Motion Plus optimizes settings for smooth gameplay
• All HDMI inputs support 4K/120Hz
• Supports variable refresh rate via FreeSync Premium Pro and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode)
• Super Ultrawide GameView lets you adjust the aspect ratio from 21:9 to 32:9 and move the screen position to eye level for compatible PC games
• Game Bar on-screen menu lets you double-check your input lag and make adjustments to your fps (frames per second), HDR, wireless headset settings, etc.
• Minimap Zoom makes it easier to keep your map in view without losing track of the action
• Gaming Hub lets you stream games directly on your TV with a compatible controller

Connectivity

• 4 HDMI 2.1 inputs / HDCP 2.2 compliant
• 1 Digital optical output
• 2 USB 2.0 inputs
• 1 RF input for antenna/cable signals
• 1 Ethernet input
• Supports ARC (Audio Return Channel) & eARC (enhanced Audio Return Channel) on HDMI input 3
• Dual-band Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
• Bluetooth wireless audio streaming to a compatible speaker or set of headphones

Performance

The Q80D produced good picture images for a mid-range QLED TV. One of the key factors for this level of picture quality is the Q80D’s outstanding contrast ratio. In turn, this allowed the TV to produce intense black levels. So, this makes the Q80D a great TV for watching dark content in a dark viewing environment.

The Q80D had high peak brightness output in both HDR and SDR modes. HDR content looked good on this TV. It was bright enough to produce good specular highlights, a must for an enjoyable HDR viewing experience. Although HDR viewing was impactful on the Q80D, it still fell short of being in the top echelon of HDR performance. Nevertheless, the Q80D’s high peak brightness output makes it an ideal choice for brightly lit rooms.

*HDR peak brightness output: 10% window 1004 nits
*SDR peak brightness output: 10% window 935 nits

The Q80D has impressive color reproduction thanks to its quantum dot technology which provides a wide color gamut, meaning how many colors the TV can produce, and great color volume, meaning how bright those colors are displayed. Putting all the techno jargon aside, the Q80D produced a vibrant and accurate color palette straight out of the box.

Picture detail and clarity were very respectable on the Q80D. Images of outdoor scenes were sharp and refined with decent amounts of fine texture in closeup shots of foliage and objects.

Motion handling: The Q80D delivered smooth blur-free motion when watching most fast action content. However, I did see some slight motion trailing behind motorcycles during a race. This issue can be reduced or eliminated using the TV’s motion settings.

Input lag was excellent on this display: approx 10.0 ms with 1080p and 4K signals @ 60Hz. With 1080p and 4K signals @ 120Hz, input lag was approx. 6.0 ms.

Samsung claims the Q80D has a wide viewing angle film layer that is supposed to improve off-axis viewing. However, in actual use, the TV did suffer from picture degradation in the form of contrast and color saturation loss when viewed at wide angles which is commonly seen in TVs that use VA panels. So, in my opinion, and experience, this feature does not perform as advertised.

Sound quality: The Q80D produced above-average sound quality for a mid-range TV. Surprisingly the bass output was deeper than what I usually hear from a flat-panel TV. This made the sound profile more balanced when combined with the mid and high frequencies. Also, dialogue was clear making it easy to understand. Moreover, the soundstage was wider than expected when listening to Dolby Atmos soundtracks.

Although the Q80D had many positive performance attributes, it did, however, have a few drawbacks. First, I’ve already mentioned its inadequate wide viewing angles, so proper seating arrangements around the TV screen are very important.

Second, there is no support for Dolby Vision HDR. This may not matter to some consumers, but for me, it’s a major concern since the majority of my HDR viewing is in the Dolby Vision format.

There was also some minor motion blur with some fast-action content. Also, low-quality content smoothing was just adequate when viewed on the Q80D. One other potential drawback was blooming control. Blooming was often visible around bright highlights or text when set against a black background, which can be distracting for some viewers.

Conclusion

The Samsung Q80D is a good mid-range 4K QLED TV. It offers solid picture performance including excellent contrast and peak brightness output.

The Q80D is ideal for anyone looking for a mid-range 4K TV with great picture-enhancing features which include full-array LED backlighting with local dimming and QLED or quantum dot technology for vibrant color reproduction in addition to an intuitive and easy-to-use smart TV platform with tons of entertainment options to choose from.

It’s also a great TV for video gaming and offers advanced gaming features, including four 4K/120Hz HDMI 2.1 inputs, in addition to very low input lag specs, and when combined will take your gaming experience to the next level.

So, whether you’re into movies, a sports buff, or a casual gamer, the Q80D has you covered.

Image credit Samsung

Source: *Rtings.com

Check out HDTVs and More’ YouTube video review for the Samsung Q80D QLED 4K TV below: