Samsung Q7FN QLED TV (55Q7FN) review

Samsung's QLED 2017 TVs were a showcase for what quantum metal boxes could do for 4K HDR TVs. And while we all agree that these TVs were brilliant, bold, and beautiful, they lacked essential components that made rival ensembles even more powerful in areas such as contrast and out-of-the-box viewing angles. axis.

Back to the drawing board and emerged in 2018 with the Samsung Q9FN QLED . It incorporates a number of panel technologies to correct where QLED has sagged, such as local gradation with Q Contrast EliteMax, and the results are truly spectacular.

But unfortunately, all this image technology has not reached the second level Q7FN does not offer local dimming to complete matrix, for example, and although it always generates a huge amount of light, all these details can be lost if you only move a few degrees to the Q7FN. the left or right of the screen.

That said, even though the Samsung Q7FN is not quite the Q9FN's screen, it's still a terrific and brilliant telly for 4K enthusiasts HDR.

Price and Release Date

We We will be looking specifically at the 55 inch QN55Q7FN in this review, but there are a number of other Q7FN models that all use the same panel technology in different screen sizes. To this end, there is a 65-inch QN65Q7FN and a 75-inch QN75Q7FN. All models of the Q7FN are now available and will cost you $ 1,799, $ 2,499 or $ 3,799, depending on which screen size you are using.

If you live abroad in Europe, you can find 55, 65 and 75 inches The Q7FN versions which are respectively called QE55Q7FN, QE65Q7FN and QE75Q7FN, will cost you £ 1,999, £ 2,699 or 3,999 £ depending on the size of your choice.

For Australian buyers, there are the QA55Q7FN, QA65Q7FN and QA75Q7FN which cost $ 3,699, AU $ 5,299 and AU $ 8,199, respectively.

The next step of the Q7FN is the Q8FN, available starting at $ 2999 (about $ 2200, $ 4000 AU), and the Q9FN which costs $ 3,800 (about $ 2,720, $ 4,835), but includes the No Gap wall mount from Samsung.

Design

While LG is stuck on almost invisible frames with its almost borderless W8 OLED, the Samsung Q7FN is not far away. The Q7FN uses Samsung's signature T-Bar holder to hold the TV and fold the cables back. This allows a quick installation and a clean look when everything is finished.

The TV has a silver frame with a thin eighth-inch bezel. This is not invisible to the eye, but it's pretty thin all in all. In depth, the screen is within half an inch near the top and a full thumb near the bottom of the screen.

You'll notice that it's bigger around the bottom half of the TV because it's there than the edge … the lit LEDs are sitting. It's also where the only TV port is – Samsung's proprietary "invisible" connection cable that runs to an external processing unit that Samsung has dubbed the One Connect box. It is there that you will connect peripherals to any of the four HDMI ports, to a single digital optical audio output or to Ethernet ports. Speaking of, the One Connect box is quite bulky and can hinder the look of a home theater setup, however, because the cord that connects the One Connect box and the TV itself is quite small and long enough, you hide the box in a cabinet, paint the cord the same color as the wall and the TV will remain uncluttered.

The other unique design feature of Samsung's QLED 2018 TVs is the ambient mode, a low power consumption setting that helps the TV to blend in with the background when 39 it is not used. Although it is difficult to describe in great detail, we would say that it is a cross between a standard screen saver and a photo you take from the wall behind your TV.

It's similar, in a way, to an Apple Watch – You'll find a whole library of templates to choose from when you enter Ambient mode, and Samsung will still be able to add others via the Software update later. That said, right out of the screen, it's a feature that helps Samsung stand out from the competition and really helps the TV to be more at home when it's not. not used.

TL design; DR: The Samsung Q7FN is a beautifully minimalist TV – with or without Ambient mode enabled. The One Connect box needed to power the TV is a bit bulky, but you can happily spread it in a closet with relative ease.

Smart TV Features

The good news continues with the Smart TV features of the Q7FN – The Samsung based Eden OS is beautifully designed and easy to use. Like last year, apps are lined up along the bottom row and you will find all the major culprits here – Netflix, Amazon and YouTube are pre-installed with the TV. (British owners will also receive catch-up apps for the country's four major terrestrial television broadcasters while American streaming enthusiasts will see Hulu and Sling TV.)

Bixby's integration, the virtual assistant from Samsung, and Samsung SmartThings, which allows you to control IoT devices around the house using the built-in microphone in the remote itself.

That said, even though Bixby has the power to track down broadcasts, control the smart home, and answer questions, it is rare for any of the above to work phenomenally. Look for "Thor," for example, and Bixby will insist on hearing "Four" or look for "Star Wars The Last Jedi" and hear "Star Wars Las Jedi" – which looks like the name of a Star Wars. bar and grill in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Because it's Samsung's first year with the integration of Bixby, it's good to cut them a little margin in this department. Heck, Siri has been in Apple devices for most of a decade and he always confuses words all the time. The counterpoint here, though, is that LG has chosen to use Google Assistant in its latest version of WebOS and it's a much better experience.

If you can look beyond the occasional misinterpretation, what you are treated to is phenomenally robust, flamboyant fast OS. Navigating the nooks and crannies of Tizen feels like an exciting treasure hunt because you never know very well what goodie you will discover next.

Smart TV TL; DR: Tizen is one of the best smart platforms on the planet. Now, if only Samsung would have used Google Assistant instead of Bixby …

HD / SDR Performance

Like the rest of its siblings in the QLED 2018 lineup, the Samsung Q7FN offers a very good update. HD scale / SDR content. The result is an image that added details with very little image noise. (It's still there, but it's minimal at distances greater than a few meters.)

The big advantage of HD / SDR performance, and probably the TV's biggest glory period, is its brightness. Of course, HD / SDR content only requires about 300 to 400 nits of maximum brightness to display every detail, but it does not hurt that this TV can get much, much brighter.

To take advantage of this extra brightness with HD / SDR content, each new Samsung 4K HDR 2018 TV has a mode called HDR + that expands its colors and opens the screen contrast. It's not as good as having content filmed in native HDR, but with HDR +, HD / SDR content will not be at half age and you'll have more contrast when you watch older films that have not been filmed format.

A disadvantage here, and that's something we pointed out in our review of the Samsung NU8000 series earlier this year, is that HDR + changes the color to heat, which adds a sepia hue to the # 39; s image. This is not a big deal, but if you want to bring the screen back to a cooler and more normal image, you will have to enter the settings and manually reset the color tone.

The other, much more important problem, and something we will talk about more in the next section, is that the Q7FN uses a LED panel with LED edge lighting instead of going in full table. This is not something you will notice in HD / SDR content – since the contrast ratio between the brightest whites and the darkest blacks is not very pronounced – but it can also affect the picture here too.

HD / SDR Performance TL; DR: While HDR + mode dramatically improves the color and contrast of HD / SDR images, audio-visual purists will appreciate the Q7FN's performance with native HD / SDR content.

4K / HDR Performance

We discussed brightness in the above section, but it's worth remembering here, as the rise of Nits really helps the Q7FN take advantage of High Dynamic Range content .

According to Samsung, the Q7FN is capable of brightness in the 1400 to 1600 nit range, which makes it twice as brighter than competing LED-LCD displays and well above the 1000-nits recommended by the camera. UHD Alliance. This extra brightness is ideal for daytime viewing and gives contrast levels close to those of the OLED.

Unfortunately, it is still a side-illuminated LED panel VA

. the dark rooms and especially when you sit squarely in front of the screen – but still requires an LED panel at the back, unlike OLED, and therefore does not offer the same performance at the black level or a large off-axis display.

Speaking of off-axis display, if you sit a few degrees to the left or right of the screen, it is quite easy to notice some desaturation. Although we do not have precise measurement, you should absolutely avoid sitting more than 30 degrees in either direction and, if you can help, even less than 15 degrees. This rule applies both horizontally and vertically if you decide to wall mount the screen.

Not everything is so bad, though. Due to the huge amount of brightness that these TVs can produce in HDR, they are beautiful even in daylight. Add to that the benefits of quantum dot technology that enhances color volume, and you have an image that is really huge – even if it's not exactly the best image performance on the market.

Speaking of HDR, it should be noted that from now on, the Samsung Q7FN only supports HDR10, HLG and the still nascent HDR10 +. Samsung has not yet adopted Dolby Vision, which means that most of Netflix's original shows will appear as standard HDRs instead of Dolby Vision – which is rather disappointing.

While it was not available to broadcast in Dolby Vision, HDR Defenders on Netflix still looks amazing: the characters' costumes have limpid and precise air, and the dark scenes retain the details even in the middle of massive combat sequences. Similarly, Planet Earth 2 seemed exceptional in HDR 4K, although we noticed a distinctive green hue that made the jungle scenes more lush, even if they were supersaturated.

Finally, gamers will appreciate the Samsung -up 2018 Q7FN line as it supports the Auto Game mode that can detect when you play a console or PC game and automatically switch the screen in its mode. Picture of quick response game. Samsung has also planned to add the variable refresh rate on the road, which will help with any screen tearing you 've noticed in years past, as well as any other problem. bring the input shift to a very low 7ms. (We measured the Q9FN at 34ms still respectable, for reference.)

4K / HDR Performance TL; DR: Bright and colorful, the Q7FN is an excellent 4K HDR TV. Make sure you sit directly in front.

Sound

To enhance the image performance of the Q7FN, a surprisingly powerful sound system. It's more than just what you need to hear most TV and movie dialogs above the background noise, and it's a respectable job with music – even if it's not not our first choice for a party party. the performance is quite strong, it is the features that Samsung packs in the Q7FN that are well worth its weight in the amplifiers. Namely, this includes easy-to-install Bluetooth pairing that allows you to use your TV as a speaker for your phone or tablet and the Chromecast Built-In integration that lets you launch on the downside of a hat. In addition to all that is Samsung's Smart Sound feature, a unique software algorithm The Samsung TV division has left its California-based audio lab that analyzes the incoming sound and automatically adjusts it according to the type of content that you watch.

In practice, Samsung's television hardware and software creates a strong audio performance, which should easily fill most rooms with a loud and clear dialogue and realistic sound effects. Will it replace your sound bar or surround sound system? No. But can the Q7FN stand on its own without the help of an external audio setup? Absolutely.

Other Panels to Ponder

Be aware that the Samsung Q7FN is not an inexpensive TV – at $ 1,799 ($ ​​1,999, AU $ 3,699), that's only the name of the entry. If the money is tight, you can go down to the Samsung Q6FN, but you better stick to the Q7FN if you can afford it.

Better, though, would be if you could switch to the Samsung Q9FN – we're not kidding when we say that it's the best TV on the market in 2018. It offers a full-fledged panel sign that means even more contrast better and more accurate HDR images. It's an expensive investment, yes, but in this case you get what you pay for.

If you are looking for something that is close to the Samsung Q7FN, many LG Super UHD TVs are doing business, including the LG SK85 (SK8500) and LG SK95 (SK9500). Both TVs use quantum dot variation and offer better viewing angles than Samsung's QLED. What we did not like about these televisions when we saw them, is that they have problems of uniformity at the black level. I can not win everything, I guess.

Your other option would be the Sony X900F (XF90) series. It offers a full range and offers incredible upscaling for HD / SDR images as well as world class motion management. It has similar problems with light bleeding as LG's Super UHD TVs and the limited viewing angles you'll find on the Q7FN, but excels everywhere else.

Last, but not least, if you do not mind compromising on the volume and accuracy of colors, we remind you not to mention the TV TCL 6K Series 4K Roku. These are ultra-affordable HDR screens that ship Dolby Vision over a well-stocked operating system that has all the streaming services under the sun. The price of the TCL 55R617 55 inch TV starts at only $ 649

Verdict

While the Samsung Q7FN is one of the best screens available this year, it's not quite the QLED technology – this honor is reserved for the Q9FN. The Q7FN is a great price / performance tradeoff offering a bright display, three forms of HDR, and incredibly accurate colors for $ 1,799 (£ 1,999, $ 3,699), but there's still room for improvement. Q7 this year.

That said, while the Q7FN is bright, colorful and beautiful, it loses many of these qualities as you shift a few off-axis degrees. This is not an area where some of Samsung's competitors – such as the LG OLED or Super UHD TVs – are stumbling, making it difficult to give a complete and no-frills recommendation.

If you can ignore these qualities, however, the Q7FN has a lot to offer. Ambient Mode adds a design aesthetic that will appeal to the finest eyes and its low-latency game mode makes it a competent companion to the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro. HDR + mode helps animate HD / SDR content and, of course, 4K / HDR content has an irresistible appearance when viewed on this set. Although the Q7FN is not quite a circuit, it remains a good swing mid-range.