Ones to watch: Samsung’s entire 2018 TV range explained
Samsung is sticking to its QLED guns in 2018, but has it got what it takes to win the battle against OLED?
Ones to watch: Samsung’s entire 2018 TV range explained
While the rest of TV land turned to OLED in 2017, Samsung stuck to its guns with tried-and-tested LCD, and instead gave the world QLED. Despite the suspiciously similar-looking names, QLED is nothing like OLED, but it still promises improved colours, deeper blacks and even better brightness. Here’s the skinny on Samsung’s 2018 TV range.
Q9FN
Sitting at the top of the range is the 4K Q9F, with full-array backlighting (where the LEDs sit behind the screen rather than at the edges), local dimming and the latest HDR10+ format to make sure contrast is as accurate as possible. A single, slim and near-transparent cable, carries both data and power to the TV from the One Connect Box to keep wire mess to a minimum, plus there’s an Ambient Mode that means you can display art or pictures on the screen when you’re not watching anything. You can also expect an overhauled smart TV interface with Bixby integration and a new SmartThings hub for controlling all of your smart home gadgets from your TV. Phew. Sizes: QE55Q9FN (55in), QE65Q9FN (65in), QE75Q9FN (75in), QE88Q9FN (88in)
Q8CN
Samsung is one of the only manufacturers still dabbling with curved screens, and if you’re still a fan, the Q8C is the only curved option in the QLED range. Aside from the way it looks, the biggest difference here is the switch from full-array backlighting to edge lighting, with peak brightness dropping to 1500 nits as a result. Elsewhere, it’s mostly business as usual, with the Q8CN keeping much of the software and design improvements as the Q9FN. Sizes: QE55Q8CN (55in), QE65Q8CN (65in)
Q7FN
Last year, the Q7 was the entry level set in the QLED family, and we really liked how it did things, with a great balance between features, performance and price. This year looks to be promising again, offering the same 1500-nit peak brightness, edge lighting and local dimming as the Q8CN, but with a flat screen. Its connectivity matches its pricier siblings, as does a lot of its design and feature set, including the new Ambient Mode and Invisible Connection cable. Sizes: QE55Q7FN (55in), QE65Q7FN (65in), QE75Q7FN (75in)
Q6FN
The new entry-level QLED option, the Q6FN takes a few considerable hits on spec to lower the price. The biggest is in the backlighting. Despite still using edge lighting, it takes a dip down to frame dimming only, in place of local dimming. This means the whole frame changes brightness on a frame-by-frame basis, rather than in smaller zones, which will affect contrast and overall brightness. As for the design, it’s a little more basic than the rest of the range. Metal detailing is exchanged for plastic and the Invisible Connection cable is dropped too. Sizes: QE49Q6FN (49in), QE55Q6FN (55in), QE65Q6FN (65in), QE75Q6FN (75in), QE82Q6FN (82in)
NU8500
The NU8500 is a curved range working with Samsung’s Dynamic Crystal colour technology to promise a wider range of colour than you might expect at this level. It’s an edge-lit set, with local dimming, arguably better than the frame dimming available on the entry level QLED. It also matches the QLED range on several software features, including the improved user interface with Bixby, the SmartThings hub and the Auto Game Mode for optimising the set when it recognises a games console has been selected. Sizes: UN65NU8500 (65in), UN65NU8500 (55in)
NU7300
The NU7300 is another curved set, but certainly takes a step-down in both design and technology from its NU8500 sibling. Not only does it drop from local dimming to frame dimming, but it also takes a knock on its picture processing, down to Samsung’s PurColor engine. It still comes with a promise of wider colour and millions of shades, but it won’t be as advanced as that on the NU8500. Elsewhere, motion rate drops from 240Hz to 120Hz, the overall design looks less slick and software takes a knock too, losing the Auto Gaming mode and Bixby support. Sizes: UN55NU7300 (55in), UN65NU7300 (65in)
