Samsung QA65Q7FAMW
QUANTUM POWERED TO TAKE ON OLED.
DESPITE BEING A whopping 65-inches, this was one of the lightest and thinnest sets in the entire roundup. This is partly because it’s built around Samsung’s QLED technology, which shouldn’t be confused with OLED. This is basically LCD technology with the addition of a film comprised of Quantum Dots to the layers that make up the panel. They’re microscopic molecules that emit different coloured lights depending on their size. This means there still needs to be a backlight, so blacks aren’t as good as OLED. As our i1 results show, black luminescence measured in at 0.014cd/m2, as opposed to the pure black of OLED. Contrast performance also wasn’t as brilliant, hitting 8,525:1, well behind that of OLED. So as you can see, QLED still has some way to go to match OLED image quality.
On the plus side, this panel is exceedingly bright, hitting 567 lux, while also being very power efficient, at just 80W. One feature we absolutely love is the One Connect hub. This takes all of the screens inputs and puts them on an external box. This is then connected to the TV by an incredibly thin wire, making cable hiding infinitely simpler. The voice control is also a handy touch, but overall, we did find the image quality not up to scratch compared to OLED.
SAMSUNG IN 2017
Unfortunately, Samsung was another of the companies that didn’t respond to our request for information about their strategy for 2017, but their CES announcements and other more recent press releases give us a pretty good idea of where this behemoth of the TV market is heading. The big push for Samsung this year is continuing to improve upon its QLED technology across three new ranges, the Q7, Q8 and Q9. The Q7 is lit from below, the Q8 is a curved version, while the Q9 is lit from both sides. According to Samsung’s QLED press release, the latest version can display the DCI-P3 colour space accurately — in other words, they should be capable of reproducing 100% of the colour spectrum. Yet our DispCal measurements showed that the set we reviewed only covered 92.5% of this.
While Samsung has been using Quantum Dot technology for a couple of years, the latest version uses a metal alloy cover to improve its colour accuracy. Apparently, this means it can also display more accurate colours at higher brightness levels, and also allow viewing from a wider angle. Unlike OLED, which can fade over time, QLED doesn’t suffer from such problems. Still, we’re surprised to see that Samsung has chosen not to go with OLED in any of its product ranges.
Another innovation Samsung is rolling out across its TVs this year is Steam integration, from game-maker supplier Valve. This means gamers will be able to stream games from their PC to the TV without the need for a Steam box, as this feature will be integrated into the TV. It’s not clear whether this will be across all Samsung sets, but we’re confident it’ll be in their mid-range and above.
SAMSUNG QA65Q7FAMW
$5,699 www.samsung.com.au
CRITICAL SPECS
3,840 x 2,160; 65-inch; QLED technology; One Connect hub
ANOTHER INNOVATION SAMSUNG IS ROLLING OUT ACROSS ITS TVS THIS YEAR IS STEAM INTEGRATION. THIS MEANS GAMERS WILL BE ABLE TO STREAM GAMES FROM THEIR PC TO THE TV WITHOUT A STEAM BOX.