Hey! If you buy through our links, you support our project. It won't cost you a cent more! Many thanks in advance! β₯οΈ
The QN85A’s anti-reflective coating does a good job overall and visibly minimizes the intensity of highlights and bright object contours.
Compared to the 2021 TV, the QN85B does not perform quite as convincingly and has to take a back seat to its predecessor in this category.
Both the QN85B and QN85A offer consistent viewing angle stability and show only minor drawbacks in color shift even from high angles.
Paleness also only occurs to a very small extent. Thus, both displays remain largely accurate even when viewed from the side and allow for larger viewing sessions in front of the screen.
The models display image content that is displayed in the SDRStandard Dynamic Range – image/video with a conventional gamma curve (opposite: HDR) – “normal” videos color space with a considerably high luminance overall.
The system only intervenes in large, bright scenes and adjusts the brightness automatically so that the TVs do not get too warm and get damaged. This helps the two mid-range TVs effectively overcome even strong ambient light.
As soon as the high-contrast format is required, the QN85A can set itself apart a bit from the successor and still gain a few percent. However, both panels handle bright details well.
However, larger areas look comparatively darker than fine image details. The 85-inch version of the 2021 also has a VAVertical Alignment, type of LCD Panel panel that produces about 200 nitsSI unit of luminance: 1 nit = 1 cd/m2 – The best way of measuring and comparing a TVs brightness less than the smaller versions.
Since both devices use a backlight as a basis, you do not get the perfect black known from OLED TVs. The QN85B in particular cannot get rid of the so-called blooming.
Bright objects thus get a layered shine around their edges. A VAVertical Alignment, type of LCD Panel panel works in each of the 85-inch sizes. Therefore, you get a better uniformity in terms of black value. However, the TVs do not offer a bad picture performance at all.
Both offer a wide range of streaming options. The audio performance is rather modest and should be a temporary solution at most. As usual, we recommend using an eARC-compatible soundbar solution. None of the TVs support Dolby VisionDynamic HDR-format with a color depth of up to 12 Bits and Mastering of up to 10,000 Nits or IMAX compatibility.
In order to make extensive use of the features of the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S console generation, Samsung provides all the necessary instruments. Besides fast response time and short input path, the selection also includes panels that can handle 120 frames per second.
Sufficient bandwidth comes into play with HDMI 2.1 standard. However, you only get one of them on the QN85A and have to change the connection in case of doubt. The QN85B offers much more room and comes with four of these interfaces. However, G-SyncVariable Refresh Rate for Nvidia graphics cards compatibility is only available in the 2022 model.
The sometimes uneven illumination of backlit models is a weak point of LED LCDLCD = Liquid Crystal Display – a type of screen using liquid crystals for creating the image TVs. This manifests itself in color differences in the display of uniform areas on the screen. The corner areas can also be affected and appear significantly darker to the viewer.
The mini-LED panels of these TVs are not completely exempt from this either. While the QN85B still performs quite well, the corners of the QN85 are a bit darker. This can affect the large-screen display of playing fields or tracks in motor sports broadcasts. The intermediate image calculation works well on both devices.
However, both TVs cannot avoid isolated artifacts in fast scenes. Slight blurring can occur especially in dark areas and fast image movements.
With one exception, the equipment frame does not reveal any significant differences. Thus, you will find a twin tuner, USB recording, PVRPersonal Video Recorder, recording TV programs to a USB-Memory Device and eARC for uncompressed sound playback in addition to all important connections. The speaker configuration also remains the same. Apple Airplay is available.
However, you will have to do without the Homekit function. The useful One Connect Box against cable clutter is reserved for the 4K and 8K upper class. The mentioned exception refers to the number of HDMI 2.1 ports. The QN85A only has one port of this type. An additional three are available on the QN85B.
Generally, both Samsung TVs are on the same level and do not show any significant differences. The Samsung Neo QLED QN85A’s minor brightness advantage and the slightly better handling of reflections are among the most noteworthy differences.
However, the Samsung Neo QLED QN85B has more HDMI 2.1 ports, less blooming and a lower energy consumption in HDRHigh Dynamic Range – image/video with more dynamic range (contrast range) mode.
Both TVs have a sufficiently high luminance for reasonable use in bright lighting conditions. In the end, you get a pretty good balance between a sufficient picture quality and a fair purchase price, although it does not quite measure up to the top end.