Samsung Q70A QLED – The affordable Gaming QLED TV

Slimmer is always possible seems to be Samsung’s motto this year, since the Q70A is kept in the ultra-thin AirSlim design. The filigree design allows the TV to fit seamlessly into any home and can even convince minimalists. If the relatively slim stand is still too big for you, you can easily mount the Q70A on the wall with a wall mount, which makes it almost invisible. However, the stand on the new models is kept very narrow and is located in the center of the TV, which allows it to fit on a small table.

The titanium gray of the frame, which is only really visible on one side, also looks modern, making it timeless and chic. In addition, the stand is kept in a basalt black, which means it doesn’t stand out negatively. Recesses on the back ensure that the cables can be neatly routed. They also disappear in the base, so you can ultimately speak of a clean cable management.

The contrast of the Q70A is incredibly high for an LED TV with 7400:1, but unfortunately we have to do without a local dimming function and Dolby VisionDynamic HDR-format with a color depth of up to 12 Bits and Mastering of up to 10,000 Nits here as well. Nevertheless, content looks excellent and the black level is also very good. The color gamut and picture brightness are also convincing, which makes the QLED look good especially in bright rooms, since it can reach a maximum brightness of 590 nitsSI unit of luminance: 1 nit = 1 cd/m² – The best way of measuring and comparing a TVs brightness  . Furthermore, the TV can handle most reflections very well, but you should not expose it to direct light. However, due to the built-in VAVertical Alignment, type of LCD Panel panel, the viewing angle turns out to be quite small, which causes the picture to deteriorate very quickly when watching from a slanted sitting position. The picture looks washed out and pale, which is especially noticeable when watching with several people.

The Q70A can shine with a very good response time of 5 ms and possible motion blur can be reduced significantly thanks to Black Frame InsertionProcess that inserts black “blank images” as intermediate images. This makes movements appear finer and clearer.. The backlight flickers at a frequencyHertz is the derived SI-unit of frequency with 1Hz=1/s – When talking about TVs this means how many different pictures a TV can display in one second. of 960 HzHertz is the derived SI-unit of frequency with 1Hz=1/s – When talking about TVs this means how many different pictures a TV can display in one second., but this is not visible to the human eye and is perceived as smooth motion. The refresh rateHertz is the derived SI-unit of frequency with 1Hz=1/s – When talking about TVs this means how many different pictures a TV can display in one second. is a solid 120 Hz, but artifacts can occur during very fast frame changes. In addition, the Q70A is more susceptible to stutters, but these can be significantly reduced by enabling Motion Interpolation.

Compared to its little brother, the Q60A, the Q70A is very well suited for any console. Because the response time and input lag are very low, games run smoothly and you can react lightning fast without any delay. Thanks to the HDMI 2.1 connection, the new consoles also work wonderfully and next generation gamers get their money’s worth with 4K@120Hz. The Q70A also supports FreeSyncVariable Refresh Rate with AMD graphics cards or consoles, VRR and even though Samsung does not advertise G-SyncVariable Refresh Rate for Nvidia graphics cards compatibility, corresponding graphics cards are supported when you connect the TV to a PC.

However, you should keep in mind that the TV is more suitable for gaming alone since the viewing angle is very small. The fast VAVertical Alignment, type of LCD Panel panel makes the TV especially suitable for fast-paced games like shooters or action games, but a cozy evening of gaming with friends should rather take place online. In addition, the Q70A only has one HDMI 2.1 port, which means that you have to reconnect several devices that need this port more often.

Unfortunately, the sound is not really convincing. The installed speakers with 20 W (RMS) are sufficient for everyday use and it is loud enough to fill most rooms, but you quickly notice that the limit is reached. Especially the bass is very weak, which is noticeable in bass-heavy movies or series and the right atmosphere just doesn’t want to arise. The room correction function Adaptive Sound+ is available, but it hardly brings audible improvements. Only the Active Voice Amplifier, which actively detects disturbing noises around the TV, worked well. On a positive note, however, the Q70A has eArc support and Dolby AtmosObject-based surround sound format with 3D-Sound from any direction is also included.

For a much better sound, we recommend buying a soundbar, which can benefit the Q70A significantly.

Samsung also relies on its in-house operating system Tizen in this generation and version 6.0 runs smoothly, intuitively and without bugs. In addition, many apps, such as Netflix or Prime Video, are already preinstalled and many more apps can be installed without problems. The only criticism here is that ads on the desktop and in the store can only be removed manually and in a complicated way.

The new remote control does without batteries and has a solar panel as well as a USB-C port, which can be used for environmentally friendly charging. The built-in microphone ensures easy handling and works flawlessly. The common voice assistants Alexa and Bixby are already integrated, whereas Google Assistant is only compatible.