Samsung TVs ^{2020 & 2021 lineup compared}

As with its predecessors, Samsung has launched the AU8000, a TV that offers a great price-performance ratio for many users. Its strengths clearly include the smart features, which are inferior to those of the expensive QLED range in very little. The picture in a dark environment is especially noteworthy here, as it is best suited for this. Thanks to the improved reflection behavior, it can still produce a quite respectable picture even in brighter surroundings, which is really an impressive feat in this price range.

In terms of gaming features, it is extremely well positioned for the price range with low input lag and an Auto Low Latency Mode.

Of course, you have to make a few compromises when it comes to some features. For example, the AU8000 does not have FALD and an HDMI 2.1 port is also not available.

In direct comparison to the AU7000, the Samsung AU8000 has a slightly better picture, the Bixby Assistant, and an Ambient Mode that can present pictures in a turned-off state – but you have to pay a little extra for that.

The Samsung Q60A is the most affordable model from Samsung’s 2021 QLED lineup. The direct difference to the UHD series here is the Quantum Dot layer, which is described in more detail again below in the glossary.

Samsung’s Q60A is a TV for everyday use that does without features like HDMI2.1 or Dolby Vison.

In direct comparison with the Samsung AU8079, it is noticeable that the differences between the two are not particularly large. Both are solid TVs from Samsung’s 2021 lineup, but since the Q60A sits in the higher-end QLED lineup, it performs slightly better in most categories accordingly. It has a wider color gamut and gets brighter with HDRHigh Dynamic Range – image/video with more dynamic range (contrast range) content, making highlights stand out more than on the AU8000. On the other hand, the AU8000 has a better reflection behavior, but this only comes into play in rooms flooded with light.

The Samsung Q80A QLED is the top of the 2021 QLED series, so to speak. The next most expensive model in Samsung’s lineup is the QN85A Neo QLED, which, unlike the Q80A, is equipped with a mini LED backlight.

The main difference between the Q80A and the rest of the 2021 QLED lineup is that the Q80A is equipped with an ADS panel instead of a VAVertical Alignment, type of LCD Panel panel. In direct comparison with the Q70A, we can see that the ADS panel primarily has a positive effect on the viewing angle. Apart from that, it becomes much brighter with HDRHigh Dynamic Range – image/video with more dynamic range (contrast range) content, which makes it stand out better in highlight. One drawback of an ADS panel is the lower contrast, which is worse than the Q70A even in combination with a full array local dimming feature, which the Q80A has.

Ultimately, both TVs are very similar or even the same in the case of the smart TV and gaming features. Thus, one is better for different applications. It’s a good viewing angle on the Q80A versus better contrast on the Q70A.

The 50 and 85 inch variants of the Samsung Q80A use a VA panel with significantly higher contrast and a deep and even black, making their picture quality clearly superior. In return, the viewing angle is quite limited, making the Q80A and Q70A even more similar in size.

The cheapest Neo QLED of this year’s Samsung lineup is the first of a total of six TVs with the Mini LED backlight. Together with Full Array Local Dimming, the QN85A can achieve a contrast of 2000:1, which is a good value. However, there is a lot of room for improvement here. Furthermore, the Neo QLED gets bright enough with ~1250 nitsSI unit of luminance: 1 nit = 1 cd/m² – The best way of measuring and comparing a TVs brightness   to shine even in dark environments. Unfortunately, Samsung still has to do without Dolby VisionDynamic HDR-format with a color depth of up to 12 Bits and Mastering of up to 10,000 Nits.

Although the QN85A only has an HDMI 2.1 port, it offers all the features you need for the new consoles. VRRVariable Refresh Rate – synchronizes the display’s refresh rate with the output refresh rate of the graphics card, ALLMAuto Low Latency Mode – Automatically detects connected consoles and keeps input lag as low as possible., a low input lag and [email protected] The built-in ADS panel also makes the viewing angle very wide, which means multiplayer games are no problem.

The 85-inch variant has a VAVertical Alignment, type of LCD Panel panel, which has a positive effect on the contrast since it is significantly higher.

Compared to the Q80A, the top model of this year’s QLED lineup, you notice clear differences. Due to the fact that the QN85A has a layer against reflections built in, the model can handle reflections better. This makes the Neo QLED even more suitable for brightly lit rooms. Even though the contrast and brightness values are not very far apart, it is quite noticeable when watching HDRHigh Dynamic Range – image/video with more dynamic range (contrast range) content.

The QN800A not only features the new Mini LED backlight, but can also shine with its 8K resolution. This allows the TV to achieve a contrast ratio of 10600:1 and a peak brightness of 1300 nitsSI unit of luminance: 1 nit = 1 cd/m² – The best way of measuring and comparing a TVs brightness  , which makes HDRHigh Dynamic Range – image/video with more dynamic range (contrast range) content look great. Thanks to an Ultra Viewing Angle layer, the actually narrow viewing angle can be expanded significantly and another layer minimizes reflections.

Gamers will also get their money’s worth, as four HDMI 2.1 ports are present and offer everything the new consoles need. VRRVariable Refresh Rate – synchronizes the display’s refresh rate with the output refresh rate of the graphics card, ALLMAuto Low Latency Mode – Automatically detects connected consoles and keeps input lag as low as possible. and a low input lag ensure hours of gaming fun.

Only the sound is really negative here, as there is hardly any bass and an 8K resolution is hardly provided with any content so far.

The QN90A is almost the same TV in a direct comparison, just with a 4K resolution, a much higher contrast and a much cheaper price. Additionally, the QN800A has four instead of just one HDMI 2.1 ports.

The Frame 2021 is the direct successor to The Frame 2020. They are extremely similar, but the 2020 model has a higher contrast and also a wider color gamut. However, improvements have also been made to the new model’s response time and backlight, which is now completely flicker-free. Another feature reserved for the newer model is that The Frame 2021 supports 4k @ 120Hz with HDRHigh Dynamic Range – image/video with more dynamic range (contrast range) on the PS5.

In general, The Frame is very close to the QLED range and it is comparable to the Q70A. The Q70A QLED has better contrast and the brightness is also higher, but the lifestyle TV has a One Connect box for that.

The unique selling point of The Frame is clearly its design. It is supposed to look like a painting and can present artwork even in off mode. This, coupled with the no-gap wall mount, allows it to blend in with other pictures. When needed, it can be conveniently turned on and used as a regular TV.

The “Crystal UHD TV” TU7000 represents the low-cost entry level model of the Samsung 2020 lineup. With its VAVertical Alignment, type of LCD Panel panel, it has a relatively high contrast, but the picture from the side appears a bit washed out. Unfortunately, the TU7000 doesn’t offer a wide color gamut and rather low brightness, which makes it more suitable for darker room environments, such as movie nights. The TU7000 has a 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. of only 60 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 the motion handling is altogether satisfactory for its price class: The response time is low at around 6 ms, so fast moving objects hardly leave behind a veil. In addition, the backlight flickers at 120 Hz, which the human eye can hardly perceive. In gaming, it offers advantages and disadvantages: Firstly, the input lag is very low, which is still supported by the existing Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLMAuto Low Latency Mode – Automatically detects connected consoles and keeps input lag as low as possible.). But HDRHigh Dynamic Range – image/video with more dynamic range (contrast range) gaming doesn’t work perfectly, as the input lag increases here. And also an HDMI 2.1 connection and therefore a VRRVariable Refresh Rate – synchronizes the display’s refresh rate with the output refresh rate of the graphics card is unfortunately missing.

In terms of sound, the device clearly lacks bass. Dolby AtmosObject-based surround sound format with 3D-Sound from any direction is present, but DTSMulti-channel-sound-system (Surround Sound) competing with Dolby Digital and Dolby DigitalMulti-channel-sound-system for up to 5.1 channel Surround Sound are not. Furthermore, there is no Twin Tuner and thus no functions like TimeShift and PVRPersonal Video Recorder, recording TV programs to a USB-Memory Device.

The Samsung Q60T may be the cheapest model in the QLED range from 2020, but it is superior to the UHD devices. It has an Edge LED backlight. The black level of the Samsung QLEDs is very good. So, unlike the lower UHD TVs, it is also suitable in bright rooms. As the first TV from the Samsung 2020 lineup, the Q60T offers a wide color gamut. Unfortunately, the response time of around 8ms is slightly longer than the TU8000. The contrast is a bit higher at 7000:1, as is the maximum brightness with 500 nitsSI unit of luminance: 1 nit = 1 cd/m² – The best way of measuring and comparing a TVs brightness  . In terms of gaming, it unfortunately doesn’t offer more than the TU series.

The viewing angle and also the reflection handling of the Q80T are significantly better than that of its less expensive sister models: Samsung has used the Ultra Viewing Angle layer to compensate for the blurred image of the VAVertical Alignment, type of LCD Panel panel from the side. Unfortunately, contrast and brightness suffer a bit from this. The rates are still relatively high, but the contrast ratio is clearly below the one of the the Q70T, while the peak brightness is higher.

The Q800T is the most affordable of two 8K models from Samsung’s QLED series. Except for the higher resolution and a more powerful processor, it is very similar to the Q90T in terms of performance. However, the Q90T can get a little brighter, which the Q800T compensates with a better full array local dimming with 480 zones.

“The Frame” and its sales variant “The Serif” represent the lifestyle models from Samsung, whose focus is on additional design features. They do not belong to the QLED series, but can be compared with it. Overall, The Frame and Q70T perform relatively similar. Like the Q70T, The Frame also doesn’t have local dimming. The maximum brightness and contrast are somewhat better than on the Q70T. The Q70T’s response time is also slightly worse and it produces judder. It’s a pity that The Frame also lacks a layer to improve the viewing angle. This is only reserved for the better QLED models. Unfortunately The Frame also doesn’t have a twin tuner and therefore doesn’t allow PVRPersonal Video Recorder, recording TV programs to a USB-Memory Device and TimeShift.