Samsung TVs
2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 lineup compared

Samsung is probably the best known and largest TV manufacturer. The Korean company uses almost exclusively VA-LCD panels for its TVs. Thus, all TVs have good black levels and a high contrast ratio. With QLEDs, the Quantum Dot layer is added.

The 2020 Samsung televisions are richly equipped with Dolby Digital, Amazon Alexa and HDR10+. Unfortunately, you have to do without DTS sound formats, Google Assistant and Dolby Vision.

The 2021 lineup brings new QLEDs and, for the first time, the new Neo QLEDs, which use a mini LED backlight. This allows the picture to be illuminated equally strongly, since there are significantly more dimming zones. Thus, a much higher contrast can be achieved, which has a positive effect on the picture quality.

More about TV manufacturer Samsung

Samsung is on of the market leader among TV manufacturers and was for example the first to release a complete 3D lineup in 2010. The South Korean company relies on key features, such as the Quantum Dot technology (QLED) developed specifically for the display sector and the Quantum Processor 8K in combination with artificial intelligence (AI). Another characteristic feature of Samsung is the almost exclusively installed VA panel. The company advertises its “Anti-Glare” development on the QLED models, which is supposed to produce a strong brightness and high contrast. Another keyword is “Dual-LED“, Samsung’s patented backlight technology, which uses two different types of LEDs with different color temperatures to provide high native contrast. Only the high-end models also feature full array local dimming.

In the area of sound, the manufacturer is focusing on three special features: Object Tracking Sound (OTS), Active Voice Amplifier (AVA), an adjustment of the sound to the respective ambient noise and Q-Symphony, which is used to expand the audio range of the internal speakers with a soundbar.

Unfortunately, the Dolby VisionDynamic HDR-format with a color depth of up to 12 Bits and Mastering of up to 10,000 Nits and DTSMulti-channel-sound-system (Surround Sound) competing with Dolby Digital formats are not available on Samsung TVs. The fact that the DTS audio format isn’t supported by the TV isn’t that bad, as it’s easy to find a solution to solve the problem. But the fact that the high-end models in particular don’t support Dolby Vision is really annoying, as Dolby Vision will almost certainly prevail among the dynamic HDRHigh Dynamic Range – image/video with more dynamic range (contrast range) formats and the better Samsung TVs would actually have the necessary test values to display Dolby Vision content effectively.

In the Smart TV category, the key features are the Tizen OS software and the Smart Remote control. Since 2019 the models also bring Apple TV and AirPlay 2 with them.

In general, Samsung represents a minimalist design in which the lifestyle models “The Frame”, “The Serif” and “The Sero” stand out. The new Samsung models feature an Infinity Screen with a 99 percent screen to body ratio.

For your orientation: Samsung’s model designations consist of letters and numbers. The letters used stand for the year of release (from K=2016 to T=2020), while the number says something about the quality of the TV model. Roughly speaking, the higher it is, the better the TV. The letter Q indicates that this is a QLED model.

QLED refers to TVs or monitors that use an LCDLCD = Liquid Crystal Display – a type of screen using liquid crystals for creating the image panel and have a Quantum-Dot layer in front of the LED backlight. This Quantum-Dot layer enables greater color space coverage and color accuracy through more precise basic colors. There are similar technologies from other manufacturers, which are then called either QLED (TCL), NanoCell (LG) or Triluminos (Sony).

The so-called Quantum Dot layer of Samsung’s QLED models is added to the various layers of the LCDLCD = Liquid Crystal Display – a type of screen using liquid crystals for creating the image panel. It ensures that the light of the (possibly different colored) backlight is split into the monochromatic wavelengths of either red, green or blue. The color depends on the size of the quantum dot. With this technique, higher brightness and a larger color space coverage can be achieved.

Dual LED is the name of a new backlighting technology and as a result is a Samsung word mark. Two types of LEDs are used here. They produce different color temperatures: about 5,000 Kelvin for warm light and about 20,000 Kelvin for rather cold light. They change between these depending on the content of the picture. Samsung expects this to result in a higher contrast value and better color accuracy. This technology can be found in the mid-range QLEDS Q60T and Q70T, the TU8509 and the lifestyle model The Frame.

Micro LED is a development of self-luminous LEDs, which form the individual pixels of the display. It has not yet been used in any marketable Samsung TV, but is constantly being developed further. It is reminiscent of OLED technology, but is supposed to work without its disadvantages. Inorganic LEDs are used for this purpose, which can be much brighter than OLEDs but, unlike OLEDs, do not overheat and consume significantly less energy. To achieve this, only red, yellow and blue subpixels are used. The Micro LED technology is supposed to combine perfect black and an almost infinite contrast with good brightness and color accuracy.

QD-OLED combines, as the name suggests, QLED and OLED technology. Unlike LG’s OLEDs, QD-OLEDs do not use an RGB OLED layer that glows white and is then colored by color filters. Instead, only blue OLEDs are used together with a yellow reflective film and quantum dots (QD) to create red and green subpixels. The goal is to combine the natural and saturated colors of a QLED with the advantages of an OLED, such as deep black and very high contrast. The QD-OLED panels from Samsung Display use only two emitting LCDLCD = Liquid Crystal Display – a type of screen using liquid crystals for creating the image layers for this purpose.

An “8K” resolution describes a resolution of 7680 x 4320p, which in comparison to 4K as UHD, should actually be called UHD-2. It is important to note that such a high resolution of the device is only useful if the content played was produced in this resolution. Otherwise it comes to “upscaling“, i.e. the picture is enlarged so that it fits on the TV. Unfortunately, this can partly even worsen the image quality.

With the Object Tracking Sound (OTS) feature, Samsung is trying to enhance the home cinema feeling. It is designed to track moving objects in the picture and then play the corresponding sound from the appropriate speaker at the right position. For example, on Samsung models with a 4.2.2 sound format, the speakers are located at the bottom, sides and top of the TV. However, object tracking sound is rather difficult on televisions with a screen size of less than 49 inches, as the speakers are too close together to create a really noticeable effect. Unfortunately, this feature also doesn’t work with film material with stereo sound.

Samsung’s Active Voice Amplifier (or “AVA” for short) is designed to provide “clear dialogues in all environments”. This feature allows the TV to recognise the (disturbing) ambient noise and adjust the volume of the voices in the scene accordingly.

In Samsung’s QLEDs, Q-Symphony refers to a 2.2.2 channel sound system designed to expand the audio range of the TV’s internal speakers when connected to a soundbar. This means: If you use a suitable Samsung soundbar, the treble channels of the TV remain active, which then extends the soundbar by 2 treble channels or improves the surround sound sound stage.

FreeSyncVariable Refresh Rate with AMD graphics cards or consoles is the name of the variable 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. for LCDLCD = Liquid Crystal Display – a type of screen using liquid crystals for creating the image displays and for AMD graphics cards. It is used in Samsung televisions and is interesting for gamers. FreeSync helps to avoid screen tearing and judder by synchronizing the signal of the graphics card and the refresh rate of the TV. The advantage of FreeSync is that the refresh rate of the TV is constantly adapted to the performance of the graphics card.