Of late, Samsung's QLED TVs have become the nameplate for bright, colorful, and admittedly quite expensive displays. So there's always been an entry-level model, whether it's last year's Samsung Q6FN, last year's Samsung Q6F, or this year's new Samsung Q60R QLED TV. There's always been a way to get a QLED TV for less... for better or worse. The downside here is that while it shares the QLED moniker, this low-end TV in Samsung's QLED lineup skimps on QLED's best quirks: It doesn't use the OneConnect Box for cables, and worse, it doesn't use full-array lighting. and instead pack the leds to the edge of the screen. In practice, that means it's not quite QLED in the same vein as the bright, colorful and quirky panels we see elsewhere in the lineup that can make HDR content shine. Still, while this smart TV may have some of the same quirks as Samsung's QLED lineup, the Q60R lacks the performance that has become its technology namesake. That doesn't make it a bad TV overall; It's actually great for watching HD / SDR content, it just doesn't measure up to the performance of other QLED TVs.
- Samsung Q60R QLED TV at Amazon for € 597.99
Prices and availability
The Samsung Q60/Q60R are the company's 6 entry-level QLED TVs. They have been available since April and come in 43 screen sizes: 60-inch, 999-inch, 82-inch, 60-inch, 65-inch, and 60-inch. The main difference between the models is cost (obviously) and the fact that the larger screen sizes (55 and 60 inches) incorporate Samsung's wide viewing angle technology that helps images retain their color saturation when viewed off angle. In the US, cost starts at $43 on the low end for the 60-inch QN82Q60RAFXZA and goes up to $55 for the 60-inch QN65Q60RAFXZA. We reviewed the XNUMX-inch QNXNUMXQXNUMXRAFXZA that costs just $XNUMX, which we think strikes a good balance between cost and performance. That said, the XNUMX-inch QNXNUMXQXNUMXRAFXZA is also a good buy at $XNUMX. In the UK, cost starts at €XNUMX for the XNUMX-inch QEXNUMXQXNUMXRATXXU and goes up to €XNUMX for the XNUMX-inch QEXNUMXQXNUMXRATXXU. These Samsung TVs are a bit more expensive in the UK, but are still good value for money if you look at the XNUMX-inch QEXNUMXQXNUMXRATXXU (£XNUMX) or the somewhat overpriced XNUMX-inch QEXNUMXQXNUMXRATXXU (€ one, four hundred and ninety-nine).
Integrated
Despite being the lowest QLED in terms of performance, the Q60R looks almost as good as other TVs in terms of design. The slim bezel is kept to a minimum and the O-shaped feet sit really well under the screen. Best of all, the TV is slim when viewed from the side, which means it will look great on the wall. Unfortunately, the bezel and feet are plastic that can easily break or chip—all the more reason you should consider wall-mounting. The thinness of the TV is due to the fact that the TV employs an edge-lit design rather than full-range lighting. The downside is that the TV can't be as bright as other TVs that use a full-array direct-lit panel, and contrast suffers greatly. We'll cover these drawbacks in more detail later in the performance section, but the silver lining here is that the TV is at least partially slim. Flip the TV over and you will find all the connection ports for the TV. There you'll find 4 HDMI ports (all HDMI 0 and HDMI 4a ARC), as well as 2 USB ports and a digital audio out port. The USB ports can be used to power a streaming device if you don't want to use Samsung's built-in smart platform, or they can be used as ports for a USB stick with auxiliary media. Either way, it's nice to have them. Speaking of things that would be nice to have, as you may have noticed, the Samsung Q60R doesn't use Samsung's OneConnect Box, which better hides cables. The way this TV is set up, you'll need to run cables straight through the back of the screen, which can create something of a tangled mess if you're not careful. The lack of a OneConnect box is no small feat, but it's an ancillary feature you'll get if you upgrade to a higher-end model. TL design; DR: Despite the use of plastic for most TV designs, the Samsung Q60R is a beautiful and somewhat slim TV thanks to its edge-lit LED panel.
(Image credit: Samsung)
Smart TV (Tizen)
However, what the Samsung Q60R shares with its QLED siblings is the Tizen smart platform that acts as the brains behind the muscle. It's fast, responsive and easily one of the best smart platforms out there with WebOS and Roku TV from LG. Like last year's Tizen OS, you can expect many of the same apps here: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu take the lead in the US with prime spots in the home content bar and on the remote. US catch services like BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub in the UK. On the far left of the home content bar, you'll find the Universal Guide that serves as a recommendation area for new content, and the Samsung TV+ app that combines online content with OTA channels if you have an antenna. The latest additions to the 2019 version of the software include Ambient Mode in every set of this year's lineup (it was previously limited to close-up displays), as well as Apple Airplay 2 and Apple TV, which let you stream movies from your iTunes and Manzana. Device account. That said, the main virtual assistant on the TV is still Bixby, which will be able to help you control smart devices linked together through your Samsung SmartThings account. While most of the new features are great - especially the Apple TV integration and Ambient Mode, which helps the TV blend in with the wall when in standby - we've had trouble getting Bixby to recognize some names. ('Thor' got the word 'Four' wrong on several occasions, for example) and Netflix occasionally encountered a bug that forced us to restart the app. These were minor issues, ultimately, and didn't ruin the overall experience too much. Smart TV TL; DR: The fast and responsive Tizen smart platform continues to innovate by offering Apple TV integration directly into Samsung Smart TVs.
If you're buying this TV to watch HD/SDR content (live cable, OTA streams, and non-4K content from streaming services), you won't be disappointed with the Samsung Q60R's performance. This is because, as you may already know, HD/SDR content doesn't need extremely high brightness to produce stunning images. All you need is a good image converter, and the Q60R certainly has that. To be more specific, the Samsung Q60R uses the company's Quantum 4K processor, which uses AI algorithms to fill in the details when upscaling from HD to 4K. The resulting image is not only clearer, but actually more color accurate, even in dynamic image mode. The processor really can take any image, be it a 720p YouTube video or an OTA news show, and make it look pretty good. We still prefer Sony's scaling process a bit more than Samsung's, but it's getting harder to tell the two apart. In HD/SDR, you'll find four picture settings: Dynamic, Standard, Natural, and Movie; the middle two are relatively similar with a slight change in brightness and the last one adds a slight sepia tone to the overall image. This is actually one of the few times we recommend using the dynamic setting, as it generates the most brightness at the expense of some oversaturated images. It's not ideal if you're looking to get the most accurate picture settings, but if you're in a bright room, this is pretty much your only valid option. During our testing period, we watched a number of HD/SDR movies and TV shows, including Baby Driver and seasons one and two of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. The former turned out to be a great test bed for handling TV motion, as there are a lot of chase scenes in the movie, while the latter was a good test for TV color. In terms of motion management, Samsung has come a long way, and probably now has the edge over LG in the category. Most of the action scenes in Baby Driver felt super smooth, while the dialogue scenes never had that soap opera effect. By contrast, the colors in the second season of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency were a bit oversaturated and really did nothing to help the series' excellent cinematography. We did notice a bit of motion blur when playing Days Gone on PS4 Pro, but again, it wasn't very noticeable if you weren't looking for it. HD/SDR performance: With a great upscaling engine and just enough brightness, the Q60R is a good but not amazing HD/SDR display.
Where we were a bit more disappointed was with the TV's 4K/HDR performance which really was lacking compared to what we've seen on Samsung's higher-end QLED TVs. It all comes down to the fact that this isn't a direct LED-backlit model: it can't be as bright as its QLED siblings, and that means it won't have the same level of contrast and offers a smaller displayable color gamut. despite supporting HDR10 and HDR10+ formats. 4K/HDR movies and TV shows don't dazzle you in quite the same way as they would on another TV, especially if you're sitting in a bright room. Stack it side by side with last year's Vizio P-Series Quantum or the Sony X950G that launched a few months ago, and the Q60R looks pretty lackluster by comparison. While it's pretty clear that the Samsung Q60R struggles in the area of maximum brightness, the TV also struggles with black levels: on multiple occasions we've noticed a drop in black level and dropped detail in extremely dark areas while watching content. 4K HDR. This happens sporadically, and while it's not a problem, it's something you wouldn't see as often on another similarly priced TV. At this point we have surely painted the...