Samsung QN85A Neo QLED 4K TV Review

Samsung QN85A Neo QLED 4K TV Review

One minute review

The QN85A Neo QLED is slim enough to look good when hung on the wall.. He's good enough with black and white tones to let the contrasts pop on screen. It can produce brilliant colors, draw edges with absolute confidence, and has beautiful wide viewing angles. It has one of the best smart TV interfaces on the market. And it's capable of accepting any and all smart features of your next-gen game console (as long as it only has one). And he does all of this without asking for moron money in return. Oh, we know that $85 for a 85-inch screen isn't anyone's idea, but we also know that you tend to get what you pay for when it comes to products like this, and the Samsung QN85A. It has good value for money. money. The QNXNUMXA isn't perfect: its sound isn't exceptional, it can't properly refresh low-res content with much conviction, and it's going to occasionally have "a moment" where on-screen motion becomes particularly tiring. Overall, and with the cost / screen size ratio to the fore, the QNXNUMXA came out of this test considerably more in the "positive" column than in the "negative" column.

Prices and availability

The fifty-five-inch Samsung QN85A reviewed here, as well as the sixty-five, seventy-five and eighty-five-inch models that are also free, is on sale now. Samsung TV remote control on the arm of the sofa (Image credit: Samsung) US customers of the service should expect to shell out €1,599 - The company's US site currently promises a €1799 cashback, but that offer is set to expire at any moment. In the UK it launched at €1499, but is now routinely available for €2999. Australian service customers are not yet able to take advantage of cost cuts or temporary discounts and as such should be ready to spend around AU €XNUMX  

Integrated

Do you expect some kind of design increment from Samsung, some rule breaking? Let's hope not, because if you are, you were disappointed. The Samsung QE55QN85A, at least in design concept, fully complies with the standards. It's a large screen, surrounded by a small bezel, perched on a (and rather heavy) stand that leaves plenty of room under the bottom of the screen for a sound bar. Line it up with other newer TVs and it's going to be pretty tough to pick out. Rear of Samsung QN85A Neo QLED TV (Image credit: Samsung) That's not a bad thing, though: a TV's design isn't meant to draw attention to itself. The 85-inch QN85A is 1 x 1999 x 4mm (hwd) in size, with just a brief silver bezel containing that large expanse of screen. And take a look at that last number again: the QN4A measures an unrelenting 120mm deep, making it a much more attractive proposition on the wall than most newer TVs. LG's XNUMXmm Gallery GXNUMX OLED TV is perhaps the only high-end display that's thinner than this alternative option from Samsung, and at £XNUMX for a XNUMX-inch model, it's a bit more expensive. The rear panel houses XNUMX HDMI inputs. One of them covers every single one of the twenty-one HDMI standards supported by next-gen consoles, including FreeSync Premium Pro, ALLM, VRR, XNUMXK/XNUMXHz, and everything in between, while another supports eARC. Alternative input options include select USB sockets, an Ethernet input and antenna terminals for the pair of integrated TV tuners. A digital optical output completes the lineup of physical inputs and outputs. Wireless connectivity works with Bluetooth XNUMX and dual-band Wi-Fi. The QE55QN85A is a mini led screen or, as Samsung's marketing department points out, “Neo QLED”. It should be noted that while the QN85A has exactly the same number of dimming zones as the 95-inch version of the higher-end QN95A (just over XNUMX), its maximum brightness is only XNUMX nits where the QNXNUMXA can get closer. up to two thousand. In this context, however, "XNUMX" is a pretty big number, one that multiple OLED TV owners would sacrifice an arm and a leg for. Samsung Smart Things platform (Image credit: Samsung) When it comes to HDR compatibility, it's Samsung as usual, that is, HLG and HDR10+, but not Dolby Vision. Samsung can go on a long way about all the reasons why their TVs don't need Dolby Vision, but the simple fact is that users, especially users who spend a lot of money on a new TV, generally expect every primary specification box is checked. The absence of Dolby Vision will undoubtedly irritate some, especially since it is the preferred HDR format of Netflix and Apple TV.

Smart TV (Tizen operating system)

This is a testament to how awesome Tizen's smart TV interface is. Samsung only has to play with the details of its performance to maintain its position among the best in the market. Other brands (you know who they are) have had to take giant steps to offer something as logical, simple and easy to use as the interface of the QN85A. It is a paradigm of the feet on the ground. There's a wide selection of free content, including catch-up service from all UK broadcasters and streaming platforms like Apple TV, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. The lack of Freeview Play is a minor drawback, but you're never going to run out of things to watch anyway. Setup is easy, with menus equally logical and succinct, and while a certain degree of fiddling is required to get perfect handling of the movements, the rest of the process doesn't take long. Getting a viable image takes time and getting a good image in each and every field doesn't take much longer. As is often the case with many new Samsung TVs these days, the QN85A comes with two remote controls. One is a cheap controller with too many buttons, many of which are too small, while the other is nicer, very sleek and stripped down that only covers the main control inputs. Voice assistance is also free, as long as you don't want to use Siri. Amazon Alexa is on board, as is the Google Assistant, and Samsung's Bixby Assistant is also free, for those who are happy to enjoy it. Samsung QN85A Neo QLED in multimedia unit (Image credit: Samsung) Samsung's fairly decent Smart Things app is also compatible with the QN85A. It's a nice, clean, and stable interface, but it takes you through a lot of hoops before it's ready to let you adjust the volume on your TV.  

Image quality

It's always amazing the speed with which remarkable new technologies are assimilated. Just take mini LED TVs, for example, which were only introduced to the Samsung, LG and Philips TV lines in 85, but we're past fascinated by how LCD screen technology can deliver shades Such deep, detailed blacks, and such surprisingly well-controlled backlighting, was to be expected. In short, the QN4A does not disappoint. By showing a 85K HDR broadcast of Black Panther via Amazon Prime Video, Samsung impresses on every level. When judging screen black levels, the QN85A is pretty much surprisingly slick. The screen's ability to deliver deep, detailed and expansive black tones makes for an intoxicating viewing experience, and Samsung's many tightly controlled and compact dimming areas mean the backlighting is precise. So when a little gem gleams in an otherwise dark scene, there's no halo around it and no blooming of the brightest area, just a forceful light in the dark. And while the QN95A can't quite muster the maximum brightness of its pricier QNXNUMXA sibling, it's bright enough. And the white tones it produces are just as nuanced, detailed and clean as the black equivalent – ​​and contrasts are extensive as a result. Samsung QN85A Neo QLED in multimedia unit (Image credit: Samsung) The exact same film shows off the extensive and attractive color palette of the QN85A. Of course, it's possible to spend some time adjusting the QN85A's color response, but anyone can switch to intelligent 'adaptive imaging' mode and enjoy the resulting intensity and supposedly unlimited alteration in color performance. The in-screen processor gets plenty of opportunity to examine skin tone and texture here, too, and it's never less than balanced and expressive. Edge definition is stable and sure, while depth of field is never less than forceful. Sometimes the CGI elements of a movie like this can be rather artificially laid out on lower performing displays, but the QN85A is accommodating enough to make those transitions nearly seamless. The fast and also inexorable movement of the film does not cause few alarms either; In fact, on the very rare occasions when you can see the screen working hard to maintain control of on-screen motion, this is only helpful. Samsung's IPS panel offers fairly wide viewing angles (good) and a bit more reflectivity than is completely ideal (not so good). Pay some attention to positioning though, both the screen and your position in relation to it, and picture performance is phenomenal. Upgrade to Full HD content and the QN85A proves to be an efficient upscaler, even when thoroughly testing content like BBC One HD coverage of Wimbledon. Retail levels remain high, contrasts remain wide, and while Samsung's struggles with the measure become more apparent, it remains one of the best players that kind of money can buy. Yes, there's some overall image smoothing, and some previously free shadings and alterations to the color palette skew, but the QN85A is never less than noticeable. However, "viewable" is a relative term when it comes to content scaled down from a lower level. Absolutely no one expects miracles when...