Samsung QE75Q900R Assessment

8K’s affect is not fairly as dramatic at 75 inches, but it surely’s nonetheless there and important

Execs

• Fantastically dynamic and punchy HDR footage
• 8K decision is mesmerising with native 8K content material…
• …however upscaled non-8K sources look excellent too

Cons

• Presently no native 8K content material
• Restricted viewing angles
• Some backlight instability in Normal preset

Key Specs

• Assessment Worth: £6999
• QLED color know-how
• HDR10, HLG and HDR10+ excessive dynamic vary help
• 75-inch LCD TV with a local 8K decision
• Direct LED lighting with 480 native dimming zones
• Eden sensible TV platform

What’s the Samsung QE75Q900R?

The Samsung QE75Q900R is a 75-inch 8K tv. Sure, that’s proper, 8K – that means it has 7680 x 4320 pixels squeezed into its display.

It additionally makes use of Samsung’s QLED know-how to ship distinctive brightness and color quantity, and the corporate’s new 8K AI processor to transform non-8K sources into 8K. That is fairly useful, on condition that there are basically zero native 8K sources accessible proper now.

We’ve already examined and been dazzled by the 75Q900R’s larger, 85-inch brother. However can the impression of 8K nonetheless hit dwelling on a smaller display?

Associated: Samsung QE85Q900R assessment

Samsung QE75Q900R – Design and construct high quality

The QE75Q900R is impressively effectively constructed. It’s one of many heaviest TVs my aching again has needed to take care of up to now yr, and its rear and sides present no signal by any means of flexing or buckling.

Its bodywork isn’t in itself probably the most enticing I’ve seen. It’s comparatively chunky around the again by immediately’s requirements, as an example. Its angled ft look moderately plain, too – though a minimum of you’ll be able to select to put them both below every nook of the TV or nearer collectively in direction of the display’s center. This latter becoming choice means you don’t want a very large piece of furnishings upon which to relaxation the TV.

Nevertheless, as with all high-end 2018 Samsung TVs, the QE75Q900R has a neat design trick up its sleeve: Ambient mode. Choose this and the TV switches right into a low energy setting and performs both a nonetheless picture of paintings or one in all your individual images, so that you simply’re not left with a gaping 75-inch black gap in your front room.

You’ll be able to even take {a photograph} of your wallpaper/paint and have that seem on the display, in order that the TV blends magically into your decor.

To finish this “invisible TV” phantasm, the QE75Q900R ships with an exterior connections field that attaches to the TV through a single, skinny, virtually clear cable.

Samsung provides two distant controls with the 75Q900R. One is a moderately drab however really very usable customary distant, with a lot of buttons. The opposite is a minimalist, metallic “sensible” handset that takes a little bit of getting used to. Finally, it proves rewarding for day-to-day use, particularly because it’s the one one which carries a built-in mic to help the QE75Q900R’s glorious voice-control options.

The sensible distant may even mechanically detect and supply management of any gadgets you could have connected to your QE75Q900R. In observe, nonetheless, that is overly sophisticated by the sensible distant’s restricted variety of buttons.

Associated: What measurement TV ought to I purchase?

Samsung QE75Q900R – Options

As you’d hope of a TV that prices £7000, the QE75Q900R has loads of big-hitting options up its sleeve.

Probably the most uncommon on the time of writing is its native 8K decision. The truth is, this mannequin is the one true 8K 75-inch TV launched to this point. Whereas 8K definitely made a serious impression – greater than I’d anticipated – on Samsung’s 85-inch TV, an enormous query for the QE75Q900R is whether or not 8K nonetheless “works” at 75 inches.

Serving to to unlock the form of color finesse so many pixels deserve/should be partnered with is Samsung’s QLED know-how. This makes use of particular metal-clad Quantum Dots that may be pushed brighter than regular QDs to provide an unprecedentedly huge color vary.

The QE75Q900R additionally claims an enormous 4000 nits of peak brightness – one thing that will probably be key in serving to the set obtain larger color “quantity” than typical LCD or OLED TVs. As I’ll focus on within the Efficiency part, my very own measurements counsel this 4000-nit declare is definitely moderately optimistic. It’s nonetheless the brightest 75-inch TV round, although.

The fear at any time when there’s excessive brightness on an LCD TV is how a lot harm this would possibly do to its black ranges. The QE75Q900R tackles this situation effectively, although, due to a direct backlighting system with a really respectable 480 individually controllable native dimming zones.

What’s extra, in response to criticism I and others levelled at some gentle “blooming” on the QE85Q900R, Samsung has tweaked the backlight management algorithms through a firmware replace with spectacular outcomes, as we’ll see later.

Additionally standing out on the QE75Q900R is Samsung’s newest tackle its “Eden” sensible platform. In addition to supporting an easy-to-use and complete voice-control system, this delivers an enormous vary of apps inside a slick and tidy interface.

Among the many apps accessible are Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube (all accessible of their 4K and HDR variations); all of the catch-up apps for the UK’s hottest terrestrial broadcasters; Now TV; Spotify; Deezer; Chili.TV; Rakuten (once more, in 4K and HDR), and plenty of extra moreover.

Apart from the UK catch-up companies not being accessible inside a YouView or Freeview Play wrapper, it’s laborious to see what additional content material Samsung might fairly be anticipated so as to add.

The interface seems a bit dated, if I needed to be super-critical. Nevertheless, it’s simple to customize and laborious to get “misplaced in”; ultimately, that’s all that basically issues.

The connections discovered on the QE75Q900R’s exterior connection field are principally as you’d anticipate of a flagship TV. The 4 HDMIs can all deal with 4K HDR at 60p and past, whereas three USBs and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth community choices deal with a variety of multimedia file codecs. The HDMIs help a few cool gaming options, too: automated recreation mode switching when a recreation supply is detected, and variable refresh fee help as an example.

The one downside is that not one of the HDMIs are constructed to the not too long ago specified HDMI 2.1 specification. This implies they will’t deal with the information bandwidths needed for 8K at 60Hz or extra. Thankfully, Samsung has promised to construct a brand new connections field carrying an HDMI 2.1 port sooner or later subsequent yr – and it’s additional promised to provide this new field freed from cost to any current Q900R proprietor who asks for one.

After all, you would possibly effectively suppose that each one this speak of 8K supply compatibility is moderately moot when there aren’t really any native 8K sources accessible. The truth is, you could be considering that there isn’t a lot level shopping for an 8K TV in any respect when there aren’t but any 8K sources.

Such sources will certainly come from someplace ultimately, although – and after they do, the QE75Q900R must do no matter it could possibly to ensure it’s suitable with them.

There’s one other essential 8K angle to think about, within the form of Samsung’s 8K AI processing engine. This makes use of large quantities of processing energy and film know-how to transform decrease decision sources into 8K, in real-time. And it really works effectively sufficient to depend as a recreation changer, as we’ll see within the Efficiency part.

Samsung’s Optimised Sound choice, in the meantime, mechanically adjusts the sound settings based mostly on an evaluation of the kind of sound being performed at any given second.

It helps the HDR10, HLG and HDR10+ excessive dynamic vary codecs, however not Dolby Imaginative and prescient. And at last, it takes lower than 20ms to render its footage with its Recreation image mode chosen.

Associated: HDMI 2.1 – What it’s essential to know

Samsung QE75Q900R – Setup

Earlier than you do the rest, flip off the QE75Q900R’s Eco image capabilities. These – particularly the setting that adjusts the image in response to gentle ranges in your room – might be notably damaging to the image.

One bit of excellent information right here is that adjusting the TV’s distinction or brightness settings immediately turns the Eco settings off with out you having to seek out them within the TV’s “Normal” settings menu.

In relation to image presets, you’re actually taking a look at a selection between Normal and Film. Normal delivers probably the most dynamic, punchy, excessive distinction and, for me, most all-round satisfying image. Though it’s possible you’ll want to show down the backlight barely for those who really feel that its default HDR photos look too excessive for consolation.

Film mode nonetheless seems flat, yellowish and a contact tender in contrast with a gently tweaked Normal mode, despite the fact that it’s ostensibly probably the most correct setting in Samsung’s arsenal. Nevertheless, it delivers probably the most all-round nuanced and balanced HDR gentle vary expertise, particularly in terms of shadow detailing and light-weight consistency.

If you happen to choose to make use of the Normal preset, take care to not set the native dimming to low, as the quantity of shadow element this crushes out of the image turns into excessive.

Additionally price listening to is the Digital Clear View function. To maintain the very best stability for various sources between element and noise, I’d counsel the next Digital Clear View setting selections: Off for 4K/8K content material; Low for good-quality HD content material; and Auto for SD and poor high quality HD.

The QE75Q900R additionally makes an excellent argument for movement processing. Activating it on its Customized setting with its blur and judder parts set to round three helps to retain extra readability in upscaled and native 8K photos. With out it you persistently really feel such as you’re shedding a number of the 8K picture’s exceptional readability.

Samsung QE75Q900R – Efficiency

The QE75Q900R retains a lot of the dazzling pleasure of the QE85Q900R’s footage. And, due to the brand new firmware replace, it does so with significantly much less noticeable flaws.

Let’s begin by pushing the QE75Q900R to the extremes of its efficiency with native 8K content material. This comes within the type of non-HDR video clips offered on USB by Samsung, as there are, as mentioned beforehand, no native 8K sources on the market. Nevertheless, the clips are fairly various, giving us a glimpse on the element, color and movement dealing with of the QE75Q900R’s 8K footage. And whereas their impression isn’t as nice because it was on the 85-inch TV, it’s nonetheless not like something I’ve seen within the 4K realm.

The readability of a number of the most detailed footage – predominantly cityscapes, views throughout rugged terrain and, notably memorably, a shot of stained-glass home windows in a cathedral – is spectacular. Past 4K, with out query. Notably when there’s some light movement within the body, at which level the way in which your mind works to understand decision kicks into its highest gear.

Associated: Hybrid Log-Gamma – what’s it?

It’s jaw-dropping stuff at instances, notably throughout an Inception-like demo sequence the place a cityscape tumbles across the display.

Whilst you really feel most conscious about 8K’s additional element and readability the nearer you sit to the display, it’s nonetheless seen – notably within the sense of depth and color decision –from regular viewing distances. Which on this case I put at round 3 metres.

The impression of all the additional pixels isn’t fairly as nice – even throughout probably the most spectacular sequences – because it was on the 85-inch display. And a number of the much less mind-blowing 8K sequences solely look barely higher than 4K. Whereas this reminds us of the truth that 8K is known as a big-screen know-how as far as shopper TV functions are involved, there’s definitely nonetheless sufficient of a distinction to make sure that the QE75Q900R is able to delivering hands-down probably the most crystal-clear, detailed footage ever seen on a 75-inch TV.

Transferring to 4K native sources, the QE75Q900R joins the QE85Q900R in revealing the exceptional high quality of Samsung’s 8K AI upscaling system. This does a stellar job of including the tens of hundreds of thousands of pixels wanted to show 4K into 8K, making them look barely extra detailed whereas concurrently taking exceptional care to not suppress moderately than exaggerate supply noise.

Pausing 4K Blu-rays on the QE75Q900R alongside a 65Q9FN clearly exhibits additional element in areas similar to constructing brickwork and the weave of clothes. All delivered with none accompanying movement artefacts, blurring, edge ringing or undesirable grittiness.

This upscaling system is even able to spiriting away giant quantities of the blocking and mosquito noise related to closely compressed HD and even SD web streaming sources, or the notoriously closely compressed broadcasts of Sky Information on Freeview.

Samsung actually has give you one thing particular with 8K AI – because it wanted to, on condition that till native 8K content material arrives, the one actual arguments for getting an 8K TV are future-proofing and the potential for upscaled 4K footage to look higher than they do on a 4K TV.

Associated: What’s HDR?

The QE75Q900R’s brightness, in the meantime, is spectacular and barely disappointing all on the similar time. Photos definitely look persistently dazzling with HDR content material, due to extra brightness than any 75-inch TV I’ve seen earlier than. Placing some numbers on this, in Normal mode the TV peaks at round 2890 nits on a ten% white HDR window – though this determine is barely held for a really brief time.

The Film mode doesn’t peak as excessive, extra like 1950 nits, but it surely retains this form of determine for much longer than the Normal mode holds on to its greater brightness peak. The truth is, brightness reduces so slowly over time with the Film setting that I wouldn’t think about you’d ever see the change taking place with any actual life content material.

After all, each of those measured “peak” figures fall a way wanting the 4000 nits Samsung claims for the QE75Q900R. That’s to not say the corporate is essentially mendacity with its 4000 nit claims; I think the display actually can hit 4000 nits in very small areas of the display for very brief intervals of time. However I definitely couldn’t get the QE75Q900R to hit the 4000 nits and past figures on the ten% window just like the QE85Q900R did.

Going again to the variations between the very completely different approaches to brightness between the Normal and Film modes, you’re confronted with a selection between a extra dynamic and punchy image in Normal mode, and a “flatter” however extra secure and constant image in Film mode.

That is hardly the primary time we’ve come throughout this selection on a Samsung TV. Nevertheless, the distinction is noticeably extra pronounced than it’s with Samsung’s non-8K TVs.

The Normal setting is in most methods comfortably probably the most thrilling, with higher distinction and black ranges, greater ranges of common brightness with HDR content material, and a richer, extra dynamic look to colors.

Nevertheless, darkish scenes can look noticeably extra unstable, with some fairly apparent shifting in brightness when, say, a shot cuts abruptly from a darkish scene to a shiny one, and vice versa.

Associated: What’s Extremely HD Premium? New HDR customary defined

In Film mode such instabilities are drastically diminished, however black ranges are barely greyer, and colors look flatter – though barely extra nuanced.

Each modes reveal the advantages of Samsung’s new firmware for its Q900R TVs, nonetheless. There’s now virtually no “blooming” round shiny objects, even after they seem in opposition to almost black backgrounds. What’s extra, this has one way or the other been achieved whereas really rising, moderately than reducing, the brightness of these stand-out shiny areas. They nonetheless look a contact dimmer than they do on Samsung’s Q9FN TVs, however the distinction is now a lot much less dramatic.

Samsung’s new firmware additionally does a significantly better job of retaining shadow element in very darkish scenes, even for those who’re utilizing the Normal mode. “Film” remains to be the very best setting for shadow element, however given the benefits in different areas of the Normal setting, it’s nice to see that this mode now comes with far much less black crush.

Added collectively, the large discount in backlight blooming, elevated punch of stand-out shiny areas and improved shadow element rendition take away just about all the problems I had with the QE85Q900R’s image. This makes it even simpler to lap up the ground-breaking impression of the QE75Q900R’s decision, brightness, distinction and color.

Associated: OLED vs LED LCD – What’s the very best show know-how?

On the draw back, there’s little doubt that the QE75Q900R is at its very best with one thing it isn’t more likely to get in any nice amount for years: native 8K content material. It additionally nonetheless suffers with a really restricted viewing angle earlier than distinction and color take an enormous hit.

Rival OLED know-how nonetheless has an enormous benefit in terms of viewing angles. It additionally delivers extra persistently deep black colors than you get with whilst excellent an LED TV because the QE75Q900R. There’s extra luminance depth to very shiny objects that stand out in opposition to near-black backgrounds on OLED screens, too.

Nevertheless, the QE75Q900R outguns OLED considerably on brightness and color quantity. Plus, after all, there are at present no commercially accessible 8K OLED TVs.

The QE75Q900R’s sound isn’t as spectacular as its footage. Regardless of the intelligent efforts of Samsung’s Sensible Sound know-how, it tends to really feel barely swallowed and muted. The sound stage doesn’t seem as detailed, direct or giant in scale as these of the very best TV audio performers this yr.

To be honest, with 60W of audio energy unfold throughout 4.2 channels, the QE75Q900R’s audio specification seems just about an identical to that of the Q9FN TVs, which I reviewed fairly positively. Nevertheless, the dimensions and dynamism of the QE75Q900R’s footage simply really feel like they should be partnered with a extra dynamic and direct sound.

Associated: What’s 4K TV and Extremely HD?

Why purchase a Samsung QE75Q900R?

The QE75Q900R is able to delivering footage the likes of which you’ve by no means seen earlier than. That is very true with native 8K content material.

Crucially, although, on condition that native 8K content material is at present non-existent outdoors of specifically created demo reels, its 8K AI upscaling additionally makes good high quality 4K content material look higher than it does on the very best native 4K TVs.

In different phrases, for those who purchase one now you’re not simply future-proofing your self in preparation for a possible courageous new 8K world. You’re additionally marginally enhancing your expertise with immediately’s content material.

The enhancements Samsung has managed to ship with its new firmware are glorious, fixing virtually all the gripes I had with the QE85Q900R (which may also have now obtained the newest firmware). It’s additionally nice to listen to Samsung’s pledge to offer an up to date connections field with HDMI 2.1 help (as soon as they’re accessible) to any Q900R proprietor who needs one.

The QE75Q900R’s 8K abilities don’t ship fairly as a lot impression as they did on the QE85Q900R. Nevertheless, crucially, they’re nonetheless seen – and from regular viewing distances, too.

The one large query it’s important to ask your self is simply how a lot you’re prepared to pay for the QE75Q900R’s future-proof options and cutting-edge footage. For whereas £6999 is arguably not loopy cash for a really next-generation TV, it’s nonetheless £2300 greater than Samsung’s 75-inch flagship 4K TV, the QE75Q9FN.

On the time of writing, it’s also possible to get the 77-inch LG OLED77C8 TV for slightly below £6000. That set presents help for Dolby Imaginative and prescient HDR, too – though, clearly, it’s solely a 4K moderately than an 8K TV.

Verdict

The QE75Q900R isn’t fairly as spectacular as its bigger 8K sibling, by way of both its brightness or the impression of its 8K decision. However, it delivers probably the most detailed, sharp and vibrant footage of any 75-inch TV – even while you’re not watching native 8K content material. If cash’s no object, you definitely can’t accuse Samsung of not making the world’s first 8K TVs critically compelling.

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We check each TV we assessment completely over an prolonged time frame. We use business customary exams to check options correctly. We’ll at all times let you know what we discover. We by no means, ever, settle for cash to assessment a product.

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Used as the primary TV for the assessment interval

Examined for greater than per week

Examined utilizing business calibrated instruments, discs and with actual world use

Examined with broadcast content material (HD/SD), video streams and demo discs

Trusted Rating

Rating intimately

• Options 9

• Worth 8

• Sensible TV 9

• Picture High quality 10

• Design 9

• Sound High quality 8

Options

Connectivity

Bodily Specs