Samsung Q7F QLED TV (QN65Q7F)

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Probably, you have heard of Samsung’s “QLED” line if you’ve been keeping an eye on the TV buzzwords this year. The QLED TVs represent the best-of-the-best in terms of Samsung’s 2017 TV lineup and delivering super-bright, as usual, beautiful designs and colorful HDR performance.

The Q7F is the most affordable of Samsung’s QLED TV line includes the Q7, Q8, and Q9 series. Nevertheless, as you might guess from the first paragraph that doesn’t mean the Q7 is cheap. This is available in a few screen sizes and they start at gasp wait for it almost $3,000 available at Amazon for $2,797.99.

Moreover, the Q7F series justifies its price tag in oodles of ways. This is one of the best-looking LED TVs. We have ever seen, promising more brightness light output and color than almost any TV to come before it. This is also beautifully crafted from the stand to the remote to the way you connect source devices to it. Snazzy, while you are most certainly getting cutting-edge performance here. The Q7F also has some competition that interested buyers should be aware of.

About the Q7F Series

Samsung’s Q7F QLED TV series is available in three screen sizes:

• 55-inch (Samsung QN55Q7F), $2,799 MSRP
• 65-inch (Samsung QN65Q7F), $3,599 MSRP
• 75-inch (Samsung QN75Q7F), $5,999 MSRP

Though it’s still the most affordable of the QLED TVs, the Q7F series is pretty expensive. We received the 65-inch Q7F on loan from Samsung. They gave it about 24 hours of warm up time prior to evaluation and review.

The Q7F TVs are identical other than screen size.

Specifications:

  • Resolution: 4K/UHD (3,840 x 2,160)
  • HDR compatibility: HDR10
  • Color space: DCI-P3
  • Edge LED lighting
  • Tizen-based Smart Hub
  • One Remote / One Connect box
  • Quantum dot enhanced color and brightness

Samsung has had a clear design mantra for the last few years. TVs should look good from “every angle,” and the Q7F delivers. High-quality plastic on the rear chassis as the Q7F looks good from its hyper-minimalist stand and silvery bezels to the textured.

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“One Connect” box is again used by the Samsung. An outer mainboard connects to the TV via a single simple cable. The cable is so thin that it is spooled about a rubber disc that affixes to a hidden compartment in the back of the TV.

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You’ll get the Samsung “One Remote” finally. The Q7F’s remote is a silver, sleek, minimalist remote that features voice search. A compact or streamlined button design and most impressively. The ability to identify and control a huge array of HDMI input devices via CEC.

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We plugged our 2016 Samsung UHD Blu-ray player in, and not only did the Q7F identify it very quickly, but I was able to fully control the player using the Samsung One Remote. Pretty cool!

 

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The picture quality is incredible here. The Samsung S7F better deliver at $3,600. Our 65-inch sample unit exhibited polish on every front. This is designed beautifully and utilizes some awesome new features and menu systems. On concord, that’s not why the Q7F deserves the spotlight because it basically is a spotlight.

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The Q7F’s biggest foot forward is its sheer, blinding brightness. Samsung’s claims about performance made it sound such as the QLED line includes the brightest and most colorful LED TVs ever during CES. It’s a very believable claim from what I have seen during testing.

Though those may have been describing the flagship Q9 series, the Q7F didn’t quite hit the brightness specs Samsung claimed during CES (1,500-2,000 nits). Moreover, I did measure over 1,300 nits of brightness during HDR content which makes the Q7F one of the brightest TV’s ever made. TVs from 3-4 years ago were lucky to hit 300 nits peak brightness.

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Similarly, the Q7F is extremely colorful. It’s capable of the full range of color expected of standard TVs. On concord, it’s capable of almost covering 100% of the new DCI-P3 color space which is the current target for most HDR content. Despite being the “cheapest” QLED series that makes the Q7F. One of the more colorful TVs we’ve ever tested.

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This is the main reason the Q7F series is so expensive. All of its light-delivery power makes it an excellent HDR (High Dynamic Range) TV, but it looks good playing essentially anything. The crisp 4K resolution, accurate/wide color, and motion performance make basically anything and everything look good. Sub-4K content is upscaled reliably, the the new Auto Motion Plus “Auto” setting—which adjusts de-blur and de-judder automatically depending on content—is the best I’ve seen from Samsung in years.

On concord, incredible as it may be and isn’t entirely flawless. It still suffers some hurdles based on the LCD panel type and LED edge-lighting used to light it while the Q7F delivers a long list of desirable performance features. For instance, they are still not as good as an OLED TV while Samsung claims better viewing angles for its QLED lineup.

While a standard result for an edge-lit TV with a VA panel is still limited as I measured a total viewing angle of just under 30°. You’ll still see LEDs shining through shadows at about 30° or more off angle while the TV’s excessive brightness makes the drop in contrast less apparent to the viewer.

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This is one price you pay for a stlyishly thin TV. It doesn’t have the space for a full array of LED lights behind the screen. In fact, while the flagship Q9 has edge lighting along the entire perimeter, the Q7F only has lighting on two sides of the panel. That said, it does have much better shadow uniformity than the edge-lit LEDs of years past.

While you are paying for the picture, it is something buyers should be aware of. Another drawback of the thin panel construction is in audio quality. Simply, most TVs don’t have the space inside for big or high-quality speakers, and that’s the case with the Q7F.

You will love some of these features. On concord, they aren’t huge selling points. The Q7F’s main claims to fame are some neat features revolving around the “One Remote” and “One Connect” boxes outside of its sleek design and jaw-dropping brightness. Firstly, a bit about durability.

Samsung’s design for the new “One Connect” is not too different from past years. But, what is really different is the connection cable. This is a super thin connector that spools out from around a rubber looping mechanism. You can affix the mechanism to the back of the TV that allows any excess cable length to be hidden away behind a removable panel.

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This is a cool system, but I’m a bit worried about the durability of this very thin connection cable. Repeated pulling or yanking may mean it wears out faster than traditional cables while it should be fine with careful handling.

The One Remote synergizes well with the smart platform navigating through apps and menu systems are reliable and quick. The voice search is a good alternative for typing though it’s not as well-developed as in some systems.

“HDR+” picture mode option is the coolest feature which uses an algorithm to give non-HDR content an HDR-like appearance. This is a great way to take advantage of the Q7F’s massive brightness and color ranges until more HDR content becomes available while it lacks the subtlety and mastering of actual HDR content.

Pros:

  • Gorgeous colors
  • Unprecedented brightness
  • Amazing upscaling

Cons:

  • Poor black levels
  • Apps hang periodically
  • Inconsistent sound system

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