Samsung QN85B QLED Review (QN55QN85BAFXZA, QN65QN85BAFXZA, QN75QN85BAFXZA, QN85QN85BAFXZA) (2024)

Curved No

The Samsung QN85B looks great, with very thin bezels that help it to blend into the décor. The stand has been updated for 2022, and the new hexagonal base is unique and stylish, although it looks a bit more like a gaming monitor than a TV.

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Wall Mount VESA 400x300

The back is plastic with a textured brushed metal finish. There are channels along the back and a space in the stand for basic cable management. Unfortunately, the inputs are inset into the back of the TV, so they're difficult to access if you wall-mount the TV with a fixed bracket.

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Borders 0.35" (0.9 cm)

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Max Thickness 1.06" (2.7 cm)

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The Samsung QN85B has fantastic build quality. It's well put together, with premium materials that feel well-built. There's some flex on the back panel, but this isn't unusual and doesn't cause any issues. The gap between the bezel and the screen isn't quite uniform, which indicates a less precise final assembly process, but this isn't really noticeable. Sadly, the TV tends to wobble a bit.

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Contrast

Native Contrast

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Local Dimming

Backlight

Dimming Zones Count Of Tested TV

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Unfortunately, as with most recent Samsung TVs, the local dimming feature is a bit worse in 'Game' Mode. In 'Game' Mode, there's more noticeable blooming around bright highlights or subtitles, and they seem to be spread out over a greater number of dimming zones. The processing also seems to be a bit slower, and zone transitions are more noticeable.

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Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)

Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)

Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)

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Sustained 2% Window

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Sustained 100% Window

Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)

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Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)

Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)

Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)

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Peak 100% Window

Sustained 2% Window

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Sustained 25% Window

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Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)

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600 Nit Tracking Delta

1000 Nit Tracking Delta

4000 Nit Tracking Delta

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Real Scene Peak Brightness

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Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)

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Wide Color Gamut

DCI P3 xy

DCI P3 uv

Rec 2020 xy

Rec 2020 uv

The Samsung QN85B has a very good color gamut. It has excellent coverage of the DCI-P3 color space used by most current HDR content. Colors don't quite pop the way they should in some content, but it's not really noticeable unless you're comparing this TV to another one with a wider color gamut. It has limited coverage of the wider Rec. 2020 color space, and the tone mapping isn't very good when displaying Rec. 2020 content, so there's some loss of fine details in some scenes.

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1,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage ITP

10,000 cd/m² Rec 2020 Coverage ITP

White Luminance

Red Luminance

Green Luminance

Blue Luminance

Cyan Luminance

Magenta Luminance

Yellow Luminance

The Samsung QN85B has just decent color volume. It's mainly limited by its incomplete color gamut, as most colors are displayed well at various brightness levels, and colors are just as bright as pure white. Dark saturated colors are displayed well, which is impressive for an ADS panel.

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White Balance dE

Color dE

Gamma

Color Temperature

Picture Mode

Color Temp Setting

Gamma Setting

The Samsung QN85B has great accuracy out of the box. The white balance is a bit off, especially in brighter shades of gray, but most colors look great. The white balance is a touch warm, but it's not really noticeable, and gamma is very close to the 2.2 target for a dark room, but bright scenes are over-brightened a bit.

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White Balance dE

Color dE

Gamma

Color Temperature

White Balance Calibration

Color Calibration

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50% Std. Dev.

50% DSE

5% Std. Dev.

5% DSE

The Samsung QN85B has good gray uniformity. The sides of the screen are noticeably darker than the center. There's just a bit of dirty screen effect, which is mainly noticeable when watching sports.

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Std. Dev.

Native Std. Dev.

Unfortunately, the Samsung QN85B has just okay black uniformity. The screen appears cloudy throughout due to the low native contrast when local dimming is disabled. Enabling local dimming reduces the cloudiness significantly, but despite the high number of dimming zones, there's a bit of blooming around the test cross. The 85 inch model uses a different panel type, and it has much better black uniformity.

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Color Washout

Color Shift

Brightness Loss

Black Level Raise

Gamma Shift

The Samsung QN85B has a very good viewing angle. The image fades a bit at moderate viewing angles, causing it to appear washed out, but there's very little color shift. It's a very good choice for a wide seating arrangement, as the image remains accurate at an angle, or if you're using it as a PC monitor, as the sides of the screen remain accurate if you're sitting close to it. Note that the 85 inch model uses a different screen type with a worse viewing angle.

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Screen Finish

Total Reflections

Indirect Reflections

Calculated Direct Reflections

The Samsung QN85B has decent reflection handling. The semi-gloss coating diffuses reflections across the screen a bit, making them appear larger but less bright overall. Thankfully, this TV can get incredibly bright, so despite the limited reflection handling, you can increase the brightness to overcome glare.

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100% Black to 50% Gray

50% Gray to 100% White

100% Black to 50% Red

50% Red to 100% Red

100% Black to 50% Green

50% Green to 100% Green

100% Black to 50% Blue

50% Blue to 100% Blue

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Smoothing

Detail Preservation

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480p content, like DVDs, is upscaled well, with no issues at all.

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Subpixel Layout

Type LED

Sub-Type

Like the 2021 Samsung QN85A QLED, the Samsung QN85B QLED uses an ADS panel, which performs similar to IPS technology. The red-green-blue subpixel structure is great for use as a PC monitor, as text is rendered properly. Note that the 85 inch model uses a VA panel and has a blue-green-red subpixel structure, so text isn't as sharp.

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80% Response Time

100% Response Time

The Samsung QN85B has a great response time. Most transitions are very fast, with minimal overshoot, so motion looks relatively clear with little blur behind fast-moving objects. There's significant overshoot in dark transitions, though, causing inverse ghosting behind dark areas.

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Flicker-Free

PWM Dimming Frequency

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Optional BFI

Min Flicker For 60 fps

60Hz For 60 fps

120Hz For 120 fps

Min Flicker for 60 fps in Game Mode

The Samsung QN85B has an optional backlight strobing feature, commonly known as black frame insertion. This feature helps reduce blur caused by the TV's fast response time, otherwise known as persistence blur. It works at both 60Hz and 120Hz, but the timing is a bit off, causing a duplicated image. Note that our scoring only reflects the range of flicker frequency and not how well the BFI performs.

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Motion Interpolation (30 fps)

Motion Interpolation (60 fps)

The Samsung QN85B has a feature to increase the frame rate of low frame rate content up to 120Hz. It's okay overall on this TV, but it looks best in slow-paced scenes. In busy scenes with a lot of action, there are a lot of artifacts. Unlike some TVs, which stop interpolating when they can't keep up, this one keeps going, so there are more and more artifacts in busy scenes.

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Frame Hold Time @ 24 fps

Frame Hold Time @ 60 fps

Due to the relatively quick response time of the Samsung QN85B QLED, low frame rate content, like movies, appears to stutter. It's mainly noticeable in slow panning shots. If this bothers you, the optional motion interpolation or backlight strobing features can both help with this, but they have other issues, too, so there's no perfect solution.

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Judder-Free 24p

Judder-Free 24p via 60p

Judder-Free 24p via 60i

Judder-Free 24p via Native Apps

The Samsung QN85B automatically removes judder from all sources; no additional settings are needed. It's great for watching movies, as motion appears smooth.

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Native Refresh Rate

Variable Refresh Rate

HDMI Forum VRR

FreeSync

G-SYNC Compatible

4k VRR Maximum

4k VRR Minimum

1080p VRR Maximum

1080p VRR Minimum

1440p VRR Maximum

1440p VRR Minimum

VRR + Local Dimming Yes

The Samsung QN85B supports variable refresh rates, and it works across a very wide refresh rate range. Low-frame rate compensation (LFC) automatically engages at low refresh rates, multiplying frames to ensure a tear-free gaming experience even at very low frame rates. It's compatible with all three major types of VRR.

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1080p @ 60Hz

1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode

1080p @ 120Hz

1080p @ 144Hz

1440p @ 60Hz

1440p @ 120Hz

1440p @ 144Hz

4k @ 60Hz

4k @ 60Hz + 10-Bit HDR

4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4

4k @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode

4k @ 60Hz With Interpolation

4k @ 120Hz

4k @ 144Hz

8k @ 60Hz

The Samsung QN85B has fantastic low input lag in 'Game' Mode, resulting in a very responsive gaming experience. Gaming at 120Hz offers even better input lag, very close to high-end gaming monitors. If you're a fan of motion interpolation, Samsung's 'Game Motion Plus' feature allows you to interpolate low frame rate games, improving motion clarity without adding much input lag. With the 'Game Motion Plus' settings at max, there's 23.6ms of input lag, which is definitely higher than with the setting disabled, but it's still good for casual gamers.

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Resolution 4k

480p @ 59.94Hz (Widescreen)

720p @ 59.94Hz

1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4

1080p @ 120Hz

1080p @ 144Hz

1440p @ 60Hz

1440p @ 120Hz

1440p @ 144Hz

4k @ 60Hz

4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4

4k @ 120Hz

4k @ 120Hz @ 4:4:4

4k @ 144Hz

8k @ 30Hz or 24Hz

8k @ 60Hz

The Samsung QN85B supports all common resolutions up to 4k @ 120Hz. Except for 1440p @ 120Hz, all supported formats can display chroma 4:4:4 properly, which is important for clear text from a PC. 4k @ 120Hz signals are displayed properly, with no resolution-halving or other issues.

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Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)

4k @ 120Hz

1440p @ 120Hz

1080p @ 120Hz

HDR

VRR

The Samsung QN85B is fully compatible with the PS5 and Xbox Series X; there are no issues at all. It also works with Sony's recently added variable refresh rate feature on the PS5.

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Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)

4k @ 120Hz

1440p @ 120Hz

1080p @ 120Hz

HDR

VRR

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HDR10

HDR10+

Dolby Vision

HLG

HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwidth

HDMI 2.1 Class Bandwidth

CEC Yes

HDCP 2.2 Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)

ATSC Tuner

USB 3.0

Variable Analog Audio Out No

Wi-Fi Support Yes (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)

Unlike the 2021 Samsung TVs, the Samsung QN85B supports HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four HDMI ports. It's great, as it gives you the flexibility to connect multiple high-bandwidth devices, like if you have both the PS5 and Xbox Series X. Unfortunately, Samsung still doesn't support Dolby Vision. However, it's compatible with HDR10+, which is very similar.

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HDMI 4

USB 2

Digital Optical Audio Out 1

Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 0

Analog Audio Out RCA 0

Component In 0

Composite In 0

Tuner (Cable/Ant) 1

Ethernet 1

DisplayPort 0

IR In 0

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ARC/eARC Port

eARC: Dolby Atmos Over Dolby Digital Plus

eARC: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1

eARC: LPCM 7.1 Over Dolby MAT

eARC: Dolby TrueHD 7.1

eARC: DTS:X Over DTS-HD MA

eARC: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1

eARC: LPCM Channels (Bitstream)

ARC: Dolby Digital 5.1

ARC: DTS 5.1

Optical: Dolby Digital 5.1

Optical: DTS 5.1

The Samsung QN85B supports eARC, allowing it to pass uncompressed high-quality audio from a connected source through to your soundbar or home theater system. Sadly, it doesn't support any DTS formats, which is disappointing, as many UHD Blu-rays use DTS for their lossless audio tracks.

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Low-Frequency Extension

Std. Dev. @ 70

Std. Dev. @ 80

Std. Dev. @ Max

Max

Dynamic Range Compression

The Samsung QN85B has a decent frequency response. Like most TVs, the low-frequency extension (LFE) is high, so there's very little deep rumble or thump. The frequency response above the LFE is well-balanced at moderate listening levels, so dialogue is clear and easy to understand. However, there's noticeable compression at max volume, and there's a significant decrease in the frequency response in the low-treble range, making dialogue harder to understand. The Samsung QN85B has an optional room correction feature, which was enabled for these measurements.

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Weighted THD @ 80

Weighted THD @ Max

IMD @ 80

IMD @ Max

The Samsung QN85B has decent distortion performance. There's very little harmonic distortion in the treble range, where it's most noticeable, even at max volume.

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Smart OS Tizen

Version 2022

Ease of Use

Smoothness

Time Taken to Select YouTube

Time Taken to Change Backlight

Advanced Options

The updated 2022 version of Tizen OS is fast and easy to use. The interface now fills the entire screen instead of the bar that appeared on the previous version. This makes it easier to find your favorite content.

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Ads

Opt-out

Suggested Content in Home

Opt-out of Suggested Content

Unfortunately, like most TVs on the market, there are ads throughout the interface, and there's no option to disable them completely.

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App Selection

App Smoothness

Cast Capable

USB Drive Playback

USB Drive HDR Playback

HDR in Netflix

HDR in YouTube

The included apps cover most of the common streaming services, and there's a great selection of additional apps available in Samsung's app store. It's also compatible with Google Duo, which supports video calls with up to 32 people by connecting a webcam to the TV.

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Size

Voice Control

CEC Menu Control

Other Smart Features

Remote App Samsung SmartThings

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The controls are beneath the Samsung branding on the bottom right side of the TV. There's a single button that lets you power the TV on/off and change channels, volume, and inputs.

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Power Consumption 60 W

Power Consumption (Max) 159 W

Firmware 1098

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