[Review] Samsung QLED Q8C 4K HDR TV – Samsung’s curvy 65-inch QLED beauty struts its stuff

The midrange sibling of Samsung’s QLED launch line-up in Malaysia that is a step down from their mammoth 88-inch Q9C QLED panel and a step up from the smaller 55-inch Q7C QLED TVs, the Q8C TV is a 65-inch curved TV panel that comes with their all the trimmings that both its larger and smaller siblings have, namely their new QLED panels that notably are able to display a vastly wider array of colours than its predecessors.

This time around, Samsung has made their somewhat esoteric categorisation system for their tellies a bit more understandable with the C in the Q8C’s codename indicating that it’s a curved panel and the numeric designation indicating what series its from. Externally, the Q8C is quite a looker with slim bezels that are about 5mm thin, a finish made of steel and glass with a thinness that allows to be mounted almost flush with a wall. Like last year’s SUHD panels, the Q8C also relocates almost all of its ports to a One Connect box that attaches via a slim, almost translucent fibre optic cable to the panel.

The TV itself has a number of different mounting options and buyers can optionally get what they call a Gravity stand – a rounded pedestal to mount the TV on, an Art stand that mounts the TV like an easel and a wall mount that comes with a semi-flexible hinge that offers a modicum of adjustability to the TV. The Gravity stand and Art stand both cost a hefty RM2,499 while the wall mount itself is RM499, adding on to the cost of the TV itself. To stock stand that comes with the TV is a minimalist affair that’s slim, pleasant looking and unobtrusive though it cannot swivel. As far as aesthetics go, the Q8C is svelte and sleek though the optional additional stands bar the wall mount are purely for aesthetics rather than augmenting its functionality.

Features and Tech
At its heart, the QLED TVs are LED-backlit LCD panels though the key draw to the new Q8C and its siblings is the inclusion of their new QLED or Quantum Light Emitting Diode tech into the display. An upgrade of their prior Nano Crystal dot panels from last year’s TVs, the new QLED tech encapsulates each dot on the panel in a metal alloy on a microscopic level that they have dubbed quantum dotsthat allows it to serve up wider viewing angles, a longer service life and, most importantly, offer a full colour gamut that allows the TV to display 100% of DCI-P3 and up to 1,500 nits. This means that the Q8C is capable of displaying the entire panoply of colours possible for HDR-rated content so colours are appear as they were meant to be rather than appearing washed out or overly saturated. Samsung has also added an additional film on the surface of the panel that significantly reduces ambient reflections. Another advantage that Samsung was keen to espouse during the review was their decade-long burn-in guarantee that offers an immediate swap of the panel if screen burn-in happens though that in itself is extremely unlikely seeing the new quantum dot tech they have on the TV itself.

In the case of Q8C, the TV’s QLED panel has 3,840 x 2,160 pixel resolution and is also Ultra HD Premium certified by the UHD Alliance, meaning that it’ll display High Dynamic Range content without a hitch and making it future ready when HDR content is more common in the future. In lieu of that, the TV has Samsung’s upscaling engine that upscales lower resolution content to something that something more viewable on the Q8C from 480P and up though it works best with 1080P or better content. Alas, what the TV doesn’t support is 3D content, something that got dropped even from last year’s models seeing its waning popularity.

The QLED TV in keeping with prior models reroutes all the onerous tackle and ports into a One Connect box that connects to the TV. The One Connect Box notably comes with a quartet of HDMI 2.0b inputs, a trio of USB USB ports and an Ethernet port though smaller sizes QLED TV’s get less ports as they get issued a smaller size One Connect Mini box.

The fibre optic cable itself is almost invisible when deployed so it’s best to make sure it’s out of the way hooked up to a wall via brackets. Alas, Samsung’s prior attempts at introducing a long-term upgrade path via bolt-on Evolution kits that acted as retrofit kits for existing TV panels has been eliminated starting from their 2016 TV line-up due to lack of demand as marketing research determined that people were willing to buy a better panel wholesale than spring for an upgrade kit. While there’s little insight on what hardware is powering the Q8C, the TV runs Samsung’s own Tizen operating system under the hood overlaid with their Eden user interface and can beam content off attached storage. Searching for connected content is a doddle and getting about the interface is otherwise a breezy affair though tweaking the exact display settings may be somewhat of an obtuse affair with deeply nested menus. Fortunately, Samsung has offered a significantly easier way to get about the menus – a voice control system that is significantly better than previous incarnations. It’s a good deal smarter and surprisingly elegant with much easier syntax to execute commands with at most two words to control inputs, increase or decrease volume and even change colour management settings or white balance.

Another notable addition to the QLED TV is their One Remote. Rather than the confusing button-laden nightmare of yore, the One Remote is a slim affair with just enough buttons to control volume, playback and navigate the UI. It does a lot more than that though as it acts as a universal remote – anything hooked up to the QLED TV via the One Connect box can also be controlled via the One Remote automatically. It’s a handy feature and comes in extremely handy rather than having to use multiple remote controls to access connected Blu-ray players, consoles and the like. If that doesn’t float your boat, you can still get the standard remote control which comes bundled with the box if multi-coloured button-laden remotes are your thing.

Performance & Conclusion
In field tests with reference 4K footage, the Q8C offered great views even from the edges of the screen and the QLED performed like a champ with exceptionally deep blacks and tons of detail that outperform its 2016 predecessors by a significant margin. The QLED panel’s ability to display 100% of the DCI-P3 digital cinema spectrum along with the enhanced 1,500 nit brightness meant that there’s a vastly wider palette of hues that the TV could work off from and it shows with stunningly vibrant yet natural looking hues onscreen.

Even in a challengingly brightly lit area – a mall atrium with an open skylight – the TV still retained a stunning amount of brightness, colours and detail without anything appearing washed out. Even with HD and 1080P footage, the TV was able to deliver a bang-up job with surprisingly enhanced detail and hues on account of their upscaling algorithm though your mileage will of course vary depending on what you view and its image quality thereof. On the audio front, the TV’s built-in speakers did a perfunctory job and was otherwise serviceable with good volume without distortion when cranked up to maximum and relative clarity though the soundstage was understandably flat and both highs and lows lacked detail. You’ll need to chunk out for an external soundbar if you need better audio. On the bright side, the speakers are completely hidden which adds to the seamlessly sculpted look of the TV.

All told, the Q8C and its siblings are impressive indeed with an exquisite design and truly standout performance with superb colour and brightness that make it one of the best panels in the market. Where it falters is on the audio front though that can easily be dealt with by pairing it with an external audio system. While it’s still the middle-sized offering of the lot, the Q8C still isn’t cheap but if you have cash to burn and are keen on truly stellar performance with impressive colours and brightness, this won’t disappoint you.

Specifications
Price RM22,999
Display 65-inch QLED Quantum Dot Display, 3,840 x 2,160 pixels
Speakers 60W (2 x drivers + 1 subwoofer )
OS Tizen w/ Eden UI
Connectivity 4 x HDMI 2.0, 3 x USB 3.0, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Size/Weight 1441,9x 828.8 x 107.3mm / 26.5kg (without stand)
*Review unit courtesy of Samsung Malaysia

WHAT WE LIKED Superbly deep blacks, brilliant colours, excellent connectivity options, great voice controls
WHAT WE DIDN’T Not cheap, fibre optic One Connect cable quite fragile, average audio performance from built-in speakers
WE SAY Exquisite colours and brightness combined with a beautiful, minimalist inspired design make this one of the most desirable TVs of 2017