Samsung's
"QLED"
is a brand new term for many, and the world's leading television manufacturer is calling it "the next innovation in television". However, the Q7 series innovates more in design and features than in picture quality.
The Q7, Samsung's most affordable (but still more expensive) QLED TV, is a tour de force of stylish extras. Its impressive "invisible" fiber optic cabling combined with an external junction box makes clean-looking installations easier than ever control with just the TV remote, even when your stuff is tucked away in a closet. And its beautiful aesthetic, right through to the remote, stand, and even the back, is perhaps my favorite of all TVs.
Samsung Q7 series doubles design
View all photos
+41 more
The TV's design is so good that I gave it a "10" in this category and lowered the design ratings of other competing sets I've tested, including
LG's C7 OLED TV
.But this QLED can't compare to the OLED in the category that weighs the most in CNET's TV rating system: picture quality.
In direct comparison, the QLED TV's picture looked similar to many other LED LCD TVs. It's very good, especially in bright rooms, and will certainly satisfy most viewers. But in darker environments where expensive TVs are too Should cater to picky home theater fans, it falls short of better LCD-based TVs like the . return
Vizio P Series
, as well as OLED-based sets.
Editor's note July 5, 2017:
The price of this TV has dropped significantly since it was first released, increasing its score from 5 to 6, increasing its overall rating from 7.3 to 7.6. The review has otherwise not been changed.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The magic of "invisible" wiring
Samsung has always made some of the most beautiful TVs, and the Q7 is another eye-catcher. From the front, almost all picture is framed in silver with a very thin black frame, with a tiny chrome Samsung logo on the bottom. Missing from the side it has the razor-thin profile of OLED, but it's still super-thin at 1.8 inches deep.
I'm a big fan of Samsung's new stand designs this year. The Q7 consists of a tubular bar running along the front and an angled bracket that makes the TV appear to hang in space. It's simple and attractive.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The rear is also well thought out, with textured horizontal lines and covers concealing two of Samsung's 2017 TV innovations. One is the new "Invisible Link", a thin, white fiber optic cable running between the TV and a separate One Connect box runs into which you plug your AV equipment, antenna and USB devices.
It's not entirely invisible, but it's thin and small enough to run along the outside of a wall, and it would be difficult to spot depending on the color of the wall. The Q7 comes with a 16-foot cord, which is fine for most people Should be long enough, and any unused slack can be wrapped in the included rubber puck. Convenient! The TV's power cord and thin wire can be tucked away in a channel on the back of the stand for the most discreet wiring of any TV I've ever seen have seen.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The other innovation is an optional "no-gap wall mount" ($150 for 55- and 65-inch sizes, $175 for 75-inch). It attaches to the same mounting box as the stand holds The TV sits flush against the wall, allowing for easy leveling and is
relatively easy to install
.The TV is also compatible with standard mounts ($20 and up), although they introduce more space between the TV and the wall.
A TV smart enough to manage your gear
Samsung has improved one of my favorite features from last year: the TV's ability to automatically detect and control connected devices using its own remote and on-screen display. The biggest change is an infrared blaster that's built into the OneConnect Box and allows its remote control signals to reach devices hidden in closets or otherwise.
A
good universal remote control
is more powerful, but certainly not as easy to set up. Simply plugging in a device during the initial TV setup is often enough for Samsung to recognize it and fully set up control with the Samsung TV remote. This unique auto-setup ability worked for many of the devices I've tested, but there were exceptions like the Nvidia Shield, Apple TV, and PlayStation consoles. That's not bad, but it's hardly "universal".
Sarah Tew/CNET
The cable box controls are particularly impressive, allowing you to remove the cable company's clicker for most commands. My Fios box was automatically integrated into the TV's home menu bar with its own Fios icon. Via the TV's on-screen display, you can I can select the box's own guide (also accessible by pressing the "channel" button on the remote), its DVR recordings, its main menu or change channels, all with the Samsung TV remote.
The TV remote can also pause and fast-forward commercials, although it relies on a pop-up menu instead of dedicated buttons (although Samsung added forward and backward skipping). You can also select channel numbers directly, and with other pop-ups on special buttons such as A, B, C, D and "Last". If the pop-ups are too tedious, voice commands such as "watch channel 570", "ESPNHD" and "pause" also work.
Sarah Tew/CNET
You need to connect your devices directly to the TV. So if your setup includes an AV receiver, it won't work. In the end, I'd stick with mine
harmony
, but those with simpler systems using supported devices might just be able to use Samsung's sleek remote control to control everything.
Decent app support, new voice control
Samsung's homegrown Tizen-based smart TV system, inheriting the same design from 2016, is very good for a TV, but its app coverage isn't as extensive as Android TV (on
Sony sets
) or
Roku TV
.
4K streaming
with HDR is available on Netflix and Amazon, as well as the Fandango-powered TV Plus app, but Samsung's Vudu app doesn't currently support 4K or HDR. The UltraFlix app offers some niche 4K content, and the YouTube app offers 4K support. Others big apps like Hulu, Plex, and both HBOs (Go and Now) are also on board, but if you want more, you'll probably still need to connect
external device
like a Roku or Apple TV.
Sarah Tew/CNET
I like that app tiles and connected devices both appear in the same menu bar at the bottom and you can arrange them however you want.Click the home button and you can browse content in apps like Netflix and Hulu while your current video is playing in background is playing. The menu even offers suggestions, and some apps let you resume content you've seen before.
If you want to avoid the menu altogether, you can try speaking into the remote. Commands like "Netflix", "Hulu" and "YouTube" worked fine to launch apps, but "Amazon" launched the website instead - I had to Say "Amazon Video" to launch the app. You also can't use voice commands within an app. Coolly, settings like "Movie Mode", "Game Mode" and even specific settings like "Backlight 8" can also be adjusted by voice.
Essential TV features
display technology
LED LCD
LED backlight
Edge lit with local dimming
resolution
4K
HDR compatible
HDR10
screen shape
Just
Smart TV
Tizen
remote control
default
questions and answers
Samsung's key extra is QLED, which stands for Quantum Dot Light Emitting Diode.Quantum dots are microscopic molecules that emit their own differently colored light when exposed to light.Samsung's 2017 QLED TVs contain the dots in a film that and the light that hits them is provided by an LED backlight. This light then travels through some other layers inside the TV, including a liquid crystal (LCD) layer to create the image.
Samsung used quantum dots in much the same way
in SUHD TVs for two years
like them
KS8000
and
JS8500
, but says its 2017 Dots deliver better colors and more brightness. There's a new proprietary structure that "consists of a metal core, a graded ZnSeS layer, and a metal cladding," says Samsung. In my book, it's the The current generation of QLED TVs are basically souped-up LED LCD TVs, not a separate type of display like OLED. Check out the article below to learn more.
The Q7 has one
edge-lit LED backlight with local dimming
, and unlike the Vizio, Samsung doesn't disclose the number of dimming zones. Step-up models like the Q8 and Q9 are said to have more zones, but it's hard to speculate if this improves their picture quality. The super-expensive Q9 does for its part, an extra called "Elite Black+ with Infinite Array" that may perform better.
The set supports
high dynamic range (HDR)
Content in standard HDR10 and the coming
HDR10+
formats only. It lacks the Dolby Vision HDR support found on most competitive HDR TVs. I haven't seen any evidence that one HDR format is inherently "better" than the other, so hold on I definitely don't consider the lack of Dolby Vision a deal breaker on this TV - instead, it is
just another factor to consider
.
Like most other 4K TVs
the Q7 uses a native 120Hz panel. It features Samsung's Motion Rate 240 processing
insert black frame
to enhance
motion resolution
.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Panel-friendly connectivity
4x HDMI inputs with HDMI 2.0a, HDCP 2.2
3x USB ports (2x version 2.0, 1x version 3.0)
Ethernet (LAN) port
Optical digital audio output
RF input (antenna)
Remote port (RS-232) (EX-LINK)
This list is mostly solid unless you have an older set that requires analog video (component or composite) or audio. The Q7 is one of the few TVs that doesn't offer at least one analog input, audio or video.
All these connections are housed in the separate OneConnect box, which is larger than last year and equipped with infrared emitters. It also has its own power supply, separate from the TVs, so you have to plug it in too. Linked to With its invisible cable system, the box makes storing all your equipment in a closet easier than with any other TV.
And if you choose to flush-mount the cable, which carries no power, it might be interesting to know that Samsung is in the process of getting flush-mount certification, though there's no timeline as to when it will actually get it. The proprietary connector for LG's wallpaper- OLED TV that carries electricity,
is not certified in the wall
.As always, you should consult a concealed installation professional to ensure everything conforms to your local codes.
Here I mention that Samsungs
SmartThings Extend control dongle
, promised last year, doesn't have a release date in early May. Samsung hasn't confirmed to CNET if it will eventually release.
