The Samsung Q60/Q60R QLED is a decent 4k TV for most uses. Its VA panel has an outstanding contrast ratio, producing deep, inky blacks, and it has great motion handling, resulting in crisp images with minimal blur. Its high refresh rate, low input lag, and FreeSync support should suit most gamers, though viewing angles may be an issue for large parties, as image accuracy degrades when viewed from the side. Samsung's Tizen interface is user-friendly, and it has a vast selection of apps readily available at the press of a button.
Our Verdict
The Samsung Q60R is a decent TV for most uses. It has an outstanding native contrast ratio, but only decent black uniformity. It has good peak brightness but may not get bright enough to overcome glare in a bright room. Motion looks great thanks to the extremely fast response time, and gamers should appreciate the amazing low input lag and FreeSync support.
- Excellent low input lag.
- Excellent motion handling.
- Outstanding contrast ratio.
- HDR can't get very bright.
- Image degrades when viewed at an angle.
The Samsung Q60R is an okay TV for watching movies. It has an outstanding native contrast ratio, so it performs best when watching in a dark room. That said, its black uniformity is only decent and it doesn't have local dimming. On the upside, it displays 1080p content, like Blu-ray movies, almost as well as native 4k content.
- Outstanding contrast ratio.
- Upscales lower-resolution content without issue.
- Image degrades when viewed at an angle.
- No local dimming.
The Samsung Q60R is decent for watching TV shows. It has good peak brightness in SDR and can upscale 720p content, such as from a cable box, without any issues. Unfortunately, its reflection handling is only decent, so it may struggle to overcome glare in bright rooms. Like most VA panels, its viewing angles are poor, so the image degrades when viewed at an angle.
- Easy-to-use interface with streaming apps at the click of a button.
- Upscales lower-resolution content without issue.
- Image degrades when viewed at an angle.
- Only decent reflection handling.
The Samsung Q60R is a good TV for watching sports. It has an extremely fast response time, so fast action produces very little motion blur. It can get bright enough for an average-lit room, but it has only decent reflection handling, so it may have a tough time overcoming glare in a bright room. Unfortunately, the image degrades when viewed at an angle, which isn't ideal for watching the big game with a group of friends.
- Excellent motion handling.
- Minimal dirty screen effect.
- Good peak brightness.
- Image degrades when viewed at an angle.
- Only decent reflection handling.
The Samsung Q60R is a great TV for playing video games. It has a low input lag and supports FreeSync variable refresh rate technology to reduce screen-tearing. It also has an outstanding contrast ratio and excellent motion handling, which is great for fast-moving content like video games. Unfortunately, it isn't the best choice for co-op gaming due to its poor viewing angles.
- Excellent low input lag.
- Excellent motion handling.
- Native FreeSync support.
- Image degrades when viewed at an angle.
- Only decent reflection handling.
The Samsung Q60R is okay for watching movies in HDR. It can deliver good picture quality thanks to its outstanding contrast ratio and wide color gamut. However, it lacks local dimming and doesn't get bright enough to deliver a truly satisfying HDR experience.
- Outstanding contrast ratio.
- Wide color gamut.
- HDR can't get very bright.
- No local dimming.
The Samsung Q60R is a very good TV for HDR gaming, mainly due to its great gaming performance. It has an extremely fast response time and a low input lag, making for a responsive gaming experience. It also supports FreeSync variable refresh rate, which is great. Unfortunately, although it can display a wide color gamut, it can't get very bright in HDR.
- Excellent low input lag.
- Excellent motion handling.
- Outstanding contrast ratio.
- HDR can't get very bright.
- No local dimming.
The Samsung Q60R is a good TV to use as a PC monitor. Its fast response time and low input lag provide a responsive desktop experience, and it can display chroma 4:4:4 properly, so text appears crisp. Viewing angles can be an issue, as the edges appear darker if you sit up close, but on the upside, you shouldn't have any issues with permanent burn-in even with a static user interface frequently on display. It handles reflections decently well, but it may struggle a bit in very bright rooms.
- Excellent low input lag.
- Excellent motion handling.
- Can display chroma 4:4:4 properly.
- Image degrades when viewed at an angle.
- Only decent reflection handling.
Changelog
- Updated Jan 12, 2021: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
- Updated May 21, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Feb 21, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Aug 02, 2019: We retested the Q60R with the latest firmware. The SDR Peak Brightness, HDR Peak Brightness, and Input Lag measurements and scores have been updated, and it is no longer skipping frames in PC mode with a 120Hz signal.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 55" Q60R (QN55Q60R), version FA01, and we expect our results to be valid for the 65" Q60R (QN65Q60R), the 75" Q60R (QN75Q60R), and the 82" Q60R (QN82Q60R). Most of our results should also be valid for the 43" Q60R (QN43Q60R) and 49" Q60R (QN49Q60R), but they have some differences that are noted below.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Samsung Q60R doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we'll update the review. Note that some tests such as the gray uniformity may vary between individual units.
Update 11/29/2019: We have received a few reports that some variants of the QE43Q60R in Europe have PLS (IPS) panels, and we've now received a pixel photo that confirms this. This unit has a model code of QE43Q60RATXXH and a version number of 01 / QRQ60.
Update 06/07/2019: A Q6DR variant has appeared in some regions. It's available in the same sizes, and appears to be identical, but with worse speakers.
| Size | US Model | US Model (Long) | EU Model | Warehouse Variant | Panel Type | Refresh Rate | Notes | |
| 43" | QN43Q60R | QN43Q60RAFXZA | QE43Q60R | QN43Q6DR | QN43Q6DRAFXZA | VA | 60Hz | No FreeSync |
| 49" | QN49Q60R | QN49Q60RAFXZA | QE49Q60R | QN49Q6DR | QN49Q6DRAFXZA | VA | 60Hz | No FreeSync |
| 55" | QN55Q60R | QN55Q60RAFXZA | QE55Q60R | QN55Q6DR | QN55Q6DRAFXZA | VA | 120Hz | |
| 65" | QN65Q60R | QN65Q60RAFXZA | QE65Q60R | QN65Q6DR | QN65Q6DRAFXZA | VA | 120Hz | |
| 75" | QN75Q60R | QN75Q60RAFXZA | QE75Q60R | QN75Q6DR | QN75Q6DRAFXZA | VA | 120Hz | |
| 82" | QN82Q60R | QN82Q60RAFXZA | QE82Q60R | QN82Q6DR | QN82Q6DRAFXZA | VA | 120Hz | |
The QN55Q60R we reviewed was manufactured in February 2019.
Popular TV Comparisons
The Samsung Q60R is a decent entry-level QLED TV, but there are better TVs for the same price. See our recommendations for the best TVs, the best HDR gaming TVs, and the best smart TVs.
The Samsung Q80R is much better than the Samsung Q60R. The Q80 has a full array local dimming feature and excellent black uniformity, which is great for dark room performance. The Q80 can also get a lot brighter, has significantly better viewing angles, and much better reflection handling.
The Samsung Q70R is much better than the Samsung Q60R. The Q70R supports local dimming and has better black uniformity, which allows it to deliver a better dark room performance. The Q70R can get brighter, which is great if you have a bright room. Finally, the Samsung Q70R has better reflection handling, and it's more suitable if your room has many light sources.
The Samsung Q60R is slightly better than the Samsung Q60T. Although the Q60T has some improvements in terms of performance, some features that were on the Q60R have been removed, such as 24p judder reduction and variable refresh rate. However, the Q60T's contrast ratio is a bit better, and it has much better uniformity, though response time is not as good as the Q60R.
The Samsung Q60R is a better TV than the Samsung TU8000. The Q60R can get much brighter, has much more accurate colors out of the box, significantly better gradient performance, and much better motion handling thanks to its 120Hz screen. If you watch a lot of HDR content, the Q60R is a much better choice thanks to its wider color gamut and higher HDR peak brightness. On the other hand, the TU8000 has slightly lower input lag with Game Mode enabled and has much better black uniformity.
We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests use specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.
Test Results
Older Test Bench: This product has been tested using an older TV test methodology, before a major update. Some of the test results below aren't directly comparable with other TVs. Learn more
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