Note that this is a different TV to the 2017 QLED Q6F. The 2018 Q6FN is also called Q6F or Q6.
Our Verdict
Very good TV for mixed usage. The Samsung Q6F has good picture quality and looks good in most room types. It has some great features for use as a PC monitor and for gaming. Dark room performance is good and it has good HDR capabilities.
- Blacks are deep and uniform
- Low input lag for gamers
- Supports FreeSync for Variable Refresh Rates
- Image degrades when viewed at an angle
Good TV for watching movies in a dark room. It has good picture quality, and the native contrast ratio is high, so blacks appear black in a dark room. Unfortunately, the bad local dimming feature isn't very effective at dimming areas of the screen and letterbox bars aren't completely black.
Decent TV for watching TV in a bright room. It has decent reflection handling and gets bright enough to overcome glare in a bright room, but it has a poor viewing angle and the picture degrades when viewed at an angle.
Good TV for watching sports. The Samsung Q6 is able to overcome most glare in a bright room but has limited reflection handling due to the lack of an anti-reflective coating. Fast-paced movement appears fluid with little motion blur thanks to the high response time, but there is some dirty screen effect and the center of the screen is a bit brighter than the rest.
Excellent TV for video games. It has extremely low input lag for 4k and for 1080p content as long as Game mode is on. It supports a variable refresh rate when used with compatible hardware. Motion is fluid with very little trail thanks to the fast response time.
Good TV for HDR movies. The contrast is excellent, so blacks appear black, and it is bright enough for small highlights to pop in HDR. The local dimming feature is bad and can't effectively dim dark areas of the screen. It supports a wide color gamut and there is only slight gradation in scenery.
Great TV for HDR gaming. The input lag is extremely low and it supports a variable refresh rate. Dark room performance is great thanks to the high native contrast ratio but the local dimming feature is bad and can't be disabled.
Great TV for use as a PC Monitor. The response time is fast and the input lag is extremely low, so the screen feels responsive. Chroma 4:4:4 is properly supported with most resolutions, and it supports a variable refresh rate, great for PC gaming.
Changelog
- Updated May 21, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Feb 21, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Feb 28, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Nov 16, 2018: We have received confirmation that the 55" model with version FB02 has a VA-type panel. You can see a photo of the pixels here.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 55" (QN55Q6FN) version FA01. For the most part, we expect our review to be valid for the 65" version (QN65Q6FN), 75" version (QN75Q6FN) and 82" version (QN82Q6FN). Note that larger TVs are typically more prone to uniformity issues.
The 49" model (QN49Q6FN) is not yet available but likely has a 60 Hz panel as documented by the Samsung Support Page, as such some results may be slightly different including the motion interpolation. We have also received confirmation from a reader that the 49" Q6FN does not support FreeSync. For the most part, we still expect our review to be valid.
The warehouse variant of the 2018 Q6F is known as the Q65FN. The stand is black instead of chrome, and depending on the specific warehouse model it might have a simpler remote. We don't expect any other differences and our review should still be valid.
Update 09/25/2018: The Q65FN has a 4.1 sound system rather than the 2.1 system found on the Q6FN.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Samsung Q6FN doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review.
| Size | Model | Model Short | US | Warehouse Model | Canada | UK |
| 49" | QN49Q6FN | QN49Q6 | QN49Q6FNAFXZA | N/A | QN49Q6FNAFXZC | QE49Q6FNATXXU |
| 55" | QN55Q6FN | QN55Q6 | QN55Q6FNAFXZA | QN55Q65FNFXZA | QN55Q6FNAFXZC | QE55Q6FNATXXU |
| 65" | QN65Q6FN | QN65Q6 | QN65Q6FNAFXZA | QN65Q65FNFXZA | QN65Q6FNAFXZC | QE65Q6FNATXXU |
| 75" | QN75Q6FN | QN75Q6 | QN75Q6FNAFXZA | QN75Q65FNFXZA | QN75Q6FNAFXZC | QE75Q6FNATXXU |
| 82" | QN82Q6FN | QN82Q6 | QN82Q6FNAFXZA | N/A | QN82Q6FNAFXZC | QE82Q6FNATXXU |
Update 11/15/2018: We've been contacted by a reader who bought a 55" Q6FN with version FB02 that has an IPS panel. We expect this to have a much lower contrast ratio and worse dark room performance, but a more accurate image when viewed at an angle.
Update 11/16/2018: We have received confirmation that the 55" Q6FN with version FB02 has a VA type panel. We expect performance in the same ballpark as the version VA01 we reviewed. You can see a photo of the pixels here.
Popular TV Comparisons
See our recommendations for the best 4k TVs, the best smart TVs, and the best OLED TVs.
The Samsung Q6FN/Q6/Q6F QLED 2018 is somewhat better than the Samsung Q7F/Q7 QLED 2017. The Q6FN has better black uniformity, which is great for movies, and can get significantly brighter to fight bright room glare. On the other hand, the Q7F can handle reflections better, thus minimizing distractions, and can display a slightly crisper image due to the faster response time.
The Samsung Q7FN/Q7/Q7F QLED 2018 is a bit better than the Samsung Q6FN/Q6/Q6F QLED 2018 for most people. While overall performance is similar, the Samsung Q7FN has a better anti-reflective coating that is better for overcoming glare in a bright room. The Q7FN uses the external One Connect box for all of its inputs. If space is a concern, some people may prefer the simpler installation of the Q6FN with all of the inputs on the TV.
The Samsung Q9FN/Q9/Q9F QLED 2018 is much better than the Samsung Q6FN/Q6/Q6F QLED 2018. The Samsung Q9FN has more uniform blacks and full array local dimming that deliver a better dark room performance. The Q9FN has better reflection handling and can get brighter both in SDR and in HDR, delivering a better HDR movie watching experience. The Samsung Q6FN has a lower input lag, which is good if you play video games.
The overall performance of the Samsung Q6FN/Q6/Q6F QLED 2018 and the Samsung NU8000 is very similar, but the Q6FN is slightly better across the board. The differences are marginal, though.
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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