- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Our Verdict
- Video
- Test Results
- Differences
- Compared To Others
- Deals
- Discussions
The Samsung Q70/Q70A QLED is a good overall 4k TV. It improves upon its predecessor, the Samsung Q70/Q70T QLED, in a couple of ways, most notably its significantly faster response time, which delivers a smooth gaming experience. It also supports FreeSync variable refresh rate (VRR) and has an incredibly low input lag. While it lacks local dimming, it has an exceptionally high native contrast ratio, so it produces deep blacks that look great in the dark. It gets bright enough to overcome glare in most lighting conditions, but it's best to avoid placing it in direct sunlight because it doesn't diffuse direct light very well. It's decent for HDR thanks to its wide color gamut, but it can't get bright enough to bring out the brightest highlights. Unfortunately, like most VA panels, it has narrow viewing angles, so the image looks washed out from the side.
Our Verdict
The Samsung Q70 is good for mixed usage. Thanks to its high contrast ratio, it's good for watching movies or gaming in the dark, but it's also suited to well-lit rooms, as it gets bright enough to overcome glare. Its fast response time delivers smooth motion in content like sports and video games, and its low input lag makes it feel response when gaming or connected to a PC. HDR looks decent, but it doesn't get bright enough to bring out the brightest highlights.
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Exceptionally high contrast ratio.
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Bright enough to overcome glare.
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Impressive response time delivers smooth motion.
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No local dimming.
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Image loses accuracy as you move off-center.
The Samsung Q70 is decent for watching movies. While it doesn't have a local dimming feature, its native contrast is high enough to produce deep blacks that are ideal for watching movies in a dark room. It also removes 24p judder automatically and has no issues upscaling DVDs or Blu-rays. That said, its fast response time can cause low frame rate content to stutter.
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Exceptionally high contrast ratio.
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Removes judder from all sources.
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No local dimming.
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May stutter with low frame rate content.
The Samsung Q70 is good for TV shows. It gets bright enough to overcome glare in most rooms, despite only having decent reflection handling. Unfortunately, it has narrow viewing angles, so you lose image accuracy from the side. That said, it has no issues upscaling cable TV and Tizen OS gives you access to most popular streaming apps.
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Bright enough to overcome glare.
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Apps and interface run smoothly.
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Image loses accuracy as you move off-center.
The Samsung Q70 is good for watching sports. It has an impressive response time, so motion looks smooth in fast-moving content. It gets bright enough to overcome glare in most rooms, too. That said, it has narrow viewing angles, so it's not ideal if you want to watch the game with a big group. You may also notice some dirty screen effect, which can be distracting during sports.
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Bright enough to overcome glare.
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Impressive response time delivers smooth motion.
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Image loses accuracy as you move off-center.
The Samsung Q70 is very good for playing video games. Its impressive response time delivers a clear image with minimal motion blur, and it has an incredibly low input lag. It also supports FreeSync to reduce screen tearing. It can do 4k @ 120Hz without issues, but some people may be disappointed that there's only one HDMI 2.1 port.
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Supports FreeSync VRR.
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Impressive response time delivers smooth motion.
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Only one HDMI 2.1 port.
The Samsung Q70 is decent for watching movies in HDR. It's helped by its exceptionally high contrast ratio, although it lacks local dimming. It also has a wide color gamut for HDR. However, its HDR brightness is a bit lacking, so the brightest highlights don't quite pop as they should.
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Exceptionally high contrast ratio.
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Removes judder from all sources.
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No local dimming.
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Not quite bright enough to make highlights pop.
The Samsung Q70 is good for HDR gaming, mostly due to its gaming performance. The fast response time, low input lag, and VRR support deliver a smooth and a responsive gaming experience. However, its HDR brightness in 'Game Mode' is only okay, so the brightest highlights may not pop as they should. On the upside, it supports all common resolutions for advanced consoles.
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Exceptionally high contrast ratio.
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Supports FreeSync VRR.
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Impressive response time delivers smooth motion.
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No local dimming.
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Not quite bright enough to make highlights pop.
The Samsung Q70 is great for use as a PC monitor. It can display proper chroma 4:4:4 for all resolutions except 1440p, which is important for text clarity. It also has an incredibly low input lag and fast response time. However, its narrow viewing angles can make the edges of the screen look washed out if you're sitting up close.
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Displays proper chroma 4:4:4 in most resolutions.
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Supports FreeSync VRR.
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Low input lag.
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Image looks washed out at the edges when sitting close.
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Chroma 4:4:4 doesn't work in 1440p.
- 7.5 Mixed Usage
- 7.1 Movies
- 7.6 TV Shows
- 7.6 Sports
- 7.9 Video Games
- 7.1 HDR Movies
- 7.8 HDR Gaming
- 8.2 PC Monitor
- Updated Apr 14, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Apr 08, 2021: Early access published.
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Video
Test Results
The Samsung Q70 is the mid-range model in Samsung’s 2021 4k QLED lineup, sitting above the Samsung Q60/Q60A QLED and below the Samsung Q80/Q80A QLED, as well as higher-end Neo QLEDs like the Samsung QN85A QLED and the Samsung QN90A QLED. It competes with models like the Sony X85J, the 2021 LG NANO80, and the Vizio P Series Quantum 2020.
Samsung’s 2021 QLEDs are all very thin and sleek-looking, and this one is no exception. It’ll look great in any living room. The stand is a new design for Samsung that's different than the Samsung Q60/Q60A QLED and the Samsung Q80/Q80A QLED. It's center-mounted, so it can also fit on smaller tables.
The stand looks a little cheap, but it supports the TV well for the most part, and it's center-mounted, so you can place it on a smaller table if you like.
Footprint of the stand: 11.9" x 9.8"
There are tracks along the back of the TV and the stand for cable management. The back is plastic with fine horizontal etchings to give it a brushed aluminum look.
The TV is very thin. It should sit flush against the wall when wall-mounted, and the inputs are side-facing for easy access.
It feels well-built overall, despite some wobble due to the thin profile and narrow stand. There’s a bit of a gap around the border. Our unit arrived with some slight damage, as the bottom-left part of the border pops out a bit in a way it shouldn't, making it feel less solidly put together. This is just a defect with our unit alone, though, so it doesn't affect scoring and shouldn't be present on other units. The stand feels somewhat cheap, but it has a plastic cover that slides in to cover the two feet.
The Samsung Q70 has a fantastic contrast ratio, but this can vary a little between units. It’s among the highest native contrast ratios we’ve tested on an LED TV, which is a good thing considering it doesn’t have a local dimming feature.
It gets very bright overall. It’s not as bright as the brightest LED TVs, like the Samsung QN90A QLED, but it’s better than average, so it’s able to overcome glare in most lighting conditions.
We measured SDR brightness after calibration, using the ‘Movie’ Picture Mode, with Brightness set to max, and Color Tone set to ‘Warm2’.
To get an ever brighter image, you can try setting the Picture Mode to ‘Dynamic’, Contrast Enhancer to ‘High’, Color Tone to ‘Standard’ and have Brightness and Contrast at max. We hit 631 nits using those settings, although you may lose image accuracy.
This TV doesn't have local dimming. The videos are for reference only, so you can see how backlight on this display performs and compare it to a similar product with local dimming. If you want a large TV with a full-array local dimming feature, check out the TCL R745 QLED.
The videos are for reference only, so you can see how backlight on this display performs and compare it to a similar product with local dimming.
The Samsung Q70 has decent HDR brightness. It’s quite consistent across various scenes, and the overall brightness of scenes is as it should be, as you can see the EOTF follows the line closely. However, the brightest highlights may be lost.
We measured HDR brightness before calibration, using the ‘Movie HDR’ Picture Mode, with Brightness and Contrast set to max, Color Tone set to ‘Warm2’, and all additional picture processing settings disabled.
If you find HDR too dim, you can make it brighter by setting Contrast Enhancer to ‘High’ and ST.2084 to max. These settings result in this EOTF.
With Game Mode enabled, HDR peaks slightly brighter than with Game Mode disabled. The overall brightness of scenes is slightly below the target brightness, though. However, we didn’t notice a difference with actual content. Scenes with small highlights are dimmed because of the frame dimming.
Gray uniformity is okay, although this can vary between units. The edges and corners of the screen are noticeably darker, although it should be less noticeable with actual content. The uniformity is a bit better in near-dark scenes, but you may still notice some slight clouding or unevenness, depending on the content.
The Samsung Q70 has excellent black uniformity, but this may vary. There’s very little noticeable clouding throughout, and blooming around bright objects is fairly minimal. While it's quite uniform, the entire screen has more of a blue-ish hue in the photo.
The Samsung Q70 has narrow viewing angles, despite being advertised by Samsung as having a wide viewing angle. The image quickly starts to look washed out as you move off-center.
The Samsung Q70 has decent reflection handling. It does well with ambient light, but we don't recommend setting it directly opposite a window or light source because it's not as good at diffusing direct light.
The Samsung Q70 has excellent out-of-the-box accuracy. Most colors and white balance are quite accurate, but gamma doesn't really follow the target. Most scenes, and very bright scenes especially, are over brightened. The color temperature, however, is very close to the target.
After calibration, the accuracy is incredible. Remaining inaccuracies shouldn't be noticeable to the naked eye. Gamma and color temperature are almost perfect.
You can see our recommended settings here.
The Samsung Q70 uses a BGR subpixel layout. It doesn't affect image quality, but it can affect text clarity when using the TV as a PC monitor. You can read more about that here.
The Samsung Q70 has a very good color gamut. It's wide enough for HDR content, with excellent coverage of the common DCI P3 color space and fair coverage of the wider Rec. 2020.
Color volume is okay. It handles dark, saturated colors pretty well thanks to its high contrast ratio, but it struggles with bright blues like most LED TVs.
The Samsung Q70 has decent gradient performance, although it's worse than the Samsung Q70/Q70T QLED. There's visible banding in the grays and greens, although it should be a little less noticeable in real content. If you notice banding, you can enable Noise Reduction to help smooth out gradients, though you may lose fine details in some scenes.
The Samsung Q70 shows no signs of temporary image retention, but this can vary between units.
We don't expect VA panels to experience burn-in, as the VA panel in our long-term test appears immune.
The TV has an impressive response time, though there's a bit of overshoot in the 0-20% transition, meaning there may be some smearing in dark scenes.
The Samsung Q70 uses Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) to dim its backlight, which some people may be sensitive to. That said, in 'Movie' mode, it flickers at such a high frequency that it shouldn't be noticeable. In the 'Dynamic', 'Standard', 'Natural', and 'Filmmaker' Picture Modes, or with Picture Clarity or Game Mode enabled, the flicker drops down to 120Hz.
This TV has an optional Black Frame Insertion (BFI) feature, also known as backlight strobing, that can help reduce motion blur. To enable it to flicker the backlight at 60Hz, turn on LED Clear Motion in the Picture Clarity settings menu, or in the Game Motion Plus menu when Game Mode is enabled. For 120Hz, enable Picture Clarity settings but leave the Blur Reduction and Judder Reduction sliders at '0'. In Game Mode it always flickers at 120Hz, so no additional settings are needed. Note that the BFI score is based on how many frequencies the feature can flicker at, and not how well it performs.
The Samsung Q70 can interpolate motion up to 120 fps. This is also called the 'Soap Opera Effect'. It doesn't look particularly good on this TV, resulting in a lot of duplications and artifacts, especially during busy scenes. To enable it, set Picture Clarity to 'Custom' and set Blur Reduction to '10' for 60 fps content and higher or Judder Reduction to '10' for 30 fps content.
Due to the TV's quick response time, low frame rate content may appear to stutter because each frame is held on longer. If you notice stuttering, you can try enabling motion interpolation.
The TV removes 24p judder from any source without having to enable additional settings.
The Samsung Q70 supports FreeSync VRR, which is automatically enabled in Game Mode. It's not officially compatible with G-SYNC, but as with the Samsung QN85A QLED and the Samsung QN90A QLED, we were able to get G-SYNC to work while playing Destiny 2, but it kept tearing during our test demo. We're still looking into the issue.
Input lag is low, as long as you enable Game Mode. As with the other 2021 Samsungs we've tested, we couldn't get accurate input lag measurements with VRR enabled, but we're looking into the issue, and we don't expect VRR to significantly affect input lag.
The TV supports most common resolutions, including native 4k @ 120Hz with no issues. It can display proper chroma 4:4:4 as well, which is important for text clarity, but 4:4:4 doesn't work properly in 1440p at either 60 or 120Hz. For 4:4:4 to work in other resolutions, the TV must be in 'PC' mode with Input Signal Plus enabled. Input Signal Plus is required for full bandwidth signals.
The Samsung Q70 supports all resolutions for the latest consoles. It also has an Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) that automatically switches the TV to Game Mode for the lowest latency. It can be enabled by setting Game Mode to 'Auto' or 'On' and having Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC) enabled.
To enable ARC/eARC, set HDMI e-ARC to 'Auto' and Digital Output Audio to 'Passthrough'.
The TV has a poor frequency response. It's worse than other Samsung models, including the Samsung Q70/Q70T QLED. The bass is especially bad, and it doesn't get very loud. We hardly noticed a difference in volume between 60 and 100. There's a room correction feature called Adaptive Sound+, and we tested the frequency response with it on and off, and there wasn't a significant difference. If you want a similar TV with better built-in speakers, check out the Samsung The Frame 2021.
Distortion performance is passable, but there's some distortion at moderate listening levels, and it gets worse at max volume. However, distortion depends on the content, and not everyone may hear it.
The Tizen OS interface is smooth and easy to use. In 2021, it performs even more smoothly than in previous years, and we didn't experience bugs or issues.
We weren't able to get a photo of ads, but as with other Samsung TVs, ads appear on the home page and in the app store with no way to disable them.
There are a ton of apps built-in and available to download, and they run smoothly.
The remote is Samsung's new 'Solar Cell' remote, which eschews batteries for a solar panel on the back. It can also be charged through USB-C, though no cable is provided. It includes shortcut buttons to popular streaming apps and to access voice control, with which you can adjust settings, change inputs, and perform searches but not within apps.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 55 inch Samsung Q70 (QN55Q70AAFXZA), which also comes in 65, 75, and 85 inch sizes, and we expect our results to be valid for those as well. There's a variant sold at Costco and Sam's Club as the Samsung Q7 Series, which only comes in 65 and 75 inch options. Costco advertises that it has four HDMI 2.1 ports, but as we didn't test that variant we can't confirm if that's accurate. Also, Samsung's European lineup tends to be a little bit different than in North America, but we expect the European models to perform similarly, though we can't be certain.
| Size | Panel | US Model | Canada Model | UK Model | Costco Variant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55" | VA | QN55Q70AAFXZA | QN55Q70AAFXZC | QE55Q70AATXXU | QN55Q7DAAFXZA |
| 65" | VA | QN65Q70AAFXZA | QN65Q70AAFXZC | QE65Q70AATXXU | QN65Q7DAAFXZA |
| 75" | VA | QN75Q70AAFXZA | QN75Q70AAFXZC | QE75Q70AATXXU | QN75Q7DAAFXZA |
| 85" | VA | QN85Q70AAFXZA | QN85Q70AAFXZC | QE85Q70AATXXU | - |
If you come across a Samsung Q70 with a different panel or that doesn't correspond to our review, let us know in the discussions, and we'll update it. Note that some tests, like gray uniformity, can vary between individual units.
Our unit was manufactured in February 2021. You can see the label here.
Compared To Other TVs
The Samsung Q70 is a good mid-range 4k TV. While it lacks certain features that you get with higher-end models, like full-array backlighting and local dimming, it has an exceptionally high contrast ratio. While there are better TVs for less, it comes with a lot of advanced features like eARC, HDMI 2.1, and VRR support. For more options, check out our recommendations for the best 4k TVs, the best 4k gaming TVs, and the best QLEDs.
The Samsung Q70/Q70A QLED is better overall than the Samsung Q60/Q60A QLED. The Q70A offers better performance and more features. While they're both VA panels, the Q70A has a higher contrast ratio and similar viewing angles. It also has a faster response time, a 120Hz panel, and extra gaming features like VRR and ALLM, as well as an HDMI 2.1 port for advanced consoles. Meanwhile, the Q60A is limited to 60Hz and lacks most extra features. However, it's available in smaller sizes than the Q70A.
The Samsung Q70/Q70A QLED and the Sony X85J are nearly identical. The Sony that we tested has better gray uniformity, but this can vary between units. The Samsung is a bit better for gaming, as it supports the latest gaming features, including variable refresh rate technology (VRR). Those features are advertised for the Sony as well, but they're not yet available and will be added in an upcoming firmware update.
The Samsung Q80/Q80A QLED and the Samsung Q70/Q70A QLED are good TVs with different panel types. The Q80A has an ADS panel, which has much wider viewing angles. It also gets significantly brighter in HDR, so highlights stand out the way they should. However, the Q70A has a VA panel with a much better contrast ratio and improved black uniformity. Even though the Q80A has a full-array local dimming feature, which the Q70A doesn't have, the Q70A is better for dark room viewing due to its higher contrast.
The Samsung Q70/Q70A QLED is the successor to the Samsung Q70/Q70T QLED, and while it offers a couple of improvements, it's not as big of a step up as you might expect. The biggest improvement is its response time. The Q70T has an okay response time but likely not good enough for more competitive gamers, whereas the Q70A is significantly faster, resulting in less motion blur. The Q70A also gets a bit brighter in HDR, resulting in a better overall HDR experience, and its backlight flickers at a much higher frequency than the Q70T's, which is good news for those who are sensitive to flicker.
The Sony X90J and the Samsung Q70/Q70A QLED are very similar. The main differences are that the Samsung doesn't have local dimming and doesn't get as bright in HDR. Its gradient handling isn't as good as the Sony's, which means you might see more banding in some content. However, if you plan on gaming, the Samsung is a better choice because it has lower input lag and supports VRR, whereas the Sony's advertised VRR support isn't available yet. Also, the Sony can't display a 1440p @ 120Hz signal on the Xbox Series X or a 4k @ 120Hz signal in Dolby Vision.
The Samsung QN85A QLED is better overall than the Samsung Q70/Q70A QLED, but they have different panel types with advantages and disadvantages. It has an IPS-like panel with wide viewing angles, and the Q70A has a VA panel with better native contrast. However, the QN85A has a local dimming feature, which the Q70A doesn't have, to improve the picture quality in dark scenes. The QN85A also has better reflection handling, and it gets brighter, especially in HDR, making it the better choice for watching HDR content.
The Sony X91J is better overall than the Samsung Q70/Q70A QLED because it has more features. The Sony is only available in an 85 inch size, and the Samsung is available in 55 to 85 inch size models. The Sony delivers a better experience for watching movies because it has a local dimming feature, which the Samsung doesn't have, but the Samsung gets brighter if you want to use it in a well-lit room. The Samsung has VRR support, which the Sony doesn't have yet, but it should receive in a firmware update.
The Hisense U7G is much better than the Samsung Q70/Q70A QLED. The Hisense has a full array local dimming system, it's brighter, and it's a bit more versatile, with two HDMI 2.1 ports instead of just one on the Samsung. The Hisense also has a composite input, great if you have older video game console. Despite these advantages, some people might prefer the Samsung, as it has better black uniformity, better contrast, and it's more accurate out of the box.
The LG C1 OLED is much better overall than the Samsung Q70/Q70A QLED. The LG has an OLED panel with a much higher contrast ratio for deeper blacks, and it also has wider viewing angles and a quicker response time. However, the LED panel on the Samsung gets brighter in SDR, making it a better choice for well-lit rooms, and it won't burn in like an OLED.
The Samsung Q80/Q80T QLED is a bit better overall than the Samsung Q70/Q70A QLED. While it has a lower contrast ratio as a result of its 'Ultra Viewing Angle' layer, it also has a local dimming feature to improve black levels, while the Q70A doesn't. Unfortunately, the Q80T suffers a bit when in 'Game Mode', as the local dimming and HDR brightness perform worse. Still, it has a slightly quicker response time, so motion looks clear. It also delivers a better HDR experience overall since it gets brighter than the Q70A in HDR.
The Sony X900H and the Samsung Q70/Q70A QLED both perform well, although the Sony delivers better picture quality. While the Samsung has a higher native contrast ratio, the Sony's is still high, and it has a full-array local dimming feature to improve black levels. The Samsung has a lower input lag and comes with a wider VRR range.
The Samsung Q70/Q70A QLED and the LG NANO90 2021 are both good TVs that use different panel types. The Samsung has a VA panel with a much better contrast ratio, and even though it doesn't have local dimming like the LG, it's still a better choice for use in dark rooms. The LG doesn't get as bright as the Samsung, but it has much better reflection handling. The LG has an IPS panel with wide viewing angles, so it's a better choice for wide seating arrangements. They're both very good for gaming as they each have a 120Hz panel and VRR support, but the LG is G-SYNC compatible, which the Samsung isn't.
The Samsung The Frame 2021 and the Samsung Q70/Q70A QLED perform very similarly overall. The Q70A edges out the Frame slightly because it has a better contrast ratio and higher peak brightness. That said, the Frame might be a better choice if you want a clean setup because it has the One Connect Box, and it comes with a no-gap wall mount.
The LG GX OLED is better than the Samsung Q70/Q70A QLED, but they're very different TVs. The LG is a high-end OLED, while the Samsung is a lower mid-range LED TV. The Samsung uses a VA panel, so it has a fantastic contrast ratio, but it still doesn't quite compare with the near-infinite contrast of the LG. The LG also has wider viewing angles, a faster response time, and feels more premium, but the Samsung doesn't have any risk of burn-in.
The TCL R745 QLED is better overall than the Samsung Q70/Q70A QLED. The TCL gets much brighter, making highlights pop in HDR, and it does a better job at fighting glare. The TCL has a local dimming feature, which the Samsung doesn't, but the local dimming makes the picture quality worse because there's a ton of blooming. The Samsung has more gaming features because it has lower input lag and an HDMI 2.1 input, which the TCL doesn't have, meaning that you can play 4k games up to 120fps on the Samsung.
