To try to better understand how long a TV should last, we're running 100 TVs through an accelerated longevity test for the next two years. We've just posted our results after eight months, see our latest updates.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED is a great 4k TV from the brand's 2019 QLED lineup. Its VA panel boasts an outstanding contrast ratio and excellent black uniformity, so it's well-suited to dark room viewing, but it also has impressive peak brightness, so it's great for well-lit rooms too. It has full-array local dimming and a wide color gamut, which helps to produce vivid colors and bring out highlights in HDR content. Its motion handling is amazing, with a fast response time and an optional Black Frame Insertion feature to further reduce blur. Additionally, it supports AMD's FreeSync variable refresh rate (VRR) technology for a nearly tear-free gaming experience. However, like most VA panels, it has poor viewing angles, so it's not the best for wide seating arrangements since the image loses accuracy when viewed from the side.
Our Verdict
The Samsung Q70R is a great TV for mixed usage. It can deliver excellent picture quality, with saturated colors and impressive motion handling. The wide color gamut and high peak brightness make highlights in HDR content pop, and the low input lag and FreeSync support should please most gamers. Unfortunately, it has poor viewing angles, but that's to be expected with VA panels. It performs well in both dark and bright rooms, as the TV is capable of displaying deep, uniform blacks and gets bright enough to overcome glare.
-
Excellent low input lag.
-
Great response time.
-
Can display deep, uniform blacks in a dark room.
-
Image degrades when viewed at an angle.
The Samsung Q70R is an excellent TV for watching movies. It can display deep, uniform blacks thanks to its high contrast ratio and local dimming feature. It can also remove 24p judder from any source and displays 4k and 1080p content without issues. Despite having a fast response time, you shouldn't notice much stutter.
-
Can display deep, uniform blacks in a dark room.
-
Local dimming feature.
-
Removes 24p judder from any source.
-
Image degrades when viewed at an angle.
The Samsung Q70R is good for watching TV shows. It has decent reflection handling and gets bright enough to combat glare, so it's suitable for watching TV during the day. Unfortunately, it has poor viewing angles, so the image quickly degrades when viewed from an angle. That said, it upscales cable content well and has great smart features to help you find your favorite streaming channel.
-
Bright enough to combat glare.
-
Great app selection and easy-to-use interface.
-
Decent reflection handling.
-
Image degrades when viewed at an angle.
The Samsung Q70R is a good TV if you enjoy watching sports. It has a great response time and fast-moving objects look crisp. It can get quite bright, so glare shouldn't be an issue. Unfortunately, the viewing angles are poor, so it's less suitable for watching the big game with a large group, as the image degrades when viewed from the side.
-
Great response time.
-
Bright enough to combat glare.
-
Decent reflection handling.
-
Image degrades when viewed at an angle.
-
Slight dirty screen effect.
The Samsung Q70R is an excellent TV for playing video games. The fast response time and high refresh rate keep the image clear with minimal motion blur, and it has a low input lag. Its outstanding contrast ratio can produce deep blacks, so it's great for dark room gaming. It also has gaming-specific features like FreeSync to prevent screen tearing.
-
Excellent low input lag.
-
Great response time.
-
Native FreeSync support.
-
Not G-SYNC compatible.
The Samsung Q70R is an impressive TV for watching movies in HDR. Thanks to its wide color gamut, good HDR peak brightness, and high contrast ratio, it does a good job of bringing out highlights and displaying vivid colors in HDR. Sadly, although this TV supports HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG, it doesn't support Dolby Vision.
-
Can display deep, uniform blacks in a dark room.
-
Local dimming feature.
-
Good brightness in HDR.
-
No Dolby Vision support.
The Samsung Q70R is an impressive TV for HDR gaming. It has a low input lag and a fast response time, so it can display fast-moving content with minimal motion blur. While it's not the brightest in HDR, it delivers a great HDR gaming experience thanks to its exceptionally high contrast ratio, wide color gamut, and high refresh rate.
-
Good brightness in HDR.
-
Native FreeSync support.
-
Excellent motion handling and low input lag.
-
Not G-SYNC compatible.
The Samsung Q70R is a very good choice for use as a PC monitor. The TV has a low input lag and can display proper chroma 4:4:4, so text appears clear. Since it uses a VA panel, there's no risk of permanent burn-in with a static user interface always being in the same spot. If your computer has an AMD graphics card, you can take advantage of FreeSync support when gaming. However, it has poor viewing angles, so the edges of the screen look washed out when sitting up close.
-
Excellent low input lag.
-
Great response time.
-
Displays proper chroma 4:4:4.
-
Image degrades when viewed at an angle.
- 8.1 Mixed Usage
- 8.6 Movies
- 7.7 TV Shows
- 7.6 Sports
- 8.5 Video Games
- 8.3 HDR Movies
- 8.4 HDR Gaming
- 7.9 PC Monitor
- Updated Jan 14, 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 Q70R 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.
- Updated May 09, 2019: Review published.
- Updated May 07, 2019: Early access published.
- Updated May 06, 2019: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated May 05, 2019: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Mar 15, 2019: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 55" (QN55Q70RA) version, FA01/QRQ70. For the most part, we expect our review to be valid for the 65" version (QN65Q70RA), the 75" version (QN75Q70RA), and the 82" version (QN82Q70RA). Most of our results should also be valid for the 49" Q70R (QN49Q70R), but it has some differences that are noted in the table below.
Update 05/31/2019: There's a minor variant of the Samsung Q70R, known as the Samsung Q7DR. In Canada, it's a Best Buy exclusive, and in the U.S., it's a warehouse model (Sam's Club, Costco). The only difference appears to be the speakers, which increase from 40W to 60W, but we don't know for sure, as there's some conflicting information.
Update 05/29/2019: Samsung has added an 85" model to the lineup.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Samsung Q70R doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review.
| Size | Model | US | Canada | UK | Variant | Refresh rate | FreeSync |
| 49" | QN49Q70RA | QN49Q70RAFXZA | QN49Q70RAFXZC | QE49Q70RATXXU | QN49Q7DR | 60Hz | No |
| 55" | QN55Q70RA | QN55Q70RAFXZA | QN55Q70RAFXZC | QE55Q70RATXXU | QN55Q7DR | 120Hz | Yes |
| 65" | QN65Q70RA | QN65Q70RAFXZA | QN65Q70RAFXZC | QE65Q70RATXXU | QN65Q7DR | 120Hz | Yes |
| 75" | QN75Q70RA | QN75Q70RAFXZA | QN75Q70RAFXZC | QE75Q70RATXXU | QN75Q7DR | 120Hz | Yes |
| 82" | QN82Q70RA | QN82Q70RAFXZA | QN82Q70RAFXZC | N/A | QN82Q7DR | 120Hz | Yes |
| 85" | QN85Q70RA | QN85Q70RAFXZA | QN85Q70RAFXZC | N/A | QN85Q7DR | 120Hz | Yes |
The 55" Samsung Q70R we tested was manufactured in Feb. 2019.
Compared To Other TVs
The Samsung Q70R is an impressive TV that delivers an excellent performance in many usages. See our recommendations for the best TVs, the best 4k TVs, and the best HDR gaming TVs.
The Samsung Q80/Q80R QLED is better than the Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED. The Q80R can handle reflections slightly better and has a wider viewing angle thanks to the 'Ultra Viewing Angle' layer. Its local dimming is better than the Q70R and significantly helps improve dark room performance. The Q70R, on the other hand, has a higher native contrast ratio and can deliver deeper and more uniform blacks, even though its local dimming isn't as effective.
The Samsung Q90/Q90R QLED is better than the Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED. The Q90R has better local dimming support, but a slightly lower contrast ratio, so dark room performance is almost even. The Q90R can get brighter and handles reflections better, so it's more suitable if you have a very bright room. The Q90R delivers crisper motion thanks to its fast response time, which is good news for gamers and sports fans. Finally, the Q90R includes Samsung's 'Ultra Viewing Angle' technology that improves viewing angles at the expense of contrast ratio.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED is much better than the Samsung Q60/Q60R QLED. The Q70R supports local dimming and has a better black uniformity that 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 Q70/Q70T QLED directly replaces the Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED from 2019. The Q70T is a bit of a step down, as it doesn't perform as well and lacks a local dimming feature, which the Q70R has. The Q70T also has a slower response time, leading to more motion blur, and it has a significantly lower peak brightness. The Q70T doesn't feel as well-built as the Q70R, but you get eARC support on the Q70T, and it has a lower input lag.
Overall, the Samsung Q80/Q80T QLED is better than the Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED. The Q80T has a faster response time, better color accuracy, and it has much wider viewing angles thanks to its 'Ultra Viewing Angle' layer. Reflection handling is also significantly better on the Q80T, but the Q70R has a higher native contrast ratio as well as better black uniformity.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED is much better than the Samsung TU8000. The contrast ratio is a bit better and it has a local dimming feature to further deepen any blacks. The overall picture quality is better on the Q70R, as it can get much brighter, has a faster response time, supports FreeSync variable refresh rate technology, and can remove judder from all sources. That said, the TU8000 has somewhat better black uniformity.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED is better than the Samsung NU8000. The Q70R has better dark room performance, thanks to its full-array local dimming, higher contrast ratio, and better black uniformity. The Q70R can display judder-free movies from any source and has a lower input lag, which is great for playing video games. The Samsung NU8000 can get slightly brighter, which is apparent when watching in a well-lit room, and has a little better gray uniformity, so there's less dirty screen effect.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED is better than the Samsung Q6FN/Q6/Q6F QLED 2018. The Q70R has full-array local dimming that enhances dark room performance and a marginally faster response time, which is great for watching sports. The Q70R also has better reflection handling to minimize distraction if your room has many light sources. The Q6FN can get a little brighter, which is important if you have a very bright room.
The LG CX OLED is much better than the Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED. The LG can individually turn off its pixels, so it's able to produce perfect blacks. It also has much wider viewing angles, much better reflection handling, and it supports Dolby Vision. The Samsung can get much brighter, supports HDR10+, and it doesn't have the risk of permanent burn-in.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED and the TCL 8 Series 2019/Q825 QLED are very similarly performing TVs. While the TCL is better for HDR content as it can get brighter and has a wider color gamut, the Samsung is better for sports and gaming thanks to its motion handling and lower input lag. The Samsung's colors are also significantly more accurate out-of-the-box, but the TCL's built-in speakers are better.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED is much better than the Sony X800H. The VA panel on the Samsung has a much better contrast ratio and black uniformity and includes a local dimming feature to further deepen any blacks. The Q70R also has a higher refresh rate and supports FreeSync variable refresh rate technology to reduce screen tearing in games. However, the IPS panel on the Sony has much better viewing angles, the gray uniformity is significantly better, and it has a lower input lag.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED and the Sony X900H both perform very similarly. The Samsung has a significantly better contrast ratio and black uniformity, giving it better dark room performance, while the Sony has better out-of-the-box color accuracy and better gray uniformity. Serious gamers will appreciate the native FreeSync support on the Samsung.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED is slightly better than the Sony X900F. The Q70R has a slightly better dark room performance, thanks to the higher contrast ratio and better black uniformity. The Q70R is also better for gaming thanks to its lower input lag and native FreeSync support. The X900F, on the other hand, gets brighter in both SDR and HDR and has much better reflection handling, so it's great for watching TV in well-lit rooms.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED is a better TV than the Samsung Q60/Q60T QLED. The Q70R looks and feels more premium and well-made, has full-array local dimming, is better for HDR content due to its higher HDR peak brightness and slightly wider color gamut, and has a smoother smart interface. The Q70R also supports VRR, while the Q60T doesn't. On the other hand, the Q60T has more accurate colors out-of-the-box and supports Samsung's new dual-LED technology for improved contrast, though its contrast performance is similar to the Q70R.
The Vizio P Series Quantum X 2019 is a bit better than the Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED. The Vizio can handle reflections better, is a bit brighter in some scenes, and has a little faster response time which can be great for watching sports. The Samsung has some better gaming features, including support for AMD's FreeSync technology and low input lag with motion interpolation. The Samsung has better smart features as well, including access to a massive selection of apps through the content store.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED is the 2019 version of 2017's Samsung Q7F/Q7 QLED 2017 and performs much better. The Q70R has a better local dimming feature, looks more premium, has higher peak brightness, and better motion handling. On the other hand, the Q7F has a wider color gamut.
These are two different types of TVs, each with advantages and disadvantages. The LG C9 OLED is an OLED TV that delivers an outstanding dark room performance thanks to its perfect blacks. The LG has wider viewing angles and delivers very crisp motion, thanks to the nearly instantaneous response time. The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED has a VA panel that doesn't have the burn-in risk that comes with OLED technology and is more suitable for a bright room as it can get brighter overall. The Samsung has a low input lag with motion interpolation, which is great for gaming.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED is slightly better than the Samsung Q7FN/Q7/Q7F QLED 2018. The Q70R has full array local dimming and a higher native contrast ratio, which is great for watching movies and HDR content, and it can display judder-free movies from any source. The Q7FN can get brighter in SDR, which is excellent if you have a very bright room, and it can also handle reflections better. Finally, the Q7FN has a wider color gamut and better color volume.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED and the LG SM9000 use different panel technologies, each with its advantages and disadvantages. The Q70R uses a VA panel and has a much better dark room performance. The Q70R can also get much brighter and is equipped with gaming features like FreeSync support. The SM9000, on the other hand, uses an IPS panel. It has much better viewing angles and better reflection handling, making it well-suited to rooms with bright lighting.
The Sony X950G and the Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED perform very similarly. The Sony has much better reflection handling, which is great if you have a room with many light sources. The Samsung, on the other hand, delivers deep and more uniform blacks in a dark room, thanks to the high contrast ratio and excellent black uniformity.
The Sony X950H and the Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED have very similar overall performance. The Samsung has a higher contrast but worse viewing angles. The Sony gets brighter, has better reflection handling, and has a slightly faster response time. However, the Sasmung has a lower input lag and supports VRR, making it a better option for gaming.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED and the Vizio M Series Quantum 2019 are similarly-performing TVs. The Samsung looks and feels more premium, can get significantly brighter with HDR content, has better motion handling, and has much better smart features. On the other hand, the Vizio has better local dimming, better black uniformity, and is generally available for much cheaper.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED is a much better TV than the LG UM7300. The Q70R looks and feel much better built, has much deeper blacks thanks to its higher contrast ratio and local dimming feature, and can get much brighter which allows HDR content to really pop. On the other hand, the LG uses an IPS panel which gives it much wider viewing angles, and it has a more robust remote.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED is slightly better than the Vizio P Series Quantum 2019. The Q70R has much better black uniformity and better contrast, but a slightly worse local dimming feature. The Q70R also has better smart features, with a much smoother interface, better remote, and a huge selection of apps. The Vizio P Series Quantum 2019 has a slightly faster response time.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED and the Sony X850G use different panel technologies, each with advantages and disadvantages. The Q70R uses a VA panel with a much higher contrast ratio and black uniformity to deliver a superior dark room performance. The Q70R is also equipped with native FreeSync, which should please gamers. The X850G, on the other hand, uses an IPS panel, so it has much wider viewing angles and can handle reflections better when in a room with many lights.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED is a much better TV than the Sony X800G. The Samsung has much better blacks thanks to its VA panel and local dimming feature. It can also get much brighter, especially for HDR content, has better motion handling, and has more accurate colors out-of-the-box. On the other hand, the Sony's IPS panel gives it much better viewing angles.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED and the LG SM9500 use different panel technologies, each with their strengths and weakness. The Q70R is a better choice for watching in a dark room thanks to its exceptional contrast ratio and black uniformity. The SM9500 looks better in a brighter room and has wide viewing angles, so it's better for watching sports during the day with a large group of friends. The SM9500 is also a bit more future-proof, as it has 4 HDMI 2.1 ports, and it supports eARC.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED is a better TV than the Hisense H8F. The Samsung looks better built, has slightly better local dimming, can get much brighter for HDR content, is more accurate out-of-the-box, and has much better motion handling. On the other hand, the Hisense has slightly better black uniformity and may represent a better value to some people.
The LG B9 OLED is a better TV than the Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED. Thanks to the OLED's ability to individually turn off pixels, it has perfect black levels. The B9 also has a wider color gamut, much better viewing angles, gray uniformity, and reflection handling. On the other hand, the Q70R can get brighter, has better out-of-the-box color accuracy, and doesn't have the same risk for permanent burn-in that the OLED does.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED is a bit better than the TCL 6 Series/R625 2019. The Q70R has much better reflection handling and a much faster response time, so motion looks clearer, especially when playing games or watching sports. The TCL, however, has more effective local dimming and a lower input lag.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED is slightly better than the Hisense H9F. The Q70R has better dark room performance, thanks to its exceptional black uniformity. The Q70R is also somewhat better for gaming, because of its low input lag and native FreeSync support. The H9F, on the other hand, has a faster response time and can display slightly crisper motion.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED is a much better TV than the Samsung NU6900. The Q70R feels more premium and better built, has local dimming, can get drastically brighter, has better reflection handling, a much wider color gamut, better motion handling, and a much smoother smart interface. On the other hand, the NU6900 has more accurate colors out-of-the-box.
The Samsung Q8FN/Q8/Q8F QLED 2018 has very similar performance to the Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED. The Q8FN has an antireflective filter that provides much better reflection handling in rooms with many light sources. The Q8FN has a slightly wider color gamut and can get a little brighter. The Q70R has a lower input lag which is better if you play a lot of video games.
The Samsung Q9FN/Q9/Q9F QLED 2018 is somewhat better than the Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED. The Q9FN can handle reflections better and can get brighter, so it's more suitable for a bright room with many light sources. The Samsung Q9FN has a better local dimming feature that enhances its dark room performance. The Q70R can display judder-free movies from any source and has a lower input lag, which is excellent for playing video games.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED is better overall than the Samsung RU8000. The Q70R has a full array local dimming feature, which improves dark-room performance, whereas the RU8000 doesn't. The Q70R also has a wider color gamut and gets a lot brighter, especially with HDR content.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED is a much better TV than the Samsung RU7100. The Q70R feels more premium and well-built, has local dimming, can get significantly brighter, has better reflection handling, a much wider color gamut, and has much better motion handling. On the other hand, the RU7100 has slightly better gray uniformity and is cheaper.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED and the LG SK9500 have different panel types, each with its advantages and disadvantages. If you have a dark room, the Q70R is a better choice as it can deliver deeper and more uniform blacks that greatly improve dark room performance, thanks to its high contrast ratio. The Samsung Q70R also supports FreeSync, which is great for gamers. The LG SK9500, on the other hand, has wider viewing angles and can handle reflections better, so it's more suitable for a room with a wide seating arrangement and many light sources.
These two TVs are different types, each with its advantages and disadvantages. The LG B8 OLED is an OLED TV with perfect blacks and excellent dark room performance. The LG also has wider viewing angles and better reflection handling. The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED is a LED TV with a VA panel that can get brighter and doesn't have a permanent burn-in risk. The Samsung is loaded with gaming features that will please even hardcore gamers.
These are two different types of TVs, each with their advantages and disadvantages. The LG C8 OLED is an OLED TV that can individually turn off pixels to produce perfect blacks. The OLED also has wider viewing angles and an almost instantaneous response time that delivers crisp motion. The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED doesn't have the permanent burn-in risk and can get brighter, so it's more suitable for a bright room. The Samsung is packed with gaming features like FreeSync support, which is great for more serious gamers.
The Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED is better than the TCL 6 Series 2018. The Q70R has better reflection handling, great for a bright room, and a faster response time that delivers crisper motion. The Q70R has some nice gaming features including support for AMD's FreeSync and low input lag with motion interpolation. The R617 supports Dolby Vision, and the Q70R supports HDR10+.
Although the Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED and the LG SM8600 use different panel technologies, for most people, the Q70R is a better choice. The Q70R can get brighter, has better blacks in a dark room, and is loaded with gaming features like FreeSync support and low input lag with motion interpolation. The SM8600 has an IPS panel that delivers wide viewing angles, which is great if you often watch TV from the side.
The Vizio P Series Quantum 2018 is a bit better than the Samsung Q70/Q70R QLED. The Vizio is a lot brighter, so HDR content has a lot more pop to it. The Vizio also has much better reflection handling and has a faster response time. The Samsung, on the other hand, has much better smart features, including access to a huge selection of apps.
Video
Test Results
The Samsung Q70R is an upper mid-range TV. In Samsung's 2019 lineup, it sits between the Samsung Q80/Q80R QLED and the Samsung Q60/Q60R QLED. The Samsung Q70R's chief competitors are the Sony X950G, the LG SM9000, and the Vizio P Series Quantum 2019.
The Samsung Q70R has an outstanding design, very similar to the Samsung Q8FN/Q8/Q8F QLED 2018. The back of the TV is made of good quality plastic and has horizontal ridges that run along the entire surface. Similar to older Samsung TVs, it includes guide tracks for cable management, and the back of each leg is hollow to allow for the cable to run down. Unlike the Samsung Q7FN/Q7/Q7F QLED 2018, the Q70R doesn't come with a One Connect Box.
The stand supports the TV well and allows only minimal wobble. It's nearly as wide as the TV, so you'll need a large table for it.
Footprint of the 55" stand: 38.3" x 9.6".
The back of the Samsung Q70R is made of high-quality plastic with a brushed finish. It has a built-in cable management system that guides cables through the legs, keeping the setup clean. The inputs are sideways-facing and well-labeled, but they can be difficult to reach if the TV is wall-mounted.
The TV is fairly thin and shouldn't stick out when wall-mounted; however, it doesn't support no-gap wall mounts, like the one for the Samsung Q90/Q90R QLED.
The Samsung Q70R feels excellently built. It's mostly made of plastic but feels sturdy and solid. There's some flex where the back joins the edges, but this is very slight and you shouldn't have any issues with the TV.
While contrast ratio may vary between units, the Samsung Q70R has one of the highest native contrast ratios that we've measured among LED TVs, allowing it to display deep blacks in a dark room setting. Local dimming improves the contrast even further.
The Samsung Q70R has full-array local dimming, and the performance is decent. While the transitions from one zone to another are smoothly executed, the TV tends to crush some smaller details and has difficulty keeping up when there are fast-moving objects. Subtitles also tend to trigger a change in brightness, which is somewhat distracting.
Unfortunately, the local dimming can't be completely disabled through the normal settings menu. To turn it off, we first disabled PC Mode Dimming within the TV's service menu, and then activated 'PC' Mode.
All our local dimming tests were done with Local Dimming set to 'High'.
Update 08/02/2019: We've retested the Samsung Q70R with the latest firmware, and the SDR peak brightness has increased a bit. We've updated our measurements and scores.
The SDR peak brightness is great. This TV can easily overcome glare in a bright room. It isn't as bright as the Sony X950G or the Samsung Q8FN/Q8/Q8F QLED 2018, but it's brighter than the Samsung Q60/Q60R QLED.
In our real scene testing, the entire scene was dimmed except for the bright parts, which were boosted. This might be due to the local dimming, which behaves differently than the 2018 Samsung QLEDs.
We measured the peak brightness after calibration, using the 'Movie' Picture Mode and 'Warm 2' Color Tone, with Local Dimming set to 'High.' Different picture modes and color temperatures may be brighter.
Update 08/02/2019: We've retested the Samsung Q70R with the latest firmware, and the HDR peak brightness has increased a bit. We've updated our measurements and scores.
The HDR peak brightness is good and similar to the Samsung Q8FN/Q8/Q8F QLED 2018. It isn't as good as the Sony X950G, but the Samsung Q70R still delivers HDR content with highlights that pop.
We measured the peak brightness before calibration, using the 'Movie' Picture Mode and 'Warm 2' Color Tone, with Local Dimming set to 'High.' Different picture modes and color temperatures may be brighter.
The Samsung Q70R has decent gray uniformity, but this may vary between units. The corners are slightly darker than the rest of the screen, causing a 'vignetting' effect. There's also some dirty screen effect in the center, which could be distracting and might disappoint some sports fans. In darker scenes, the uniformity is much better.
The Samsung Q70R has poor viewing angles, which is typical for a TV with a VA panel. The image loses accuracy, and colors start to wash out when viewed from the side, so this isn't the best choice for rooms with a wide seating arrangement.
If you want a TV with wider viewing angles, check out an IPS TV like the LG SK9500.
We took our color measurements after calibration, using the 'Movie' Picture Mode and Local Dimming set to 'Low.' In order to take our lightness measurements, we disabled PC Mode Dimming in the TV's service menu, and then activated PC Mode.
The Samsung Q70R has remarkable black uniformity, although this may vary between units. There's no visible backlight bleed in the native black uniformity picture and almost no blooming around the test cross with local dimming enabled.
Unfortunately, the TV's local dimming can't be completely disabled using the normal settings menu. In order to measure the native black uniformity, we had to disable PC Mode Dimming in the TV's service menu, and then activate PC Mode.
The Samsung Q70R has decent reflection handling. Its semi-gloss coating helps to diminish reflections, but when compared to the Samsung Q8FN/Q8/Q8F QLED 2018, its performance isn't as good. You shouldn't have any issues in most rooms, but if you have a room with lots of bright light, the reflections on the screen might become distracting.
The Samsung Q70R has very good accuracy out-of-the-box, although this may vary between units. There are some inaccuracies in the reds and blues, but these shouldn't be noticeable to most people. The white balance is fairly accurate, and the color temperature is close to the 6500K target. The gamma follows the curve for the most part, but some scenes may appear slightly darker.
Update 10/31/2019: Unfortunately, it would appear that the Q70R isn't compatible with the Auto-Calibration Function.
After calibration, the accuracy is superb. The white balance dE improves and you won't be able to spot any color inaccuracies without the aid of a colorimeter. The gamma continues to track the curve well, but some scenes continue to look slightly darker. Finally, the color temperature is a bit warmer than the target of 6500K, but it's hard to notice.
You can see our recommended settings here.
480p content, like DVDs, is handled well, with no obvious upscaling artifacts.
720p content, like content from a cable box, is upscaled well on the Samsung Q70R. There's no obvious over-softening or upscaling artifacts.
1080p content, like from a Blu-ray player or a non-4k game console, looks good.
The Samsung Q70R uses a BGR subpixel layout, which can affect the way text is rendered when using the TV as a PC monitor. You can read about it here.
The Samsung Q70R can display a wide color gamut, which is great for HDR content but it isn't as good as the Samsung Q8FN/Q8/Q8F QLED 2018. It's still slightly better than that of the Samsung Q60/Q60R QLED.
The 'Movie' EOTF follows the input stimulus very closely until it starts to roll off near the TV's peak brightness. In 'Game' mode, HDR scenes are a little darker as we can see here.
If you find HDR too dim, check out our recommendations here. With these settings, the Q70R is noticeably brighter in HDR, as shown in this EOTF.
As noted in the review of the Samsung Q9FN/Q9/Q9F QLED 2018, some Samsung TVs produce scenes that are brighter than intended for lower brightness HDR infoframes (such as 1000 nits). This is the 1000 nits infoframe for this TV where you can see that the image is slightly brighter.
Decent color volume on the Samsung Q70R. Like most LED TVs, the Q70R can't produce very bright blues, but otherwise, it can produce bright and dark colors across most of its gamut.
This TV has good overall gradient handling. Some slight banding is noticeable in all dark shades, especially in the dark green and blue shades. If banding is bothering you, set Digital Clean View to 'Auto,' which eliminates most of it but can cause the loss of some fine details in some scenes. Setting Digital Clean View to 'Low' doesn't do much.
There are no signs of temporary image retention, which is typical of VA panels. Note that 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 Samsung Q70R has a great response time, just slightly slower than the Samsung Q90/Q90R QLED, and very similar to the Samsung Q8FN/Q8/Q8F QLED 2018. There's only a very small blur trail behind fast-moving objects. The 0-20% transition has some overshoot, which can cause some haloing in really dark scenes, but otherwise, it shouldn't be very noticeable.
The Samsung Q70R uses Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) to dim its backlight. Although flicker is always present, it shouldn't be noticeable since the flicker frequency is very high at 960Hz.
In 'Movie' mode with Auto Motion Plus disabled, the TV has a flicker frequency of 960Hz, but it changes to 120Hz as soon as you set Auto Motion Plus to 'Custom' or 'Auto,' even if you remain in 'Movie' mode. In 'Standard' and 'Game' modes, the flicker is always at 120Hz.
The TV includes a Black Frame Insertion feature that can help reduce motion blur. Enabling Auto Motion Plus automatically changes the flicker to 120Hz, and setting LED Clear Motion to 'On' further reduces the flicker frequency to 60Hz.
When you're in 'Game' mode, the flicker frequency is always 120Hz. If you want to make the image even crisper, then enable LED Clear Motion in Game Motion Plus, which changes the flicker frequency to 60Hz.
The Samsung Q70R has a motion interpolation feature that can interpolate lower frame rate content up to 120Hz. To enable motion interpolation, you have to enable Auto Motion Plus and adjust the available sliders.
See here for more information about the Q70R's motion interpolation settings.
Note that, like many Samsung TVs, simply setting Auto Motion Plus to 'Custom' changes the backlight flicker to 120Hz.
Because of the Samsung Q70R's fast response time, there's a bit of stutter with lower frame rate content. Enabling motion interpolation or BFI can help reduce the perceived stutter.
The Samsung Q70R removes judder from 24p content, regardless of the source.
See our recommended settings on how to remove judder here.
Update 12/17/2019: A flaw was discovered in the way we were testing for G-SYNC compatibility with TVs. We've corrected the flaw, and have retested the 2019 Samsung and LG TVs, and found that the Samsung Q70R doesn't work properly with NVIDIA's current Adaptive Sync drivers.
The TV has a native refresh rate of 120Hz. It supports FreeSync variable refresh rate technology to reduce screen tearing while gaming, provided you have a compatible AMD card or Xbox console. The VRR has a wide range at 1080p and 1440p. At 4k however, the range is narrower, as the TV only supports up to 4k @ 60Hz.
We tested the TV on 'Game' mode, and we used FreeSync set to 'Ultimate' to obtain the widest possible range.
Note: The 49" model doesn't support FreeSync and has a 60Hz panel.
Update 08/02/2019: We've retested the TV with the latest firmware, and the input lag has decreased slightly across the board. The TV is no longer skipping frames when sent a 1080p or 1440p @ 120Hz signal. We've updated our numbers and scores.
The Samsung Q70R has an excellent low input lag, which is great for gaming. To get the lowest input lag, you need to set the TV to Game Mode. However, when in 'PC' Mode, input lag is low without the need to set the TV to Game Mode.
In Game Mode, you can enable motion interpolation through the Game Motion Plus menu.
To find out more about what settings to use for the best gaming experience, and about the 'Auto Low Latency Mode', see our recommended settings for Gaming.
Update 08/02/2019: We've retested the TV with the latest firmware, and it's now able to display 1080p and 1440p @ 120Hz without skipping frames in 'PC' mode.
Update 05/10/2019: 1440p @ 120Hz doesn't show proper 4:4:4, even in 'PC' mode.
The TV supports most common resolutions. To display proper chroma 4:4:4, which ensures that small text looks clear, you must set the label for the input you're using to 'PC'.
Like the 2018 Samsung TVs, the Samsung Q70R doesn't support DTS passthrough, and it doesn't support eARC.
The frequency response is okay. It has a somewhat balanced sound profile, so dialogue should sound fairly clear, and it has a decent punch to its bass but won't produce any rumble or thump. Finally, this TV gets reasonably loud, but may not be loud enough for large and noisy environments.
We tested the Samsung Q70R with the Adaptive Sound feature enabled but left Adaptive Volume disabled, as it drastically limited the max volume. This feature could be useful if you find that commercials play at a higher volume than the content you're watching.
Mediocre distortion performance. There's some distortion at moderate listening levels, and it rises slightly with volume. Distortion depends on the content, and not everyone may hear it.
The Samsung Q70R runs on Samsung's Tizen OS. It's easy-to-use and runs smoothly. However, the same issue that we observed on the Samsung Q60/Q60R QLED and the Samsung Q90/Q90R QLED occurs when switching out of PC input, which causes some elements on the screen to be cut off. To fix it, simply navigate into Picture Size Settings (without changing anything).
The Samsung Q70R has ads and suggested content on the home page, as well as within the app store. Unfortunately, they can't be disabled.
The Samsung app store has a large number of apps available to download. For the most part, apps run smoothly.
The Samsung Q70R uses the same remote as Samsung's other QLEDs as well as the Samsung RU8000. The remote works through radio frequency, so you don't need to have line of sight in order to use it. It has a built-in mic for voice control, which summons Bixby, Samsung's digital assistant. Bixby can perform simple actions such as changing volume or input and launching apps, but it can't perform actions within apps. By default, the mic is set to listen for commands even when the TV is turned off. The remote also includes quick-access buttons for Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video.
The remote can act as a universal remote for other devices, even if they don't support HDMI CEC, using Samsung's One Remote feature.
The TV controls are located underneath the Samsung logo. Controls consist of a central power button, that also acts as the 'Select' button, and directional buttons to help you navigate. They allow you to change channels, volume, and input, as well as accessing the settings menu. To return to the Home menu, press and hold the center button.
