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We published new results of an investigative study on the long-term durability of TVs, revealing significant durability issues with popular edge-lit models. Read the full details here.

Samsung Q70D [Q70, Q72D] QLED TV Review

Tested using Methodology v1.11
Reviewed Sep 24, 2024 at 11:06 am
Latest change: Writing modified Oct 04, 2024 at 11:15 am
Samsung Q70D [Q70, Q72D] QLED Picture
7.3
Mixed Usage
Value for price beaten by
: Samsung S90C OLED
7.2
TV Shows
Value for price beaten by
: LG C3 OLED
7.2
Sports
Value for price beaten by
: Samsung S90C OLED
8.1
Video Games
Value for price beaten by
: LG B2 OLED
6.9
HDR Movies
Value for price beaten by
: LG C3 OLED
8.1
HDR Gaming
Value for price beaten by
: Samsung S90C OLED
8.2
PC Monitor
Value for price beaten by
: Samsung S90C OLED

The Samsung Q70D QLED is the mid-range option in Samsung's 2024 QLED lineup and replaces the Samsung Q70C QLED. It sits between the lower-end Samsung Q60D QLED and the higher-end Samsung Q80D QLED. Like its predecessor, it's a 120Hz model and has modern gaming features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four ports, 4k @ 120Hz, and VRR support. The TV doesn't have a local dimming feature to improve contrast. Although it supports Samsung's HDR10+, it doesn't support Dolby Vision or DTS audio formats. It does feature Samsung's Multi View feature that allows for two sources to be displayed on the screen at the same time and has other features like voice control. The TV runs the 2024 version of Samsung's Tizen OS and has a built-in 20W 2.0 channel speaker system. We bought and tested the 65-inch model, but it's also available in 55, 75, and 85-inch sizes.

Our Verdict

7.3 Mixed Usage

The Samsung Q70D is decent for mixed usage. It gets bright enough in SDR and has good enough reflection handling to use in a bright room, but its limited contrast ratio really limits its impact on the viewer in a dark room and holds back its HDR performance. Fortunately, it's a very good gaming TV due to its modern gaming features. On the other hand, its very narrow viewing angle makes it a poor choice for watching TV with a group of friends.

Pros
  • Impressive SDR brightness.
  • HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, 4k @ 120Hz, and VRR support.
Cons
  • Narrow viewing angle leads to a degraded image when viewed from the sides.
  • No local dimming to improve contrast.
  • Struggles with reflections from direct light sources.
7.2 TV Shows

The Samsung Q70D is decent for watching TV shows. It has impressive SDR brightness and satisfactory reflection handling, so you can use it in a well-lit room and won't be overly distracted by reflections on your screen. The TV does a good job upscaling low-resolution content, but its low-quality content smoothing is only alright, so you do see artifacts in low-bitrate content. Finding shows to watch is fast and easy, thanks to the built-in Tizen OS. Unfortunately, its image quality degrades when viewed from the sides due to its very narrow viewing angle, so it's not a good choice for watching shows with a group of friends.

Pros
  • Very good pre-calibration SDR color accuracy.
  • Impressive SDR brightness.
  • Good upscaling capabilities.
Cons
  • Narrow viewing angle leads to a degraded image when viewed from the sides.
  • Struggles with reflections from direct light sources.
7.2 Sports

The Samsung Q70D is decent for watching sports. It overcomes glare due to its impressive SDR brightness and satisfactory reflection handling, so it's suitable for watching NFL games on a bright Sunday afternoon. On the other hand, its very narrow viewing angle means the image degrades when viewed from the sides of the screen, making it a poor option for watching the game with a group of friends. The TV has only decent gray uniformity with noticeable dirty screen effect, which is a bit distracting when watching sports like hockey that have large areas of uniform color. Its response time is satisfactory, but you do see some blur behind fast-moving players and objects.

Pros
  • Impressive SDR brightness.
  • Good upscaling capabilities.
Cons
  • Narrow viewing angle leads to a degraded image when viewed from the sides.
  • Only decent gray uniformity with noticeable dirty screen effect.
  • Struggles with reflections from direct light sources.
8.1 Video Games

The Samsung Q70D is very good for playing video games. It has incredibly low input lag for a responsive feel, but its response time is only satisfactory, so you do see some blur behind fast motion. The TV has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on four ports for 4k @ 120Hz gaming with VRR, so it pairs excellently with modern consoles. There's no effect on image quality when the TV is set to Game Mode, so you can enjoy the best possible image while also getting the best possible performance out of the TV. It's also bright enough in SDR, and you can use it in a room with some lights on and not be distracted by reflections on the screen.

Pros
  • Very good pre-calibration SDR color accuracy.
  • Impressive SDR brightness.
  • HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, 4k @ 120Hz, and VRR support.
  • Incredibly low input lag.
Cons
  • Only satisfactory response time means fast motion has noticeable blur behind it.
  • Struggles with reflections from direct light sources.
6.9 HDR Movies

The Samsung Q70D is just alright for watching movies in a dark room. Unfortunately, the TV is held back by its only adequate contrast, so blacks are pretty deep in dark scenes, but they become raised and grayish when bright highlights are also on-screen since it lacks local dimming. Despite having good HDR brightness, highlights don't stand out too much due to its limited contrast. The TV does a good job upscaling low-resolution content, but its only okay low-quality content smoothing means you still see artifacts in low-bitrate content, like DVDs. Its pre-calibration SDR accuracy is very good, so colors in SDR are accurate without needing calibration. Sadly, the TV only removes judder from the internal apps, so movies watched from any other source have noticeable judder.

Pros
  • Very good pre-calibration SDR color accuracy.
  • Wide color gamut for vibrant colors.
  • Good upscaling capabilities.
Cons
  • Doesn't remove 24p judder from external sources.
  • No local dimming to improve contrast.
  • No Dolby Vision or DTS audio support.
8.1 HDR Gaming

The Samsung Q70D is very good for playing games in HDR. It has good HDR brightness, meaning some highlights stand out in games, but due to its only adequate contrast, HDR games still lack impact. Fortunately, there's no decrease in HDR brightness when set to Game Mode, so you can get the best possible performance without having to see a dimmer image. It has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four ports, 4k @ 120Hz, and VRR support, so it pairs well with modern consoles. Fast motion has some noticeable blur behind it due to the TV's satisfactory response time. However, it has incredibly low input lag, so gaming feels responsive.

Pros
  • Wide color gamut for vibrant colors.
  • HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, 4k @ 120Hz, and VRR support.
  • Incredibly low input lag.
Cons
  • No local dimming to improve contrast.
  • Only satisfactory response time means fast motion has noticeable blur behind it.
  • Struggles with reflections from direct light sources.
8.2 PC Monitor

The Samsung Q70D is very good for use as a PC monitor. It has impressive SDR brightness and satisfactory reflection handling, so it overcomes glare in a bright room. Its response time is only satisfactory, so you do see some blur behind fast cursor movements. However, it has incredibly low input lag, meaning you get a responsive desktop experience. Unfortunately, it has a narrow viewing angle, meaning the sides of the screen aren't uniform with the center when sitting up close. The TV displays chroma 4:4:4 properly, but the TV uses a BGR subpixel layout that impacts the text clarity, although not everyone will be bothered by this.

Pros
  • Impressive SDR brightness.
  • Wide color gamut for vibrant colors.
  • Incredibly low input lag.
  • Chroma 4:4:4 works properly.
Cons
  • Narrow viewing angle leads to a degraded image when viewed from the sides.
  • Only satisfactory response time means fast motion has noticeable blur behind it.
  • Struggles with reflections from direct light sources.
  • 7.3 Mixed Usage
  • 7.2 TV Shows
  • 7.2 Sports
  • 8.1 Video Games
  • 6.9 HDR Movies
  • 8.1 HDR Gaming
  • 8.2 PC Monitor
  1. Updated Oct 04, 2024: We mentioned the newly-reviewed Samsung Q80D QLED in the Contrast section of this review.
  2. Updated Oct 03, 2024: Updated the information on panel technology in the Pixels section of this review.
  3. Updated Sep 24, 2024: Review published.
  4. Updated Sep 19, 2024: Early access published.
  5. Updated Sep 10, 2024: Our testers have started testing this product.
  6. Updated May 27, 2024: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  7. Updated May 15, 2024: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

We've bought and tested the 65-inch Samsung Q70D, which is also available in 55, 75, and 85-inch sizes. All sizes offer the same picture quality and overall performance. Note that with Samsung TVs, the five letters after the short model code (AFXZA in this case) vary between different retailers and regions, but there's no difference in performance.

Costco and Sam's Club sell a variant of this TV known as the Samsung Q72D. This variant performs the same but comes with an extended warranty and other store-specific perks.

Size US Model Warehouse Model (US)
55" QN55Q70DAFXZA QN55Q72DDFXZA
65" QN65Q70DAFXZA QN65Q72DDFXZA
75" QN75Q70DAFXZA QN75Q72DDFXZA
85" QN85Q70DAFXZA QN85Q72DDFXZA

Our unit was manufactured in March 2024, as seen on the label.

Compared To Other TVs

The Samsung Q70D is a decent TV overall, but it's really held back by its lack of a local dimming feature. It's also very overpriced for what it does, and it doesn't do anything special that makes it stand out in the sea of mid-range QLEDs. You're much better off saving some money and going with TVs like the Hisense U7N or the TCL QM7/QM751G QLED, as those models are brighter, support 144Hz, display a wider range of colors with less banding, support Dolby Vision and DTS audio formats, and have effective local dimming features to drastically increase their black levels.

For more options, check out our recommendations for the best TVs under $1,000, the best QLED TVs, and the best TVs for gaming.

Samsung Q70C [Q70, Q70CD] QLED
55" 65" 75" 85"

The Samsung Q70D QLED is a bit better than the 2023 Samsung Q70C QLED. The Q70D is brighter overall, so it overcomes more glare in a bright room and displays brighter highlights in HDR content. It also has a slightly better contrast ratio for deeper blacks during dark scenes and is the more accurate TV.

Samsung Q80D [Q80, Q80DD] QLED
50" 55" 65" 75" 85"

The Samsung Q80D QLED is better than the Samsung Q70D QLED, as it offers a noticeable upgrade in every way. The Q80D has a local dimming feature, giving it way better contrast than the Q70D. The Q80D is also brighter in HDR and SDR, and has better color volume, so all content is more impactful on that model. 

LG C4 OLED
42" 48" 55" 65" 77" 83"

The LG C4 OLED is significantly better than the Samsung Q70D QLED. The LG displays perfect blacks, has better HDR brightness, and displays a wider range of colors, so it looks much better in a dark room with SDR and HDR content. The LG has a much wider viewing angle, so it's more suitable for watching TV with a group, and its better accuracy means it sticks closer to the content creator's intent. Additionally, the LG has a much quicker response time with less blur behind fast motion.

Samsung Q60D [Q60, Q60DD] QLED
32" 43" 50" 55" 65" 70" 75" 85"

The Samsung Q70D QLED is better than the Samsung Q60D QLED in most ways. The Q70D gets brighter in SDR, so it fights more glare in a well-lit room. The Q70D also gets brighter in HDR and has better PQ EOTF tracking, so it delivers a more impactful and accurate HDR experience. The Q70D is the better gaming TV, as it has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, 4k @ 120Hz, and VRR; it pairs much better with modern consoles. However, the Q60D has better contrast, so its blacks are deeper in a dark room.

Hisense U7N [U7, U75N]
55" 65" 75" 85"

The Hisense U7N is significantly better than the Samsung Q70D QLED. The Hisense has an excellent local dimming feature to boost its contrast ratio, so it displays much deeper blacks and looks a lot better in a dark room. The Hisense gets brighter in SDR and has much better reflection handling, so it's better suited for use in a bright room. The Hisense also gets brighter in HDR, has a wider color gamut, has better color volume, and is more accurate due to its better PQ EOTF tracking, so it delivers a more impactful HDR experience. Finally, the Hisense has a faster response time and supports 144Hz, so it's a bit better for gamers.

Samsung Q80C [Q80, Q80CD] QLED
50" 55" 65" 75" 85" 98"

The Samsung Q80C QLED is mostly better than the Samsung Q70D QLED. The Q80C has a wider color gamut and better color volume, so it displays a wider range of colors at higher brightness levels, with less banding. The Q80C also has a much wider viewing angle, making it a better option for use in a group setting. The Q80C also displays slightly deeper blacks, and it has a faster response time for less blur behind quick-moving objects. However, the Q70D gets brighter in HDR, and it's more accurate in both SDR and HDR.

TCL QM7/QM751G QLED
55" 65" 75" 85" 98"

The TCL QM7/QM751G QLED is better than the Samsung Q70D QLED. The TCL is better suited for a well-lit room since it gets brighter in SDR. It also delivers a more impactful HDR experience due to its significantly better black levels, HDR brightness, and ability to display a wider range of colors. Regarding gaming, the TCL has a faster response time for clearer motion, and it supports 144Hz for PC gamers.

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Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
Design
Style
Curved No

The Samsung 65Q72D has the same design as last year's Samsung Q70C QLED, with a clean and simple look.

Design
Accelerated Longevity Test
Uniformity Pictures N/A
Design
Stand

The center-mounted stand is mostly made of plastic and feels a bit flimsy, but it does a good job of supporting the TV with minimal wobble. The stand lifts the TV about 3.19", so most soundbars fit underneath without blocking the screen.

Footprint of the 65-inch stand: 13.54" x 11.8".

Design
Back
Wall Mount VESA 400x300

The back of the TV is plastic with fine horizontal etchings, and it feels solid overall, without excessive flex around the VESA holes or inputs. There are grooves on the back of the TV and the stand for cable management. Unfortunately, the inputs are recessed into the TV, so they're hard to reach if you wall-mount it with a fixed bracket.

Design
Borders
Borders 0.47" (1.2 cm)
Design
Thickness
Max Thickness 1.02" (2.6 cm)
7.5
Design
Build Quality

The Samsung 65Q72D has good build quality. The TV has an all-plastic build that makes it feel a bit cheap, but it still feels pretty solid overall. The stand holds the TV well, and there's minimal wobbling when pushing or moving the TV. There are no major flaws with build quality and no issues with quality control.

Picture Quality
6.7
Picture Quality
Contrast
Contrast
6,800 : 1
Native Contrast
6,800 : 1

The Samsung Q72D has adequate contrast. Its native contrast ratio is good enough that blacks are somewhat deep during purely dark scenes, but since it lacks local dimming, blacks become raised and grayish when brighter highlights are also on screen. If you'd like better contrast than this model offers, look up the higher-end Samsung Q80D QLED.

10
Picture Quality
Blooming

The TV doesn't have a local dimming feature, so there's no blooming around bright objects or subtitles during dark scenes.

10
Picture Quality
Lighting Zone Transitions
Local Dimming
No
Backlight
Edge
Dimming Zones Count Of Tested TV
N/A

This TV doesn't have a local dimming feature, so it doesn't adjust the backlight of individual areas to brighten up highlights without impacting the rest of the image. This means that there are no distracting flickers or brightness changes as bright highlights move across the screen.

7.5
Picture Quality
Contrast And Dark Details In Game Mode

Switching to Game Mode doesn't result in any noticeable difference in dark scene performance.

7.5
Picture Quality
HDR Brightness
Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/mĀ²)
503 cd/mĀ²
Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/mĀ²)
435 cd/mĀ²
Landscape Pool (~300 cd/mĀ²)
195 cd/mĀ²
Peak 2% Window
527 cd/mĀ²
Peak 10% Window
526 cd/mĀ²
Peak 25% Window
524 cd/mĀ²
Peak 50% Window
522 cd/mĀ²
Peak 100% Window
522 cd/mĀ²
Sustained 2% Window
526 cd/mĀ²
Sustained 10% Window
524 cd/mĀ²
Sustained 25% Window
522 cd/mĀ²
Sustained 50% Window
522 cd/mĀ²
Sustained 100% Window
521 cd/mĀ²
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
0.001

The Samsung Q72D has good HDR brightness. Unfortunately, the TV doesn't provide a very good HDR experience since its contrast isn't good enough to have brighter highlights stand out very much against a darker background.

These measurements are after calibrating the HDR white point with the following settings:

  • HDR Picture Mode: Filmmaker
  • Brightness: 50
  • Contrast: 50
  • Color: 25
  • HDR Tone Mapping: Static
  • Color Tone: Warm 2
  • Color Space: Auto
  • Gamma: ST.2084 (0)

Results with 'HDR Tone Mapping' set to 'Active':

  • Hallway Lights: 503 cd/mĀ²
  • Yellow Skyscraper: 403 cd/mĀ²
  • Landscape Pool: 194 cd/mĀ²

7.7
Picture Quality
HDR Brightness In Game Mode
Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/mĀ²)
490 cd/mĀ²
Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/mĀ²)
457 cd/mĀ²
Landscape Pool (~300 cd/mĀ²)
228 cd/mĀ²
Peak 2% Window
532 cd/mĀ²
Peak 10% Window
529 cd/mĀ²
Peak 25% Window
527 cd/mĀ²
Peak 50% Window
525 cd/mĀ²
Peak 100% Window
524 cd/mĀ²
Sustained 2% Window
530 cd/mĀ²
Sustained 10% Window
528 cd/mĀ²
Sustained 25% Window
526 cd/mĀ²
Sustained 50% Window
524 cd/mĀ²
Sustained 100% Window
523 cd/mĀ²
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
0.001

The Samsung Q72D is slightly brighter in Game Mode, but it's less accurate.

These measurements are after calibrating the HDR white point, with the following settings:

  • HDR Picture Mode: Game
  • Brightness: 50
  • Contrast: 50
  • Color: 25
  • HDR Tone Mapping: Static
  • Color Tone: Warm 2
  • Color Space: Auto
  • Gamma: ST.2084 (0)
  • Game HDR: Basic
  • HDR10+ Gaming: Basic

Results with HDR Tone Mapping set to 'Active':

  • Hallway Lights: 507 cd/mĀ²
  • Yellow Skyscraper: 481 cd/mĀ²
  • Landscape Pool: 253 cd/mĀ²

8.8
Picture Quality
PQ EOTF Tracking
600 Nit Tracking Delta
0.0079
1000 Nit Tracking Delta
0.0078
4000 Nit Tracking Delta
0.0079

The TV has excellent PQ EOTF tracking, but it's not perfect. Blacks are displayed a bit brighter than intended, while mid-tones and highlights are displayed a bit darker than intended. Other than that, the TV follows the curve closely until there's a roll-off near the TV's peak brightness to maintain details in highlights. With content mastered at 4000 nits, the roll-off is even more gradual.

8.4
Picture Quality
SDR Brightness
Real Scene Peak Brightness
571 cd/mĀ²
Peak 2% Window
308 cd/mĀ²
Peak 10% Window
533 cd/mĀ²
Peak 25% Window
530 cd/mĀ²
Peak 50% Window
528 cd/mĀ²
Peak 100% Window
527 cd/mĀ²
Sustained 2% Window
307 cd/mĀ²
Sustained 10% Window
530 cd/mĀ²
Sustained 25% Window
527 cd/mĀ²
Sustained 50% Window
526 cd/mĀ²
Sustained 100% Window
525 cd/mĀ²
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
0.035

The TV has impressive SDR brightness and is bright enough to overcome glare in a well-lit room.

These measurements are after calibration with the following settings:

  • Picture Mode: Movie
  • Brightness: 50
  • Contrast: 45
  • Color: 25
  • Color Tone: Warm 2
  • Gamma: 2.2

7.7
Picture Quality
Color Gamut
Wide Color Gamut
Yes
DCI P3 xy
86.25%
DCI P3 uv
92.23%
Rec 2020 xy
62.26%
Rec 2020 uv
68.40%

The TV has a good color gamut. It has excellent coverage of the commonly used DCI-P3 color space, but all colors are undersaturated and/or inaccurate. The TV has okay coverage of the less common Rec.2020 color space, but all colors are even more undersaturated and off the mark.

7.3
Picture Quality
Color Volume
1,000 cd/mĀ² DCI P3 Coverage ITP
64.2%
10,000 cd/mĀ² Rec 2020 Coverage ITP
28.3%
White Luminance
518 cd/mĀ²
Red Luminance
106 cd/mĀ²
Green Luminance
374 cd/mĀ²
Blue Luminance
37 cd/mĀ²
Cyan Luminance
394 cd/mĀ²
Magenta Luminance
142 cd/mĀ²
Yellow Luminance
463 cd/mĀ²

The TV's color volume is decent. It doesn't display darker colors well due to its only adequate contrast, and it doesn't display vibrant colors very brightly.

8.0
Picture Quality
Pre Calibration
White Balance dE
2.68
Color dE
2.40
Gamma
2.28
Color Temperature
6,846 K
Picture Mode
Movie
Color Temp Setting
Warm 2
Gamma Setting
2.2

The TV has very good pre-calibration SDR accuracy. Blues and greens are underrepresented in darker shades of gray, and reds are underrepresented in all grays. The color temperature is cooler than the 6500K we aim for, and the gamma is a bit off of 2.2, with most scenes being displayed darker than they should be. Color accuracy is very good overall, but saturated reds and magentas, lighter yellows, and whites do have some noticeable inaccuracies.

9.3
Picture Quality
Post Calibration
White Balance dE
0.25
Color dE
1.71
Gamma
2.21
Color Temperature
6,541 K
White Balance Calibration
20 point
Color Calibration
Yes

The TV has fantastic accuracy after calibration, and it's easy to calibrate. The color temperature is much closer to 6500K, and the white balance and gamma are now almost perfect. Color accuracy is better now, but there are still some minor inaccuracies with reds.

See our full calibration settings.

7.3
Picture Quality
Gray Uniformity
50% Std. Dev.
3.467%
50% DSE
0.187%
5% Std. Dev.
0.733%
5% DSE
0.113%

The Samsung Q72DD has decent gray uniformity. The sides of the screen are quite a bit darker than the middle, and there's noticeable dirty screen effect towards the center of the screen. On a very dark or near-black screen, its uniformity is very good, but the corners and the bottom edge are a bit brighter than the rest of the screen.

7.5
Picture Quality
Black Uniformity
Std. Dev.
N/A
Native Std. Dev.
1.027%

The TV has good black uniformity overall, but sections of the screen are noticeably blueish and cloudy.

5.5
Picture Quality
Viewing Angle
Color Washout
26Ā°
Color Shift
34Ā°
Brightness Loss
30Ā°
Black Level Raise
24Ā°
Gamma Shift
16Ā°

The Samsung Q72DD has an inadequate viewing angle, so it's not suitable for a wide seating arrangement. There's significant gamma shifting, black level rise, and brightness loss as you move off-center, and colors look increasingly washed out as you move further away to the sides.

7.2
Picture Quality
Reflections
Screen Finish
Semi-gloss
Total Reflections
5.7%
Indirect Reflections
0.6%
Calculated Direct Reflections
5.0%

The Samsung Q72D has satisfactory reflection handling. Its semi-gloss screen finish significantly reduces the intensity of indirect reflections, like when glare from a ceiling light isn't directly facing the screen. Unfortunately, the TV's handling of direct reflections is only alright, so reflections caused by something like a lamp positioned in front of the screen are distracting.

6.3
Picture Quality
HDR Native Gradient
100% Black to 50% Gray
6.0
50% Gray to 100% White
6.0
100% Black to 50% Red
6.0
50% Red to 100% Red
8.0
100% Black to 50% Green
6.0
50% Green to 100% Green
6.0
100% Black to 50% Blue
6.0
50% Blue to 100% Blue
6.0

The TV has mediocre HDR gradient handling. There's some noticeable banding in almost all color gradients. Brighter reds fare better and have minimal banding.

6.5
Picture Quality
Low-Quality Content Smoothing
Smoothing
6.5
Detail Preservation
6.5

The TV has just alright low-quality content smoothing. It removes some artifacts in low-bitrate content, but there's still noticeable macro-blocking in darker scenes and a loss of details.

7.5
Picture Quality
Upscaling: Sharpness Processing

The Samsung Q72D does a good job at upscaling low-resolution content like DVDs or lower-resolution streams. Details are clear enough, but finer details are hard to make out.

Sharpness processing was calibrated with no over-sharpening for low-resolution content with the following settings:

  • Sharpness: 5
  • Picture Clarity Settings: Off

Picture Quality
Pixels
Subpixel Layout
BGR
Type LED
Sub-Type
VA

The TV uses a BGR (Blue-Green-Red) subpixel layout instead of the traditional RGB layout. This doesn't cause any issues for video or gaming content, but it can be a problem for PC monitor use as it impacts the text clarity, although not everyone will notice this.

The TV uses quantum dot color converters to produce red and green light, which can be seen in the spectral power distribution (SPD) chart.

Motion
7.3
Motion
Response Time
80% Response Time
6.6 ms
100% Response Time
13.7 ms

The Samsung Q72D has a satisfactory response time. Fast motion has noticeable blur behind it, and it's slower when coming out of dark states, so there's some black smearing in dark scene transitions.

9.9
Motion
Flicker-Free
Flicker-Free
No
PWM Dimming Frequency
960 Hz

The TV uses pulse-width modulation (PWM) to dim its backlight, which introduces flicker that can bother people who are sensitive to it. The amount of flicker varies depending on what picture mode the TV is set to and what settings you're using.

It flickers at a very fast 960Hz in the 'Movie' picture mode at all brightness levels. In all other picture modes, it flickers at a slower 120Hz at all brightness levels. With 'LED Clear Motion' enabled, the TV flickers at 60Hz, and with the 'Picture Clarity' settings enabled, it flickers at 120Hz.

Motion
Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
Optional BFI
Yes
Min Flicker For 60 fps
60 Hz
60Hz For 60 fps
Yes
120Hz For 120 fps
No
Min Flicker for 60 fps in Game Mode
60 Hz

The TV supports backlight strobing, more commonly known as black frame insertion (BFI). The feature is designed to improve the appearance of motion by strobing its backlight and reducing the amount of persistence blur. The BFI feature on the TV only flickers at 60Hz, and there's still some minor image duplication present.

Motion
Motion Interpolation
Motion Interpolation (30 fps)
Yes
Motion Interpolation (60 fps)
Yes

This TV has an optional motion interpolation feature to improve the clarity of motion, but it doesn't work very well. Even slower-moving scenes have some noticeable artifacts and haloing present. In faster-moving scenes, it can't keep up, and there are distracting artifacts and haloing, and sometimes the TV stops interpolating altogether.

7.5
Motion
Stutter
Frame Hold Time @ 24 fps
28.0 ms
Frame Hold Time @ 60 fps
3.0 ms

Due to the TV's slower response time, there's very little noticeable stutter when watching 24p content.

2.2
Motion
24p Judder
Judder-Free 24p
No
Judder-Free 24p via 60p
No
Judder-Free 24p via 60i
No
Judder-Free 24p via Native Apps
Yes

The Samsung Q72D automatically removes judder from the native apps. Unfortunately, it doesn't remove judder from any external sources.

9.4
Motion
Variable Refresh Rate
Native Refresh Rate
120 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
Yes
HDMI Forum VRR
Yes
FreeSync
Yes
G-SYNC Compatible
Yes
4k VRR Maximum
120 Hz
4k VRR Minimum
< 20 Hz
1080p VRR Maximum
120 Hz
1080p VRR Minimum
< 20 Hz
1440p VRR Maximum
120 Hz
1440p VRR Minimum
< 20 Hz
VRR + Local Dimming No Local Dimming

The Samsung Q72D is compatible with all three variable refresh rate (VRR) formats, and it works across a very wide refresh rate range, which ensures that your games remain nearly tear-free when gaming. It also supports sources with Low-Frame-Compensation (LFC), which ensures your games remain nearly tear-free even when your frame rate drops very low.

Inputs
9.7
Inputs
Input Lag
1080p @ 60Hz
10.8 ms
1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
90.5 ms
1080p @ 120Hz
6.0 ms
1080p @ 144Hz
N/A
1440p @ 60Hz
10.4 ms
1440p @ 120Hz
6.0 ms
1440p @ 144Hz
N/A
4k @ 60Hz
10.4 ms
4k @ 60Hz + 10-Bit HDR
10.3 ms
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
10.4 ms
4k @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
61.9 ms
4k @ 60Hz With Interpolation
22.0 ms
4k @ 120Hz
6.0 ms
4k @ 144Hz
N/A
8k @ 60Hz
N/A

This TV has incredibly low input lag when set to Game Mode, which ensures a very responsive gaming experience with very little delay between your actions with your controller or mouse and the action on-screen.

9.6
Inputs
Supported Resolutions
Resolution 4k
480p @ 59.94Hz (Widescreen)
Yes
720p @ 59.94Hz
Yes
1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
1080p @ 120Hz
Yes
1080p @ 144Hz
No
1440p @ 60Hz
Yes (forced resolution required)
1440p @ 120Hz
Yes
1440p @ 144Hz
No
4k @ 60Hz
Yes
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
4k @ 120Hz
Yes
4k @ 120Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
4k @ 144Hz
No
8k @ 30Hz or 24Hz
No
8k @ 60Hz
No

The Samsung Q72D supports all common resolutions up to 4k @ 120Hz. It displays chroma 4:4:4 properly with any signal as long as the input label is set to PC, but sometimes 4:4:4 doesn't work properly, and the TV requires a power cycle. 1440p @ 120Hz @ 4:4:4 is not supported.

Inputs
PS5 Compatibility
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
Yes
4k @ 120Hz
Yes
1440p @ 120Hz
Yes
1080p @ 120Hz
Yes
HDR
Yes
VRR
Yes

The TV is fully compatible with everything the PS5 offers, like 1440p @ 120Hz and 4k @ 120Hz, as well as HDMI Forum VRR. It also supports Auto Low Latency Mode, so you don't have to worry about manually switching to Game Mode to get the lowest input lag.

Inputs
Xbox Series X|S Compatibility
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
Yes
4k @ 120Hz
Yes
1440p @ 120Hz
Yes
1080p @ 120Hz
Yes
HDR
Yes
VRR
Yes

The TV is fully compatible with almost everything the Xbox Series X|S offers, including 1440p @ 120Hz, 4k @ 120Hz, HDMI Forum VRR, and FreeSync Premium Pro. It also supports Auto Low Latency Mode, so you don't have to worry about manually switching to Game Mode to get the lowest input lag. Unfortunately, Dolby Vision isn't supported on the TV, so gaming in Dolby Vision isn't possible.

Inputs
Inputs Specifications
HDR10
Yes
HDR10+
Yes
Dolby Vision
No
HLG
Yes
HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwidth
Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)
HDMI 2.1 Class Bandwidth
Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)
CEC Yes
HDCP 2.2 Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)
ATSC Tuner
1.0
USB 3.0
No
Variable Analog Audio Out No
Wi-Fi Support Yes (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)

Although the TV supports HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four HDMI ports, all four ports are limited to 40 Gbps. In practice, this doesn't cause any issues or limitations with any current source. Unfortunately, Samsung still doesn't support Dolby Vision. However, it supports HDR10+ instead, which is similar overall but not as widely supported.

Inputs
Input Photos
Inputs
Total Inputs
HDMI 4
USB 2
Digital Optical Audio Out 1
Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 0
Analog Audio Out RCA 0
Component In 0
Composite In 0
Tuner (Cable/Ant) 1
Ethernet 1
DisplayPort 0
IR In 0
Inputs
Audio Passthrough
ARC/eARC Port
eARC
eARC: Dolby Atmos Over Dolby Digital Plus
Yes
eARC: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Yes
eARC: LPCM 7.1 Over Dolby MAT
Yes
eARC: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
Yes
eARC: DTS:X Over DTS-HD MA
No
eARC: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
No
eARC: LPCM Channels (Bitstream)
7.1
ARC: Dolby Digital 5.1
Yes
ARC: DTS 5.1
No
Optical: Dolby Digital 5.1
Yes
Optical: DTS 5.1
No

The TV has eARC support, which allows it to pass uncompressed high-quality audio from a connected source to your home theater system or soundbar. Unfortunately, it doesn't support any DTS formats commonly used on Blu-rays.

Sound Quality
5.9
Sound Quality
Frequency Response
Low-Frequency Extension
151.02 Hz
Std. Dev. @ 70
3.05 dB
Std. Dev. @ 80
3.74 dB
Std. Dev. @ Max
5.45 dB
Max
85.9 dB SPL
Dynamic Range Compression
3.28 dB

The TV's frequency response is sub-par. Like most TVs, bass is pretty much non-existent. The sound is well-balanced at moderate listening levels, so the dialogue is clear, but it sounds progressively unbalanced as the volume increases. Since the TV doesn't get very loud, it's best suited for a quiet environment.

6.5
Sound Quality
Distortion
Weighted THD @ 80
0.421
Weighted THD @ Max
0.622
IMD @ 80
7.55%
IMD @ Max
9.65%

The TV's distortion performance is okay. There's some minor distortion at lower volume levels, and the amount of distortion increases as you raise the volume.

Smart Features
8.5
Smart Features
Interface
Smart OS Tizen
Version 2024
Ease of Use
Easy
Smoothness
Very Smooth
Time Taken to Select YouTube
3 s
Time Taken to Change Backlight
3 s
Advanced Options
Many

The Samsung Q72D runs the 2024 version of the Tizen OS, and it's fast and easy to use.

0
Smart Features
Ad-Free
Ads
Yes
Opt-out
No
Suggested Content in Home
Yes
Opt-out of Suggested Content
No

Like most TVs, there are ads on the home screen. You can't disable them completely, although you can turn off targeted ads.

8.5
Smart Features
Apps and Features
App Selection
Great
App Smoothness
Average
Cast Capable
Yes
USB Drive Playback
Yes
USB Drive HDR Playback
Yes
HDR in Netflix
Yes
HDR in YouTube
Yes

The Samsung Q72D Series has a great selection of apps, so it's easy to find your favorite content. You can also cast content from your phone onto the TV or play videos from a USB stick.

8.5
Smart Features
Remote
Size
Small
Voice Control
Many Features
CEC Menu Control
Yes
Other Smart Features
Yes
Remote App Samsung SmartThings

The TV comes with the same minimalistic remote as the 2023 Samsung Q70C QLED. The remote has a rechargeable battery that can be charged via USB-C or solar power. It has buttons for popular streaming services, and the voice control gives you access to Bixby and Alexa. You can ask it to change settings, switch inputs, and answer basic questions, but it can't search for content within apps.

Smart Features
TV Controls

There's a single button underneath the Samsung branding on the right side of the TV, allowing you to turn the TV on/off, change channels, adjust the volume, and select inputs.

Smart Features
In The Box

  • Remote control
  • Power cable
  • User guides

Smart Features
Misc
Power Consumption 55 W
Power Consumption (Max) 185 W
Firmware 1120