The Samsung Q80C QLED is the highest-end model in Samsung's QLED range, which sits above their entry-level Crystal UHD range and below their higher-end Neo QLEDs. This TV has Direct Full Array backlighting, with LEDs placed directly behind the LCD panel, allowing for a much tighter control of each dimming zone. This model was significantly upgraded over 2022's Samsung Q80B QLED with double the local dimming zones, from 48 to 96. It has Samsung's Neural Quantum Processor 4K, promising better AI upscaling than its predecessor, and Quantum HDR+, which brings improvements to the underlying QLED technology of the panel, leading to better and brighter colors in HDR when compared to the Samsung Q80B QLED. The TV has motion interpolation up to 4k @ 120Hz and supports all Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) technologies for a nearly tear-free gaming performance. It comes with the 2023 version of Samsung's proprietary Tizen OS, and its four HDMI 2.1 bandwidth ports mean that you can connect many modern consoles simultaneously without having to jostle for ports. It's available in six different size variants, but the 50-inch model is limited to 4k @ 60Hz and doesn't support VRR.
Our Verdict
The Samsung Q80C is a good general-purpose TV. Its standout features are its impressive SDR peak brightness combined with the TV's decent reflection handling; this makes the TV quite good in any bright room scenario, from watching TV shows or sports, using the TV as a PC monitor, or playing video games. It has incredibly low input lag, so user inputs are responsive, and its very good response time ensures minimal blurring for any fast on-screen action. Sadly, it has unimpressive contrast, and its local dimming capabilities are disappointing. Its HDR brightness is decent, but it just isn't good enough for the TV's contrast, as highlights don't pop, so the TV isn't a great choice for HDR movies.
- Impressive SDR peak brightness.
- Decent reflection handling.
- Very good viewing angle.
- Low contrast ratio.
- Some uniformity issues.
The Samsung Q80C is a good TV for watching shows in a bright room. It gets very bright in SDR and has decent reflection handling, so your shows will be clear even with all the lights on. Plus, its very good viewing angle means that even if the entire family watches their daily sitcom around the TV, they'll still experience a mostly consistent image without significant color or brightness fluctuations. The TV also has good low-resolution upscaling, so older shows on DVDs, or even shows on cable, look good and crisp with minimal issues. Unfortunately, it has unremarkable low-quality content smoothing, so even if the shows are crisp, they have some missing details and macro-blocking in dark scenes.
- Impressive SDR peak brightness.
- Decent reflection handling.
- Very good viewing angle.
- Some uniformity issues.
- Unremarkable low-quality content smoothing.
The Samsung Q80C is very good for sports. It has an impressive SDR peak brightness and decent reflection handling, so sports are clear and vivid even when watched in a bright room. Plus, the TV has a very good viewing angle, so hockey nights with the gang are great, as they can all sit around the TV while still enjoying a consistent image. The TV's very good response time means that fast-moving objects, like a puck in hockey, are crisp and blur-free. The TV has satisfactory gray uniformity, but the vignetting in the corners is noticeable on large areas of bright color, like a hockey rink.
- Impressive SDR peak brightness.
- Decent reflection handling.
- Quick response time.
- Very good viewing angle.
- Some uniformity issues.
- Unremarkable low-quality content smoothing.
The Samsung Q80C is a very good TV to play video games on. Its contrast is disappointing, so it's not the best TV to game on in a dark room, but that's okay, as the TV does have impressive SDR brightness and decent reflection handling, meaning you can play with the lights on. The TV has extremely low input lag and a very good response time, so inputs are super responsive, and there's minimal blurring behind fast-moving objects. It also supports 4k @ 120Hz, so games are crisp and fast, and VRR for a nearly tear-free gaming experience.
- Impressive SDR peak brightness.
- Quick response time.
- HDMI 2.1 bandwidth with VRR support.
- Incredibly low input lag.
- Low contrast ratio.
- Blooming around bright objects.
- Some uniformity issues.
- Disappointing local dimming.
The Samsung Q80C is alright for HDR movies. Its best traits for movies are its perfect judder performance, which removes judder from all sources, and excellent HDR gradient handling for a nearly banding-free viewing experience. Unfortunately, the TV's contrast isn't nearly good enough to make the TV look great in a dark room. The TV has terrible color accuracy in SDR; you'll have to spend some time on calibration if you want it to look good in SDR movies. Its HDR brightness is decent, but it can't make highlights pop, especially not with the unimpressive contrast. Finally, the TV has mediocre low-quality content smoothing, which doesn't make streaming services and their relatively low bitrate look their best.
- Automatically removes 24p judder from any source.
- Has a wide color gamut.
- Low contrast ratio.
- Blooming around bright objects.
- No Dolby Vision support.
- No DTS audio passthrough.
- Unremarkable low-quality content smoothing.
- Disappointing local dimming.
The Samsung Q80C is very good for playing the latest triple-A HDR titles. It supports 4k @ 120Hz, so games are played at their highest resolution possible, with VRR for a nearly tear-free gaming experience. The TV's HDR brightness is better in Game Mode than in 'Movie' mode, so highlights are now bright enough to be impressive in certain scenes. Unfortunately, the TV's already middling contrast is a bit worse in Game Mode, so unfortunately, this TV won't make your games look their absolute best. Fortunately, it makes up for it with blazing input lag performance, so your inputs are very responsive, and it has a very good response time for minimal blurring when playing through hectic scenes.
- Quick response time.
- HDMI 2.1 bandwidth with VRR support.
- Incredibly low input lag.
- Good HDR brightness in Game Mode.
- Has a wide color gamut.
- Low contrast ratio.
- Blooming around bright objects.
- Disappointing local dimming.
The Samsung Q80C is a very capable TV when used as a PC monitor. It has impressive SDR brightness and decent reflection handling, so it looks bright even in a bright office. It has a very good viewing angle, so even if you sit close to the TV, there'll be minimal brightness or color shifting at the sides of the panel. The TV has incredibly low input lag, so the mouse cursor flies on the screen almost as soon as you touch the mouse, and with the TV's very good response time, it'll leave minimal trails as it zips around.
- Impressive SDR peak brightness.
- Decent reflection handling.
- Quick response time.
- HDMI 2.1 bandwidth with VRR support.
- Incredibly low input lag.
- Very good viewing angle.
- Some uniformity issues.
Changelog
- Updated Oct 04, 2024: We mentioned the newly-reviewed Samsung Q80D QLED in the Contrast section of this review.
- Updated May 14, 2024: We mention the newly-reviewed Samsung QN85D/QN85DD QLED in the Contrast section of this review.
- Updated May 09, 2024: Mentioned the newly-reviewed Samsung The Frame 2024 QLED in the Reflections section of this review.
- Updated Aug 02, 2023: Added mention of the newly reviewed Samsung QN85C/QN85CD QLED in the Contrast section of this review.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 65-inch Samsung Q80C, and the results are valid for the 55, 75, 85, and 98-inch models. The 50-inch model is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate and lacks features like VRR, Quantum HDR+, and Motion Xcelerator Turbo+. Otherwise, as usual, the last four letters of the model code (in this case, FXZA) vary between regions and even retailers, and not all regions carry all the variants. As Samsung's European lineup differs, these results are only valid for the North American Q80C.
| Size | US Model | Refresh Rate | VRR | HDMI 2.1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50" | QN50Q80CAFXZA | 60Hz | No | No |
| 55" | QN55Q80CAFXZA | 120Hz | Yes | Yes |
| 65" | QN65Q80CAFXZA | 120Hz | Yes | Yes |
| 75" | QN75Q80CAFXZA | 120Hz | Yes | Yes |
| 85" | QN85Q80CAFXZA | 120Hz | Yes | Yes |
| 98" | QN98Q80CAFXZA | 120Hz | Yes | Yes |
Our unit was manufactured in March 2023; you can see the label here.
Popular TV Comparisons
The Samsung Q80C is a good mid-range TV that's especially good in bright rooms when watching SDR content, as its SDR peak brightness is impressive. Its image quality is decent but doesn't amaze, especially not in a dark room with its middling contrast, excessive blooming, and blueish blacks. It's a good choice for gamers on a budget as it has fantastic input lag, a very good response time, and an impressive list of gaming features on models above 50". Overall, it's not worth its asking price; the Samsung QN85B QLED is a bit more expensive but is a much better TV, but you can also get cheaper and better models from budget brands, like the Hisense U7H, the Hisense U8/U8H, or the TCL 6 Series/R655 2022 QLED.
If you're still shopping, see our recommendations for the best TVs for sports, the best TVs for bright rooms, and the best TVs to use as a PC monitor.
In most ways, the Sony X90L/X90CL is better than the Samsung Q80C. The Sony has much better contrast and black uniformity, so blacks are deeper when viewed in a dark room, with less blooming around bright objects. HDR content is more impactful on the Sony TV due to its better HDR brightness, wider color gamut, and better color volume. However, the Samsung has a wider viewing angle, making it the better option for watching TV with friends, and its lower input lag provides a slightly more responsive gaming experience.
The Samsung QN85C is better than the Samsung Q80C. It has a much better contrast, helped by a much better local dimming feature. It gets much brighter in SDR and HDR, has better color volume, is the more accurate TV, has vastly superior black uniformity, and looks much better before being calibrated.
The Samsung Q80C is mostly better than the Samsung Q70D. 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.
The Samsung Q80D is a slight but noticeable upgrade over the Samsung Q80C. The Q80D's local dimming feature is superior to the one used in the Q80C, giving the newer model far better contrast overall. The Q80D is also a bit brighter than its predecessor and is much more accurate in HDR and SDR out of the box. The older Q80C does have some advantages, such as a much wider viewing angle and a faster response time, but they don't quite make up for the Q80D's image quality advantage.
We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests use specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.
Test Results
Older Test Bench: This product has been tested using an older TV test methodology, before a major update. Some of the test results below aren't directly comparable with other TVs. Learn more
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