Samsung QLED Q70D / Q74D / Q77D vs Haier M90E

The brightness that the Samsung Q70D can offer is at a rather average level, although it cannot be said that the HDR effect will not be noticeable. Any brightness above 400 nits allows for a clear distinction between SDR and HDR content. As was the case in the paragraph about contrast and black levels, we can also observe here that the first scene, featuring a bright sunny sky and a darker foreground, has the lowest luminance of those measured. The result, which can be considered very good for this price range and display class, is that one. In a scene where we see a large light source filling a significant portion of the frame, the brightness of the TV is at its highest, reaching nearly 500 nits. However, it is worth noting the rather low coverage of the wide DCI-P3 colour gamut, which sometimes results in noticeable shortcomings in the colour reproduction. Additionally, users can enjoy rich colours and high precision in rendering shades, making movie screenings a unique experience. It is also worth mentioning that the Q70D Samsung panel performs excellently in eliminating blur during dynamic action scenes, which enhances the viewing comfort of sports broadcasts or games.

Haier M90E is a television that doesn’t lack brightness. In most film scenes, peak luminance exceeds 1000 nits, which gives the image a distinct "punch" and high dynamics. This performs really well with typical bright HDR material. However, one must take into account the previously mentioned dimming algorithm. In scenes that are not evenly flooded with light – for example, when displaying individual stars on a black sky – the high brightness highlights the shortcomings of zone control. Instead of a precise light point, we often see a distinct halo effect around bright objects. Despite these drawbacks, the overall presentation of the image can be pleasing, thanks in large part to the colour reproduction. The manufacturer has applied a PFS phosphor coating, which allows for wide coverage of the colour palette. In our measurements, the coverage of the DCI-P3 space reached a solid 95%.

The best factory mode in Samsung Q70D is "Filmmaker," and it was this mode that we used during all our tests. Before the calibration process, it had several flaws that effectively hindered the presentation of the director's intentions. In both SDR and HDR material, the white balance was dominated by red and green colours. As a result, there was a characteristic yellow tint on the image, which caused whites to appear yellowed and skin tones to be noticeably too warm. The reduced gamma in standard colour palette materials caused a significant drop in contrast, which was already not the highest. This led to the highlighting of details in the blacks, but also to clipping in brighter scenes. In this case, the EOTF curve proved to be much better and only brightened those scenes with quite low luminance. This was clearly visible in the section where we measured the maximum brightness of the television in HDR materials. At that time, a shot from the film "Billy Lynn" appeared unnaturally bright and lacking depth.

For the measurements, we chose the Film mode, which is supposed to provide an image closest to the intentions of the creators. Unfortunately, in the case of the M90E, its characteristics – besides the reduced brightness – differ little from the Dynamic mode. In both SDR and HDR materials, the image is noticeably tinged with a cool blue hue. The white balance is heavily skewed towards blue, reminiscent of typical, aggressive "store" settings. This results in unnatural skin tone reproduction and makes the image tiring to the eyes during longer viewing sessions. The way brightness is managed also negatively impacts colour fidelity. The TV struggles to maintain proper levels – small details are often too dim, while larger, bright areas of the image become overexposed. These deviations in the brightness curve, combined with the cool white balance, lead to very large colour reproduction errors (DeltaE) in the factory settings.

Fortunately, Samsung provides a wide range of calibration tools in all its TVs, including 2- and 20-point grey scale adjustments and advanced CMS. As a result, we were able to significantly improve the quality of SDR and HDR content. The vast majority of errors have been corrected, and the image that the Samsung Q70D now delivers is definitely much closer to the reference. Higher deltaE errors in wide dynamic range content primarily result from the display's insufficient luminance.

Haier M90E clearly improves after undergoing professional calibration, especially for SDR content. The television's menu offers a sufficient number of tools to effectively correct factory errors. We managed to "tame" the white balance and eliminate the dominant blue glow. We also adjusted, albeit to a lesser extent, the gamma curve, which allowed us to recover some details in the shadows that were too heavily dimmed in the factory settings. The final effect in SDR is a significantly more natural and pleasing image. In HDR mode, the success is only partial. While we managed to improve the white balance here too, color reproduction errors (Color Checker) remained at a high level. Analysis of the EOTF curve (responsible for brightness in HDR) points to the cause of the problem: the television imposes its own interpretation of the signal and does not provide tools to modify this curve. The source of high errors is not the calibration itself, but the specificity of the device – aggressive and imprecise zone dimming interferes with measurements and is "stiffly" embedded in the characteristics of this model.

The function responsible for improving gradation is named "Noise Reduction" in the menu. As we have confirmed, it is worth enabling as it has a beneficial impact on tonal transitions. More importantly, it does not negatively affect film grain or fine details, which sometimes the competition "offers" us.

The image scaling on Samsung Q70D should be rated as average. The manufacturer does not aim to artificially sharpen the image, but rather to keep it naturally softened.

The evaluation of the image processor must be divided into two distinct aspects, as the Haier M90E behaves inconsistently here. The first issue is the upscaling itself, which is the process of scaling lower resolution content to 4K. In this task, the television performs quite decently. The algorithms effectively enhance detail, making the final image relatively sharp, clear, and readable. In this respect, it’s hard to have major complaints about the device.

The situation is completely different with materials that have a high degree of compression, which we encounter in older recordings or on platforms like YouTube with a lower bitrate. Here, the processor struggles with smoothing tonal transitions and masking the imperfections of the source. The television fails to hide compression blocks, resulting in a very harsh, "digital" character of the image. The lack of effective artifact reduction can certainly deter viewers from watching lower quality content on this screen.

Samsung Q70D is the first model in the manufacturer's portfolio with a 120Hz panel. As a result, its motion smoothing features are more advanced than those in lower-tier models. In the menu, we find three functions responsible for improving fluidity. They are "Blur Reduction," "Judder Reduction," and "Clear Motion (LED)." We'll discuss the third one later. The first function enhances sharpness in motion, while the second adjusts the level of smoothing. The smoothness enhancer in Samsung Q70D works satisfactorily, and each setting makes a noticeable difference. Therefore, those who dislike the characteristic stuttering of films or who passionately watch sports will be able to achieve their preferred level of smoothness. In the image, we present a setting with slight smoothing, without the soap opera effect.

The panel used in Samsung Q70D has a fairly good response time for this type of display. Of course, it won't deliver an image as sharp as a proverbial razor, but at this price point, it is a recommended choice for all kinds of sports.

Haier M90E is equipped with a simple yet functional motion smoothing system (MEMC). In the settings menu, users will find a three-level adjustment scale: low, medium, and high. This allows for adjusting the level of intervention in the image to personal preferences – from gentle smoothing of 24p films to maximum fluidity (soap opera effect). The system operates stably and fulfills its purpose in typical applications.

The tested television is equipped with four HDMI 2.1 ports. Interestingly, all of them have a bandwidth of 40 Gbps; however, during the testing process, we did not observe any negative effects associated with this situation. More importantly, Samsung Q70D supports all features stemming from the aforementioned standard. This news will surely delight all gamers, as it means that whether using a console or a PC, we can expect the highest possible comfort during gameplay. Given the standard absence of Dolby Vision HDR for this manufacturer, it is significant that the HGIG mode has been implemented correctly and there are no issues with setting up the calibration chessboard. We particularly note that Samsung is the only manufacturer to allow gaming with the smoothness enhancer switched on, without significant degradation. This means that titles running at 30 fps will be perceived like those with native 60 frames per second.

Samsung, as one of the first manufacturers, introduced the Game Bar to its televisions, which has since been consistently refined. It contains all the necessary information regarding gameplay parameters that we can change "on the fly".

In summary: Samsung Q70D will perform excellently both with consoles and with computers. All functions worked brilliantly, and there were no issues with them. The ability to enable the smoothness enhancer without significant increases in input lag is a true gamechanger.

From a hardware perspective, the Haier M90E is a solid offering. The television is equipped with two full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports, which ensure support for key technologies: VRR (variable refresh rate) and ALLM (auto low latency mode). Another plus is the correct implementation of Dolby Vision for gaming, which maintains a relatively low input lag. Problems arise with the software configuration. The biggest drawback is the forced, continuous dynamic tone mapping by the television's processor. This prevents proper HDR calibration from the console using system panels (HGiG) – the television ignores source settings and processes the image in its own way. We also noted deficiencies in the interface: the M90E does not have a typical "Game Bar" (overlay with parameters), which is standard among competitors. Cooperation with Xbox consoles has also proven problematic with atypical parameters – the device struggles to properly display 1440p resolution at 120 Hz refresh rate. Despite the aforementioned software shortcomings, the Haier M90E remains a very attractive screen for gamers. The final reception is saved by a solid hardware foundation. Native refresh rate of 144 Hz and the presence of full-featured HDMI 2.1 ports are advantages that are crucial in everyday use. If we are looking for a television that provides high fluency and supports 4K signal, this model will do its job.