QN80F is a representative of the Neo QLED series, meaning it is a television with Mini LED backlighting. Unlike its cheaper cousin, the QN70F model, the diodes here are placed directly behind the panel (instead of at the edges), which gives a solid advantage from the start when it comes to contrast control. In the 65-inch variant we tested, we counted 88 dimming zones – a result that may not be very impressive, but as it turned out, sufficient to achieve quite decent results.
In tests based on scenes from films such as Oblivion or The Meg, the QN80F performed well – blacks were deep, and the overall image consistency was eye-catching. However, in more demanding moments (e.g., scenes with a large number of bright details on a dark background), a halo effect appeared. This is where the limitation of the number of zones comes into play – bright elements could bleed around, and some details in dark areas became less visible. In one scene with a helicopter (The Meg), we even noticed slight brightness flickering, as if the television was trying its best to maintain visibility of the details at the expense of black depth.
However, these are not issues exclusive to this model – the halo effect or contrast drops in very complex scenes are something that most Mini LED televisions struggle with, even the more expensive ones. In its class, the QN80F still performs positively and offers noticeably better contrast than the QN70F model with edge lighting. For most users, this will be a level more than sufficient – although not perfect.
To put it bluntly: when it comes to black levels, it's just very poor. Our measurements on test patterns only confirmed what we could see with the naked eye – a result around 1000:1 is, these days, even in this price range, a disappointing outcome. In movie conditions, that "black" simply doesn't exist. To avoid being all talk, we fired up one of our favourite test scenes – the helicopter flight in "Sicario 2" (you can actually see it in the video we've linked below). Instead of inky, deep night, we got an image that is... navy blue. Everything on the screen that should be dark and mysterious actually glows a dark blue. This is the price we pay for using an IPS panel. On one hand, we get quite decent viewing angles, so if you're watching TV with the whole family from different angles, the picture doesn't lose much in saturation. On the other hand, if you're planning evening screenings with the lights off, this lack of contrast is going to sting your eyes from the very first minute.