TCL P7K / P79K vs Samsung QN80H

When it comes to assessing HDR performance, we need to be clear and straightforward without any marketing fluff: the P7K/P79K is not and never was meant to be a champion in this area. The maximum peak brightness that this panel can generate hovers around just 300 nits. This represents a threshold, a sort of thin red line between what can be considered barely satisfactory HDR signal and what is, in reality, only slightly better than standard dynamic range (SDR), unfortunately leaning towards the latter. Synthetic tests confirmed this harsh reality – our measurements taken during movie sessions showed that the luminance in key bright scenes rarely exceeded 200-250 nits. Therefore, this is not a TV that would allow content created in a wide tonal range to truly shine, and that must be openly acknowledged.

Unfortunately, the issue of colour reproduction is presented just as conservatively. Although the manufacturer positions this model within the "QLED" family, owing to the use of a PFS LED filter, the results do not match the heightened expectations. The coverage of the wide DCI-P3 colour gamut reaches only 86%. Compared to the market, this is at best an average result, since most devices that utilise additional layers to expand the colour spectrum easily achieve values at a minimum of 90-92%.

The Samsung QN80H is undoubtedly a bright TV. In synthetic tests it exceeds the 1000‑nit mark, which on paper already promises a solid HDR effect. In practice the screen really shows its stuff, although it can't always fully spread its wings (or its backlight 🤔). The best impression comes from bright, wide shots. Sunlit landscapes or heavily lit scenes look really good on it. Brightness then sits around 700 nits, which delivers a noticeable step up compared with standard SDR. Problems start in dark scenes with small, pinpoint highlights. The QN80H tends to dim those aggressively to protect black depth at all costs. On one hand you get better contrast, on the other... you lose dynamics and the sparkle of fine HDR detail. The TV therefore has plenty of potential, but the local‑dimming algorithm can be too restrictive.

Colour‑gamut coverage

Colour-wise it’s also good. The QN80H uses quantum‑dot technology, and in our measurements it covered 93% of the DCI‑P3 colour space and about 70% of BT.2020. Those results won't drop anyone's jaw today, but in real‑world use they’re more than enough to deliver a vivid and natural picture for most films and series. Colours are suitably saturated and, after proper tuning, they don't look artificial or overly aggressive.

Every reliable assessment of image quality must start with selecting the most optimal, factory preset mode. In the case of the tested P7K/P79K model, the choice was made without hesitation for the "Film" mode. It is the mode that presents an image closest to the intentions of its creators, avoiding both the exaggerated brightness of the dynamic mode and the excessive dimming known from eco settings. And it must be admitted that, for a device in this price range, the factory calibration is surprisingly decent, although it is not without a few stumbles. The most noticeable shortcoming turned out to be the not entirely correctly set white balance. A slight dominance of the blue component gives the image a subtly cool, frosty character, straying from the ideal neutrality that the director intended to show us. The television handles the reproduction of greyscale in the standard dynamic range much better – the gamma curve is almost exemplary. The only slight reservation can be made for the darkest parts of the image, where a delicate deviation from the norm causes a loss of some detail in the shadows. The most significant challenge, however, for the TCL software was interpreting the HDR signal, as illustrated by the EOTF curve. The television follows its own, rather free path here – the darkest details are disproportionately brightened, followed by a noticeable slowdown in brightness increase for mid-tones. Fortunately, most of these imperfections are of a software nature, which can be eliminated. With that thought in mind, we proceeded to the process of professional calibration.

The QN80H’s factory settings performed really well, especially compared with most TVs that come through our tests. Of course we took measurements in Filmmaker Mode, and that’s the mode we recommend switching on right after the initial setup. For SDR content our sample was set up surprisingly well. The white balance was very even, colours looked natural, and errors were so small they were hard to spot without test equipment. The only weaker point was the gamma. In brighter parts of the picture the TV brightened them a little too much, so the image sometimes lost some depth. Even so, we wish most TVs looked this good straight out of the box.

It was a bit worse in HDR. The white balance was still set correctly, so the issue wasn’t colour but the way the QN80H managed image brightness. You could see that straight away on the EOTF chart. The TV brightened large parts of scenes too much, causing the brightest elements to blow out. Interestingly, very small highlights were often dimmed too much at the same time. As a result some fine details simply disappeared. The factory Filmmaker mode in HDR isn’t bad, but it’s definitely not as well tuned as it is in SDR.

The calibration process turned out to be spot on, especially in the context of standard dynamic range (SDR) content. We successfully managed to eliminate the tendency of the television to showcase cool tones, restoring white to its natural neutrality. Moreover, the precise adjustment allowed us to correct a slight error in the gamma curve, enabling the darkest parts of the image to regain proper depth, without any signs of unnatural brightness. The results are measurable and impressive – in the ColorChecker test, the vast majority of colour reproduction errors fell below the perceptual threshold, achieving a deltaE value of below 2. This is a result that more expensive models would not be ashamed of. Unfortunately, in the case of HDR content, we encounter a wall in the form of the panel's structural limitations. And although we managed to bring the colours into line, the software's specifics mean that the television still adapts brightness in its own way, as evidenced by the persistent, non-standard EOTF curve. To summarise, calibration adds tremendous value, but it is important to be aware that it won't overcome certain physical barriers. The slightly elevated blacks, resulting from the lack of local dimming, and limited peak brightness mean that HDR content won't always be able to showcase its full potential. This is simply not the main task of this display; its true strength, especially after professional tuning, lies in viewing SDR material.

The biggest difference after calibration was in HDR Filmmaker mode. SDR was already very good out of the box, so we didn't have much work to do there. In HDR, however, we were able to rein in how the QN80H handled brightness; it had been making most scenes too bright. After calibration the picture is calmer, more natural and much closer to a faithful reproduction.

After a series of harsh evaluations, thankfully, it’s time for some praise, and this is deserved by the TCL AiPQ image processor for its work in the field of digital processing and content scaling. It should be noted right away that we are not talking about the level known from flagship models; nonetheless, in the price segment represented by the P7K/P79K, the results achieved are more than solid. The function that smooths tonal transitions performs particularly well, effectively eliminating posterization, which are the characteristic bands often visible in materials with higher compression, for instance, from choose.tv. The algorithm can elegantly remove unwanted gradients, which ultimately looks really good. The television also handles upscaling competently, which means the task of raising low-resolution materials to 4K standard. The resulting image, although it may seem a bit too sharp out of the box, is fortunately not a problem. The software allows for free adjustment of this parameter using a sharpness slider, allowing the final appearance to be easily tailored to personal preferences.

The digital image processing in the Samsung QN80H is handled by the second-generation NQ4 AI processor. It's a chip we've already seen in previous Samsung models and it still performs very well, especially with lower-resolution content. The image is effectively upscaled to 4K, but without excessive sharpening and without making it feel like the TV is trying to forcibly enhance the source material.

The "Noise Reduction" feature also proves useful. It can noticeably reduce posterisation and visible banding in lower-quality material, especially in low-bitrate streaming. However, you should remember it doesn't work without side effects. It can remove some film grain and slightly smooth the picture. So with a good-quality source we'd leave this feature turned off. If, however, banding and uneven tonal transitions bother you more than the loss of some grain, "Noise Reduction" can be a really useful addition.

The issue of fluidity and sharpness of motion image is inextricably linked to the fundamental parameter of the panel, and in the case of the TCL P7K/P79K, we are dealing with a panel that has a native refresh rate of 60 Hz. This specification at the outset defines its capabilities and makes it hard to unequivocally recommend it to enthusiasts of dynamic sports broadcasts. During quick camera movements, the image loses sharpness, and the panel also shows a slight tendency to smudge, which may be noticeable to more sensitive viewers. Fortunately, not everything in this aspect has been left to chance. The manufacturer has implemented a simple motion smoothing system, which is primarily used in film materials recorded at 24 or 30 frames per second. Thanks to a dedicated slider, the user can decide on the final nature of the motion – from maintaining a fully cinematic, slightly jerky image, to achieving a very smooth, almost theatrical effect. It is a simple yet effective tool that allows one to adjust the viewing experience to their own preferences.

Motion blur and motion handling on the QN80H are really good, mainly thanks to the fast panel. In 4K the screen refreshes the image at up to 144 Hz, and when switched to Full HD and connected to a PC it can reach up to 240 Hz. That's new for Samsung TVs and a handy extra for people who want to use the TV for PC gaming. We were more interested, though, in how the QN80H performs at 120 Hz, because consoles use that refresh rate. It does very well. The panel doesn't suffer much from the smearing typical of VA panels; faint trails behind moving objects are mostly visible on dark backgrounds. That's not something that would interfere with normal sports watching or gaming. The TV also has a motion smoothing system that Samsung calls "Picture Clarity". You can set judder reduction and blur reduction separately, so it's easy to tune it for films, sport or your own preferences.

Although on paper the native 4K@60Hz matrix might suggest that the TCL P7K/P79K is not a TV tailored for gamers, the reality turns out to be surprisingly different. On the contrary, the manufacturer has ensured a rich set of features that make it a very friendly companion for next-generation consoles. Onboard, we find key technologies such as ALLM, which provides automatic switching to low-latency mode, and VRR, or variable refresh rate, which eliminates screen tearing. The list is rounded off with support for Dolby Vision Gaming and a simple yet functional Game Bar. However, the real and extremely pleasant surprise is something else. It turns out that the TV effortlessly supports a high refresh rate signal of 120Hz, but at lower resolutions – 1080p and 1440p. This is fantastic news for console owners, who know how rarely games run in native 4K at a full 120 frames per second. The option to choose between higher resolution and doubled smoothness is therefore an incredibly sensible compromise.

In summary, while the P7K/P79K may not be the target screen for the most passionate, tournament gamers, it offers a package of options for casual or occasional console users that is hard to find among many competitors at this price point.

The Samsung QN80H is a TV that performs very strongly when it comes to gamer-focused features. The biggest new feature for 2026 is DLG mode, which allows refresh rates up to 240 Hz when the image is switched to Full HD. It's an option aimed mainly at PC users, but it also shows that Samsung is still investing heavily in the gaming side of its TVs. The list of advantages doesn't end there. The QN80H has four full HDMI 2.1 ports, which at this price point still isn't standard. So you can connect multiple consoles, a PC or a soundbar at once and not worry about which port supports the full video capabilities. The TV also supports VRR, ALLM and HGiG, so it's hard to fault its basic feature set.

A downside is the lack of Dolby Vision, which could matter especially for Xbox Series X owners. However, this isn't a flaw that rules the QN80H out as a gaming TV. Samsung does have a feature that most manufacturers still lack, namely its proprietary motion smoothing, Game Motion Plus. This motion smoother also works in game mode, improving the smoothness of titles running at 30 or 60 frames per second without a drastic increase in input lag. In practice, Game Motion Plus can make a much bigger difference than Dolby's codec, especially in more demanding games that don't offer a 60 fps mode. The image becomes noticeably smoother, while controls remain sufficiently responsive. So despite the lack of Dolby Vision, the QN80H is still one of the best-equipped gaming TVs in its class.