Samsung QN80F 100" vs TCL C69K / Q6C

When it comes to HDR in Filmmaker mode, the QN80F can make a great first impression. Our laboratory tests have shown that under the best conditions, the television is capable of achieving brightness exceeding 1200–1300 nits. These are truly excellent results, making HDR effects in many films look incredible. The television is simply bright enough not to need to artificially adapt the image – the bright parts of scenes have the right 'power' and actually look like a light source. Of course, the laboratory is one thing, and everyday viewing is another. In practice, in film scenes, brightness generally oscillates in the range of 700–1100 nits. These are still great values that, in most cases, provide a strong sense of realism and make the lights on the screen truly capable of blinding. The problem arises in exceptionally challenging sequences, where, like almost every mini-LED, it reveals its limitations. A good example is Sicario 2: the scenes with the helicopter in the night sky look much weaker, and the lights lose intensity, dropping to around 370 nits, making it hard to speak of serious admiration. To this, we must add the issue of colours. Although we are dealing with a QLED, the coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette is around 90%. This is a rather average result for a quantum dot television. In practice, this means that some colours may appear less saturated than we would expect, especially in demanding HDR productions.

In terms of brightness, TCL C69K / Q6C is a moderate model. In optimal film conditions, it shows its full potential, achieving a maximum of around 600 nits. In scenes with large, intense light sources, the HDR effect can be truly satisfying, providing a cinematic shimmer. However, it should be noted that when managing backlight zones, there are situations where parts of the image become dimmed, and sometimes they are barely visible. This suggests that there is still a lack of proper optimisation of the algorithms; however, considering the technical parameters in this price range, the design itself still presents very well.

The Samsung QN80F performs best in Filmmaker mode, which is designed to replicate the creators' intentions as accurately as possible. And indeed – this is the mode in which the television showcases its potential. But let’s not kid ourselves, it is far from perfect. In SDR content, the issue of white balance came to the forefront. Slightly lacking greens and a noticeable excess of reds caused the screen to take on a pinkish hue. You don't even need meters to notice this – in everyday viewing, the subtly shifted colour palette could be quite noticeable, and in colour checker tests, the colours would literally "pop" out of their reference fields. With HDR content, the situation looked a bit better, as the white balance was closer to ideal, but another problem arose – brightness management. The EOTF curve often caused the image to become too bright, which spoiled the sense of contrast, and in dynamic scenes, it led to a slight "flicker" in perception. We had already mentioned this when discussing black levels and HDR. The good news, however, is that Samsung provides a lot of tools for improvement. The QN80F allows for truly detailed calibration, including a 20-point white balance. And since the manufacturer has left us so many options, we decided to check how the television would perform after a thorough adjustment.

The Filmmaker mode, which has made its debut in this year's TCL televisions (including the C69K / Q6C), is definitely the best choice "to start with." This is the mode we recommend for daily film and series viewings. Unfortunately, as is often the case, best does not mean perfect. In SDR material, the image proved to be too warm, with a pronounced red tint in the white balance. We had the opposite impression with HDR content – here the image became cooler than it should, due to an excess of blue. Additionally, there is the characteristic of brightness, which at times resulted in overexposure. In practice, this translated into quite noticeable errors in colour tests, which is difficult to accept in a mode branded as "from the creators."

After calibrating the QN80F, it immediately showed that it was capable of much more. The previous pinkish tint disappeared, and the white balance finally looks like it should – natural and without excessive deviations. The colours gained depth, and the image became more saturated and cohesive, making watching films simply more enjoyable. It's a bit like removing a light haze from the screen – suddenly everything appears sharper and clearer. The management of brightness has also improved. The television no longer gets easily lost in dynamic shifts, and the EOTF graph shows that the curve tracking is significantly more stable. Of course, there are no miracles – the limited number of zones still means that small bright elements can be slightly washed out, but that's a result of the design itself, not the settings. After this correction, the QN80F feels like a more mature piece of equipment, and watching films finally provides the satisfaction expected from a television even in a higher class.

Through white balance correction, we were able to significantly reduce the tendency of C69K / Q6C to distort colours, which yielded a very good final result. After calibration, the issue of excessive warming of scenes in SDR and excessive cooling of the image in HDR disappeared. However, it is worth analysing the brightness characteristics more closely. While in SDR content it is hard to have major objections – the image looks really good, especially in older films, TV programmes or on YouTube – it performs significantly worse in the case of HDR content. Analysis of the EOTF curve suggests that everything is fine, yet in practice (EOTF in films) the limitations of the design itself become apparent. This model has a tendency to excessively brighten small parts of the frame, only to overly dim the entire scene in other situations. The effect of calibration is therefore undeniable, and in terms of colour reproduction, C69K / Q6C gains a lot. Unfortunately, certain limitations arising from local dimming management simply cannot be bypassed.

With lower quality materials, such as films from YouTube or older television recordings, the QN80F can display its strengths and weaknesses. If strange colour transitions or artefacts start to appear on the screen, it is worth using the noise reduction function. The best setting is at "medium" – it smooths out problematic sections while not blurring the entire image. However, one compromise must be remembered: this function always removes film grain. If someone enjoys its presence in older productions, it is better to keep the reduction turned off, as the grain simply disappears regardless of the setting.

Resolution scaling, or upscaling, is another strong point of Samsung. The QN80F may not be the best television on the market in this regard, but it performs very well in its price range, which is very important for such a large size as a 100-inch screen. Even lower quality materials can gain a second life – the image becomes sharper, more readable, and overall much more pleasant to perceive. A weak point remains overscan, which is the slight cropping of edges in very low resolutions (e.g., 576p), something that has been a longstanding issue for Samsung. Fortunately, this is practically of no consequence when watching HD and 4K content on a daily basis.

In terms of image scaling, TCL C69K / Q6C performs quite well. Lower quality content appears acceptable, and thanks to the lack of overscan issues, the image is displayed in full without any cropping. However, one should not expect miracles – very low-quality materials will not gain a second life here, as the image processor has its limitations.

Thin lines and details exhibit characteristic tearing, which reveals the absence of more advanced image enhancement algorithms. It is also a pity that the C69K / Q6C lacks a tone transition smoothing feature. As a result, in older films or video materials, banding of colours can be visible and may become distracting during prolonged viewing.

The QN80F features a 144 Hz panel, and this is evident in practice – with full refresh, the image is remarkably smooth, and motion blur remains at an acceptable, barely noticeable level. However, this mode is primarily aimed at PC gamers. The most important reference point in everyday use remains the 120 Hz refresh rate, and this is where a certain discrepancy arises. During the UFO test, we noticed a splitting of the contours of rapidly moving objects – it looked as if the television had the BFI (Black Frame Insertion) feature permanently activated, which in practice led to an unpleasant effect of double edges. We do not yet know whether this is a software issue or a characteristic of this model, but in its current form, such behaviour is hard to commend.

The use of a 144 Hz panel in TCL C69K / Q6C is a significant advantage in this price range. It represents an important step forward compared to its predecessor (C655 PRO), which only offered 60 Hz in 4K. The difference is particularly noticeable when watching sports or playing games – the ball, players, or dynamic action in games are displayed more clearly and without loss of detail. Another interesting feature is the panel's ability to work at 240 Hz (which the manufacturer does not officially mention) – we will return to this topic in relation to the PC gaming mode. TCL has also added a feature for movie fans: “Motion Clarity”. This allows users to adjust the picture to their preferences using two simple sliders. We can either keep the visible film frame or opt for very smooth, "

The Samsung QN80F gives the impression of a television designed with gamers in mind. On the list of advantages, we have a 144 Hz panel, four full-featured HDMI 2.1 ports, complete support for VRR and ALLM, as well as one of the best-designed gamebars on the market. Added to this is the Game Motion Plus motion smoother, which also works in games without actually increasing input lag, making the QN80F an absolute standout in this category. In practice, this means you can enjoy smoother images without losing responsiveness, which is a dream for many console gamers!

As is usual with Samsung, there is a lack of Dolby Vision in games, and this is no longer surprising. However, we were much more surprised that in the models from 2025… the HGIG feature has disappeared. This feature allowed consoles such as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X to perfectly adjust HDR tone mapping to the capabilities of the television. In the current firmware of the QN80F, this option is simply missing – it seems more like a mistake than a conscious decision by the manufacturer, but on the day of testing, we must acknowledge that HGIG is not available. Due to this one absence, the QN80F, instead of being an almost ideal television for gamers, becomes a device that is only "almost" ideal. This is quite a shame because, aside from this, Samsung has created a model that truly sets a high standard in the gaming hardware segment.

[UPDATE] We have updated our Samsung television tests for the 2025 model year due to the release of software version 1131, which has restored the crucial gaming feature HGiG.

TCL C69K / Q6C is a television that can confidently be described as equipment created with gamers in mind. Here we have 4K at 144 Hz, VRR support, automatic game mode (ALLM), and Dolby Vision Gaming. Additionally, there is a practical Game Bar, which is a panel with the most important settings conveniently at hand – useful when we want to change something quickly during gameplay (e.g. screen aspect ratio: Yes, it can be done!). The wide range of VRR, reaching up to 240 Hz, is particularly noteworthy. However, this option is mainly for PC gamers who will operate below the native 4K resolution. In that case, the television can spread its wings and show additional smoothness, especially in fast-paced e-sports titles. For consoles, we stick to the classic limit of 120 Hz, but even so, the capabilities are truly extensive. The only downside is a slight ghosting that can occasionally be seen in dynamic scenes. Other than that, C69K / Q6C offers everything that gamers expect from a television.