TCL P7K / P79K vs Samsung Q7F

When turning to the assessment of HDR performance, we must be clear and without marketing embellishments: the P7K/P79K is not, and was never intended to be, a master in this field. The maximum peak brightness that this panel can generate hovers around a mere 300 nits. This represents a threshold, a kind of thin red line between what can be considered a barely satisfactory HDR signal and what is, in fact, not much different from standard dynamic range (SDR), unfortunately leaning towards the latter. Synthetic tests found brutal confirmation in reality – our measurements taken during movie screenings showed that luminance in key bright portions of the scenes rarely exceeded the ceiling of 200-250 nits. Thus, this is not a television that would allow content realised in a wide tonal range to spread its wings, and this must be openly admitted.

Unfortunately, the issue of colour reproduction is presented with equal restraint. Although the manufacturer positions this model within the "QLED" family, thanks 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%. In the context of the market, this is at best an average result, as most devices that employ additional layers to expand the colour spectrum easily achieve values at a minimum level of 90-92%.

Unfortunately, the Samsung Q7F is not one of the brighter televisions, and this has a direct impact on the quality of HDR films. The peak brightness of the panel is just around 250 nits, which is definitely too low to speak of true cinematic experiences. In practice, the image in HDR content does not differ significantly from classic SDR, making it difficult to talk about any "wow effect" that usually accompanies us when watching such films. During tests of film scenes, the image simply looked dark, and the brightness almost always hovered around the aforementioned 250 nits. The worst performances were with shots that included small, intensely shining elements – the global dimming technique used reacted very aggressively in these cases, dimming the entire screen to maintain the effect of black. However, it is worth noting the presence of the QLED coating that expands the colour palette. For a budget QLED model, the Q7F performs quite decently here: the coverage of the DCI-P3 palette is about 93%, and BT.2020 reaches 70%. This means that, despite the low brightness, the colours can still look quite vivid and attractive.

Every accurate assessment of image quality must begin with selection of the most optimal factory mode. In the case of the tested model P7K/P79K, the choice was made without hesitation for the "Film" mode. It is this mode that presents an image closest to the intentions of the 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 has not escaped a few missteps. The most noticeable flaw turned out to be the not completely correctly set white balance. A slight dominance of the blue component gives the image a subtly cool, cold character, thus deviating from the exemplary neutrality that the director wanted to show us. The television performs much better in reproducing the greyscale in the standard dynamic range – the gamma curve is nearly exemplary. The only minor reservation could be made regarding the darkest parts of the image, where a slight deviation from the norm causes a loss of some detail in the shadows. The most serious challenge for the TCL software, however, was interpreting the HDR signal, as illustrated by the course of the EOTF curve. The television follows its own, quite free path here – the darkest details are disproportionately brightened, after which there is a noticeable slowdown in the increase of brightness for midtones. Fortunately, most of these imperfections are software-related issues that can be eliminated. With this thought in mind, we began the process of professional calibration.

The factory colour accuracy of the Samsung Q7F is certainly not one of its strong points. In Filmmaker mode, which theoretically should be the closest to neutral, the issue with white balance immediately stands out. There is too much red on the screen, while blue is lacking. The consequences of this are very easy to notice – white, instead of being neutral, takes on warm, almost slightly orange tones. In the long run, this makes the entire image look somewhat unnatural, and bright areas of the scene may seem unrealistic. The problems become even more evident in HDR content. The graphs show that the television has significant errors in the Color Checker palette, which translates to visible inaccuracies in the actual image. Practically, this means that the colours are not presented as they should be. The Q7F also heavily manipulates brightness; darker elements are overly boosted, losing their cinematic quality, while bright parts may appear dimmed. As a result, the image seems flattened, and contrast, instead of helping to bring out details, only highlights its own limitations. This is particularly frustrating in HDR material, where every detail matters. In scenes where there should be a subtle play of light and shadow, the Q7F either oversteps by brightening too much or conversely – suppresses elements that should draw the eye. This causes the image to lose its depth, and instead of cinematic realism, we have a rather simplified effect.

The calibration process turned out to be spot on, particularly in the context of standard dynamic range (SDR) content. We successfully mitigated the television's tendency to emphasize cool tones, restoring the whiteness to its natural neutrality. Moreover, precise adjustments allowed us to correct a slight error in the gamma curve, ensuring that the darkest parts of the image regained their proper depth, without any trace of unnatural brightness. The effects are measurable and impressive – in the ColorChecker test, the overwhelming majority of colour reproduction errors fell below the perceptual threshold, achieving a deltaE value of under 2. This is a result that pricier models would not be ashamed of. Unfortunately, when it comes to HDR content, we encounter a barrier in the form of the inherent limitations of the panel itself. And although we managed to bring the colours into line, the software's characteristics mean that the television still adapts brightness in its own way, as evidenced by the persistent, non-standard EOTF curve. In summary, calibration adds immense value, but one must be aware that it cannot overcome certain physical barriers. The slightly elevated black level, due to the lack of local dimming, along with limited peak brightness, means that HDR content may not always be able to showcase its full potential. This is simply not the primary task of this display; its true strength, especially after professional tuning, lies in the viewing of SDR material.

After professional calibration, we managed to bring the Q7F into order – at least in terms of SDR content. The picture in this mode looks really good: the white balance has been set correctly, the colours appear natural, and errors in the colour palette have dropped to levels that are practically invisible to the eye. Gamma behaves exemplary, and the only minor drawback is a slight lightening of smaller elements, which results from the lack of local dimming. For everyday watching of television or films in standard quality, the Q7F performs surprisingly well.

It was significantly harder to tame HDR content. Despite adjusting the white balance, the television still heavily manipulates brightness, causing scenes to sometimes look unnatural – what should be subtly darker can be overly brightened, and bright areas of the picture can occasionally appear dimmed. The end result is better than in factory settings, but it is evident that the structural limitations of the Q7F do not allow for the full potential of HDR materials to be fully realised.

After a series of harsh evaluations, fortunately, the time comes for praise, and this is due to 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 designs; however, in the price segment represented by the P7K/P79K, the results achieved are more than solid. The feature for smoothing tonal transitions performs particularly well, effectively eliminating posterisation, which are the characteristic bands often visible in highly compressed materials, for example, from the ChooseTV service. The algorithm adeptly removes unwanted gradients, which ultimately looks really good. The television also handles upscaling competently, which is the task of elevating low-resolution materials to 4K standard. The resulting image, although it may initially seem a bit too sharp, fortunately, is not a problem. The software allows for free adjustment of this parameter using a sharpness slider, making it easy to customise the final appearance to personal preferences.

Upscaling and digital image processing on the Q7F is a bit of a sine wave. On one hand, we have really nice upscaling – weaker sources look better than one might expect. The image becomes clearer, sharper, and even older films or terrestrial television perform adequately. Samsung has been strong in this area for years, and the Q7F confirms that. On the other hand… there are some issues. The television has a problem with overscan – part of the image is simply cut off, and it doesn't look very elegant. Additionally, we were let down by a feature called "noise reduction", which should improve the smoothness of tonal transitions in weaker materials. In other Samsungs, it works relatively well, but here it makes practically no difference – the banding in gradients is still there. It's a bit of a shame, as one could have expected more from a model that is aimed at users looking for a display for SDR content.

The issue of fluidity and sharpness of the image in motion is inextricably linked to a fundamental parameter of the matrix, and in the case of the TCL P7K/P79K, we are dealing with a panel with a native refresh rate of 60 Hz. This specification defines its capabilities from the outset and makes it difficult to unequivocally recommend it to enthusiasts of dynamic sports broadcasts. During fast camera movements, the image loses sharpness, and the panel also shows a slight tendency to smearing, 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 material recorded at 24 or 30 frames per second. Thanks to a dedicated slider, users can decide for themselves the final character of the motion – from maintaining a fully cinematic, slightly juddery image to achieving a very smooth, almost theatrical effect. It is a simple but effective tool that allows users to tailor the viewing experience to their own preferences.

Ghosting and motion smoothness in the Q7F are probably the most budget-friendly elements of this television. The 60 Hz panel makes itself known, with noticeable ghosting, especially in dynamic scenes, and it's rather difficult to regard this model as equipment designed for watching sports or playing fast-paced games. In tests with the little green man, a long trail was left behind, similarly to how a ball in a football match would leave streaks.

On the plus side, the presence of motion smoothing must be acknowledged. In films, it actually makes a difference – especially since most material is recorded at 24 frames per second. Here we can decide whether we prefer a more "cinematic" image, with slight judder typical of cinema, or a smoother, more "television" approach. This part works quite well and helps to improve the viewing experience for series and films.

Although on paper the native 4K@60Hz panel might suggest that the TCL P7K/P79K is not a television tailored for gamers, the reality is surprisingly different. On the contrary, the manufacturer has ensured a rich package 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 complemented by 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 television easily supports a high refresh rate signal of 120 Hz but at lower resolutions – 1080p and 1440p. This is fantastic news for console owners, who know well how rarely games run in native 4K at a full 120 frames per second. The ability to choose between higher resolution and doubled smoothness is therefore an extremely sensible compromise.

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

The features for gamers in the Samsung Q7F is a topic that evokes a lot of mixed emotions. On one hand – no sensible person expected miracles here, after all, it is a 60 Hz television and it was clear from the start that this would not be hardware for squeezing the maximum out of a console or PC. On the other hand, since the manufacturer promised specific solutions in promotional materials, it is natural that we wanted to see them in practice. Initially, it’s quite good. The automatic game mode (ALLM) works, so there’s no need to manually fiddle with settings; the console switches the television to low-latency mode itself. Additionally, we have the Game Bar, which looks impressive and allows you to check a few basic parameters without leaving the game. And this is where the good news ends.

[UPDATE] We have updated our tests of Samsung televisions from the 2025 model year due to the release of software version 1131, which restored the critical gaming feature HGiG.

The biggest problem with the Q7F is VRR, or rather its absence. Indeed, the relevant icon appears in the menu, it can even be seen in the Game Bar, but throughout the entire test, the function remained inactive and could not be activated in any way. The issue with HGiG is even more painful; this option was actually available at the beginning, but after the software update, it disappeared completely, which is simply irresponsible. Therefore, the Q7F is only suitable for absolute basics. Sure, one can turn on the console, play more relaxed titles, and enjoy low input lag, but if someone is counting on more advanced features that the manufacturer promised, they will be disappointed. This is not a television that one buys with gaming in mind, and it’s better to be aware of this before making a purchase.