Samsung QLED Q70D / Q74D / Q77D vs Haier Q80FUX

The brightness of the Samsung Q70D is fairly average, yet it delivers a noticeable HDR effect. With brightness exceeding 400 nits, the distinction between SDR and HDR materials becomes evident. As observed in the discussion about contrast and black levels, the TV's performance varies across different scenes. In a scene featuring a bright sun against a darker foreground, the measured luminance is lower. However, in a scene with a large, bright light source dominating the frame, the TV achieves its peak brightness, reaching nearly 500 nits—a commendable result for its price range and display class.

Despite these strengths, the relatively low coverage of the wide DCI-P3 color gamut occasionally results in less vivid color reproduction. Even so, the TV offers rich colors and precise shade reproduction, enhancing the movie-watching experience. Furthermore, the Q70D excels in motion blur elimination during dynamic scenes, making it a solid choice for enjoying sports broadcasts and gaming.

Alright, let's move on to the topic that generates so much discussion, namely the capabilities of the TV in HDR mode. Let's make it clear right away: the Haier Q80FUX is certainly not a brightness demon. The panel of this receiver can generate about 350 nits at peak, which in today’s reality is an absolute minimum to even talk about the presence of extended HDR tonal dynamic range. On the plus side, this power is at least stable – regardless of the test pattern or movie scene we used, the measurements invariably oscillated around 300-350 nits. These are therefore at best adequate results, definitely far from the stunning showcase of capabilities that we know from more expensive models. Fortunately, there is one aspect in which the Q80FUX makes up for these shortcomings and does so abundantly. After all, we are talking about a QLED TV (or more precisely, PFS LED), which means that thanks to the quantum dot filter applied to the matrix, it can generate really juicy, vibrant colors. These are not empty promises – a DCI-P3 color gamut coverage reaching nearly 95% is an impressive result that directly translates into very pleasant, saturated colors for the eye.

The best factory mode on the Samsung Q70D is "Filmmaker," and it is the one we used when conducting various tests. Before the calibration process, it had several flaws that effectively prevented the conveyance of the director's intentions. In both SDR and HDR materials, the white balance was dominated by red and green colors. As a result, there was a characteristic yellow tint on the image, causing whites to appear yellowed and creating issues with skin tones, which were noticeably too warm. The reduced gamma in the standard color gamut materials caused a significant drop in the already low contrast. This resulted in an emphasis on details in the blacks but also in blown-out images in brighter scenes. The EOTF curve, in this case, turned out to be much better and only lightened those scenes with relatively low luminance. This was clearly visible in the section where we measured the maximum brightness of the television in HDR materials. At that time, the frame from the movie "Billy Lynn" was unnaturally bright and lacking depth.

Factory settings for film mode are rarely perfect, but in the case of the Q80FUX, we encountered a noticeable imbalance. In SDR content, the image was definitely too warm, which resulted from an excessive amount of red in the white balance, giving it a slightly sepia tone. Contrarily, in HDR materials, the television fell into the other extreme—the excess of blue created an unnatural, cold effect. However, it wasn’t the whimsical white balance that was the biggest problem with this TV. The real culprit, responsible for the previously described issues, was hidden deeper. It turned out that the Q80FUX had completely misaligned gamma values and, crucially for HDR, a poorly managed EOTF curve. It was these erroneous factory settings that caused notorious clipping of the brightest parts of the image, applying that characteristic milky filter over them. Thus, we found the source of the problem. This state of affairs led to overall, significant color errors that were easy to catch even for an untrained eye. Like every television we tested, we decided to calibrate this model as well, and you can find the results of those adjustments in the next paragraph.

Fortunately, Samsung provides a wide range of calibration tools in all its televisions, where we can find 2-point and 20-point grayscale adjustments as well as advanced CMS. Thanks to this, we were able to significantly improve the quality of SDR and HDR materials. The vast majority of errors have been corrected, and the image that the Samsung Q70D now generates is definitely closer to the reference. Higher deltaE errors in the high dynamic range materials are primarily due to the display's insufficient luminance.

The results of our calibration efforts must, unfortunately, be considered twofold. Overall, the image is indisputably better than before the corrections, but the biggest winner of this process turned out to be SDR content. It is here, after clarifying the gamma and white balance graphs, that we obtained results that can confidently be called very good. After the setup, the Q80FUX truly shines in standard dynamics, showing only slight errors in the most challenging skin tone reproductions. Unfortunately, the weakest link still remains HDR content. And here lies the paradox: even though we managed to calibrate the white balance almost to perfection, the overall color errors still remain at a fairly high level. The reason is that the television still interprets the static HDR10 metadata "in its own way," stubbornly enforcing that unfortunate washed-out image effect, which inevitably leads to significant distortions. Although we successfully eliminated the factory excess of blue color, due to this electronic interference, the screen can still tend to fall into somewhat too cold tones. This television just has it this way.

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

Image scaling in Samsung Q70D should be rated as average. The manufacturer aims not to artificially sharpen the image but to leave it naturally softened.

If there is one area where Haier clearly shows that it has quite a bit to catch up on compared to the market leaders, it is digital image processing. The upscaling, well... is just okay. And that's about all that can be said about it. It does what it is supposed to do: it ensures that lower resolution signals don't scare you with harsh pixelation on the screen and don't look like an overly enlarged postage stamp. However, it is far from the finesse and "intelligent" sharpening that more experienced players in this market have developed over the years. The biggest drawback of the Q80FUX software, however, is the almost complete lack of additional "cleaning" and smoothing functions for the image. The receiver does not offer any noise reduction or gradient enhancement mechanisms. This means that with older or more heavily compressed materials, we simply have to accept that any imperfections in tonal transitions or color blending, which we mentioned earlier, will constantly accompany us during the viewing.

The Samsung Q70D is the first model in the manufacturer's range to feature a 120Hz panel, resulting in more advanced motion smoothing capabilities compared to lower-category models. Within the menu, three functions are dedicated to improving motion fluidity: "Motion Blur Reduction," "Judder Reduction," and "Clear Motion (LED)." The third option will be discussed separately. The first function enhances sharpness during motion, while the second adjusts the degree of smoothing. The smoothness feature on the Samsung Q70D performs well, with each setting delivering a noticeable effect. This allows viewers to customise the level of fluidity, making it suitable for those who dislike the typical stuttering of films or enjoy watching sports. The accompanying picture illustrates a configuration with mild smoothing, avoiding the soap opera effect.

The panel employed in the Samsung Q70D offers a commendable response time for its class. While it won't deliver razor-sharp motion clarity, it is a strong choice for sports enthusiasts at this price point.

The issue of motion fluidity and blurring is largely predetermined by the use of a 60Hz panel, which naturally makes it difficult to recommend this receiver to enthusiasts of very dynamic content. Fortunately, in the Q80FUX, we find a few options (though, as we will see shortly, actually only one) designed to improve the experience with older film productions. There is a "De-Judder" slider available, which indeed affects the smoothness of the image and allows us to adjust it to our preferences: from raw, cinematic frame rates to a more theatrical, smoothed presentation. However, a genuine surprise awaits us right next to it in the menu. There is also a second slider, supposedly dedicated to eliminating blur – this is a feature we usually encounter in 120Hz panels, aimed at combating motion blur in sports. However, as expected, recalling memories from testing the K85F model, here too this slider is merely a facade. Moving it does absolutely nothing to the image and it simply looks like an oversight by the product engineers who left a non-functional option in the software for this type of panel.

The tested television, Samsung Q70D, has four HDMI 2.1 ports, all offering a bandwidth of 40 Gbps. Despite this, no negative effects were noticed during testing. More importantly, the TV supports all features associated with the HDMI 2.1 standard. This will certainly please gamers, as it ensures optimal gaming performance using a console or a PC. While HDR Dolby Vision is absent, the correct implementation of HGIG mode and the absence of any calibration checkerboard issues are noteworthy. Additionally, Samsung stands out by allowing gaming with the smoothness enhancer activated without significant performance degradation. This means that 30 fps titles are perceived similarly to those running at a native 60 frames per second.

Samsung was one of the first manufacturers to introduce the Game Bar, which has been consistently improved. It provides all necessary gameplay information and allows users to adjust "on the fly."

In summary, the Samsung Q70D performs excellently with both consoles and computers. All functions worked seamlessly, and there were no issues. The ability to activate the smoothness enhancer without a noticeable increase in input lag is a game-changing feature.

Stepping into the gaming territory, the Haier Q80FUX proves to be quite a decent companion for the "casual gamer." On board, we find today’s highly desired features like VRR (variable refresh rate) and ALLM (automatic low latency mode). However, the biggest surprise is something else. Although we are not dealing with a 4K@120Hz panel, the TV can accept and display a 120Hz signal at a lower resolution (Full HD). This is a very useful feature, allowing the conscious switch of the console to a lower resolution mode in exchange for significantly higher fluidity, which is a perfectly acceptable compromise in the gaming world.

We won’t particularly complain about the lack of extras like the "Game Bar," as it’s just a nice addition. The most concerning issues arise when we enter the world of HDR in games. Due to the fact that the TV constantly adapts the signal "in its own way," setting the brightness on the console according to the HGIG standard is nearly impossible to accomplish as per the instructions. Worse still, in the Dolby Vision mode for games, the input lag rises to about 50 ms, which is a high enough value that essentially makes this mode unusable. However, generally, we wouldn’t recommend gaming on this TV in HDR mode, so these aren’t such serious shortcomings. The most pleasing aspect is the presence of 120Hz in Full HD, which makes the Q80FUX quite a nice TV for the occasional gamer.