TCL C7K / QM7K 50" vs Samsung Q8F

TCL C7K is one of the brightest MiniLED televisions in its price range. Under the best test conditions, the screen was able to achieve over 1200 nits, resulting in impressive, and at times blindingly bright scenes. And most importantly – this is not just a theoretical measurement. In practice, the brightest parts of movies can shine with true cinematic grandeur. Home HDR cinema fans should be truly pleased.

The impression is especially great in scenes with large areas of brightness – white skies, explosions, sun reflections, or magical sunsets can surprise with the intensity of light that rarely appears in this price range.

However, things get a bit worse when more challenging scenarios appear on the screen, which have been described in terms of contrast – meaning images full of details, with small bright elements against a dark background. In such cases, the C7K often chooses to retain black at the expense of brightness. An example? Scenes from the movies Sicario 2 or Life of Pi, where small light sources (like a distant lantern) can be less visible, and details in the lights are simply dimmed or blend into the background.

For many viewers, this may be an acceptable compromise – as we achieve deep blacks and pleasant image texture. Nevertheless, it is worth being aware that the visibility of small details in bright areas is not the strongest suit of this model. It is simply a technological limitation that still exists – even with over 300 zones.

In terms of brightness, the Samsung Q8F performs surprisingly well for a television without local dimming. It measures up to 500 nits, which practically means that most movie and series scenes look pleasant, and it definitely cannot be accused of lacking the "HDR effect." In films like Life of Pi or The Meg, the screen was able to glow and deliver light effects at a satisfying level. It struggles more during challenging moments—with dark frames containing single bright points. The global dimming used causes the television to darken the image to maintain deep blacks, but at the cost of detail brightness. This is clearly visible in the scene from Sicario 2, where the helicopter lights dropped to around 200 nits. This is a conscious design decision that gives the impression of deeper blacks but somewhat takes away from the brilliance of individual elements, and this should simply be kept in mind. When it comes to color reproduction, the Q8F utilizes quantum dot technology, which broadens the color range. A DCI-P3 coverage of 91% can be considered a decent result, although it is not a record-breaking achievement compared to other QLEDs.

A new feature in TCL televisions for 2025 is the long-awaited Filmmaker mode, which until now could be found in most competitive brands. This is great news because this mode is considered the truest to the original vision of the creators and is often recommended by enthusiasts of good image quality. Unfortunately – as is often the case – the mere presence of this feature does not guarantee perfection. The Filmmaker mode in the TCL C7K is not free of flaws. One could point out the incorrect white balance, particularly the slight dominance of blue, which caused cool, somewhat grayish skin tones. But that was not the biggest problem. The main complaint was excessive brightness exposure, which is clearly visible on the gamma and EOTF graphs. The image was simply too bright, at times even blown out, which affected not only the plasticity of the scenes but also the overall viewing experience. Some details simply got lost, and the whole image looked as if someone had overdone it with the brightness slider. As always – we decided to see what could be squeezed out of it after calibration. And this is where things got really interesting...

We decided to check the Filmmaker mode because it provided us with the best picture right out of the box. However, this does not mean it was perfect. The white balance had too much blue and red tint, causing the white to take on a slight purple-pink hue. Such an imbalance affected the visibility of practically all colors, as can be seen in the comparison photo below. The brightness characteristic in SDR content was quite well adjusted, although in HDR materials, we noticed that the television did not always manage its global dimming—at times, the screen was too dim, while at other times it suddenly brightened. Fortunately, issues related to colors can be effectively corrected with calibration tools, so we decided to get to work.

After calibration, the TCL C7K showed itself in a really good light, especially when it comes to SDR content. We managed to fine-tune the white balance, color gamut, and brightness characteristics so precisely that color errors on the ColorChecker palette dropped below a value of 2. For the uninitiated – this is an almost perfect result, meaning that the image is very close to what the creators intended. Unfortunately, it was less impressive with 4K HDR content. Although we managed to slightly calm the white balance and correct its earlier errors, it is still evident that the TV has certain "MiniLED traits," especially in managing brightness. When we checked how the C7K performed with the EOTF curve on real movie scenes rather than just synthetic test patterns, it turned out that the screen still has a tendency to slightly brighten the entire image. This affects the overall experience – the black loses some depth, and the image becomes less contrasty than it should be. Despite these minor shortcomings in HDR content, the overall reception of materials – especially in SDR – is really very good. After calibration, the C7K can display an image that can successfully compete with much more expensive models. Good color tuning, natural skin tones, and pleasant brightness make movie sessions and everyday content viewing more than satisfactory.

After calibration, we managed to correct the white balance almost to perfection. Older SDR content looks stunning — most errors are within a threshold of 2, which is definitely below the human eye's perception limit. In HDR, we also brought the white balance to the correct level, but a different problem arises here. So why are there still relatively large errors in color reproduction? This is mainly due to the limited color palette and the way the television manages brightness. The applied global dimming technique does not give the user control in the settings, so when analyzing the EOTF curve in HDR films, it is clear that the Q8F can independently modify luminance. This can be considered a certain limitation, but despite this, the image after calibration is still much more enjoyable than in the factory version.

The TCL C7K features a function that, according to the manufacturer, is supposed to smooth out unwanted color transitions – something like a rescue for less successful tonal shifts. It's called "Gradual Smoothing" and... well, it sounds ambitious, but in practice, it works very poorly. Regardless of whether we set it to low or high, the difference is minimal. What's worse – the function can remove elements from the image that should remain. Fortunately, film grain remains untouched, so at least it doesn't smooth everything indiscriminately, but still – it's better to just turn this option off.

As for scaling lower-resolution content, it's already better. SD and HD materials look quite decent, though sometimes we had the impression that the image loses sharpness and becomes too soft – as if something took away its clarity. Fortunately, at very low sources (e.g., 576p), there was no overscan effect, meaning the image was not artificially cropped – everything fit on the screen as it should.

Let's see how the Q8F handles older content, which often has poor quality. Let's start with the positives: the upscaling, which means raising the image to a higher resolution, works really well. The TV handles both classic television and materials from YouTube without giving the impression that we are dealing with something completely unattractive. Materials in very low resolutions, such as 576p, perform worse — the image can be cropped, and unfortunately, the overscan phenomenon cannot be turned off. However, the digital processing itself looks worse too. The noise reduction function, instead of removing unwanted interference, smooths out almost everything: film grain (which is desirable for many viewers) disappears along with the texture of the image, and the faces of the actors begin to resemble characters from cheap Turkish soap operas. It is therefore hard to consider this option useful — it's best to leave it completely turned off. Perhaps Samsung will refine the operation of this feature in updates, but for now, it’s difficult to regard it as anything other than an unnecessary addition.

TCL C7K handles motion smoothness really very well. The matrix used in it offers a refresh rate of 144 Hz, which already suggests that this TV is something more than just an ordinary "60 Hz" panel. Moreover – if we connect the C7K to a computer and set the resolution to Full HD. But we will write more about this in the paragraph about gamers and PC cooperation. Returning to everyday use – both sports and movies look very good here. Thanks to the fast panel and well-functioning motion smoother, the C7K is perfect for watching matches, but also for movie screenings. In the menu, we will find two sliders – blur reduction and flicker reduction – which allow us to adjust the motion smoothness effect to our own preferences. At lower settings, we get a more cinematic effect, with slight frame motion. At higher settings – the image becomes more theatrical, smooth to the point of exaggeration. Everyone can set it to their liking.

Due to the 60 Hz panel, it's hard to call the Q8F a television made for gaming or watching sports. The panel isn't particularly fast, making motion blur clearly visible. If you were counting on spectacular, almost "stadium-like" experiences during broadcasts, you might feel a slight disappointment. Fortunately, in the case of movies and series, Samsung has not abandoned motion smoothing features. This is nothing other than a motion smoother that allows improving the fluidity of productions recorded at 24 or 30 frames per second. Thanks to this, one can decide whether they prefer a smoother, "television" image or to maintain a cinematic quality. It all depends on the viewer's preferences, and the ability to adjust this parameter is undoubtedly a plus.

TCL C7K is a TV that looks like the dream equipment for gamers on paper – and most importantly, it also performs well in practice. First, the good news: we have two HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth, so we can easily connect both a console and a computer, taking full advantage of their capabilities. The panel itself supports 144 Hz refresh rate, which provides a significant advantage in dynamic games. Additionally, it comes with a full package of gaming features: VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), and Dolby Vision support in games. There is also an HGiG mode, which allows for HDR effects that align with the creators' intentions. GameBar, which is an information bar for gamers. It operates quickly, looks clear (like a Nintendo console👌), and shows what’s most important: the current frame count, VRR status, and even HDR parameters.

[UPDATE] We have updated our 2025 Samsung TV reviews following the release of firmware version 1131, which officially restores the essential HGiG (HDR Gaming Interest Group) support.

It is not entirely clear what Samsung has mixed up this year with its televisions, but the Q8F is not free from all the confusion with updates and shortcomings. While its older cousin, the Q67D, could still be recommended to casual gamers with a clear conscience, it's hard to find a reason to do so here. Aside from the automatic game mode and the attractively designed Game Bar, we practically get nothing that could attract gamers. The lack of proper HGiG implementation is a big problem, especially since function simply disappeared after the 1126 update. The issue with VRR is even worse. Although it is featured in the manufacturer's brochures and appears in the Game Bar, we couldn't activate it. The Xbox Series X console did not allow it to be activated at all, and the option remained grayed out and inactive. It's hard to praise such a television even to casual gamers, which is a shame because Samsung has had a strong bargaining chip in the gaming segment for years.