Top critics found the Q60/Q60A QLED to be an excellent entry-level offering from Samsung. Testing revealed that it delivers superb contrast, inky blacks, low input lag, and a wide color gamut. But, gamers should be aware of the lack of HDMI 2.1, VRR, and ALLM.
PICTURE QUALITY
4K Resolution
- Reviewers loved the native 4K output of the Samsung Q60/Q60A QLED TV. And they also pointed out that its 1080P upscaling looks almost as good as native 4K. In addition, 720P and lower-res content also upscale well without any artifacts.
- But, it doesn’t support 1440P input.
Color
- The Samsung Q60/Q60A has excellent color accuracy out of the box, which only gets even better post calibration. And thanks to the Quantum Dot panel technology, both RTings, and Reviewed.com measured close to 100% coverage of the DCI P3 color space & good color volume. That allows this TV to feature a wide color gamut, which is beneficial for HDR movies and TV shows.
Black
- Experts adore the deep inky black levels the Samsung Q60/Q60A QLED TV offers. Similar to the Samsung Q50/Q50R QLED, this is only possible due to its VA panel. They also did not see any clouding or backlight bleed issues on the panel, just like mini LED and OLED TVs.
Brightness
- The Samsung Q60/Q60A comes with good peak brightness in its range. Testers managed to reach a peak brightness of 511 nits in a 10% window, which is more than enough to combat glare.
- However, it’s only half of the nits of peak brightness you need for a truly cinematic HDR viewing experience, according to them.
Contrast
- Critics lauded the high native contrast ratio of the Samsung Q60/Q60A QLED TV. In addition, thanks to the VA panel, they noted that it delivers fantastic picture quality in dark rooms.
- But, they also said that the contrast ratio is noticeably lower than the older Samsung Q60/Q60T QLED model.
Dimming
- The Samsung Q60/Q60A does not sport a local dimming feature. So we can not comment on this aspect further. However, expert reviewers said that local dimming would have helped its picture quality even more in dark rooms.
Gaming
- Professional testers mostly disliked the Samsung Q60/Q60A QLED for gaming. It neither has HDMI 2.1 nor standard gaming-specific smart features such as VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) & ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode). And both Cnet & Consumer Reports noted that the refresh rate is also locked to only 60Hz. An alternative would be the Samsung Q60/Q60T QLED, which comes with a refresh rate of 120Hz.
HDR
- In terms of high dynamic range standards, the Samsung Q60/Q60A supports HDR 10, HDR 10+, and HLG.
- However, the HDR viewing experience of this TV is slightly held back because of its low peak brightness. And critics also noted the absence of Dolby Vision HDR.
Motion
- TV reviewers applauded the Samsung Q60/Q60A QLED’s motion handling, thanks to its excellent BFI (Black Frame Insertion) feature. And it also sports motion interpolation for the fans of the “soap opera effect,” along with judder removal.
Refresh Rate
- The refresh rate of the Samsung Q60/Q60A is limited to only 60Hz, which is not great for PC and next-gen game console users. And there is no VRR either to dynamically change the refresh rate to match the game’s frame rate, according to top experts.
Response
- Critics measured the input lag of the Samsung Q60/Q60A QLED TV at just 10 ms.
- But, the response time is measured at almost 18 ms, which is slightly higher than its competition. One good thing they mentioned about that is, due to the high response time, low frame rate content doesn’t stutter while playing back.
Viewing Angle
- Because of the VA panel, the Samsung Q60/Q60A does not have good viewing angles. Testers could only go about 24 degrees off-center, after which the colors and gamma started shifting. If you wish to get a pretty decent viewing angle then you may opt for the Samsung Q50/Q50R QLED.
Burn-In
- Certified reviewers were relieved to see that the Samsung Q60/Q60A QLED TV doesn’t suffer from image retention issues. Thus, according to them, permanent display burn-in risk is also non-existent on this TV.
DESIGN
Stand
- The Samsung Q60/Q60A comes with two adjustable feet with easy installation. They hold the TV steadily without much teetering. In addition, TV experts could adjust the height to accommodate a soundbar.
Back
- Pro testers were disappointed by the all-plastic back of the Samsung Q60/Q60A QLED, as it didn’t feel premium to them. They also noted four holes on the back that support any VESA 200×200 wall mount.
Borders
- The bezels of the Samsung Q60/Q60A are only about 0.9 cm wide. Critics said that they were extremely thin and gave the TV a modern look.
Thickness
- Vetted reviewers measured the thickness of the Samsung Q60/Q60A QLED at just 4 cm. In addition, they noted that it should stay flush to the wall once wall mounted.
FEATURES
Tuner
- The Samsung Q60/Q60A features a built-in ATSC 1.0 digital tuner.
- But experts said that it is only capable of delivering up to a 1080i signal, not even 1080P.
Input
- Testers really hated the fact that none of the three HDMI ports on the Samsung Q60/Q60A QLED had HDMI 2.1 support. Other than that, there are two USB ports (USB 2.0) along with a LAN port for those who don’t use Wi-Fi.
Remote Control
- The Samsung Q60/Q60A includes a short and sleek remote control with voice functionalities built-in (Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Samsung’s Bixby). And it also has three shortcut buttons to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, & Samsung TV Plus. In addition, critics reported this remote to be highly intuitive to use, thanks to its USB C and solar panel charging.
SMART TV
Apps
- Top reviewers were delighted by the massive app library Samsung’s app store offers on the Q60/Q60A QLED. And most apps ran smoothly on this TV in their tests. They could even use the multi-view mode for multitasking and picture-in-picture mode.
Streaming
- The Samsung Q60/Q60A comes with a few streaming apps (e.g., YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Samsung TV Plus, etc.) already preloaded. And all of these streaming apps play 4K content just fine, along with HDR 10. In addition, experts noted that Amazon Prime Video also plays HDR 10+ content fine without dropping frames.
Menu
- Top critics were highly impressed with the smoothness and the easy-to-use nature of Samsung’s Tizen OS on the Q60/Q60A QLED. It does not have much bloatware pre-installed, and the interface itself runs fluidly without any hitches.
SOUND QUALITY
Audio
- The Samsung Q60/Q60A has sub-par speakers built-in. The speakers themselves are well-balanced, but they badly distort even at moderate volumes. And there’s also a lot of compression artifacts that mess up the audio as a whole.
Bass
- Testers were also heavily let down by the bass output of the Samsung Q60/Q60A QLED’s built-in speakers. They said that the built-in audio system lacks the bass extension required to produce deep rumbling bass. That’s why they recommended all bass lovers to go for an external sound system with dedicated subwoofers.
Soundstage
- Thanks to its eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) support, the Samsung Q60/Q60A QLED TV can reach an extremely wide soundstage with Dolby Atmos.
