Our pool of verified experts found the Samsung Q8DT to be an excellent TV for gaming and media consumption. Testing revealed that it provides a high peak brightness and fantastic reflection diffusion for users with bright rooms. And gamers will especially appreciate the presence of VRR, ALLM, and a 120Hz panel. But, be aware of the lack of Dolby Vision and less than optimal display uniformity.
PICTURE QUALITY
4K
- Testers love the perfect 4K UHD output the Samsung Q8DT QLED TV delivers. And they also found the upscaling quality to be excellent, thanks to the Quantum Processor 4K.
Color
- Thanks to its Quantum HDR 12X technology, the Samsung Q8DT QLED 4K TV delivers excellent color volume along with a wide color gamut. As the name suggests, it is highly beneficial for displaying high dynamic range (HDR) content. Editors measured almost 100% coverage of the DCI P3 color space on this TV.
Black
- Reviewers adore the deep inky black levels of the Samsung Q8DT Quantum Dot smart TV. Similar to the Samsung Q6FN/Q6/Q6F QLED, this is achieved only because of the VA panel and full-array local dimming.
- However, it still falls short of OLED and mini LED TVs’ level of performance in this regard.
Brightness
- The Samsung Q8DT QLED does come with a high peak brightness. Experts measured the peak brightness at 761 nits in a 10% window, which is close to the 1000 nits peak brightness you need for most HDR mastered content. And it does get bright enough to combat glare, according to them.
Contrast
- Critics were impressed with the Samsung Q8DT QLED’s high native contrast ratio.
- But they also noted that the contrast ratio is slightly lower than most other Samsung TVs with VA panels (e.g., the Samsung Q50/Q50R QLED). Thus, the screen uniformity is not as good as those models.
Dimming
- The Samsung Q8DT QLED has full-array local dimming.
- However, professional testers noted that it doesn’t boost the contrast performance or black levels enough to make a substantial difference. According to them, it is not aggressive enough with bright things on a black background (e.g., subtitles).
Gaming
- Certified reviewers were delighted by the gaming performance of the Samsung Q8DT QLED, thanks to its extremely low input lag of just 5ms. And it supports AMD FreeSync Premium & NVIDIA G Sync on top. In addition, VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) & ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) support is also present. Thus, this TV is also fantastic for owners of next-gen gaming consoles.
HDR
- The Samsung Q8DT QLED supports HDR 10, HDR 10+, and HLG. Thanks to its wide color gamut and high peak brightness, the HDR performance is splendid on this TV.
- But, product experts did note the exclusion of Dolby Vision HDR.
Motion
- Critics laud the fantastic motion handling of the Samsung Q8DT QLED. Its Motion Rate 120 technology smoothes out stutters quite well. And the optional BFI (Black Frame Insertion) feature works very well to reduce motion blur, according to them.
Refresh
- The Samsung Q8DT QLED sports a native refresh rate of 120Hz. And VRR works within the 20Hz-120Hz range on this TV. Thanks to that, testers did not feel the lag even when the in-game frame rate dropped as low as 20 FPS.
Response
- Top experts measured the response time of the Samsung Q8DT QLED at just 3 ms. Only OLED TVs beat its performance in this category.
- However, the fast response time might result in stutters in 24 FPS content, which can be somewhat amended by turning on Motion Rate 120.
Viewing Angle
- Thankfully, despite coming with a VA panel, the viewing angles of the Samsung Q8DT QLED are pretty decent. TV reviewers could go as wide as 37 degrees before the colors started to get washed out. It is better than most other TVs with a VA panel in this regard, along with fantastic reflection diffusion.
Burn-In
- All critics unanimously agree that the Samsung Q8DT QLED TV doesn’t have any risk of permanent display burn-in. Unlike OLEDs, in long-term tests, it appeared to be immune to such issues.
DESIGN
Stand
- The Samsung Q8DT QLED has a small stand placed in the middle. Thankfully, it doesn’t take up much space, and the TV can be placed on a smaller table.
- But expert reviewers expressed their concern for the build quality of the metallic plastic stand, as the TV wobbles quite often. You can get better build quality with the Samsung Q6FN/Q6/Q6F QLED.
Back
- Pro testers applauded the side positioning of all ports on the back of the Samsung Q8DT QLED. It has a plastic back, and there are grooves for cable management. They also noted four holes for a VESA 200×200 compatible wall mount.
Borders
- The bezels of the Samsung Q8DT QLED are only about 0.9 cm wide. Critics said that the thin borders give the TV a distinctly futuristic look.
Thickness
- Vetted reviewers measured the thickness of the Samsung Q8DT QLED TV at around 6 cm at its max point. In addition, they noted that the TV wouldn’t protrude out much once wall mounted.
FEATURES
Tuner
- The Samsung Q8DT QLED features a built-in Digital/Analog DTV tuner. Product experts noted that it supports both ATSC and ClearQAM standards and works well within its specification.
Input
- Professional testers praised the Samsung Q8DT QLED TV for having one HDMI 2.1 port among its four HDMI ports. It also has two USB 2.0 ports alongside an ethernet jack for those who don’t use Wi-Fi.
- However, they also noted the lack of a USB 3.0 port.
Remote
- The Samsung Q8DT QLED includes a small remote with a built-in mic for voice control. It also has three built-in shortcut buttons to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Samsung TV Plus. Reviewers felt that the remote is ergonomic and relatively elegant to use. However, it does not come with an in-built voice remote like Google assistant such as the Samsung Q50/Q50R QLED.
SMART TV
Apps
- Top experts thoroughly enjoyed the extensive app library Samsung app store offers on the Q8DT QLED TV. And most apps run extremely smoothly without stuttering.
- But they also noted that Bixby couldn’t search within the installed apps themselves.
Streaming
- The Samsung Q8DT QLED TV comes with a few pre-installed streaming apps (e.g., YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Samsung TV Plus, etc.). And all of them run 4K HDR content just fine on this TV. Amazon Prime Video also plays HDR 10+ without any hitches, which impressed testers.
Menu
- Critics admired the smoothness of Samsung’s Tizen OS on the Q8DT QLED TV. The whole interface is very easy to use and extremely fluid in nature. And the SoC inside holds up well when it comes to raw performance.
SOUND QUALITY
Audio
- The built-in audio solution on the Samsung Q8DT QLED TV has a total output power of 60 Watts. Certified reviewers noted that the 4.2.2 channel speaker setup of this TV could get pretty loud. And they are also well balanced for delivering clean dialogue.
Bass
- TV experts liked the thumping bass of the Samsung Q8DT QLED TV’s built-in speakers a lot. In fact, they noted that its bass output should easily satisfy average users with small rooms. But, if you are a bass head and crave even more bass, you can go for an external speaker system for even better performance.
Soundstage
- Thanks to eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) support, the Samsung Q8DT QLED TV can reach an extremely wide soundstage along with Dolby Atmos. In addition, this TV features Samsung’s own AI-based object tracking sound technology for an even more immersive experience.
