SAMSUNG 75-Inch Class QLED Q80A Series – 4K UHD Direct Full Array Quantum HDR 12x Smart TV with Alexa Built-in (QN75Q80AAFXZA, 2021 Model)

I purchased the 65″ version to be used in my living room for PC gaming and streaming movies/shows. I picked this TV because has HDMI 2.1 on port 4 and supports 120hz 4K. There are very few sets that are out there currently which have this that actually works as intended. Many advertise it but if you read reviews you will find that it won’t be supported until a future firmware update. I also picked this over OLED because of the risk of screen burn. I spend hours every day with static elements on my screen and will not risk screen burning at this price point. This TV also supports variable refresh rate and is AMD Freesync compatible.

It comes with the one connect box which is nice. This is essentially a connection box that you hook all of your devices to instead of connecting a bunch of cable directly to the TV. It is a really nice feature and helps cut down on cable clutter behind the TV. It has 4 HDMI ports. Port 4 is the all important HDMI 2.1 for gaming. You will need to purchase your own HDMI cables. Make sure to get a HDMI 2.1 to take advantage of the gaming features.

It came with a wall mount which I have not used. It seems to be a nice piece of hardware. Unfortunately I cannot wall mount as I am renting. Also note that the 65″ has two feet and not a single pedestal stand. The product picture and dimension info say it has a single pedestal stand which is incorrect. I had to purchase a new TV stand since the feet are about 48″ apart and would not fit on my old TV stand.

The picture is bright and vibrant. It works quite well for 4k gaming. I set up the TV and did the firmware updates. I can confirm that the AMD Freesync and variable refresh rate do work when the TV is in gaming mode. When not in gaming mode I am able to get a nice crisp 60 fps which looks quite nice as well. I have noticed in some titles the gaming mode can cause a slight flicker, I am not sure if further firmware tweaks are needed or if it an issue with my video card or the game itself. Nobody in my household noticed the flicker but me, so it may not be an issue for everyone. Update: The flicker encountered was due to the game itself. I have played several games with the gaming mode on and it only happens in one specific game.

The picture is bright and can be seen in bright daylight or at night. Blacks are good. I have not noticed the blooming or picture inconsistency noted in reviews for the previous model. I am well pleased by the picture and with changing the settings for color I am sure the picture can be adjusted to satisfy most tastes. I found colors to be quite accurate out of the box and have left the settings at factory after playing around. It does upscale to 4K and seems to do a good job of that. The screen seems to handle glare pretty well and has a pretty wide viewing angle. I have to move to the side to a fairly sharp angle before I notice a change in picture quality.

Update 4/12/21: I recommend those using a PC as the main video source for streaming make sure that Windows HDR is off. With Windows HDR turned on my streaming picture quality was quite terrible. I turned Windows HDR off again and noticed that my streaming video quality improved. For some reason the Windows HDR just does not seem to work well.

The TV has several smart features. The only one I have used is the firmware update. Otherwise I leave it disconnected from the internet as the TV is a glorified computer monitor. One annoyance is that since I do leave it off the internet the TV frequently tries to prompt me to connect it to the internet. I guess Samsung really wants your TV online for some reason. Internet connection was not required to set the TV up. You can do firmware updates via USB if you really want to keep it off network at all times.

It has the usual major streaming apps ans Samsung has some free streaming content available. I do not use these features as my computer is much better than any TV app for streaming content. It also has an “art” screen saver type mode that you can download content to your taste (some of which is paid) and I believe you can use the USB to use your own photos in this as well.

The shipping company did a good job delivering and met all expectations. I would buy this again. I have docked a star due to the incorrect info and picture regarding the TV pedestal vs. feet and the fact that I have had the flickering issue when utilizing gaming mode. I will be testing this more in different gaming titles to try to identify if it is actually the TV, a software issue, or an issue with my video card.

Updated to 5 star since the screen flicker was caused by a specific game.

I will update this after more use. (Updated 4/4/21)

New Update 4/28/21 – I am still really enjoying this TV. I have been using some of the on TV streaming apps (Disney and ESPN mostly) and find they are working great. They load much faster and work better than apps on older TV’s I have used. I am finding I really like the remote. Its slim and only has the buttons you need. Everyone that has seen this TV in my living room running games and 4K content has commented on how great it looks. I have no regrets buying this.

New Update 6/7/21 – Roughly 400ish hours are on this screen at this point. I love this TV. It has improved the quality of the content I enjoy probably more so than upgrading my PC. Whether it is playing a game, watching a movie, or enjoying the fights on ESPN+ this does a great job. I would comment that I do not use the TV speakers and have my audio out coming from the optical from the One Connect Box and the Bose surround sounds great off of it. It was easy to set up and has been easy to use. I would give 6 stars at this point if possible.

In general, I’m happy with this TV. Controls work well, apps work well, picture quality is generally quite good. However, the original and the replacement units I’ve received were defective. I guess I’ll try one more time for a third unit. If the third one is no good, I will pursue a refund. If it is good, I’ll come back here and adjust my rating. But I want folks to be forewarned about the quality control on these units — you may be in for quite a hassle. Maybe I was just very unlucky.

The details:
On the first unit, there was a spot in the lower right that was an upside-down reddish-purple triangle (see attached close-up photo). Not noticeable much of the time, but when there was a white background, it was obvious. The second unit has this large shading pattern in the lower half of the screen, especially noticeable when your eye level is higher than the unit (see second photo).

Update:
I got the third unit. It has the same defect as the first — a small purplish upside-down triangle pattern. I decided to keep the TV, mainly out of exhaustion with the whole ordeal. I usually don’t notice it during normal TV watching.