The day of Black Friday is almost upon us, and it can be quite a task to wade through all the deals to find the perfect one for you.
But if you happen to be in the market for a TV that delivers a five-star rated AV experience at a great price, this could well be the deal you've been looking for.
The Samsung QE55Q80D is currently down to £699 at Richer Sounds. It was originally priced at £900, so this is a hefty saving of £300. You'll need to be signed up for Richer Sounds' VIP Club membership to take advantage of the full savings.
Luckily it's quick, easy and (most importantly) free. This seems like a steal, even by Black Friday standards.
Samsung's mid-range QLED TV does away with the backlight bells and whistles of its step-up Neo QLED counterparts, but it remains a competitive TV nonetheless. It may forgo the Mini LED backlight in favour of a full array local dimming system, but its combination of 100 dimming zones (which is an impressive number for a TV this price) and Samsung's approach to picture tuning means it doesn't need these enhancements in order to produce a five-star picture.
We complimented the Q80D's ability to create convincing blacks, something cheaper TVs can struggle with, which rival TVs that cost considerably more. The impressive backlight control is to thank for this, which also means you can expect detailed dark scenes with maintained colour volume.
Speaking of colours, Samsung TVs have a track record of leaning towards the punchier side of the scale. The Q80D is no exception, with rich, vibrant tones for HDR content. The good news is that intensity doesn't come at the cost of subtly, as the Q80D delivers punchy colours with plenty of detail and nuance retained.
Furthermore, the implementation of Samsung's AI picture features means that HD and SD content is upscaled effectively; detail is added to lower-resolution content without the addition of jagged edges and picture noise.
This TV sounds good too, with its 2.2 channel sound system and Object Tracking Sound Lite feature which does an admirable job of linking the sound to the position of its source on screen. Paired with a surprisingly solid bass performance and fairly clean high-frequency effects, the Q80D's built-in audio is another impressive notch in this TV's belt.
Rounding things out with the excellent feature set of the Q80D, this mid-range model proves you don't need to spend flagship money to get flagship specs. Gamers are especially well catered for, with four HDMI 2.1 sockets which support 4K/120Hz gaming, VRR and ALLM; ideal for those with both the PS5, Xbox Series X and a Dolby Atmos soundbar (which can be connected via the eARC socket). If you're into streaming rather than Blu-rays or gaming, then the Tizen OS system should certainly suffice thanks to its comprehensive app support.
On the subject of Dolby Atmos, the Q80D supports the immersive audio format, and even though Dolby Vision is sadly (but not unexpectedly) not supported, you still have HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG.
At just £699, this Samsung TV is a brilliant Black Friday bargain. If you're looking for a solid mid-ranger that doesn't skimp on picture performance or features, then this excellent Richer Sounds deal is the one to go for.
MORE:
Read our full Samsung QE55Q80D review
Find the best Black Friday TV deals here
And check out our picks for the best TVs
