Samsung cut a lonely figure in 2017 against the swelling tide of OLED televisions, and, despite a large amount of (fairly justified) criticism regarding its marketing strategy, its rival QLED range turned out to be very good, garnering a number of four- and five-star ratings from this publication.
It’s fair to say that OLED came out on top in 2017 but, rather than swallow its pride and join every other TV manufacturer in producing OLED models, Samsung is sticking to its QLED guns. And, our experience of Samsung's 2018 QLED TVs has been hugely positive with a number of five-star reviews in the bag already.
New for 2018 is the addition of a direct, full-array backlight for a trio of models in the range, the Q9FN, Q8DN (and the North America-only Q8FN) This has allowed for greater localised contrast control while further increasing brightness, already a staple of QLED and a key differentiator between it and OLED.
And talking of headline-grabbing specs, we should highlight the inclusion of an 8K model, the Q9SN. Samsung’s case for 8K is that it’s necessary on large sets in order to maintain pixel density. Fittingly, then, the Q9SN will only be available at a monstrous 85in but won’t be available until later in the year.
MORE: Samsung QE65Q9FN review
MORE: Best 4K TV deals
More broadly, Samsung is focusing on improvements to colour, with luminous efficiency up another 5 per cent this year thanks to some slight changes to the production of its quantum dots. The focus is also on HDR, with every QLED except the Q6FN (more on which below) now hitting at least 1500nits. Samsung refers to these two developments as Q Color [sic] and Q HDR Elite respectively.
At first glance, all of the sets look very similar to what’s gone before, but there are a couple of neat design features that are worth pointing out.
The most dramatic is that the external OneConnect box that, as before, handles all of the TV’s connections, is around double the size of last year’s. That may not sound like a step forward, but the reason for the extra chunk is that for the first time it’s able to power the screen directly. That’s right; the display itself does not need to be directly connected to a wall socket.
Instead, just a single umbilical cord connects the TV and the OneConnect box, the latter of which can be hidden out of sight anywhere within the 5m length of the bundled cable or the 15m length of the optional replacement. Yes, the cord is a bit thicker than last year, but it’s still thin enough to be barely noticeable.
Samsung’s new Ambient Mode can be used to display pictures or artwork, or even blend in with the wallpaper around it, when the TV is in standby mode. Samsung claims that using this mode for three hours a day will only add 68p to your monthly electricity bill - as the TV constantly adjusts the display based on the light in the room. It's an interesting idea and executed well enough - only time will tell just how popular it is.
MORE: HDR TV – What is it? How can you get it?
Samsung has also added a genuine universal search feature, called Universal Browse, activated by tapping or talking into the remote.
The success of such features always depends on how universal they really are - whether Netflix results are included, for example. To its credit, Samsung has delivered broad support, including Amazon Video, Netflix and iPlayer.
The final ingredient in Samsung’s 2018 recipe is price. This year's QLEDs are a darn site more affordable than last year's and look to undercut LG's new models signficantly. For example, the 65in version of Samsung's Q9FN flagship is £700 more affordable than the LG OLED65C8.
What’s more, 2018 sees the addition of a new entry-level QLED model, the Q6FN, which is available in sizes ranging from 49in (£1499) to 82in (£4999).
Below Samsung's QLEDs sits the NU range of LCD sets (last year’s models were MUs), which you'll find along with the full breakdown of the 2018 QLED range below.
QLED TVs
As expected and discussed, QLED's leading the Samsung TV line again in 2018, with models ranging from the monstrous 85in, 8K Q9SN, to the newly created, entry-level Q6FN models, which go as small as 49in.
8K QLED TV
Q9SN (85in)
QE85Q9SN
Flat
8K
Q HDR 2000 (Q HDR Elite)
Ultra HD Premium
HDR10+, HDR10, HLG
Direct Full Array Elite
Q Contrast Elite
Ultra Black Elite
Q Color
4.2ch 60W sound
Ambient Mode
OneConnect 2.0
No Gap Wall-mount
Voice Assistant
Universal Browse
4K QLED TVs
Q9FN (75in, 65in, 55in)
QE75Q9FN - £6000
QE65Q9FN - £3800
QE55Q9FN - £3000
Flat
4K
Q HDR 2000 (Q HDR Elite)
Ultra HD Premium
HDR10+, HDR10, HLG
Direct Full Array Elite
Q Contrast Elite
Ultra Black Elite
Q Color
4.2ch 60W sound
Ambient Mode
OneConnect 2.0
No Gap Wall-mount
Voice Assistant
Universal Browse
MORE: Samsung QE65Q9FN review
MORE: Samsung QE55Q9FN review
Q8DN (65in, 55in)
QE65Q8DN - £3099
Flat
4K
Q HDR 1500 (Q HDR Elite)
Ultra HD Premium
HDR10+, HDR10, HLG
Direct Full Array Elite
Q Contrast
Ultra Black
Q Color
4.1ch 40W sound
Ambient Mode
OneConnect 2.0
No Gap Wall-mount
Voice Assistant
Universal Browse
Q8CN (65in, 55in)
QE65Q8CN - £3100
QE55Q8CN - £2400
Curved
4K
Q HDR 1500 (Q HDR Elite)
Ultra HD Premium
HDR10+, HDR10, HLG
Ultra Slim Array (edge backlight)
Q Contrast
Ultra Black
Q Color
4.1ch 40W sound
Ambient Mode
OneConnect 2.0
No Gap Wall-mount
Voice Assistant
Universal Browse
Q7FN (75in, 65in, 55in)
QE75Q7FN - £4000
QE65Q7FN - £2700
QE55Q7FN - £2000
Flat
4K
Q HDR 1500 (Q HDR Elite)
Ultra HD Premium
HDR10+, HDR10, HLG
Ultra Slim Array (edge backlight)
Q Contrast
Ultra Black
Q Color
4.1ch 40W sound
Ambient Mode
OneConnect 2.0
No Gap Wall-mount
Voice Assistant
Universal Browse
Q6FN (82in, 75in, 65in, 55in, 49in)
QE82Q6FN (£4999) / QE75Q6FN (£3799) / QE65Q6FN (£2499) / QE55Q6FN (£1799) / QE49Q6FN (£1499)
Flat
4K
Q HDR 1000
HDR10+, HDR10, HLG
Ultra Slim Array (edge backlight)
Q Contrast
Q Color
2.1ch 40W sound
Ambient Mode
OneConnect
Voice Assistant
Universal Browse
Premium 4K LCD TVs
As we enter the NU range, quantum dots give way to more traditional LCD displays and prices get a lot lower. Last year the UE55MU8000 proved that the right compromises can produce excellent TVs, and there's no reason one of these couldn't again be a performance-per-pound winner.
NU8500 (65in, 55in)
UE65NU8500 (£2219) / UE55NU8500 (£1609)
4K
Dynamic Crystal Color
HDR 1000
HDR10+, HDR10, HLG
NU8070 (65in, 55in)
UE65NU8070 (£2030) / UE55NU8070 (£1430)
4K
Dynamic Crystal Color
HDR 1000
HDR10+, HDR10, HLG
NU8000 (82in, 75in, 65in, 55in, 49in)
UE82NU8000 (£4539) / UE75NU8000 (£2829) / UE65NU8000 (£1819) / UE55NU8000 (£1109) / UE49NU8000 (£959)
4K
Dynamic Crystal Color
HDR 1000
HDR10+, HDR10, HLG
4K LCD TVs
At this point Samsung's more advanced picture features get the chop, but we also enter very affordable territory. If you're looking for a smaller telly, it's here that you're likely to find it.
NU7500 (65in, 55in, 49in)
UE65NU7500 (£1699) / UE55NU7500 (£949) / UE49NU7500 (£809)
4K
HDR
NU7400 (65in, 55in, 50in, 43in)
UE65NU7400 (£1409) / UE55NU7400 (£849) / UE50NU7400 (£749) / UE43NU7400 (£639)
4K
HDR
NU7300 (55in, 49in)
UE55NU7300 (£1000) / UE49NU7300 (£850)
4K
HDR
NU7120 (43in, 40in)
UE43NU7120 (£680) / UE40NU7120 (£549)
4K
HDR
NU7100 (75in, 65in, 55in, 49in)
UE75NU7100 (£2019) / UE65NU7100 (£1189) / UE55NU7100 (£709) / UE49NU7100 (£599)
4K
HDR
