In the market for a TV that delivers a top-notch AV experience without breaking the bank? There are plenty of great TVs on offer in the early Black Friday sales including the LG C4 OLED and TCL 85C805K, however if you're not keen on shelling out over a thousand pounds – but still want a TV that delivers a great picture and sound experience – then this TV deal might be the one for you.
The Samsung QE55Q80D, which has just been awarded five stars in our recent review, is currently down to £729 at Richer Sounds. For reference, we reviewed it at £999 just under a month ago – that's a saving of £270. You'll need to be signed up to Richer Sounds' VIP Club membership to take advantage of the full savings; something we recommend you do as it's a quick, easy and (most importantly) free step to unlock more savings.
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 £729, this Samsung TV is an early 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.
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Read our full Samsung QE55Q80D review
Find the best early Black Friday TV deals here
And check out our picks for the best TVs