Samsung’s 2020 TV lineup is just out and about to be an extremely strong lineup, with some TVs making it straight into our list of the best TVs in general, as well as the best 8K TVs. Whether you just want movies and TV to look fantastic, or you need a great gaming TV, there are options here, from good to great.
Samsung’s TV selection for 2020 includes a refreshed lineup of 8K TVs in a variety of sizes and prices, as well as a huge selection of 4K options, from top-of-the-line models that reflect the most technology from 8K TVs to more budget-friendly screens that don’t skimp on features and will most likely be on our list of the best TVs under £1,000 soon.
An impressive new flagship 8K model with a 99% screen-to-body ratio, dubbed the Samsung Q950TS, is the designer TV of the year because the image seems to vanish into thin air.
The 8K line also has the Q900TS and Q800T, which bring Samsung’s 8K technology to a wider range of sizes and prices. In general, Samsung’s 8K TV range ranges in size from 55 to 98 inches.
Samsung is still promoting QLED as the screen panel of choice rather than using OLED as many other manufacturers do for their flagship models. This technology is based on backlit LCDs (rather than how the pixels on OLEDs emit their own light), but it has the advantage that they are much brighter than OLEDs, so the image is more visible when viewed more bright light, including for viewing during the day.
The downside of using QLED technology and backlighting is that the screen is more difficult to display dark areas and images with a sharp contrast between light and dark, although Samsung uses local dimming (with high-end models using advanced backlighting that can darken certain areas quite a bit. exactly) to make dark areas as black as they should be – in the best models it’s really hard to distinguish from what OLED can do for rich blacks.
Samsung TVs 2020: This year’s key features explained
In Samsung’s lineup this year, new features are pretty well split across different models, and the TVs are expanding the range by offering more and more of these options as you add more cases. We’ll give you a brief overview of them so you know what you’re looking at when you browse through the list below.
Quantum Dot is the name given to Samsung’s latest generation upscaling technology that helps you upgrade low-resolution video to 4K or 8K and look as if it was originally captured as much as possible.
Adaptive Picture is a technique that adjusts the picture based on the ambient light in the room so everything is still clearly visible whether you’re watching football at noon in bright sunshine or a movie in the dark with the curtains closed.
Active Voice Enhancer is a feature that monitors for background noise (such as a lawn mower running outside or someone cooking loudly in the kitchen), which then raises the volume of only the dialogue so you can still hear what is being said. When the noise stops, it automatically subsides – we heard it on the move, and it’s damn convenient.
This, combined with the speakers at the edges of the device, allows you to actually project wide, high-pitched surround sound. Again, we tried this, and it’s much better than the standard TV setup for making soundtracks sound big and natural.
Again, this is a massive improvement over Samsung sound bars alone (or just a TV), but we haven’t had a chance to try it with the best Dolby Atoms sound bars yet.
Multi-view is a feature on some TVs that allows you to share what’s on your phone’s screen with what you’re watching on the TV. The idea is to, for example, tweet at the same time as a big sporting event. We’re not sure if it will be widely used (after all, you can already watch Twitter on your phone screen without shrinking what’s on your TV screen), but some might like it. It combines with a feature called Tap View, which lets you share what’s displayed on the screens of compatible phones by tapping them on the TV screen.
Real Game Enhancer + This is basically Samsung’s name for the “variable refresh rate” technology you’ll see on several TVs this year. This feature is touted as important for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox X series because it only allows the TV to update at the same rate as the console can provide new frames to display. Ultimately, games should always look smoother.
Samsung TVs 2020: range explained
Samsung’s flagship 8K TV combines all the best technology and cutting-edge design
Specifications
Sizes: 65″, 75″, 85″ Resolution: 8K Screen Type: QLED Backlight: Direct Full Array HDR Rating: 4000 (3000 on 65″ model) Features: Quantum Processor 8K, Adaptive Image, Active Voice Enhancer, Object Tracking Audio+, Q -Symphony, Multi-View, Real Game Enhancer+
Reasons to buy
+ Advanced HDR technology + Stunning 8K screen + Beautiful borderless design
Reasons to Avoid
-Most expensive model
The very best in this year’s lineup is the TV you’ll most often see called the Q950TS (there’s a variant we’ll explain later). The biggest update to this in the 2020 lineup is its design, which has bezels on the side and top that are so thin that they’re virtually invisible at standard viewing distances. The image seems to disappear into your living room – it’s incredibly futuristic.
In fact, like the technology inside. The 8K display packs 33 million pixels across three display sizes, as well as Samsung’s latest generation processor to keep everything upscaled to make the most of that resolution.
But even more interesting is the TV’s HDR capabilities, rated at 4,000 nits of brightness (or 3,000 in the 65-inch version), and with heavily localized backlight dimming to make blacks as dark and true as possible, it should offer the widest range of contrast, making its HDR as realistic as possible. We’ll see in our review how well it meets these requirements, but based on the performance of similar TVs from last year, it should be fantastic.
In terms of features, it also includes absolutely everything from Samsung’s current lineup, including an array of six speakers around the edges, including two that fire upwards.
Yes, and we mentioned an option: the Q900TS is an almost identical TV with all the same display tech and smarts. The only difference is that the Q950TS places all of its ports (HDMI, USB, etc.) in an external box that connects with one neat cable that can be hidden away. The Q900TS has ports on the TV itself, which makes it a bit thicker and probably a bit cheaper. Otherwise they are the same.
