Now, remember the times when an 8K TV costs about RM23,000 or more? And remember when having an 8K TV is considered “overkill”? Well, not anymore, my friend!
This is the Samsung Neo QLED 8K QN800C, one of the latest 8K TV lineups from Samsung, which comes at a price of RM17,699. Now, before you freak out and click off from this article because yes, while technically not extremely affordable, we are talking about getting a future-proof 8K resolution. So, besides that high pixel, let’s together see what’s great about the TV.
Display
Firstly, do we really need a native 8K TV right now when a lot of content does not come in native 8K? Well, not really. But if you want a huge TV, say above 65” or more, you should really consider it.
Now, this variant that I’m reviewing is the 75”. So, you know how when people say the bigger is better? Well, it’s all about the pixel size, my friend. Because the bigger the TV, it’s either you increase the size of the individual pixels to fill in the space or just increase the number of pixels in between.
Now, as you can imagine, having bigger pixel size means blockier and blurrier picture, especially if you get closer to the screen. But Samsung uses the technology they call Quantum Matrix Technology Pro, which is actually three features packed into one – there’s the 14-bit HDR contrast, Quantum Mini LED, and Shape Adaptive Light Control. And what all of this essentially does is to give better contrast, high brightness while reducing blooming.
Now, if you’re unfamiliar with what the term blooming means, it’s where you get this halo or glowing effect when a bright subject is on a dark background. And the only technology that could completely eliminate this is a high-quality OLED.
But you know how pricey those OLED TVs can get, especially for an 8K TV. So, this is way much cost-efficient and, of course, looking visually really great because of that technology. Plus, it is also PANTONE validated for color accuracy.
But then you may ask, 4K on an 8K screen, is it going to be blurry? Well, here’s where the magic happens because Samsung’s QN800C has a few tricks up its sleeve, which is called a Neo Quantum Processor 8K, Real Depth Enhancer Pro, and Auto HDR Remastering.
Now, this may sound all complicated with all these kinds of terms, but it’s all AI working its magic. Because it uses 64 neural networks and upgraded AI deep learning where essentially all those “empty” pixels will be filled in accurately as the AI can make it still have better texture, richer details, and eye-watering brightness even when you’re watching SDR content.
So this is especially true when you’re scaling from 4K to 8K because I remember the days when 4K was new in the market, playing 1080p videos on it was just blocky and crappy because of the absence of this kind of technology. And to be fair, I was kind of expecting that it might be the same for this particular TV, but it did not happen over here.
So, all in all, it was very well-detailed, even if you get up close, you would hardly notice any pixels, especially at a normal viewing distance.
Now, watching native 8K content would be definitely better, but technology has progressed so much that I don’t think that 90% or even 95% of the audience would totally notice this. But don’t expect any miracles though because you can’t use that 360p video on YouTube and try to upscale it to look good. Be realistic, guys!
Gaming
Now, as for gaming, this is definitely one of the better TVs for it. Now, this 8K screen can step up to 120Hz for a super smooth gameplay using the Motion Xcelerator Turbo+.
Now, I tested several games like Forza Horizon 5, and indeed, it was a seamless experience. Now, it is also officially AMD FreeSync Premium Pro compatible and also has an ALLM or Auto Low Latency Mode for faster inputs and almost a very lag-free experience.
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Audio
Okay, another major aspect that I would like to talk about is the sound. Now, sound, at least, is half of your viewing experience, right? I mean, think about how many times that you’re distracted by your phone while watching Netflix, and then you hear a jaw-dropping sound and then, “Oh, what happened?” And then you rewind again. Yes, it does happen to me, and I’m sure it happens to you.
Now, the built-in TV audio is more than enough for casual listening, where it uses something called the OTS+, where sound comes from every area of the TV, not just at the center.
However, for the best sound experience that you can probably get is, of course, the Q-Symphony compatible Soundbar, like this Q-series Soundbar, the HW-Q990C.
So, how this Q Symphony works is that both the TV and the Soundbar speakers will work together to give you a better surround experience that is through 11.1.4 channels. So yeah, Samsung is the only brand that allows the TV speakers and the Soundbar to work hand in hand to create and form a 3D surround sound.
Now, couple that with the Adaptive Sound Pro AI, it will produce a more immersive sound experience. It roars and rumbles with a satisfying thump, especially when you watch action movies. It is also Dolby Atmos and DTS:X certified as well as being compatible with Apple’s AirPlay 2.
Then, if you are a smart home nerd like me, well, you’ll be pleased to know that SmartThings is a huge thing on this TV (SmartThings, huge things, that rhymed!) because you can detect, connect, and display all of your devices on the screen thanks to the Zigbee and Thread compatibility.
Let’s also not forget the Multi-view, which I think parents could really take advantage of. So, you can display different content on one TV. And since these TVs can get really big, playing your show and Cocomelon on the side could be a very viable option.
Now, another quick tip that you can use with SmartThings is that you can color-calibrate your TV just by using your phone. I tried it out, and it works super well, especially with the basic settings, where you can even dial it further using the professional mode.
Hardware
Alright, so that’s the tech side of things. But how about the actual physical TV itself? Well, its industrial design and a super heavy metal base are definitely suitable for most homes out there.
Now, the best part is that there is the One Connect Hub, where either you can place it at the back of the TV, but what I’ve done is to place it underneath at my TV cabinet, where I can connect all of my peripherals or any other additional devices without having any wires or cables on the TV cabinet because all of this connects to one single wire, everything to the TV. So, less clutter with the added convenience.
But of course, having the Soundbar on the TV cabinet would be even nicer. And speaking of the TV cabinet, you can always place the Soundbar like what I’ve done over here, which overall complements the TV’s looks.
Conclusion
Alright, so there you have it, the Samsung Neo QLED 8K QN800C is definitely a beast of an 8K TV. So, let me know – what kind of content you would like to watch on an 8K TV?
Product Links:
8K TV QN800C: https://www.samsung.com/my/tvs/qled-tv/qn800c-65-inch-neo-qled-8k-smart-tv-qa65qn800ckxxm/
Soundbar HW-990C: https://www.samsung.com/my/audio-devices/soundbar/q990c-black-hw-q990c-xm/
