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The 55-inch Samsung QN85A reviewed here—along with the 65-inch, 75-inch and 85-inch models that are also available—is on sale now. That’s not a bad thing, though—the design of a television isn’t supposed to draw attention to itself. The 55-inch QN85A is a tidy 706 x 1227 x 27mm (hwd), with only a brief silver bezel containing that great big expanse of screen. It’s a testament to just how impressive the Tizen smart TV interface is that Samsung only needs to fiddle about with the minutiae of its performance to maintain its position as one of the very best around. Other brands (they know who they are) have had to make giant strides to deliver anything as logical, straightforward and user-friendly as the interface fitted to the Samsung QN85A. It’s a paradigm of good sense.
Samsung QE55QN85A Review: Mini LED, big fun | Trusted Reviews
Overall detail levels are extremely high, which only adds to the lifelike impression of the Samsung’s pictures. Edge definition is generally smooth, and when it’s required there’s a persuasive suggestion of depth of field available, too.The Samsung QN85A is a solid TV that looks great from wide angles and gets really bright, thanks to Mini LED inside. The picture quality here (as long as you're not watching content of less than 1920x1080 resolution) is so impressive, it makes the relative weakness of the accompanying sound a moot point. It's a little cheap of Samsung to only include one HDMI 2.1 port, when the cheaper Sony X90J offers two, and the LG C1 includes four. But at least it's there. Watchable’ is a relative term when it comes to upscaled content of a lesser standard, though. No one’s expecting miracles when watching a standard-definition 4:3 re-run of Only Fools and Horses but the Samsung’s Neo Quantum Processor 4K does throw in the towel somewhat—the images it comes up with are noisy, ill-defined and rough. It’s like an approximation of a television broadcast.
55” QN85A Neo QLED 4K HDR Smart TV (2021) | QE55QN85AATXXU
You could also argue that the Q85R is a touch less sharp than the Q90R, that it’s missing the super-elite contrast and ultra-fine colour nuance to make those pictures pop as well as the very best, but we’re talking fairly slim margins. This makes the QN85A an authentic option for wall-hanging, unlike the majority of its OLED rivals whose incredibly thin rear is often interrupted by a big bulge where all the electronic componentry is stashed.
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In case that wasn’t impressive enough, you can also program the smart remote as a universal controller for your 4K Blu-ray player, amp, soundbar or other peripherals. It covers a range of devices, automatically setting them up as part of the first-time installation. Samsung talks a good game with the audio systems it’s fitted to its 2021 range of TVs, but these are the real headlines: the sound the QN85A makes relates to the pictures it delivers in the same way a rowing boat relates to a speedboat. There are some audio modes worth trying, including Adaptive Audio, which adds a little more breadth to the sound, but we prefer it switched off. If you want the Q85R to try to intelligently level out the audio across different scenes and sources, then use Adaptive Volume. Verdict There is an Intelligent Picture mode, which tries to adjust the screen according to your environment, but we’re not overly enamoured with its approach. If it’s an easy life you’re after, simply turn off the Eco-mode and leave all other picture settings as they are, then you can just decide what degree of motion processing you’re most happy with. As an upscaler of Full HD content, the Samsung handles both films and games confidently. You’ll never be conned into thinking you’re watching native 4K stuff, but equally you’ll never find much to complain about in the way the Samsung fills its enormous pixel-count. There’s a slight drop-off in detail levels, of course, and a slight reduction in the breadth of the colour palette that’s available. But edges stay decently tight, contrasts stay pleasingly wide, and even motion-handling stays properly grippy.
Samsung QN85A review: a fantastic, bright Mini LED TV - TechRadar
Two full-range drivers at the top of the frame, and another two at the bottom, powered by 60 watts of amplification and designed to offer a degree of synchronicity between on-screen movement and audio placement, looks admirable when written down. In practice, though, the Samsung is a rather boneless listen—it’s not actively unpleasant, and it doesn’t get too shouty at volume, but there’s a bluntness about the sound it makes that’s quite strongly at odds with its images. So it turns out Mini-LED isn’t only for the very well-heeled. The QN85A isn’t flawless in the way it performs, but it’s mighty close – and those of us who have them should be ready to be disabused of our LCD preconceptions.
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These prices bring the QN85A into more-or-less direct competition with some of the best OLED TVs around. The likes of LG, Panasonic and Sony – to name but three – all offer a high-performance TV of this size for very similar money. Design Step down to some Full HD content and the QN85A proves a competent upscaler, even of thoroughly testing content, like the BBC One HD coverage of Wimbledon.
What Hi-Fi? Samsung QE55Q85R review | What Hi-Fi?
In many respects, Samsung has done a decent job with the audio of the Q85R. The speakers produce a good sense of space – bullets zip accurately across a wide soundstage, bones crunch roughly where they should and there’s broadly good tonal balance – but this is not a market-leader for sound quality and you’d be wise to budget for a separate sound system. Elsewhere, the news is almost equally good. The colour palette from which it draws is extraordinarily extensive – there really seems to be no limit to the nuance of shade the QN85A can deliver. And it’s utterly convincing when it comes to skin-tones and textures too – the subtlety of complexions of all types is given full expression here.Detail levels stay high, contrasts stay wide—and while the Samsung’s travails with motion become more readily apparent, it’s still one of the better performers this sort of money can buy. Yes, there’s a softening of the overall image, and some of the nuance and variation previously available from the color palette goes astray, but the QN85A is never less than watchable.
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