Samsung Q800T

With bright pictures and remarkable black levels, this 8K TV offers better-than-4K power, and the price isn’t as frightening as before

SPECIFICATIONS

Display sizes 65, 75, 82 inches

Panel 7,680x4,320 QLED

HDR HDR10+

Inputs 4x HDMI (1x HDMI 2.1), 3x USB, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2

Operating system Tizen

Voice assistant Alexa, Google Assistant, Bixby

Dimensions 1448x831x25mm / 1673x958x25mm / 1830x1050x25.7mm

Weight 24kg / 34.3kg / 41.5kg

From £2,299 samsung.com

Great 8K TVs have remained stubbornly beyond the budgets of all but the wealthiest AV fans. Until now. Samsung’s Q800T doesn’t quite come as cheap as most similar-sized flagship 4K sets but after some price drops it has come down into more realistic territory, making it more tempting than ever.

With native 8K sources, you can appreciate the benefits of the Q800T’s native 8K pixel count, even from a regular viewing distance. On 65-inch screens, this will feel more about slightly better clarity, naturalism, and depth of field than massively increased textures or details. If you want more you’ll need to step up to 75 inches or even bigger.

This holds up with upscaled 4K sources too. Samsung’s upscaling processing does well enough to make 4K pictures look slightly denser and three-dimensional than they do on native 4K screens. It means that there really is a benefit to going 8K at this time, even with no native material yet.

Bright lights, dark shadows