Samsung Q8OD (QE55Q80D)

Even without Mini LEDs, this Samsung mid-ranger hits the mark

4K TV £999 whf.cm/Samsung_Q80D

This mid-range LED TV ditches Samsung's penchant for Mini LEDs and sheds a few hundred light-control zones, but still manages to outgun the vast majority of its peers.

Coming in at a pound under £1000, the 55in Samsung Q80D sits squarely in the middle of Samsung's 2024 range, a position it backs up with Quantum Dots, Full Array Local Dimming (FALD) and AI-infused processing.

The Q80D is a good-looking television. Its screen is encased in a premium-looking and feeling silvery metallic finish, and if you haven't hung it on the wall it sits on a strikingly compact, heavy, attractively finished plate-style pedestal base that enables the TV to be positioned on even very narrow pieces of furniture.

The Samsung Q80D's specification and features mark it out as pretty much a textbook example of a modern mid-range TV. In particular, its panel is illuminated by regularly sized (rather than mini) LEDs placed directly behind the screen, and multiple zones of those LEDs can be illuminated independently. This 'local dimming' system extends on the Q80D to 100 separate zones - a solid number for sure on such a compact screen, but some way short of the sort of dimming zone numbers associated with most higher-end LED TVs these days.

Smart picture controls

The Q80D uses a VA LCD panel, which bodes well for its contrast but does mean that its effective viewing angles are relatively limited. It also boasts a Pantone-validated, Quantum Dot-created colour gamut that is claimed to cover 100 per cent of the DCI-P3 colour spectrum associated with most HDR mastering.

Happily, the Q80D's mid-range status doesn't prevent it from getting a decent bounty of gaming features. Its panel is a native 120Hz one, and all four of its HDMI ports support the latest gaming standards.