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. Edge definition is stable and assured, while depth of field is never less than persuasive. Sometimes the CGI elements of a film like this can take on a rather artificial cast in the hands of less capable screens, but the QN85A is adaptable enough to make these transitions all-but seamless. The movie’s relentless, rapid motion causes few alarms, either—in fact, on the very rare occasions that the screen can be seen to be working hard to stay in control of on-screen movement, it only serves to emphasise how authoritative the Samsung otherwise is.

55” QN85A Neo QLED 4K HDR Smart TV (2021) | QE55QN85AATXXU

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.

The big thing that's new here compared to the Samsung Q80T from last year is the technology driving the panel here, so let's start there? 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. 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 QN85A review: a fantastic, bright Mini LED TV - TechRadar

Whether you’re playing native 4K content, or upscaling from HD or SD, the Q85R produces astonishing detail. The AI upscaling is particularly impressive, thanks, presumably, to its Quantum Processor 4K chip. 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. Should you decide against wall-hanging, though, the Samsung features a central foot on which to stand. This means you don’t need a surface as wide as the screen itself on which to place it. Plus, there’s space between the support and the bottom of the screen to position a soundbar (and, as we shall see, you might well want to give consideration to a soundbar sooner rather than later). Features About the only area where the QN85A doesn’t excel is motion control. The Manchester City-based content is filled with instances of rapid, complex on-screen movement, and when the going gets especially trying, the Samsung can give away how hard it’s working. Some minor edge-shimmer is the most common tell-tale, with ghosting and image-doubling so rare as to be negligible. 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

So, not for the first time and certainly not for the last, we’d quite firmly point you in the direction of our guide to the best soundbars around. However, we like that you can control it in all kinds of ways. With your voice, an app or one of the TWO remote controls. It also looks fantastic, with a combination of wide viewing angles and a nice slim profile make the Samsung QN85A a prime candidate for wall-hanging. Granted, it might not sound quite as good as it looks—very few TVs do—but you can always supplement it with a good soundbar. Also consider... 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. Steer clear of the antique stuff, though, and the QE55QN85A is at the very least an enjoyable watch and at best pretty absorbing. Samsung QN85A review: audio performance

Samsung uk 55” QN90A Neo QLED 4K HDR Smart TV - Samsung uk

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 To its credit, it’s never hard or coarse – even at volume, and it will go pretty loud by prevailing standards – but the sound it makes is insubstantial, and consequently quite strongly at odds with the pictures it produces.

Plan Benefits

We’re getting used to what Mini-LED technology can bring to the LCD experience but we’re not blasé about it yet. Give the QN85A the best stuff to work with and it’s capable of deeply impressive results. Ideal if you watch a lot of high-quality content as 4K HDR stuff looks an absolute treat on the QN85A. However, upscaling content isn't this Samsung TV's strongest skill. So if you plan to watch a lot of older movies and TV shows, you're better off looking elsewhere. Unfortunately, there's also no Dolby Vision here, so you won't get the most out of a premium Netflix subscription. Once the sun's inclination drops in autumn, any light striking side-on causes a rainbow effect on the screen. As the sun continues to drop, the rainbow effect increases until in December it's 100% of the screen. 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. The QN85A uses an IPS panel, which is your classic double-edged sword. On the plus side, it should make for nice wide viewing angles, but IPS panels tend to be quite reflective too.

QE55QN85AATXXU (Argos Product Instruction manual for SAMSUNG QE55QN85AATXXU (Argos Product

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. 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.The well thought out Ambient 2.0 feature, which appears across the 2019 4K range, is a great way of making your TV less visible while you’re not using it. There are 50 preset images to choose from including a selection of lighting patterns, nature scenes, abstract oil paintings and other artwork.