The best Samsung TVs are also among some of the most expensive on the market, and with good reason. They have incredible display panels, capable processors, and a whole host of amazing technology that's costly to engineer.
What if you want a TV that lets you extract more value from the Samsung ecosystem and take advantage of the company's best-in-class TV features without breaking the bank? That's precisely the question that Samsung set out to answer when it made this TV, and you'll find in this Samsung Q60D QLED 4K TV review just how it ticks all of the boxes.
Samsung Q60D: SamMobile video review
Setting up your new TV
Once you've got the Samsung Q60D out of the box, setting it up will be simple enough. Since there are two separate feet positioned at either end of the TV, make sure where you're placing it is wide enough to accommodate the feet if you're not going to be mounting it to the wall. The TV stand has two configurations. One of those allows the TV to be elevated enough that you can stick a soundbar underneath.
Design
One of the first things that you notice about the Q60D's design is how thin the TV is. It's a benefit of the Dual LED TV panel that's being used here. It measures just 2.5mm at its thinnest point, which is why Samsung calls its design “Air Slim,” because it really is strikingly thin.
This isn't meant to compete with some of the more expensive models, which is why most of the TV's body is made from plastic. But that doesn't take anything away from the build quality. It feels well made and sturdy. The burnished finish on the rear of the panel is a good design detail and it's one of the things that make the Q60D punch above its weight in this segment.
What makes the Q60D a good option for customers who want a TV in this price tag is that it's available in a very diverse range of sizes. You can buy the Samsung Q60D in 32, 43, 50, 55, 65, 70, 75 and 85-inch sizes. You don't see very many 32-inch 4K TVs these days, so it's good that Samsung continues to provide an option.
Picture quality
The Samsung Q60D TV uses a quantum dot panel to achieve higher brightness and color detail compared to other TVs that don't have this display technology, including models in Samsung's more attainable Crystal Series. This TV also uses Samsung's Dual LED technology to increase contrast.
It's impressive to see the TV deliver great color reproduction with refined detail in the image. Contrast isn't that bad for this type of TV. On the contrary, we were surprised how good the contrast was at times, since the Q60D doesn't use full array local dimming. The lack of full array local dimming does mean that you'll experience some downsides to the picture quality.
For example, blacks can have a raised look when bright objects are present on the screen. Dark scenes can also appear dim sometimes. On the flip side, you don't have to worry about blooming since that's not much of an issue with this display panel technology. This isn't one of the most brightest TVs on the market, which isn't surprising. But it does get sufficiently bright for SDR content.
Our experience with SDR content on this TV was good overall. HDR content is a different story and won't appear that impressive on the Q60D. We felt that it just didn't get bright enough to let us enjoy the full benefit of HDR content. Bright highlights in particular lacked the HDR impact. Stick to SDR with the Q60D for the best viewing experience.
Like most LCD TVs, the viewing angles leave much to be desired. The contrast and color fall off at an angle, so the Q60D isn't an ideal option for gather-around-the-TV movie nights. People viewing the TV at sharp angles aren't going to enjoy the movie very much.
While the Samsung Q60D TV is good enough for gaming, it doesn't provide the best gaming experience that you can get on some of Samsung's other TVs. For starters, it's limited to 60Hz, so you can't maximize the potential of PC or console gaming.
What's great to see is that the input lag is around 10ms at 60Hz. The response time isn't very good and there's no support for Variable Refresh Rate. Fast motion can get blurry and we also experienced a fair amount of black smearing in our gameplay tests.
Software
Samsung ships the Q60D TV with its best iteration of Tizen OS. It's faster than ever before, easier to navigate, and provides plenty of features that help you get the most out of your TV. You'll find your favorite streaming apps and Samsung's own free TV service that provides endless hours of content.
The Samsung Gaming Hub is arguably one of the best features on the company's TVs. It's also what makes them stand out from the competition, particularly the Q60D in this price range. The Gaming Hub lets you enjoy console-free gaming from popular streaming services like Xbox, Luna, and GeForce Now. You can easily pair controllers, including the Xbox controller, with the TV for a seamless experience.
Performance and AI
This TV features Samsung's Quantum Processor Lite 4K. While it's not quite as capable as the chipset in Samsung's more premium TVs, it's good enough. It makes the software navigation feel snappy and has ample power for all of the features.
However, it doesn't do as good a job with upscaling low quality content to 4K. Some of the more advanced AI features that we see on other models in Samsung's 2024 lineup are missing as well. But that's hardly a surprise for a TV in this price bracket.
Sound performance is passable with dialogues sounding clear, but the bass is lackluster. Samsung has equipped the TV with the Lite version of its Object Tracking Sound feature to make the sound follow the movement on screen and that helps to an extent, but it doesn't take away from the reality that this TV doesn't deliver a really high-quality sound experience. If that matters to you, it would be best to get a Samsung soundbar for the Q60D.
Verdict
Samsung Q60D prices start at $499 for the 32-inch variant and go up to $2,299 for the 85-inch size. Samsung often has offers that lower the price significantly if you buy directly from the company's website. There's tough competition from several well-known brands in this price segment and what makes this particular model stand out is that the Q60D offers more than what most TVs do.
When compared to some of the competition, it's one of the most feature-packed TVs. It does a better job of upscaling content, allows for console-free gaming, and provides several other ecosystem features for those who own Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets.
The Q60D is a good option if you're looking for a TV that can provide a good viewing experience without breaking the bank. Samsung has discounts throughout the year and you can often buy the Q60D for much less than the listed price, making it well worth the price tag.
