Samsung QE55Q60T, A Comprehensive Guide to the 55-Inch QLED 4K TV

While there is plenty of competition in the world of in-home entertainment, television has evolved from merely a screen to a dynamic general-purpose hub for enjoying a wide variety of entertainment. Straddling our lives between the real and imaginary worlds, the increasingly vivid reality transmitted through these wondrous appliances is enjoyed on screens that never fail to excite our senses and immerse ourselves into the worlds beyond. It is only natural, then, to treat the acquisition of a shiny new TV as an occasion for celebration. In this regard, Samsung QE55Q60T is in a class of its own as its dynamic, attractive design is smart, easy on the eye, and tailor-made for unparalleled enjoyment of entertainment, all at a very competitive price.

Understanding the Samsung QE55Q60T: Key Features and Specifications

Prior to examining the QE55Q60T’s performance in more depth, a good place to start is with its key specification and features that underpin it:

• Display Size: The QE55Q60T is a 55-inch set that will give plenty of room to spread out and catch films, TV shows and even game a bit more like you’d see at the cinema.
• Resolution: 4K (3840 x 2160) provides four times the resolution of 1080i/p Full HD, for stunning visuals that capture greater detail, with more subtle textures and depth, making what you see look even more real.
• Panel: The jewel of the QE55Q60T’s picture are its QLED (Quantum dot) panel. Quantum dots are nanocrystals that produce light of a specific colour when stimulated and because of this, the TV delivers over 100 per cent colour volume compared with a conventional LED TV, naturally creating a larger and brighter spectrum of colours, more vibrant and vivid, especially in wide-open landscapes, multi-hued displays or achieve true clarity allowing you to count the whiskers on a dog’s face.
• HDR Support: HDR10, HDR10+, HLG. This model supports a variety of HDR formats, including Samsung's HDR10+ to provide a greater contrast.
• Operating System: Samsung’s own operating system, Tizen, is the drive behind the QE55Q60T’s smart features. Featuring a responsive, easy-to-navigate layout and a wealth of apps and streaming services, Tizen provides everything you need to enjoy the best films and TV shows from your living room.
• Smart Features: Utilising Samsung TV Plus – offering free access to an expansive array of live channels including news, sports, entertainment and documentaries – Smart Hub gives you a world of entertainment at your fingertips. an abundance of apps, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, and much more.
• Audio: We found the sound on 20W speakers driven to a Dolby Digital Plus predelivered sonic experience, which gave it clarity and immersion. The pre-delivered Dolby Digital Plus delivers an extra element of clarity to the sound, a minor effect of spatialisation to deepen the experience, and modifies the relative timing of the sound sources to be more immersive. Still, for those who seek more meaningful audio immersion (and a dedicated audio system) we’d recommend pairing it with a soundbar.
• Connectivity: four HDMI ports, two USB ports, built-in Ethernet, as well as built-in Wi-Fi allow for an abundance of connection options, including: gaming consoles, Blu-ray players, streaming devices, etc. This will allow for multiple entertainment options for you and your viewing buddies. Connect as many sources as your system can support to maximise your viewing fun.

Picture Quality: Witnessing the Vivid Colors and Sharp Details of QLED Technology

The biggest example of this is found in the colour of the picture itself, which is deeply influenced by the QLED technology in the Samsung QE55Q60T. In this 55-inch TV, the Quantum dots are the superheroes of the picture, giving a wide colour gamut that offers the very best in both colour saturation and colour accuracy. Whether you’re watching a swathe of greenery in a film made in an idyllic summer landscape, fabrics shimmering with ultraviolet accents, a sunset blazing with primary colours, or the fine detailing in a skyscraper, this is where the real magic of QLED comes into its own.

Add a 4K resolution and you’re really on to something. Four times the pixels of Full HD, with a lower-resolution picture losing that much and more in detail, you get a lot of subtle textures and finer features emerging from their submerged states in the QE55Q60T. Hairs of every kind, tiny veins in a leaf’s structure, weaves or patterns on clothing and more are more sharply etched, drawing you into the scenery and heightening the degree of its realism, all the better to immerse you in that sense of being present in the action and (at least part of) the fun of it.

The improved picture quality of the HDR format supports this even more, especially for scenes with high contrast. The HDR10, HDR10+ and Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) formats expand the range of brightness levels displayed by the TV, bringing deeper blacks, brighter whites and more realistic highlights, and delivering a more nuanced and, if done well, more realistic representation of scenes with major contrast, including those at night or when lights are switched on, adding depth and immersion to the viewing experience.

Smart Features: Accessing a World of Entertainment at Your Fingertips

It means that the Samsung QE55Q60T is a versatile window on the world of entertainment. Served by the Tizen operating system, it gives you intuitive and enjoyable options for physical or WiFi-enabled access to apps, streaming content and all the smart functions of the QE55Q60T itself.

• Samsung TV Plus: Enjoy a curated set of live, free channels on Samsung TV Plus with no subscriptions required. Surf for your favourite shows and catch up on the latest news and sports, or find your next documentary. A great way to get a taste of something new, stay up to date on what is happening today, or simply binge.
• Popular Streaming Apps: Get access to a massive library of entertainment with popular streaming apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and more. Whether you are looking for movies, TV series, documentaries or even music - you’ll definitely find something to binge-watch on this amazing TV. Browse at your own convenience from your sofa - it’s a world of options out there!
• Voice Control: Make your entertainment effortless with voice control. Ask for what you want, like specific content, to change the volume, or even switch channels hands-free. Voice control helps you interact with your TV in a way that feels natural and intuitive, allowing you to access entertainment easier and faster.
• SmartThings Integration: The TV's smart TV platform, Tizen, supports integration with Samsung's SmartThings ecosystem so you can control compatible smart home devices directly from the TV. (Other home automation systems work with the TV, too.) Having your new TV act as a portal to your smart home sounds ideal because it adds more value to your purchase, catapulting your TV into the role of smart home. A number of TV manufacturers have now followed Samsung's lead by allowing you to control various connected devices automatically upon turning on your TV. 

Audio Performance: Elevating Your Viewing Experience with Immersive Sound

It’s not a dedicated sound system but needs to be considered nonetheless. However, although it’s not a dedicated sound system, the audio that comes with the Samsung QE55Q60T managed to impress me because it offers a rich and immersive audio soundscape. This is because it comes with 20W speakers that have been boosted by Dolby Digital Plus technology for a clear and engaging sound. This means all the audio can be a bit more spacious and realistic, with improved dialogue clarity so you’ve got more of a good feeling of being engrossed in all the on-screen action.

For example, if you’re watching an action movie, it’s easy to pick up all the sound effects and to also hear the dialogue more clearly and with more of a punch. For the most powerful, immersive sound experience, a separate soundbar (see our favourite models above and at the bottom of this page) added to it – and you couldn’t get a bigger and put about the TV upstairs TV for this – transforms this into a home cinema for your living room, with front-firing drivers providing proper bass, clear highs and a real soundstage. A soundbar complements your television’s viewing performance, so it won’t take you out of the moment when you are watching TV, even high-octane stuff.

Design and Build Quality: A Sleek and Modern Presence in Your Living Room

The Samsung QE55Q60T has a slim, cool and minimalist finish to it that almost develops a timeless appeal. It fits in with contemporary styles and tweaks the interior it’s put into. The thin frame that cradles the screen gives it an almost insubstantial feel, and although the frame and stand are clear plastic, they match the mono colour of any of the screen options. And the whole design is subtle in the best way – it’s functional, simple, tasteful and – above all – eye-catching. Build quality of the QE55Q60T is top-notch and it feels well-built and solid.

But of course, it’s all in the eye of the beholder. The solid construction should mean that you won’t have to replace your TV anytime soon. The excellent build and finish of the Q60T Series means that ownership is a lovely experience. It will give you years of entertainment ahead of you and the durable construction ensures that the TV won’t let you down during the early part of that period.

Overall Value: A Balanced and Budget-Friendly Choice

The QE55Q60T is a compelling combination of features and performance at a very competitive price, transforming itself into a great TV for budget-conscious consumers whose needs have been satisfied with standard-fare LED TVs for too long. Here’s a TV that really delivers enough of the visual goods to make an immediately worthwhile upgrade from previous generations, as well as from the cheap, Chinese-import brands that still clutter the shelves of the big-box retailers.

The QE55Q60T isn’t a high-end TV by any stretch of the imagination, but for what it costs, it does a terrific job of delivering great value along a steep curve of diminishing returns. If it sounds like I like this TV, I do. And it sounds like you should love your budget, and love this TV – especially if you’re looking to step up.

Conclusion: A Strong Contender in the 55-Inch 4K TV Market

As TVs go, the Samsung QE55Q60T is an ideal all-rounder: it ticks all the must-have boxes for a 55-inch 4K TV without pricing itself out of the market. The QLED colour smoothness and sharp detail are underpinned by advanced motion processing, while a slickly designed Tizen operating system makes the QE55Q60T easy to use. If you’re looking for a TV that will do it all, without costing an arm and a leg, this is as good as it gets.