The QE1C employs an 8-bit FRC VA ELED QLED panel and if that sounds like alphabet soup to you, it translates to vibrant, punchy colours and sharp contrast – exactly what you want for a top-notch viewing experience. But what sets it apart is that dual LED backlighting tech. You've got these white and slightly yellowish LEDs working their magic, and it's all about precision – giving you the perfect balance in colour tone.That’s the theory at least.
We streamed The Witcher on Netflix to look for the typical banding that you can often notice in lesser panels but found none. The panel generally favours a cooler tone and the FilmMaker mode improves the overall tonality a bit. The QE1C handles dark scenes incredibly well and with great detail too but switch to some HDR content like The Grand Tour or All Quiet on the Western Front and that’s where you’re left wanting a bit more. Why? Simply because the panel isn’t bright enough! This results in a noticeable difference in detail and crispness which is quite surprising because the models that sit higher in the QE series don’t exhibit this in such an obvious way. So while it may support the latest HDR standards, it is unfortunately let down by the innate lack of brightness that is required for the essential ‘pop’ and detail you get to see on HDR content especially on say an OLED panel.
If you’re a gamer it is important to note that it is a 50Hz panel and with that being said you get Samsung’s Auto Low Latency Mode and interestingly HGIG support as well, but again the brightness level here matters just as much. The audio quality is decent from the 20W speakers and the telly comes with Q-Symphony support that allows your soundbar and telly to make noise in tandem.