PLEASE pay no attention to negative reviews, especially due to their mounting incompetence. Those that claim that the TV is hard to mount are wrong! In fact one chap has posted a picture showing a mounted TV with several black cables heading to the unit from the supplied "One Connect Box" which almost appears to a be a sabotage review because, in reality, there's literally only one fine, near transparent fiber-optical-style cable that simultaneously channels power & data from the "One Connect Box" to the TV. The mounting capability of the "QN700B" is arguably one the best solutions available as the "One Connect Box" can be mounted to or away from the TV.
Full disclosure; I am a professional editor, photographer & camera operator. I'm also an absolute tech junkie, especially PC and audio-visual technologies. I've owned the 55" QN700B for 2 months. If you're a film fan, content creator and/or a gamer you must continue to read!
Samsungs produced their 2022 8K TV's as flagships. As with cameras, there's more to TV's than pixel count. Model number & year of manufacture are a significant factor when choosing a TV & the hardware is only as good as the software, & visa-versa. The same resolution & a similar model number isn't something one should entirely count on. For instance; the 43" iteration of last years Samsungs "QN90A" isn't 120hz like the rest of the QN90A range. Moreover, the 43" uses an entirely different panel to the rest - effectively it's a "QN90A" by name only - the 43" "QN90A" uses an IPS (in-plane switch) 60hz panel with a maximum peak brightness of 1,500nits whereas "QN90A" models that are 50" & above use 120hz VA (vertical alignment) panels with a peak brightness of 2,000nits (barring the 50" which is a 120hz VA panel but has a peak brightness of 1,500nits). However, this year's 43" "QN90B" is a 120hz VA panel. FYI, the difference between "IPS" & "VA" panels is contrast & off-angle viewing. IPS has a better off-angle viewing experience whereas VA is much better as displaying deep blacks and amazing contrast which is why Samsung use VA technology for their most expensive models.
I purchased this awesome TV to edit the finishing touches of an 8K feature (a professional 8k mastering monitor is tens of thousands of pounds so I cut a colossal financial corner and grabbed the brilliant "QN700B"). I already own TV's & monitors by Samsung, including; a 65" QLED "Q7FN", a 50" "QN90A, "Odyssey G7 32" & "Odyssey G9" so I wasn't too worried in buying the "QN700B" without seeing it 'in the metal' - my previous experience & the specifications alone were enough to sell me.
The QN700B is a true 55" 8k; a 16:9 aspect ratio 7,680x4,320 which is approximately 33 million pixels. Or, to put it another way, its literally 4x the resolution of a 4K Ultra HD TV. At one point when I was using it as a monitor I made a very effective virtual 4x 27" 4k 3840x2160 fluid & bezelless desktops from one panel. If you're a content creator, streamer and/or gamer you'll love this ability. An 8k 55" inch panel is a sweet-spot for PC usage. The use of 10bit, 4:4:4 & 8k at 55" allows text to be as clear as it is on a high-end smartphone with an OLED screen, like the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, only the screen is a lot bigger.
"Neo QLED" is another name for Mini Quantum Light Emitting Diode. The technology was developed to help combat blooming whilst aiding contrast. Mini QLED's are dramatically smaller than normal QLED's. Neo QLEDs are so small they can be almost as small as a single pixel. Traditional QLEDs are significantly larger than one pixel. The end result is a VA panel with near OLED-like contrast, without the risk of image retention (burn-in). Other than no risk of burn-in, the "Neo QLED" panel is extremely bright. In short, this panel is rated for a peak brightness of 2,000nits. For comparison, the LG C2 55" (whichI also own) has a peak brightness of approximately 700nits. If you have a well-lit room or a room with lots of windows - a bright room - then you'll require a bright panel. Being rated as HDR2000 this TV produces stunning high dynamic range (HDR).
The QN700B is equipped with VRR (variable refresh rate) & is also Freesync Pro certified & compatible with G-sync for butter-smooth game play. This technology allows the panel to display the exact amount of frames being output by a compatible console or PC, making sure there's no stutter or frame tear. Once you try VRR for gaming you'll not want to go back to a traditional panel.
The "One Connect Box": this is a great feature if you're thinking of wall mounting or simply don't want to get behind the TV every time you want to connect a new device. Place the One Connect Box wherever you like and use one of the two fibre optic-style wires included to connect the box to the TV. That's it! No more faff. I'm someone who needs to swap cables often and can't stand clutter. Samsungs One Connect Box is arguably one the best solutions available and, if for some reason a capacitor dies in the PSU (power supply unit) then you no longer have to worry about taking your panel off the wall and transporting it to a dealer/repair shop. The One Connect Box is all that will need fixing in such an unlikely scenario.
4x full bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports @ 48Gbps, each port allows for 8k @60hz, 4k @120hz & 1080p @120hz.
Samsung have included amazing software in which you simply download their linked app to you smartphone, place your phone in front of the TV & run the app. Bingo! The TV is calibrated to within a margin of error. Gone are the days of paying for a professional TV calibrator.
Samsung Dex: wirelessly turn your TV into a PC/desktop experience using your Samsung smartphone or tablet.
There's 6 large speaker cones at the rear that, combined with the built-in Dolby Atmos, produces stunning sound.
The uniformity (dirty screen effect) on the panel is second to none. It's absolutely perfect. I definitely won the panel lottery - as with CPU's & alike, not all panels are born equally due to production tolerances. I've never seen anything like it, not even with the LG G2. I'd say my "QN700B" is on par with the LG Z1.
The TV is compatible with all the latest apps.
You don't need an Xbox or PC to play titles available on Xbox Gamepass. Basically, Samsung have collaborated with Microsoft so the TV comes with the necessary hardware & software to stream your games to the TV in real-time. Just connect your controller or keyboard & mouse via Bluetooth or the One Connect Box, select Gamepass and you're gaming!
Gaming is a blast. I've been spoilt. I've played oldies in 8K like HL2, Wolfenstein Old Blood, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, C&C Red Alert & late titles like Cyberpunk 2077. Visually, the best & most fluid of the more recent was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) campaign in 8k HDR with Ray Tracing enabled - Wow! Pixel-peepers rejoice!
You're probably aware that Samsung make some of the best PC gaming monitors available, including their latest, the "Odyssey Ark". The Samsung Odyssey Ark has the capability to split 1 display into 3x monitors, too. However, the Arks panel is only 4K (divide 3840x2160 into 3), making the pixel density far less impressive when split three ways. From the looks of things the Ark is a curved QN90A or QN90B (both great panels). Samsung rightly curves their gaming centric panels due to how close the user tends to sit at a display and the inherent nature of VA's off-angle contrast limitations - head-on the contrast is beautiful - off angle, it's not quite as impressive. A curved panel keeps the angle to the user eye largely the same for the viewer for the entirety of the display making sure the contrast is even. The curve also helps keep your eye the same distance from the corners as it does with the centre, especially on larger monitors - this also aids immersion - the Samsung Odyssey G9 (which I also own) is so immersive that you feel you're wearing a ski mask or VR HDM on occasion. That said, I'd still rather the QN700B over the Odyssey Ark & G9 because the pixel count is so much higher that when working in Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere etc & even when playing game titles in 4k the images is so much clearer - there's far less need for AA (anti-aliasing), if at all, on such a large panel. A 55" 4k panel will show aliasing (jaggies/pixel stepping) everywhere when sitting as you would a normal desktop screen - it's the equivalent of looking at the pixel density of 4x 1080p 27" monitors, whereas a 55" 8k is the equivalent of looking at the pixel density of 4x 4k 27" monitors. Also, Samsung has managed to perform miracles with their micro VA panels & relevant software this year. Sitting close and off-angle looks good. BTW, with games like "Hell Let Loose", you'll be king as the player benefits greatly with little to no jaggies & great viewing distances that are magnified, which a 55" 8K manages extremely well at 4k, better than any monitor I've tried, including the LG C2 42" - in-game, even scaled down to 4K the 55" QN700B looks so much better than a 42" 4k - we can thank the 8k Mini QLED panel for removing/smoothing-out the jaggies. BTW playing old & new titles that support 8k is nothing short of, wow!
If Samsung made their latest 'PC monitor', the "Oddysey Ark" using the panel from the QN700B it would be God-like and absolutely worth having, for reasons I've explained. I'm fairly sure Samsung will do this in the near future when high-end raw GPU horsepower is a little more affordable and widespread, especially if the "Ark" is a success.
I'm sure there's a lot I'm missing but I think I've covered the bulk.
Don't hesitate. If you're on the fence about 8k, the QN700B is the TV you're looking for!