The Q70A is a new Samsung QLED television set. So, how does this 2021 TV fare when it comes to displaying videogames on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S as well as other home consoles?
You can find out in this guide from Seeking Tech.
Quick Summary
The Q70A is a pretty good television set for the PS5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. The new Samsung TV includes a HDMI 2.1 port in addition to supporting features like 120 fps and Variable Refresh Rate. It also features extremely low input lag in game mode.
The HDR capabilities for the Q70A may not be great due to the lack of local dimming zones and only passable brightness levels, but it is good enough to show off the advantages of using the high-dynamic color range.
The only major disadvantage of the Q70A model is the lack of support for the Dolby Vision HDR format, which is being used for the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.
Q70A Screen Sizes
The Q70A is available in the following screen sizes:
- 55″: QN55Q70AAFXZA
- 65″: QN65Q70AAFXZA
- 75″: QN75Q70AAFXZA
- 85″: QN85Q70AAFXZA
Does the Q70A have HDMI 2.1 ports?
The Q70A comes with four HDMI ports, the first three of which is HDMI 2.0 while the last one is HDMI 2.1.
HDMI 2.0 is good enough to play videogames at 60 frames per second in a maximum resolution of 4K on new consoles. You should also be able to be games at 120 frames per second in a maximum resolution of 1440p.
With HDMI 2.1 you will be able to play at 120 frames per second in a maximum resolution of 4K.
Legacy Consoles Support
The Q70A does not have any composite or component inputs. So, you have to use an adapter if you want to plug in consoles like the PS1, PS2, Nintendo 64, Gamecube, Wii, Saturn, Dreamcast and Xbox.
Since this model does have an antenna/cable input, you should be able to directly connect older systems such as the Nintendo Entertainment System, SNES and Sega Genesis.
HDR Features
The Q70A is compatible with HDR10 and HDR10+ formats in addition to featuring a wide color gamut. This model does not support the Dolby Vision format or come with any local dimming zones.
HDR10 is used by the PS4, PS4 Pro, PS5, Xbox One S, Xbox One X, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X.
The two Xbox Series systems also support the Dolby Vision format.
Q70A’s HDR Brightness in Game Mode
In order to highlight the advantages of HDR, we recommend getting a television that is capable of displaying at least 500 nits of brightness when HDR is enabled.
The Samsung Q70A is able to achieve this minimum threshold at every scene tested by RTINGS.com with the exception of HDR Peak 2% Window and HDR Sustained 2% Window.
Overall, the HDR brightness levels of the Q70A is good enough but not all that great.
You can check out the test results below (via RTINGS):
- Real Scene Highlight: 560 nits
- HDR Peak 2% Window: 257 nits
- HDR Peak 10% Window: 587 nits
- HDR Peak 25% Window: 585 nits
- HDR Peak 50% Window: 584 nits
- HDR Peak 100% Window: 584 nits
- HDR Sustained 2% Window: 252 nits
- HDR Sustained 10% Window: 584 nits
- HDR Sustained 25% Window: 582 nits
- HDR Sustained 50% Window: 582 nits
- HDR Sustained 100% Window: 582 nits
- HDR ABL: 0.053
Adaptive Sync Support
When it comes to adaptive sync support (which helps improve the frame rate to prevent stutters and tearing), the Q70A is capable of FreeSync and Variable Refresh Rate but not GSYNC.
Variable Refresh Rate is currently being used by the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X. The same feature is expected to also come to the PlayStation 5.
Q70A’s Input Lag
The Q70A has excellent input lag reduction when you used its game mode. According to tests done by RTINGS, this model has a maximum latency of 11.0 ms at the 60 Hz, 120 Hz and VRR refresh rates in 1080p, 1440p and 4K resolutions.
We recommend less than 30 ms of lag if you don’t want an unresponsive gaming experience. So, the Q70A is an excellent TV in that regard.
You can find the input lag test results below (via RTINGS):
- 1080p resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Enabled): 11.0 ms
- 1080p resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Enabled): 5.6 ms
- 1440p resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Enabled): 10.2 ms
- 1440p resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Enabled): 5.6 ms
- 4K resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Enabled): 10.0 ms
- 4K resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate + 10 bit HDR (Game Mode Enabled): 10.9 ms
- 4K resolution and 60 Hz at 4:4:4: 10.0 ms
- 4K resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Enabled): 5.6 ms
- 1080p resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Disabled): 83.3 ms
- 4K resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Disabled): 70.0 ms
- 4K resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate With Interpolation: 20.9 ms
Is the Q70A good for PS5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S?
The Q70A is a pretty good television set for the new consoles as it comes with a HDMI 2.1 port in addition to support for 120 fps and Variable Refresh Rate. This model also features extremely low input lag when its game mode is enabled.
Although it does not have any local dimming zones, its HDR brightness level is still passable.
The only major downside is the lack of support for the Dolby Vision HDR format.
Is the Q70A good for Switch, PS4, PS4 Pro, Xbox One, Xbox One S and Xbox One X?
The aforementioned HDR pros and cons also apply to HDR-enabled games on the PS4, PS4 Pro, Xbox One S and Xbox One X.
Of course, the great input lag reduction also applies to older HDMI consoles, including the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Wii U and Nintendo Switch.