Samsung Q7F QN98Q7FAAFXZA 98"

The Samsung Q7F gives you a jaw-dropping 98-inch 4K screen at a price that occasionally dips below $1,600. Gaming performance is a standout, with 120Hz and FreeSync Premium, and the Tizen smart platform is one of the best. Picture quality is held back by edge LED backlighting, so black levels and contrast are just okay. If size is your absolute priority, shop around for the lowest price and grab it.

There's no getting around it: this thing is huge. The Samsung Q7F is a 98-inch QLED TV, and standing in front of it feels like you're at the movies. It's built for people who want sheer screen real estate above all else, whether that's for a dedicated home theater, a sports den, or just dominating the living room wall. At its best price, you're getting a truly cinematic size for less than you'd pay for most 75-inch OLEDs. But that size is the star of the show, and Samsung had to make some cuts elsewhere to hit this price point. The most notable one? Edge LED backlighting, which puts a ceiling on contrast and black levels.

Picture quality is where things get interesting. In our database, the Q7F's overall picture score lands in the mediocre range, well below what you'd get from a good mini-LED or OLED set. That edge-lit panel means dark scenes in a movie like Dune show some blooming around bright objects, and black bars aren't as inky as we'd like. However, Samsung's color game is on point: 100% DCI-P3 volume and Pantone certification deliver vibrant, accurate hues that pop in bright, colorful content. For sports or animated films, this TV can look stunning, especially in a room with some ambient light.

Gaming is a completely different story. Here, the Q7F is a standout, landing among the best on the market for gaming features. You get a native 120Hz refresh rate, FreeSync Premium for tear-free VRR, and Auto Low Latency Mode that kicks in the moment you power on a console. With HDMI 2.1, you're ready for 4K at 120fps on a PS5 or Xbox Series X. The gaming percentile sits in the high 80s in our rankings, and we can feel it: input lag is negligible, and motion clarity is excellent thanks to the Motion Xcelerator tech. Even the Samsung Gaming Hub works well for cloud streaming, though your internet needs to keep up. Smart TV performance is also top-tier, with Tizen on One UI running snappy and covering every app under the sun.

Pricing on this model is all over the map. We're seeing a spread of over $1,800 across different vendors, with some listings dipping as low as $1,576 and others ballooning past $3,400. At the low end, this TV is a steal for the size. You're basically paying what you'd shell out for a good 65-inch OLED and getting a screen that's physically 50% larger. At the high end, though, you're flirting with projector territory or even a 83-inch OLED on sale, and the Q7F's picture quality compromises start to sting. The sweet spot is definitely under two grand. If you find it near $1,600, jump on it; if a retailer is asking over $2,500, you're better off waiting for a price drop or looking at a large mini-LED alternative.

When you stack the Q7F against its listed competitors, the context changes completely because most of them aren't playing in the 98-inch pool. The TCL QM8K, for example, is a 75-inch mini-LED TV that absolutely destroys the Samsung in contrast and HDR impact, with Dolby Vision support and a full-array local dimming system. But you're giving up nearly two feet of diagonal screen space. The Hisense U7 series and Sony BRAVIA 5 sit in similar positions: much better picture quality in their respective size classes, but if wall-dominating scale is your priority, they can't compete.

For pure cinephiles, an LG C5 OLED at 55 or 65 inches will deliver perfect blacks, infinite contrast, and Dolby Vision, all for a similar price or less. But again, the experience is fundamentally different. The Samsung is for someone who wants a crowd-pleasing, gigantic display that handles gaming and smart features brilliantly, and is willing to forgive its middling black levels. If you're in that camp, few TVs offer this much screen for so little cash.

If you're a movie buff who cares deeply about deep blacks, shadow detail, and premium HDR formats, this isn't your TV. The edge-lit panel simply can't compete with a good OLED or a mini-LED with local dimming, and the lack of Dolby Vision is a real bummer for certain content. Instead, you'd be much happier with something like an LG C5 OLED or a TCL QM8K in whatever the largest size your budget fits. Also, if you have a small room or sit closer than about 10 feet, a 98-inch screen is overkill and will dominate the space uncomfortably; a 75- or 85-inch model with better picture quality would be a smarter buy.

If you've got the space and you're itching for a screen that fills a whole wall, the Samsung Q7F is an easy recommendation at its best price. It's a fantastic gaming display, the smart interface is snappy, and for bright, colorful content like sports or video games, it really shines. Just set your expectations for movie nights: don't expect OLED-like depth in dark scenes, and plan on a soundbar because the built-in speakers are forgettable.

For someone who values picture quality over sheer size, skip this one. A good mini-LED or OLED will give you richer blacks and better HDR for the same money, just in a smaller package. But if you're building a home theater on a budget and want to maximize immersion, the Q7F at around $1,600 is a deal that's hard to beat.