Samsung 4K and 8K TVs are now certified to not really hurt your eyes
In case you were worried
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If you’re buying anew Samsung TV, you can rest easy in knowing thatSamsungsets won’t be causing your eyes undue harm. That’s the conclusion of two separate safety-standard organizations in the US and Europe – Underwriters Laboratories and Verband Deutscher Elektrotechniker – both of which have certified Samsung’s4Kand8K TVsas appropriately safe for your delicate human eyes.
Two of Samsung’s new 2020 TVs, the Q900T8KQLEDandQ90T4KQLED, were put to the test in the65-inchTV size, as the brightest sets in this year’s range. While overall brightness increases with larger model sizes, even the 65-inch models can reach thousands of nits peak brightness – so it’s not surprising that some shoppers may be worrying about the impact of this on their retina.
In apress release, Samsung Electronics’ Yong Hoon – executive VP of the company’s visual display business – said that, “While Samsung QLED TVs emit high luminance and brightness, our TVs are designed to protect the eyesight without losing the truly immersive viewing experience.”
According to Samsung, Underwriters Laboratories has classified both sets as being “no photobiological LED hazard”, while the German Verband Deutscher Elektrotechniker has granted them an “eye safety certification".
Hoon added: “We are pleased to be recognized by UL and VDE for these efforts and will continue to make the safety of our customers a top priority as we develop our products.”
Samsung is the first TV company to get these certifications – though that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the only one to meet them. Big TV brands often disagree over the best standards to hold their TVs to, fromUHD Premiumtocontrast modulationand many other examples aside. But hey, if it makes you feel safer buying a Samsung TV, go for it.
Square eyes
Excessive TV watching has often been associated with poor eye health, or the more fantastical ‘square eyes’ that parents so often attempt to cite to keep their kids off the various tablets, smartphones, and game consoles they probably bought for them.
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Watching too much TV certainlycanhurt your eyes, no matter what safety certifications Samsung has at its HQ. There are plenty of measures you can take, though, from limiting your screen usage to an hour a day, sitting a decent distance away from the television, enlarging subtitles font to prevent eye strain, and more. And it’s often easy to forget the collective strain of working at a laptop all day, taking breaks to stare at your phone, and then relaxing in the evening by… turning on your television display.
Eye safety is a great thing forTV brandsto keep in mind, though, and we’ll all benefit from the likes of Samsung taking such concerns seriously – especially with so much TV to watch.
Henry is a freelance technology journalist, and former News & Features Editor for TechRadar, where he specialized in home entertainment gadgets such as TVs, projectors, soundbars, and smart speakers. Other bylines include Edge, T3, iMore, GamesRadar, NBC News, Healthline, and The Times.
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