PICTURE QUALITY. It did an excellent job displaying the finest detail of HD content. Color accuracy was excellent, so colors, especially flesh tones, looked very natural and lifelike. Contrast—the difference between the darkest blacks and brightest whites—was good, so images had depth and dimension, typical of most models we test. The brightness level was good, making it a suitable choice for most rooms. The model had fairly deep black levels, just shy of the best models. In scenes with subtly shaded light-to-dark areas, such as a sky during sunset, the model did a very good job producing a smooth transition without distinct, coarse bands. The deinterlacing and film mode operations were excellent on HD content; there was little or no trace of jaggies on the edges of objects for video and film-based 1080i video content, such as from cable.
VIEWING ANGLE. This Samsung has a moderate viewing angle overall, decent, but not quite as good as the better-performing TVs we've tested. The optimal seating position for best picture quality is directly in front of this model. When we viewed the TV from the sides, image quality got worse. The picture showed a moderate loss of color, so flesh tones looked a bit washed out, along with a moderate color shift. Black levels visibly brightened, reducing contrast especially on dark scenes. When viewing the image from above or below eye level to the screen, the vertical viewing angle was excellent. The picture showed no change in color, contrast, and black level.
ULTRA HD PERFORMANCE. Overall, excellent. This Samsung UHD TV delivers full 4K picture detail, along with excellent HD-to-UHD upconversion. All native 4K content we played on this model, including movies and test videos was presented in full detail with excellent image fidelity when played back via the TV's HDMI input. It supports the playback of content mastered with HDR (High Dynamic Range) via its HDMI and USB ports, and we got mixed results. We found HDR performance to be only mildly effective, falling short of better performing models we've seen. It did a good job reproducing a greater range of nuanced shadow detail, but there was little discernible contrast between moderately bright and very bright highlights from 4K content mastered specifically for HDR. Overall image brightness was fine for general viewing, but limited for effective HDR performance (contrast adds a greater sense of realism to content mastered for HDR). Extended color capability was not very apparent on this TV. This model also supports video streaming of 4K programs via both Netflix and YouTube (among other sources), and again, images were clean and finely detailed. Using the TV's USB port, we were able to play back 4K videos stored on a flash drive which were encoded in both the HEVC and VP9 formats, as well as MP4. High-resolution photos were displayed in full 4K detail, and like the videos, revealed great clarity, taking full advantage of UHD's extra resolution. With regular HD content, the TV's HD-to-UHD upconversion processing was generally excellent with the edges along diagonals of image content looking very smooth with minimal jaggies. All three of the TV's HDMI inputs comply with the latest HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 specifications that support play back for 4K video at 60Hz, and copy protection, a requirement for compatibility with 4K movie play back devices such as a 4K Blu-ray player.
MOTION BLUR. This Samsung TV has only fair motion performance, with significant blurring on our motion tests. Though this model includes Samsung's "LED Clear Motion", a feature designed to effectively reduce motion blur, we found it introduced excessive dimming to the image so we turned the feature off. The visibility of blurring on typical program content is often subtle and may not bother most people, but keen-eyed viewers may detect some loss of texture and detail on scenes with movement.
SCREEN REFLECTIVITY. Though not as mirror-like as on some models, this screen surface is glossy and therefore susceptible to reflections from a nearby lamp or window. It does a good job reducing glare from ambient light and maintains contrast in a brighter room environment.
SOUND QUALITY. This model has good sound quality; about average among the models we've tested. When watching a movie blockbuster, a concert, or TV show, it delivers decent performance but falls short of the better performers. With movies, dialog was generally clear and natural sounding and remained well balanced with respect to background music and other sounds. Bass was adequate, which added some fullness to the sound but was a tad boomy, but treble lacked detail, while the overall sound was a bit closed in. The speakers produced good volume so this model should play sufficiently loud in typical room environments and without obvious distortion. Most people would find this sound quality acceptable.
EASE OF USE. Overall, it was fairly easy to setup and fairly easy to do routine things. The remote's minimalist design off-loads traditional keypad buttons such as numbers, closed-caption, and direct access to menu, to an on-screen collection of icons. On-screen navigation is rather intuitive, but the remote's buttons have little tactility and are not illuminated, so you'll need to get comfortable with its feel when viewing in a darkened environment. The TV can automatically recognize devices connected to its HDMI inputs and is able to control those devices, a convenient feature. On first power up there is an on-screen guide that helps you through setting up the TV.
STAND ASSEMBLY. The TV's base does not come pre-attached, so some assembly is required. Mounting the support stand to the TV is straightforward, as the stand requires the assembly of two parts before mounting.
INTERNET FEATURES. This TV provides advanced Internet capabilities via its "Smart Hub" portal with access to a library of applications, and a full Web browser. Movie streaming services include: Netflix, Amazon, Hulu Plus, Vudu, YouTube, HBO Go.
CONNECTIONS. This model has three HDMI inputs—one supports MHL (Mobile High-definition Link), one "component/composite shared" input (which means you can only use one type or the other at a time). It also has two USB ports, an optical digital audio out, an Ethernet port. WiFi wireless networking. DLNA, to access files within your home network. Casting, to control the TV from a smartphone that has the suitable app installed. Screen mirroring, where the image on your smartphone or other compatible device can also appear on the TV. Analog connections are made via special breakout cable adapters (included) that attach to the TV as single plugs. That means you plug your component, composite, or stereo cables into a dangling "pigtail" rather than the back of the TV itself. This is actually a more convenient way to make the connections on slim-profile models, but if you lose that adapter you'll have no way to connect your cables directly to the TV. The cable connections on the rear panel are recessed with side or bottom-facing ports, so wires don't protrude beyond the display's depth.
INCLUDED IN THE BOX. A printed user manual. A quick start guide. An electronic manual in the TV's menu. A remote control with batteries. Breakout cable adapters (one composite/green component with stereo audio, one component with blue and red ).
ABOUT ULTRA HD TESTING: We test UHD picture quality using 4K movies, videos, photos, and test patterns to confirm these displays deliver performance to this format's full potential. We check the TV's ability to reproduce 4K image detail, as well as high dynamic range (HDR) for TVs that support this capability. Image quality is tested using a 4K movie player connected to the TV's HDMI input, as well as from files stored on flash drive plugged into the TV's USB port. We also check the quality of 4K streaming from Netflix or YouTube (if the service is supported by the TV), and how well the TV can upscale HD movies to the display's higher UHD resolution while keeping artifacts such as "jaggies" along the edges of image content to a minimum. The best UHD TVs, and HDTVs, present high fidelity images that reveal the full quality of the best source content without degradation.
