PICTURE QUALITY. It did an excellent job displaying the finest detail. Color accuracy was excellent, so colors looked very natural and lifelike. Very good contrast—the difference between the darkest blacks and brightest whites—gave images convincing depth and dimension. The brightness level was good, making it a suitable choice for most rooms. Black levels are excellent, with help from Samsung's Smart LED, a local dimming feature, delivering very deep blacks that enhances contrast in dark scenes. 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. There was slight display non-uniformity that created brighter cloudy areas most noticeable on very dark scenes (or in the black bars of a letterboxed movie). We routinely see this issue with LCDs and severity can vary from model to model. Check your model and see if you find it a problem. 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 slight color shift. Black levels brightened slightly, reducing contrast especially on dark scenes. When viewing the image from above or below eye level to the screen, the vertical viewing angle was very good. The picture showed minimal 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 high dynamic range content (HDR) content via its HDMI and USB ports. This TVs high image brightness helped enhance the realism of 4K content that was mastered with HDR. On the down side, we detected a dynamic contrast effect that tended to over brighten image highlights on our HDR test image, but only when we paused the video was correct image tonality was restored. We hope this can be corrected with a firmware update. 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 four 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 excellent motion performance, with no visible blurring on our motion tests, thanks to Samsung's "Auto Motion Plus". This feature is designed to reduce motion blur, a shortcoming of most LCD displays.
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. The screen is dark so it does a good job reducing glare from ambient light and maintains contrast even in a bright room.
SOUND QUALITY. This model has very good sound quality, better than most models we've tested. Whether you're watching a movie blockbuster, a concert, or TV show, it is able to deliver a satisfying listening experience. With movies, dialog was generally clear and natural sounding, though a bit muffled, and remained well balanced with respect to background music and other sounds. Bass was very deep, providing almost subwoofer-like fullness to the sound, and treble was nicely detailed, while the overall sound was a bit closed in. The speakers could play at a fairly loud volume level and without obvious distortion—a plus if you'll be using this model in a large room or noisy environment. Unlike most of our tested models, this model's sound should satisfy the more discerning listeners, so an external sound bar won't be needed.
EASE OF USE. Overall, the TV was fairly easy to setup and as was on-screen navigation. The remote is minimalist in design and 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. A new feature we haven't seen before is the TV's ability to automatically recognize devices connected to its HDMI inputs, and then be able to control those devices. We found that to be particularly convenient. On first power up there is an on-screen guide that helps you through setting up the TV. The remote uses Bluetooth, so it doesn't need to be pointed at the TV to operate it.
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, though the stand requires the assembly of one part before mounting. The TV's stand extends to the far ends of the display, which means the table top you'll be setting the TV on will need to be at least as wide as the display itself.
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, YouTube, HBO Go.
CONNECTIONS. This model has four HDMI inputs—one supports MHL (Mobile High-definition Link), and no composite input. It also has 3 USB ports, an optical digital audio out, an Ethernet port. Wireless connectivity is built-in. Casting: control the TV from a smartphone that has the suitable app installed. Screen mirroring: the image on your smartphone or other compatible device can also appear on 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. A detachable power cord. Mini "One Connect" box.
