Samsung Electronics Un55mu8000 55-inch 4k Ultra Hd Review

Verdict

Pros

• Strong dissimilarity
• Deep blacks
• Low latency
• Clean, precipitous picture

Cons

• Colours not every bit hitting as Breakthrough Dot sets
• Some backlight clouding
• Poor viewing angles

Central Specifications

• Review Toll: £1699.00
• 55-inch LED LCD screen
• 4K UHD resolution
• High Dynamic Range in HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG
• four x HDMI

What is the Samsung UE55MU8000?

The Samsung KS7000 won the TrustedReviews laurels for Tv of the Year in 2016.

That wasn't because it was the best-performing Television set of 2016. There were objectively more capable alternatives. Instead it took the prize because it managed to bring a hugely impressive 4K and HDR viewing experience down to a reasonable toll, at a time when near manufacturers were reserving the tech for flagship units.

This year, the Samsung has made a point of dividing its premium TVs from its midrange. The lovely quantum dot engineering science that propped up older SUHD models is at present reserved for the tiptop-tier QLED range, along with ramped up luminance and a proportionately higher cost tag.

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If that's a scrap rich for you, then consider the MU range. The MU8000 sits at the top of that with the Samsung MU9000. While information technology's clear that Samsung has reserved its best for the QLED range, the MU8000 packs a few pleasant surprises. If you're after a good 4K and HDR operation and you lot're not hell-bent on taking out a mortgage for a QLED model, the MU8000 might be for you.

Related: Best TV

Samsung UE55MU8000 – Design

It'south apartment. That might seem like an odd place to start, only Samsung is the only manufacturer still strongly pushing curved TVs. For those who aren't fans of the MU9000'due south curve, the MU8000 is the perfect alternative since they share substantially the aforementioned specs elsewhere.

The blueprint takes its cues from last year'southward top KS models – slim bezels (the pinnacle and sides, anyway) and a Y-shaped stand. The thin frame surrounding the Tv set is metal, but everywhere else is plastic. To be edgeless, it feels a piddling cheap up close – I noticed a few rough edges when I was setting information technology upwards, and the single-neck approach means it volition wobble a bit if you lot nudge it.

Still, it looks nice from the sofa. And on a applied note I'k glad to see a Television with a centre stand up, as opposed to having anxiety right at the corners – you don't then need a bench as broad as the Television receiver.

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Related: Best 4K TVs

Every bit is now traditional on Samsung'due south more fancy TVs, the majority of the connections are housed separately in a Ane Connect box. At that place are four HDMI ports (all 4K and HDR compatible) and two USB ports alongside the aerial connections and a digital optical output. On the Television receiver itself, in that location is also an ethernet socket and i more than USB port.

Sadly, in that location's no sign of the super-thin, well-nigh invisible cable that runs from the Telly to the 1 Connect box. It's a regular chunky cablevision, although the stand'southward dorsum peels away to reveal a groovy cable management channel.

At that place are two remotes: a traditional one with loads of buttons and a 'smart' i with a streamlined design and fewer buttons. Tv smart remotes are always a bit striking and miss, merely Samsung'southward effort is one of the better ones and I found myself using information technology a lot more than the traditional one. This year'south smart remote has been improved with better grip and rubberised buttons.

Samsung UE55MU8000 – Features

The MU8000 has a 10-bit panel with a 4K Ultra Hard disk resolution (3840 × 2160 pixels). It offers high dynamic range in the mutual HDR10 format, as well equally the upcoming broadcast-friendly HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma).

Alas, there'southward no Dolby Vision, which is normally considered meliorate than HDR10 because its dynamic metadata can be used to optimise the picture frame past frame. Simply Samsung isn't ruling out dynamic metadata – it's offering HDR10+, a competitor to Dolby Vision. HDR10+ is an open-source format, that Amazon Video has already signed up to use.

It's an border-lit LED unit of measurement – Samsung isn't offer a single direct-lit unit of measurement this yr. I'd exist really worried almost this if information technology weren't for the fact that last year's Samsung KS7000 offered some very impressive dimming skills. Samsung is clearly confident.

The MU8000 has a claimed brightness of 1000 nits. That's the level of brightness offered by final year's top models, merely less than Samsung'south QLED range this year, which tin can hit 1500-2000 nits.

Samsung has been rocking its Quantum Dot engineering for a few years now, only this year that's been reserved for the QLED models, such as the Samsung Q7F. Instead, the MU8000 relies on the 'Dynamic Crystal Colour' engine, which claims to deliver more than a billion shades.

On the smart TV front, the MU8000 is equipped with Samsung's Eden interface. Information technology's a launcher bar system that pops upward on superlative of whatsoever yous're watching, without making y'all break or kicking you out.

A couple of years agone I would take defendant Samsung of shamelessly ripping off LG'south webOS interface, simply these days it's grown to be a unlike brute. The launcher bar offers 2 tiers of icons, some of which are customisable. Information technology'southward a quick way to bound between your preferred apps and sources, and information technology's as easy equally channel hopping.

I really like the way the interface automatically recognises what sources you've plugged in – the MU8000 correctly identified my game consoles and environment sound amplifier.

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Samsung UE55MU8000 – Performance

Picture functioning is very impressive, equally long every bit you temper your expectations. After all, 4K HDR TVs are still in their relative infancy, and if you step abroad from the cut edge models, you will stop up with more compromises. The MU8000'south paradigm quality is a mixed bag, only the adept does outweigh the bad.

I'll start with the negatives. As is mutual with border-lit LED TVs, there are some lighting issues. I occasionally spotted some clouding. It's specially noticeable in night areas at the top and bottom of the screen – if you're watching a movie with black confined elevation and bottom, you're more likely to see information technology. It's pretty mild, as far as clouding goes – at that place'southward less here than in that location was on terminal year's KS7000, y'all'll only actually come across it in a dark room and fifty-fifty then it's certainly possible to become used to it. The flat form factor of the MU8000 might assist – our review of the curved Samsung MU9000 had far harsher words in this section.

Viewing angles aren't amazing. Samsung has gone for a VA panel hither, which is good for contrast but poor for angled viewing. If you move out of 25-30 degrees from centre, y'all'll begin to lose out on contrast and saturation, and the lighting will expect noticeably non-compatible.

Equally for colours, I've seen stronger from Samsung, and this is conspicuously 2d-tier operation. What you get here is plenty vibrant, but the Breakthrough Dot models this yr and final twelvemonth only look richer and more subtle, with a more than varied palette. There is likewise occasionally some striping in HDR. Thankfully it'due south rare, though.

Moving on to the positives. What I really like virtually the MU8000 is its dissimilarity. It gets enough bright, and it gets plenty dark. It's not quite 1000 nits – we're looking at a maximum of about 700, only that's enough to give you a tangible visual impact, especially when the blacks are so impressive.

Blacks really look blackness, rather than slightly hollow and grayness, which is what I've come up to look from LED LCD TVs. At that place's not as much in a higher place-black shadow detail as you lot might observe on a good OLED Tv set, and y'all get minimal crushing on all but the most extreme of HDR pictures.

Highlights do really well too, with lilliputian clipping on brilliant areas such as headlamps and explosions. Combine the ii and you lot've got a level of dissimilarity and dynamism strong enough to give you that HDR hit.

Let's non forget the 4K element – Samsung'southward mastered the resolution. The picture is plenty precipitous, with loads of fine texture but without the overly processed await that tin can come from being a picayune too enthusiastic. Upscaling from HD and standard-definition sources look clean as well, with not nearly every bit much moving picture dissonance equally at that place could exist.

Gamers will be pleased to know the Samsung MU8000 does well on the latency front. The 24ms input lag I detected isn't as impressive as the 21ms figure I recorded on the LG Signature G7 OLED, just it is more than good enough for competitive online gaming.

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A final give-and-take on audio performance – it's nothing to write home about. It's fine for the news, but for any serious viewing I'd recommend a proper sound system, or at least a soundbar.

Related: All-time soundbar

To get the most out of the MU8000, here are some set up tips. I'd recommend using the Standard picture preset – while I commonly advocate the Movie manner, I feel this i is too muted and soft. Go with Standard and nudge the colour temperature to Warm.

For bright room HDR viewing, I'd recommend having Dissimilarity Enhancer and Local Dimming on high. For nighttime room HDR viewing, you'll want to plough those downward to Standard or Low so that you can avert seeing the blooming – but annotation that this does knock your brightness downwards.

Lastly, the motion processing is far too aggressive by default, so get into Custom style and manually knock the anti-blur and anti-judder settings downward – I have information technology no higher than three.

Should I buy the Samsung UE55MU8000?

If y'all're afterward that HDR punch, just your budget doesn't stretch to a premium QLED or OLED model, and so there's plenty to like here. In that location are a few minor drawbacks, only the MU8000's strengths easily outweigh the flaws. The contrast here is fantabulous for a non-premium Tv, and if it's affect you're after you lot won't be disappointed.

Alternatively, if information technology'south lush HDR colours you lot want, and y'all're non every bit fussed well-nigh effulgence and dynamism, it'due south also worth checking out the Sony KD-55XE8596.

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Verdict

Samsung proves that you don't demand to spend a fortune to capeesh 4K and HDR.

How we test televisions

We examination every Television receiver we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. Nosotros'll always tell you what we observe. Nosotros never, ever, have coin to review a product.

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Used as the main Television set for the review period

Tested for more than than a week

Tested using industry calibrated tools, discs and with existent earth use

Tested with broadcast content (Hard disk drive/SD), video streams and demo discs

Trusted Score

Score in particular

• Features 9

• Value 8

• Smart Tv 9

• Image Quality 8

• Design 9

• Sound Quality 7

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