PICTURE QUALITY Picture quality was excellent. Reproduction of fine image detail was excellent. Color accuracy was excellent, so colors, especially flesh tones, look very natural and lifelike. Contrast—the difference between the darkest blacks and brightest whites—in dark scenes was okay, so images had some depth, but it was not the best. Black levels were OK and maintained some contrast in darker scenes, but they fell short of the better TVs. The quality appeared to worsen as we viewed from the sides—see our Viewing Angle results, below. Its reproduction of smooth edges on image content. Deinterlacing of 1080i video was excellent. Its frame-rate compensation for 1080i film-based content was excellent.
VIEWING ANGLE This Samsung model has a narrow viewing angle overall, below-average performance. Only those viewing at center position will see the best picture quality. Our examination at various angles saw its image quality degrade when viewed anywhere but on-center. When we viewed the TV from the sides image quality degraded significantly. the picture showed a strong loss of color, so flesh tones looked very washed out. Black levels visibly brightened, and reduced the contrast especially on dark scenes. Lastly, we viewed the image from above and below center screen, and saw fair vertical viewing angle performance, with significant changes in color, contrast, and black level.
MOTION BLUR In our motion tests, this Samsung LCD (LED) had good motion performance, with some blurring.
SOUND QUALITY We got sub-par sound quality, with below average performance. It could be acceptable for typical programming, but its shortcomings would be obvious with movie soundtracks and music. In our listening evaluations, we found the bass (low frequency sound) to be very weak and very well defined. Treble (high frequency sound) was very good. The treble was neutral though a bit bright, thin, closed in. This TV should be OK if the room isn't too noisy—we found the speakers could produce a good volume level. Our bass-heavy music track revealed a slight buzz. If sound quality matters to you, you might want to add a soundbar or other external speaker system.
EASE OF USE Consider the TV's stand is 24 inches wide when choosing a table top to place it on. The remote controls doesn't need to be pointed at the TV. It has a simplified design with a reduced set of buttons. The remote has a microphone use to issue voice commands. The TV also has a microphone which can be used to issue voice commands without the remote.
INTERNET FEATURES This TV provides internet functionality via its "Tizen" portal, with access to a library of applications. Movie streaming services that can be downloaded to this TV, or are built-in, include Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney Plus, Hulu, Max/HBO Max, Netflix, YouTube. It includes built-in Samsung Bixby, Amazon Alexa virtual assistants, which allow you to use natural speech to ask questions, launch applications, and search programming by talking to the TV.
CONNECTIONS This model has 2 HDMI inputs 2 USB ports, and an optical digital audio out, 802.11ac/WiFi 5 wireless networking, and AirPlay—for sharing videos, photos, music, and more from Apple devices to the TV.
WHAT'S INCLUDED A remote control. One connect box. Wall mount.
