PICTURE QUALITY Picture quality was very good, overall. Reproduction of fine image detail was excellent. Color accuracy was very good, with flesh tones in particular, looking natural. 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 for "up-converted" HD-to-UHD images was very good with minimal "jaggies" (jagged edges). Deinterlacing of 1080i video was excellent. Its frame-rate compensation for 1080i film-based content was excellent.
HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR) PERFORMANCE HDR performance was ineffective. In our tests, the display did not have the peak brightness capability necessary (by HDR standards) to reproduce the extended contrast on our HDR content.
VIEWING ANGLE This Samsung model has a moderate viewing angle—decent—but not as good as the better-performers. The best viewing position for this model is directly in front. 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. Black levels visibly brightened, and reduced the contrast especially on dark scenes. Lastly, we viewed the image from above and below center screen, and noticed good vertical viewing angle performance, with only slight 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 good sound quality, about average among the models we've tested. When watching a blockbuster movie, a concert, or TV show, it can deliver decent performance but just not like the better performers. In our listening evaluations, we found the bass (low frequency sound) to be adequate but a bit weak and lacking some definition. Treble (high frequency sound) was very good. The treble was generally neutral. This TV should be OK if the room isn't too noisy—we found the speakers could produce a good volume level. Overall, though imperfect, most people would find this sound quality acceptable.
EASE OF USE Consider the TV's stand is 34 inches wide when choosing a table top to place it on. The remote controls the TV via an IR light beam which must be pointed at the TV. It has a simplified design with a reduced set of buttons. 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.
CONNECTIONS This model has 3 HDMI inputs one USB port, and an optical digital audio out, an Ethernet port, 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.
