The Samsung TU8500 is a superb selection for any purchaser seeking to improve from a1080p or entry-level 4K TV. Nevertheless, these seeking to take pleasure in HDR content material will need to spend money on a costlier effort that may do it justice.
Professionals
- Intuitive, straightforward to make use of UI
- First rate gaming efficiency
- Easy setup course of
- Wealth of sensible options
Cons
- HDR efficiency could possibly be higher
- Underpowered audio system
Key specs
- HDR10, HDR10+, HLG
- 3x HDMI, 2x USB
- Tizen OS
- Multi-View
The Samsung TU8500 (UE50TU8500) is the mid-range LED TV in Samsung’s extra inexpensive Crystal Dynamics vary, meant for these after a giant display TV that gained’t break the financial institution.
It doesn’t match the image high quality of Samsung’s entry-level QLEDs – particularly in HDR – however it’s aggressive value, developed function set and intuitive UI means it’s a superb possibility for its goal market. The apparent downsides are the dearth of Dolby Imaginative and prescient help and underpowered audio system.
Worth and availability
The Samsung TU8500 is a part of Samsung’s Crystal UHD vary of sensible TVs. This TV is available in 43- 50-, 55- and 65-inch sizes with costs beginning at a modest £499. The 50-inch mode is just out there within the UK, with an RRP of £599.
Design
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Simple to arrange
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Discreet design
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Twin distant management choices
The Samsung TU8500 will slot discreetly into most residing rooms with out turning into a focus. Like most TVs it’s an oblong design with an attachable V-shape stand and downward-firing audio system .
For those who took away the Samsung branding, it may simply be mistaken for some other £600 telly, which is not any unhealthy factor. The one factor that’ll appeal to patrons’ eyes is the TV’s value, with Samsung providing loads of display actual property for the cash.
Setup is fairly easy because of the straightforward to connect stand which merely duties you with connecting the stand to a base unit, then attaching it to the rear of the TV utilizing the equipped screws.
There are additionally twin management choices to select from. One is a bathroom commonplace TV distant filled with numerical keys and shortcuts, and the opposite is a extra fashionable selection, with a primary touchpad and stripped down key inputs. We favored the extra fashionable management for its simplicity, however each are suitably intuitive.
Options
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Complete vary of sensible apps
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Helps SmartThings for added connectivity
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Solely three HDMI inputs
What separates the TU8500 from competing TVs at this value is its sturdy function set.
Samsung’s Tizen OS options the widest number of apps on a TV, that includes the likes of Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Britbox, NOW TV, Apple TV, BT Sport, in addition to platform exclusives in Apple Music. There’s no Freeview Play, however Samsung does have all of the UK catch-up apps put in, and there’s Samsung’s TV Plus for watching a number of TV channels.
Samsung’s SmartThings platform is obtainable and has quite a lot of advantages. It affords the power to stream your telephone or pill’s display to the TV in a similar way to Google Chromecast. This performance means you may stream smaller streaming companies, comparable to CrunchyRoll and Shudder, which don’t have native apps on the platform.
There’s additionally the cool Multiview operate. This allows you to mission your smartphone display as a window on the TV. It sounds gimmicky, however has fairly just a few makes use of. One is gaming, the place you may run a tutorial or Discord video chat window, saving the necessity to look between screens. One other is for distant film nights. Like Discord whereas gaming, you may energy up just a little window with the video chat, letting you chat away with contributors with out having to modify between screens.
The Ambient mode is one other good contact, which helps you to flip the TV right into a digital image body when it’s not in use.
Although I discover LG’s WebOS extra intuitive, the TU8500’s UI works effectively for customers to navigate. All companies and apps are housed in a handy launch bar with tiles for every service or menu display.
All of its connections are positioned on the rear panel: 3x HDMI, 2x USB, analogue video and stereo inputs, plus optical audio and an Ethernet socket. This can be a minor annoyance for these planning so as to add or swap out methods and sources, with costlier TVs providing side-facing connections. For those who need to forgo wires, there’s built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.
Efficiency
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Good showcase for 4K content material
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Restricted brightness with HDR content material
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Enough sound high quality
A £600 TV is rarely going to combine it with QLED or OLED, however Samsung’s Crystal UHD is fairly spectacular for the cash.
Crystal UHD is a intelligent little bit of tech that goals to enhance image high quality utilizing a customized twin LED backlighting system. In contrast to conventional LED TVs, which usually use a single backlight, Crystal UHD pairs two panels working at completely different kelvin counts (5000k and 2000k).
In response to Samsung, this offers the TV improved distinction and punchier pictures. And with actual world use, when you get the TV setup correctly, I discovered the tech does provide higher image high quality than most inexpensive/mid-range LED units.
The TU8500 affords a standard sprinkling of TV settings and movie modes. Image modes embrace Film, Commonplace, Pure and Dynamic. Then you have got two added choices for gaming and the all too widespread, however usually not nice, image enhancement and upscaling settings.
The TV modes work as anticipated, with Pure and Commonplace being the modes to think about. Dynamic specifically ought to be averted because it has the traditional storefront look that overcooks colors on the expense of general image high quality.
Pure and Commonplace modes provide first rate distinction, are free from backlight bleed, and provide suitably correct color temperatures to make sure comfy viewing for HD channels and most streaming companies.
UHD content material is the place the Samsung TU8500 shines, with content material from Netflix and Prime Video splendidly sharp. Make no mistake in case you are upgrading to 4K for the primary time, or coming off a less expensive TV, picture high quality might be a step up.
Gaming efficiency can also be glorious so long as you don’t use the Sport Movement Plus setting. This setting retains the set’s background processing, which will increase enter lag. I’d suggest any gamer go for the common gaming mode, which affords a lot decrease enter lag, making it a greater possibility, particularly when taking part in on-line or offline response primarily based titles.
The one draw back is the TU8500 doesn’t help 4K/120Hz gaming, which limits its enchantment to these seeking to improve to the PS5 or Xbox Collection X. Each consoles help the decision and framerate, however the TU8500’s lack of help is in no way stunning, given this function is restricted in the direction of the highest finish of the market.
HDR efficiency additionally isn’t the perfect, despite the fact that the set helps HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG HDR requirements. Max brightness ranges are also lower than you’d want for good high quality HDR efficiency, coming in at simply over 300 nits. The dearth of Dolby Imaginative and prescient is a ultimate quibble, however Samsung is but to help this model of HDR.
For those who’re coming off an previous or cheaper set, the TU8500 affords a giant step up in image high quality. However, for those who have skilled HDR on step-up QLEDs, the efficiency gained’t be pretty much as good. LED can’t match the black efficiency of OLED or QLED screens.
Sound high quality is satisfactory, however not terribly immersive with the built-in audio system. Volumes are excessive sufficient, however the low finish lacks punch and precision, which means refined particulars will be misplaced in motion pictures.
You should purchase it if…
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You’re after an inexpensive TV
For those who’re seeking to improve however don’t need to break the financial institution, the Samsung TU8500 is a superb possibility.
You need good gaming efficiency
Samsung’s TVs are class-leading on this respect, with the quickest enter lag in the marketplace.
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Complete sensible options
The TU8500 nonetheless retains quite a lot of smarts out there from Samsung’s extra premium TVs.
You shouldn’t purchase it if…
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You possibly can go the QLEDs
The TU8500’s efficiency is spectacular for the value, however should you can go for the upper specc’d QLEDs, image high quality is improved.
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You want extra HDMI inputs on your sources
The TU8500 solely options three HDMI inputs, which isn’t nice for these with a number of sources to plug in.
