Slim chassis, great spec and very agreeable picture performance is all well and good – but when it comes to audio performance, the Samsung BU8500 sounds like an affordable flatscreen TV of the old school. And that’s not necessarily a good thing. Many countries receive market-specific variations of television, of course, due to differences in broadcast standards and so on – so at present there’s no confirmation of what the equivalent Samsung screen will be in other territories. What we can be certain of, though, is that both the United States and Australia will be getting a range of competitively priced, competitively specified Samsung 4K LED TVs that are more than a little reminiscent of the BU8500 series.

Percentage luminance drop at 20 degree vertical angle from the centre of the screen with 50% white output Percentage Luminance drop at 35 degree horizontal angle from the centre of the screen with 50% white output Subtitles and audio description information displayed on electronic programme guide more info panel

High Dynamic Range is without a doubt a much bigger deal than 8K, and certainly something you should consider before buying your next TV. It almost goes without saying that there’s little by way of low-frequency presence here, but even if you decide to find out what those 20 watts are capable of the AU7100 remains a composed listen. There are rival TVs, too, that can deliver both native 4K and upscaled HD images with more raw sharpness and apparent detail than the UE43AU7100. Again, though, the level of sharpness the UE43AU7100 adopts feels carefully chosen to deliver an organic, immersive image rather than an actual weakness of either the LCD panel or the Crystal Processor. This is an OLED TV that features LG Display’s OLED EX panel, which was introduced in 2022 and is brighter than those that went before it. To this, LG added its own algorithms and processing to produce what it refers to as an OLED Evo TV with Brightness Booster.

The UE43AU7100 doesn’t clamour for your attention on a crowded TV shelf or make any claims that it’s taking affordable TVs to places they’ve never gone before. You won’t see it turning up in any future ‘classic TV design’ exhibits, either. The panel is 50Hz solely, so there is no such thing as a help. 4K/120Hz gaming. All three HDMI ports of UE43BU8000 cannot deal with SSITo go away ALLM as the one excellent gaming function provided. You'll find that most of the TVs on this list are 2022 models. That's because our recommendations are based on a performance-per-pound mantra, so buying a TV that's been out for a little while and has therefore been thoroughly discounted is almost always a better decision than going for a brand new model that might be excellent but is still full price.

Currently popular on idealo

While it might be tempting to think that bigger is better, the size of set that’s right for you is closely dependent on how close to the screen you’ll be sitting, and the resolution of the source material you’re watching.

The construct high quality can also be spectacular. The thin chassis is not accompanied by a monstrous quantity of bending or flexing, and there is simply sufficient weight to sign the usage of a lot heavier-duty supplies than the light-weight plastics that sometimes dominate at this value stage. That’s a positive, though. At a touch over 25mm deep for our 55-inch version, the chassis is enviably slim, and the bezels surrounding the screen are minimal too. It can be wall-mounted, of course. If you don’t fancy that option, though, and would rather stand your new TV on a surface, the Samsung’s feet are usefully close together, so your surface needn’t be as wide as the screen itself. Its motion handling abilities are rather decent when watching West Side Story in 4K HDR. The Custom setting is good with no noticeable artefacts and judder, while the stronger Auto setting gives the dance scene at the school a glossier, more artificial look (usually around the mouths of people as they talk), with a hint of stutter and judder if you look closely. Samsung’s QLED and QD-OLED TVs grab the limelight, but it’s the Korean brand’s most affordable TVs that shift in big numbers into the homes of customers around the world. HDR10+ is a rival format to Dolby Vision. Created by Samsung, it also uses dynamic metadata but, whereas Dolby Vision is licensed, HDR10+ is a free, open format that any company can deploy as it sees fit.The 43AU7100 isn’t as accomplished with its audio as it is with its pictures. It still gets the job done, though, without breaking that sense of consistency that makes it so engaging.

La nueva televisión Samsung 43BU8000 llega a las tiendas con un diseño renovado AirSlim que lo hace aun más fino sin apenas marcos y una peana ajustable en altura, usando un color negro por todo su chasis. Encontrando todas sus conexiones en la parte trasera de la TV, destacando principalmente sus tres puertos HDMI 2.0 para conectar dispositivos como consolas, dos puertos USB 2.0 por si queremos reproducir contenido multimedia, una salida de audio óptico con el que conectar la barra de sonido, un RJ-45 y entrada de antena. Ultra slim TVs usually have their innards in a separate media box. Not so with the Samsung UE40B8000. Images upscaled by the Crystal Processor 4K are crisply defined and full of clarity. Fine detail is excellent; whether its textures, objects or faces – the Samsung TU7020 is fantastic at digging up detail.The BU8500 supports HDR10, HLG and HDR10+, but not Dolby Vision. However, the absence of the latter has nothing to do with the TV’s mid-range status because none of Samsung’s models support the format. The HDR10+ performance was good in testing, and while not as prevalent as Dolby Vision, the format is used by Prime Video, some 4K Blu-rays, and now Apple TV+. The obvious progression comes with the UE43BU8000’s superior brightness and more vibrant colours. Peak brightness is perhaps only a little up on the UE43AU7100, but the newer TV enjoys a clear brightness boost with full-screen content. Colours look more vibrant yet also more natural, with the extra brightness increasing colour ‘volume’ while Samsung’s latest Dynamic Crystal processor seemingly does a better job of ensuring there’s still lots of subtlety in the UE43BU8000’s colour rendering, despite the extra punch. There is ALLM – automatic delay reduction mode. Note that with Game Mode enabled, the output latency (input lag) is 11ms. As always, this is an average between 1080p and 4K resolutions, so expect very similar performance regardless of the resolution you play at. Smart TV Transform movie nights with this exceptional quality TV from Korean company Samsung, one of the world's leading tech providers. This TV comes prepared with 4K resolution capabilities, providing four times the full pixels of a standard Full-HD television. Whether watching an engaging animated movie or an educational documentary, the Ultra HD colour palatte the picture is brought to vivid and vibrant life. Sleeker and Slimmer than Ever While not outfitted with the fancier features of its more expensive siblings, the TU7020’s interface, app support and gaming are like what you’d see higher up the range.