Even before becoming one of the leaders in the smartphone market, Samsung made itself known for its quality televisions. The ingredients of its success in this area too are the usual ones: an excellent quality-price ratio due to the possibility of relying on proprietary components and the ability to range from the low-end to the more esoteric market segments. The Korean company is in fact one of the most prolific as regards the production of televisions, with dozens of models of all “sizes” and for all price ranges.
Choosing the Samsung TV that best suits your needs is not at all easy and that’s exactly why I’m here today. There are many notions you need to know to identify the right TV model for your needs. I have already talked about it several times, but in case you missed them, don’t worry, because also in this guide you will find all the tips you need to make your purchase without making mistakes and without having the slightest doubt. I’ll explain what to look for in each model and what features to base your choice on.
As usual, however, the final decision is absolutely subjective: you must be the one to determine the solution that can fully satisfy you. I can only give you a hand to guide you in the vast catalog of Samsung TVs, explaining the main differences between one model and another and showing you some of the best devices currently available on the market. You are the one who has to make the final “click” according to your very personal tastes. Are you ready? Yup? Well, let’s get started right away without getting lost in the chatter.
Samsung TV: Supported Resolutions
Samsung TVs support different video resolutions based on the market segments of the individual models. Usually, the low-end TVs stop at HD, while the mid and medium-high-range models adopt the Full HD resolution, which is the most popular standard today. Finally, higher-end TVs adopt Ultra HD or SUHD. If you want to know all the differences behind these acronyms, read below.
- Samsung HD TVs – these are televisions with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, commonly referred to as HD Ready. This type of TV is quite cheap, but it is not recommended to buy it as it is technically surpassed by Full HD TVs.
- Samsung Full HD TVs – are televisions with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Taking into account that Full HD content is widespread and that the prices of these televisions have become very affordable, they should be considered the best choice in terms of quality-price.
- Samsung UHD TVs – are televisions with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, also called 4K or Ultra HD. They are not as expensive as they used to be, but they continue to have higher prices than Full HD TVs. 4K content has been ramping up lately within paid Premium subscriptions, and the latest gaming consoles support this resolution as well. You decide whether to buy an Ultra HD resolution TV, but be careful: I recommend them only if they have a very wide diagonal panel.
- Samsung QLED TVs – this category includes very high-end Samsung TVs that use Quantum Dot technology for the integrated panel. They rely on several technologies to enhance the image, including Q Color and Q Contrast to improve color reproduction and contrast ratio in all circumstances, whether in bright or dark environments. Samsung in the past has believed a lot in OLED and also televisions, however, on the high end it has now replaced this technology with the Quantum Dot.
- Samsung 8K Ultra HD TV – with a calculation of 7680 x 4320 pixels, the 8K promises a definition of the images never achieved before in the consumer sphere. It must be said, however, that very few contents are available at the highest resolution, and so it will be for some time to come. To date, I do not recommend investing in an 8K TV, also because they will cost significantly less when content natively compatible with the new resolution begins to spread.
How to choose a Samsung TV
Having clarified these important differences between the various Samsung TV models available in stores, I would say that it is worth answering some frequently asked questions that arise when it comes time to buy a new TV.
- Better a traditional TV or a Smart TV? Obviously, there is no single answer to this question, it all depends on your needs. Smart TVs offer many advantages over traditional televisions: they can be connected to the Internet, they can run applications to enjoy on-demand content, communicate on social networks, and much more. They can also be equipped with a webcam, voice commands can communicate with portable devices, etc. In short, they are much more complete. I recommend them, but know that they cost more than TVs without an Internet connection and that nowadays it is possible to transform traditional TVs into Smart TVsbuying devices that cost a few tens of dollars. Warning: not all Smart TVs can be connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi, some require keys to be purchased separately (or must be connected to the Internet via an Ethernet cable).
- Is 3D convenient? Consider this anachronistic question as well. In the past, almost all television manufacturers have focused heavily on this feature which, through the use of glasses equipped with different technologies, gave additional depth to the images by combining several different signals. Users around the world have not been too impressed by this possibility, forcing manufacturers to abandon the development of the technology and eliminate the support of 3D on almost all models on the market today.
- What about curved displays? Samsung has put a lot of emphasis on the curved format for its top-of-the-range TVs. But is it really worth buying such a TV? Well, even in this case it depends on your tastes and needs. Curved TVs certainly offer a more enveloping viewing experience, in some ways they make the screen seem bigger… but only if you are in front of them and at a fairly close distance. Moving to the side, the vision is much more limited than that offered by classic flat TVs, and moving away from the display a few meters, the whole “immersive” experience of the curved-screen is lost.
- Plasma, LCD, LED, or OLED? Samsung TVs are almost all LED, i.e. LCD with an LED backlight instead of fluorescent. This ensures lower power consumption and slimmer designs. OLED panels are even more advanced, have lower power consumption, and guarantee deeper blacks as the pixels of the screen go out completely, but they are still quite expensive. Plasmas are now outdated from all points of view, they have ended up on the margins of the market. For further information read my post dedicated to the topic.
- Are there any other features to consider before buying a TV? Certainly. For example, the number and type of inputs on the TV (if you need to connect many decoders, video game consoles, etc. you will need many HDMI ports), the ability to play multimedia content from USB sticks or external hard drives, the presence of a Common interface Plus (CI +) module to install the CAM needed to view digital terrestrial pay-TV and support for new generation digital terrestrial (DVB-T2). There are also televisions that have a built-in satellite tuner and allow you to pick up DVB-S and DVB-S2 broadcasts. Lately all high-end and premium TVs embrace the HDR standard, which allows you to reproduce a higher dynamic range on the screen. This means that the TV is able to reproduce a greater number of shades for very light and very dark colors, offering images with greater depth when there are light and dark areas in the same frame at the same time.
Which Samsung TV to choose
At this point, you should be clear enough, or at least not as confused as before. So I would say to go straight to the point and see together some of the best Samsung TVs currently on the market.
Best cheap Samsung TV (under 500 dollars)
Samsung N4300 – 24″, 28″
The Samsung N4300 is a smart TV that can certainly meet the expectations of those looking for a modern and efficient device, but without having to spend big bucks. It has HD Ready resolution support, allows you to watch HDR content, and takes advantage of Ultra Clean View and PureColor technologies. It also has Dolby Digital Plus. The built-in tuner is compatible with the DVB-T2 standard for digital terrestrial and there is the CI + slot for PayTV channels. It also has two HDMI ports, a USB input, and supports Wi-Fi connectivity. It is available in both 24 “and 28” variants.
Samsung T28E316EI – 28″
The Samsung T28E316EI is a 28 ″ TV (possibly conceived to be used as a PC monitor) with a rather low price. It has an LED panel that supports HD Ready resolution (therefore with 1366 × 768 pixels) and offers a wide 178 ° viewing angle, both horizontally and vertically. The tuner is a DVB-T2, there is the integrated CI + slot and two HDMI ports. Finally, there is no shortage of USB ports for connecting external storage systems and headphone jacks.
Samsung TU7090 – 43″, 50″, 55″
If you are looking for a TV with 4K Ultra HD resolution, first of all, I propose the Samsung TU7090 Smart TV. It has support for HDR and Dolby Digital Plus and the tuner can connect to digital terrestrial and satellite. It has two HDMI ports, one USB port, and has Ethernet and Wi-Fi for connecting to the internet. It also supports the use of Apple’s AirPlay 2 and voice commands can be given with Alexa, Goole Assistant, and Bixby. It is available in 43 “, 50” and 55 “diagonals.
Samsung UE43TU8500UXZT – 43″
Among the most interesting models of the South Korean manufacturer, there is also the Samsung UE43TU8500UXZT, a TV with Smart functionality that has a 4K Ultra HD resolution panel. It has a 43 ″ diagonal, there is support for Internet connectivity (both via Ethernet and via Wi-Fi) and the ability to connect to digital terrestrial and satellite channels. Do not miss the DLNA, to connect the smartphone to the TV and share streaming content. The two USB ports and HDMI ports round out what is in my opinion a very good TV in this price range. It also integrates Alexa and Bixby voice assistants.