Samsung UE32H6400 review

Building on the mostly excellent UE40H6400, this 32-incher will take a lot of beating in the cheap TV stakes. There are cheaper sets out there than the UE32H6400, but none offer as many must-have smart TV apps, such all-round picture prowess, or a choice of two remote controls. The UE32H6400 is a one-off, and a great value one-off, too.

We liked

The UE32H6400 will mostly be purchased for its smart TV apps, and with the likes of BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4oD, Demand 5, Netflix and Amazon Instant Video all here, that's understandable.

However, there's much more to like about this 32-incher, with a plethora of ins and outs, excellent Freeview HD software and flexible media playback software for the playback of material on USB sticks and networked computers.

Most importantly, the picture quality is versatility defined; black levels, contrast, motion handling and panel uniformity are all spot-on for the money. Perhaps the highlight is the UE32H6400's treatment of standard definition TV channels and DVDs, which at this relatively small size hold-out very well indeed.

We disliked

The provision of two remote controls is great, though in practice neither is as good as the old-fashioned, longer remote they replace. The spider-style stand won't appeal to everyone, and nor is the 49mm depth especially attractive.

However, the saddest aspect is the lack of any 3D specs in the box despite this being the first-ever 32-incher from Samsung to be 3D-ready. That 3D is still-born here is no massive surprise, and nor is the weakness of the built-in stereo system.

Verdict

That a 32-incher has every UK terrestrial TV app is one thing, but when they're accompanied by Netflix and Amazon Instant AND powered by a quad core processor? Samsung, you have our attention, and anyone after a future-proof 32-incher for all-round duties has just got to test-drive the UE32H6400.

Loaded with both ins and outs and apps, the UE32H6400 boasts versatile picture quality across both standard and high definition discs and TV. The only drawbacks are the UE32H6400's lack of 3D specs and some poor speakers, neither of which should bother most buyers of what has to be one of the best value 32-inchers so far in 2014.

Also consider

It's not got as much processing power as the UE32H6400, but Panasonic's TX-32AS600 makes a great choice if you're after Freetime, which, like this Samsung, includes catch-up TV for all UK terrestrial TV channels. Toshiba's 32D3454DB has a DVD player built-in, though the real battle is between the UE32H6400 and Samsung's slightly cheaper UE32H6200. The latter has the same Smart Hub platform and 3D-readiness, but is marred by a touch of motion blur.