Samsung UE55HU7500 review

The UE55HU7500 is a great value way to jump on the 4K bandwagon, but before we get too excited I feel I do need to issue a warning about the usefulness of its native 4K resolution. Someone recently told me that he planned to buy a 4K TV because his sight was failing and he needed the extra pixels to help him see. 4K isn't a new lens for your eyes, it's a new level of detail that's only perceivable by those with keen eyesight – and even then it blurs during motion, effectively reducing the detail. However, for anyone after an awesome smart TV that's just about as future-proof as you can get, the UE55HU7500 is a compelling option.

We liked

The UE55HU7500 is a picture, it is so slender that the brushed aluminium finish is almost wasted. It's virtually invisible.

Future-proofing on the quad core-powered, speedy-to-navigate UE55HU7500 is second to none. As well as 4K upscaling, there's support for 4K digital files via USB, various higher frame rates thanks to the use of HDMI 2.0 slots, and playback of the HEVC codec that is the basis for 4K streaming from the likes of Netflix.

Detail, colours and contrast are simply awesome while upscaling of HD to 4K quality is good. Digital file support is unsurpassed; the UE55HU7500 even supports compressed 4K MP4 files via USB.

Pleasingly, every app we want from smart TV is available on the UE55HU7500.

We disliked

There's little to complain about on the UE55HU7500. I did spot some motion blur, which immediately lessens any excitement about watching in 4K resolution, as well as a bit of picture noise while watching in 3D. However, the biggest problem with the UE55HU7500 is that there's really nothing to watch in 4K aside from House of Cards via Netflix. Not Samsung's fault, but perhaps it's time for an app? There is a UHD Zoo app on Smart Hub, but for now it's just still 4K photos of animals.

Verdict

By knocking-off a few quid and retaining both a stunning design and killer picture quality, Samsung has created perhaps the best value 4K TV yet. Drenched in smart TV apps, with two remotes and with a fast-working user interface, the UE55HU7500 is only a built-in camera away from the being ultimate future-proof TV.

The UE55HU7500 does present 4K material with a slight (but hardly unexpected) motion blur issue, but perhaps the biggest issue is a lack of 4K material available. It tries to address that by offering HDMI 2.0 slots, being compliant with the HEVC codec that 4K can be streamed in, and adding support for some 4K filetypes via USB. It's future-proof, yet puts most of its effort into being a very good smart TV for the here and now.