Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
The main difference between the UE48JS8500 and the pricier models in Samsung's range is this TV's lack of an Octa-Core processor.
And it shows.
TVs are now being asked to do so much more than they did the previous year – especially with the advent of 4K – and the UE48JS8500 is sometimes visibly encumbered. Okay, so it's not as slow as a Virgin Media TiVio box I had it connected up to, but the UE48JS8500 definitely does take a bit of patience when trawling through its user interface and launching apps.
Part of the reason for using the new Tizen OS is that the UE48JS8500 can re-connect far quicker than previously to external devices when already paired via Bluetooth, though the focus on Samsung-only smartphones makes this feature fairly pointless for most people.
What the UE48JS8500 does have is a slice of second screen action, with some screen mirroring and streaming. Key here is Samsung's Smart View 2.0 app for Android and iOS, which allows the pushing of images and video to the TV, and the pulling-in of live TV thanks to the UE48JS8500's twin TV tuners.
It's reasonably slick, but it did crash twice during my tests, suggesting that there is a bug or two.
Software
You can read an in-depth review of the new Tizen OS-driven Smart Hub user interface in our review of the UE55JU6400. Suffice to say that apps include the BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4OD, Demand Five in the UK as well as the likes of Netflix, Amazon Instant and YouTube.
The UE48JS8500 does reasonably well with digital media, supporting 4K files, too. Video files like MKV, AVI, AVC HD and MP4 were all played by the UE48JS8500's ConnectShare software, as were both MP4 and TS files containing 4K material.
Sound
Rather unusually, the UE48JS8500 is fitted with a couple of subwoofers as well as the left and right speaker, creating a 2.2 Channel system that's actually quite impressive.
Okay, so music and vocals can get lost slightly during movies, but there's significantly more bass, midrange and volume than on most TV speakers.
Value
Since the UE48JS8500 has more or less the same picture tech as the far pricer JS9000 and JS9500 Series, it's got to be considered decent value.
However, the UE48JS8500 doesn't include any active shutter 3D glasses, which is a shame since arguably the arrival of 4K resolution is at last making the 3D format highly impressive.
