The 2017 range of Samsung UHD televisions have all landed in our stores now and they look fantastic. From the mighty QLED range down to the mid range MU series, Samsung seem to have hit the nail on the head this year offering incredible sets at (relatively) low prices.
I’m here to discuss the MU series, specifically the MU8000 which is Samsung’s mid to high-end UHD 4K set. Samsung have thrown a spanner in the works with last year’s UHD premium TVs being the all singing all dancing sets to own, with 10-bit panels, incredible brightness and flawless colour reproduction. Now though, with the arrival of QLED screens, it seems last year’s flagships have taken a back seat and moved down a peg.
For the consumer this is nothing but great news, and for the more tech savvy of you, getting a TV with UHD and HDR10 is about as future proof as you can get at the moment and the Samsung MU8000 ticks all those boxes and more.
A quick glance at the MU8000 and it’s clear Samsung have put in plenty of work with regards to creating a beautiful piece of furniture. Using Samsung’s 360 design which was featured on their KS range last year, the MU8000 wouldn’t look out of place in a penthouse apartment in NYC. I was initially sceptical about the whole 360 design,but with its sleek stylish legs offering a very sturdy platform for the set I’ve become quite a fan now.
The image quality on the MU8000 is striking, although not quite as eye catching as its QLED brothers, but that’s to be expected and I certainly didn’t find myself disappointed.
The MU8000 isn’t a direct replacement for the KS8000 from last year, noticeably the Peak brightness lingers somewhere around the 800 nit mark which when compared to the 1400 nit the KS8000 leaves it in the shadow of its former. So if you are looking for a brighter image then you’re going to have to have a look at the QLED range (and almost double your budget).
A noticeable improvement over last year’s KU range is the motion handling; even with the KS series last year I found myself having to make adjustments straight from the box just to get the set acceptable to watch. To be fair when those initial adjustments were made, it was fantastic. From the off it seems that Samsung have learned from their mistake last year and the sets are ready to go fresh out the box. For the sake of this review I didn’t adjust a thing; I just went through the set up procedure and was incredibly impressed considering this is a actually a “mid range set”. The MU8000 series does benefit from local dimming technology which really helps give those blacks a really nice depth. You can certainly tell the difference between this year’s MU and last year’s KU models – the difference is extremely noticeable. While the price points are indeed quite different, you’re not just spending money on a re-branded set with a 2017 badge on the front of it. This is a new model and I believe Samsung have made all the right moves here offering flagship technology and image quality for mid-range prices.
The Samsung user interface or “Tizen” has also had a face lift this year making it more easier to use than ever. Personally I was not a fan of the user interface last year. While there are only subtle changes it does seem quicker and easier to use, but that could be down to the huge Quad core processor Samsung are using to drive this model.
Overall the Samsung MU8000 series is an incredible set whichever size you choose, either 49, 55, 65 or even a giant 75inch screen. It really is a brilliant foundation set and as far as the mid range goes it is a very strong contender. If you’re after something brighter, or just something that bit extra special you can expect to pay at least double for either a QLED or even a mighty OLED. To check any of these incredible screens out contact your local Richer Sounds store!
Click to find out more about the Samsung MU8000 range.
Author: Garrett, Plymouth store
