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That’s unless you want to use Samsung’s Smart Things control app, at least. It’s a clean interface, and performs stably – but it’s quite nosy. Short of inside leg measurement, there’s very little it doesn’t want to know about you, which some folks are guaranteed to find off-putting.
The bezel across the bottom is a little wider, and stands proud of the screen just a little, but I wouldn’t call it unsightly. ‘Inoffensive’ is sometimes a put-down, but not in this instance. Look directly at it when the TV isn’t switched on, and this Samsung is the best sort of inoffensive. The Samsung AU9000 includes the full Tizen-powered smart platform and it’s responsive, intuitive and easy to navigate. There’s a launcher bar along the bottom and a second layer that provides faster access to the various streaming services. For quite a while, Samsung’s Tizen smart TV interface was obviously and unarguably the best around. In fact, it’s a measure of just how good it is that it remains one of the best interfaces currently available, despite everyone from LG to Hisense upping their smart TV game in response. The Tizen interface incorporated into the AU9000 is clean, logical, comprehensive and a straightforward pleasure to use. To give the Samsung 50AU9000 some credit, at least it doesn’t become unlistenable at serious volumes – which is a trait that afflicts plenty of its rivals. It just gets louder. But the tonal quality of its sound is nothing to write home about.
There are three HDMI 2.0 inputs, one of which (HDMI 2) supports eARC, and all of which are capable of handling 4K resolution at 60Hz, CEC, Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) – making this TV a solid choice for gamers. There are also two USB 2.0 inputs, a terrestrial tuner, a CI slot, an optical digital output, and an Ethernet port for a wired connection. In terms of wireless connections, both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.2 are supported.
Would you be staggered to learn the Samsung is quite a bit less impressive in sonic terms than it is in picture quality terms? I doubt it – that’s usually the case with mid-market TVs. After watching all sorts of content, I noticed that edge definition is also handled well, so edges are drawn confidently and with real positivity. Only when combined with properly testing on-screen motion are edges anything less than smooth, and only when on-screen motion gets properly complex does the Samsung do anything except grip movement with real determination. Only in extremis does the AU9000’s Crystal Processor 4K give the slightest hint of how hard it’s working. The chassis itself is only 26mm deep, with the 43in version measuring 966 x 188 x 624mm (WDH) and weighing 8.6kg with its feet attached. These slot into grooves at the rear and provide 80mm of clearance beneath the image. A section of plastic can be used to connect the two feet, which stand 640mm apart, but you’ll want to leave this off if you’re planning to slot a soundbar under the screen.No, the AU9000 is not the dullest, or the vaguest, or the most volume-adverse, television I've ever heard – but then neither is it all that interesting or engaging to listen to. What it does do quite comprehensively, though, is make the source point of sound vague and hazy. And while there are worse-sounding TVs out there, there aren’t that many that sound as resolutely matter of fact and unengaged as the 50AU9000.
While white tones hardly pop from the screen, they’re clean and equally detailed – so while contrasts are far from the widest you’ve ever seen (even at this unremarkable price-point), they’re convincing nevertheless. The gameplay is excellent, with the 4K resolution and bright HDR rendering the ray-traced action of Call of Duty adeptly. Motion is smooth and free of artefacts, while the incredibly low input lag ensures responsive gaming. Gamers may hanker after full HDMI 2.1 capability to really maximise the potential of their new PS5 or Xbox Series X – but, then again, gamers really ought to know that’ it’s going to cost them a wee bit more than this. There are two ways to consider the design of the 50AU9000. The first is from straight-on, because that’s how you’ll be watching it. And when viewed this way, the Samsung is completely anonymous – but in a good way. After all, very few people want their TV to draw attention to itself, so design flourishes are pretty rare. The Samsung AU9000 is mostly screen, with quite narrow bezels across the top and down each side. One thing that’s not new, on the basis that upgrading it would be difficult in the extreme, is the Tizen smart TV interface. It’s long been close to ideal and, though every other manufacturer has undeniably upped their smart TV game to compete, Tizen continues to be a pleasure to use.It’s the final figure in the Samsung’s 1119 x 645 x 26mm (h x w x d) measurements that’s the most arresting. That depth is consistent, too – so if you decide to wall-mount your TV, it’ll sit almost flush. Samsung, with no apparent sense of hyperbole, calls this design language ‘AirSlim’. That’s a positive, though. At a touch over 25mm deep for our 55-inch version, the chassis is enviably slim, and the bezels surrounding the screen are minimal too. It can be wall-mounted, of course. If you don’t fancy that option, though, and would rather stand your new TV on a surface, the Samsung’s feet are usefully close together, so your surface needn’t be as wide as the screen itself. The Samsung BU8500 is impressively slim, but this does limit what its speakers can do. (Image credit: Future) Samsung BU8500 review: Sound quality The Samsung AU9000 delivers excellent image quality but isn’t without limitations. It uses a VA panel, which means for an LCD TV it delivers a decent contrast ratio of 4,000:1 and some nice shadow detail. However, it also means the optimal viewing angles are fairly limited, so you’ll want to be facing the screen head-on when watching TV. The remainder of the colour palette the Samsung can call on impressed me both with its extensiveness and its naturalness. Skin-tones are always a stern test of a TV’s abilities, and the AU9000 handled the complexities and subtleties of complexions well in my tests across a range of content, and it also does good work describing textures of skin, too.
Many countries receive market-specific variations of television, of course, due to differences in broadcast standards and so on – so at present there’s no confirmation of what the equivalent Samsung screen will be in other territories. What we can be certain of, though, is that both the United States and Australia will be getting a range of competitively priced, competitively specified Samsung 4K LED TVs that are more than a little reminiscent of the BU8500 series. It’s going to come as no great surprise to learn that the Samsung does its verybest work when given the very best content to work with. And, in light of its specification, the very best content turns out to be some native 4K material with HDR10+ as the cherry on top. The Samsung AU9000 is a 4K (3,840 x 2,160) HDR smart TV that comes in screen sizes ranging from 43in to 75in. It’s part of Samsung’s Crystal UHD series, which is its cheapest range of 4K TVs, sitting below its various QLED sets. Play to the Samsung’s strengths with some 4K HDR10+ content and the AU9000 didn't take long to impress me. It has some real and unarguable strengths when it comes to picture-making. So not for the first time (and almost certainly not for the last), Samsung has managed to hit a price-point without too many obvious compromises. It's absolutely one of the best Samsung TVs available today for those on a budget. Samsung BU8500 review: Price and release dateThis is a 4K LED screen, powered by Samsung’s ‘Crystal 4K’ processor and with support for HLG and HDR10+ standards of HDR (we’re used to Samsung refusing to offer support for Dolby Vision, but it never stops being galling). It’s not uncommon for a mainstream TV to betray its price-point more readily with the sound it makes than with the images it produces. And so it proves with the Samsung AU9000 TV. And where edge definition and motion control are concerned, the Samsung UE50AU9000 is similarly confident. With content of this standard there’s just no suggestion of the Samsung losing its grip of on-screen movement, and it draws edges with a deft and steady hand. There’s a definite suggestion of three-dimensionality to the 50AU9000’s images that most comparably priced alternatives would struggle to match. Of course, we don’t all live on a diet of brand-new cutting-edge content - and when it comes to upscaling, the Samsung (mostly) continues its good work. Certainly an HD broadcast of some elite-level tennis suffers hardly at all – colors are confidently described, on-screen movement is stable in almost all circumstances, and detail levels stay high. There’s a little coarsening of skin-tones and a hint of jaggedness to the more difficult edges, but by and large the BU8500 remains eminently watchable. There are two feet to be screwed to the chassis, and they can be made to look like a single pedestal using a plastic cover that feels rather cheap and fits only approximately. Still, it raises the bottom of the screen sufficiently to comfortably fit a soundbar beneath. Samsung BU8500 review: Value
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