Samsung RU8000: At First Glance
When it comes to quality and cost, Samsung always has a big part to play in the TV market. In this review, we will be discussing the Samsung RU8000 television which belongs to the mid-range category of Samsung TVs.
The Samsung RU8000 was released in 2019 as an update to the Samsung RU7100. As a mid-range offering, the Samsung RU8000 is neither too expensive nor too cheap.
Impressively, it offers a lot of interesting features for your money such as its smart features. It also features a Bixby voice control and an easy-to-use interface.
However, with all the buzz about this TV, will it deliver good performance? Read on to find out.
Samsung RU8000: Design, Dimension, and Weight
Unlike other mid-range TVs, the Samsung RU8000 has a decent design. This TV’s bezels are slightly thin hence, they shouldn’t pose a problem.
The bezels are plastic but have a gunmetal finish that gives them an aluminum-brushed look. Despite being plastic, the bezels give the TV a stylish look.
On the bottom bezel, you’ll find a single button to turn the TV on and off located under the Samsung logo. The button can be used to control the TV through a repeated pattern of pushing and holding the button.
As a means of supporting the Samsung RU8000 on a stand, it features two inverted T-shaped legs. The legs are made of good quality plastic with a dark grey finish.
The legs of the Samsung RU8000 span almost the full length of the TV which gives it proper support. However, the TV might still jiggle if bumped.
Meanwhile, when you flip the TV to its back, you will see its nicely textured plain backplate with a dark gray finish. The build material of the backplate is solid plastic so you should have nothing to worry about.
Furthermore, at the back of the TV, there is also a cable management feature in form of a clip. The clip is used to hold and organize the cables neatly.
Now let’s talk about the location of the ports on this TV. All the ports at the back of the TV are located by the side.
Hence, they can be easily accessed if the TV is wall mounted.
Speaking of wall mounting, the Samsung RU8000 has VESA 200×200 holes at its back. These holes are identical to that of the Samsung Q80 and can be used to mount the TV on the wall.
Moreover, the Samsung RU8000 is a bit slim and should not bulge out if wall-mounted.
Moving on, let’s discuss the weight and dimensions of the Samsung RU8000. The television measures 1455.4 x 58.4 x 835.6 mm (W x D x H) and weighs 25582.6 g.
Comparatively, the Samsung RU8000 is slightly lighter than the LG SK9500. The LG SK9500 weighs 27000 g and measures 1452 x 62.5 x 833 mm (W x D x H).
In conclusion, the Samsung RU8000 has a nice design with a cable management feature and a firm stand. Hence, I will be rating it an eight in this section of the review.
Samsung RU8000: Display Features and Picture Quality
The Samsung RU8000 boasts a 65-inch beautiful LED display with a fantastic crystal 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) resolution. This television is able to produce crisp, sharp, and beautiful colors, thanks to its crystal 4K resolution display.
Another display feature we will discuss in this section is its contrast ratio. For better understanding, contrast ratio refers to the ratio between the lightest and darkest parts of the display content.
Furthermore, a high contrast ratio is ideal for producing deep black scenes for those who watch TV in a dark room. Impressively, the Samsung RU8000 has an excellent contrast ratio of 5,756:1.
Unfortunately, the Samsung RU8000 doesn’t have local dimming to improve its dark scene performance.
For clarity, local dimming is a feature that enhances the dark shades of TVs. It works by dimming the backlight to further deliver deeper black levels.
Another area where the Samsung RU8000 fails to impress is its mediocre screen brightness of 360 nits. This brightness level should be fine for watching the TV in a dark room.
However, if you watch HDR content, then you will want a TV that produces brighter highlights. Sadly, due to the poor brightness of the Samsung RU8000, the highlights might not stand out.
Now let us proceed to the viewing angles. If you have a wide sitting area for watching your TV or you watch from an angle then a good viewing angle is important.
That said, the viewing angles of the Samsung RU8000 are not great which is common for most TVs with VA panels.
Hence, when you view the display from an angle, it loses image accuracy and the color also shifts. However, if you face the TV’s screen directly then you will have no issue with the viewing angle.
Moreover, the Samsung RU8000 supports HDR (High Dynamic Range) format. HDR allows the display to produce bright colors and deepens the contrast of an image.
Thankfully, the HDR feature can improve the poor brightness of the Samsung RU8000 display when watching HDR content. Additionally, the TV offers other display technologies such as Dynamic crystal color and a 4K UHD Engine Processor.
First off, Dynamic crystal color is a technology that offers a wide range of color tones. This technology also upscales low-resolution content to 4K resolution quality.
Secondly, the 4K UHD Engine Processor is ideal for multitasking. This processor makes the Samsung RU8000 faster in task processing and allows for smoother gaming performance.
Moving on to the reflection handling, the Samsung RU8000 handles reflection perfectly. It has a semi-glossy finish that disperses reflection across the screen.
For motion handling, the Samsung RU8000 has a fast response time. For better understanding, response time is the time it takes a display to respond to changes in color.
Impressively, the Samsung RU8000 registers a fast response time of 11.3 ms. This result is great for smooth motion handling in fast-moving content like games and sports.
In addition to that, the Samsung RU8000 also has a low input lag of 5.9 ms. For more insight, input lag is the delay between the input signal and the projection on the screen.
A low input lag is important for gamers to ensure a smooth performance. Thankfully, the input lag of the Samsung RU8000 display is great for gamers.
Overall, the Samsung RU8000 is packed with amazing display features. Its fast response time and low input lag will be a center of attraction for gamers.
However, there are a few turn-offs about the display, the first is that it doesn’t have local dimming. Its brightness level is also not impressive for watching HDR content.
All things considered, the Samsung RU8000 deserves a rating of nine in this display and picture quality review section.
Samsung RU8000: Sound Features
The Samsung RU8000 has a decent sound performance courtesy of its 2 channel 20 watts speakers.
Fair enough, the speakers get reasonably loud with clean detailed sound. However, it does not get loud enough in a room with noisy surroundings.
Unfortunately, the Samsung RU8000 doesn’t have any bass hence, users should not expect any rumble. Thus, for bass sounds, we recommend you purchase external speakers or a soundbar.
Regardless, the Samsung RU8000 will deliver a clear and audible dialogue. For clarity, dialogue refers to the conversations between two or more people.
The implication of a clear dialogue on this TV implies that talk shows, sports commentaries, and news will be audible enough.
Furthermore, the Samsung RU8000 features a sound technology called the Dolby Digital Plus. This technology is designed to deliver cinema-like audio and provides immersive surround sound for users listening pleasure.
Moving on to the distortion performance, the Samsung RU8000 delivers a mediocre performance in this aspect. Although the sound distortion isn’t quite noticeable at low volumes, it rises as the volume gets increases.
For better understanding, distortion is the deformation of sound frequency output in contrast to the input frequency. Meanwhile, a total harmonic distortion (THD) test measures the distortion of sound systems.
Consequently, an ideal THD score is between 1% and below. That said, the Samsung RU8000 measured 0.798% THD at maximum volume.
This implies that even at maximum volume, the Samsung RU8000 only exhibits minimal distortion.
In summary, the Samsung RU8000 performed fairly in its sound department by delivering a clear dialogue sound and decent sound distortion. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have bass, so, users will need to purchase a soundbar.
To this end, I will be rating this TV a seven in this review.
Samsung RU8000: Ports and Connectivity Features
The Samsung RU8000 features a good number of input ports which are all located at the TV’s back. The ports are left-facing except for the power port which is located on the right side.
Speaking of the ports, they include two USB ports for connecting storage devices. You also get four HDMI ports.
One of the HDMI ports supports ARC (Audio Return Channel). As such, you can pair the TV with a soundbar.
Another port you will find on the Samsung RU8000 is an optical audio output port. This port allows the TV to share its sound with a soundbar through the use of a fiber optic wire.
Furthermore, the Samsung RU8000 features an antenna or a cable connectivity port. This port allows you to connect to a cable TV with the use of a coaxial cable.
Other ports available includes a 3.5 mm port for connecting EX-Link/RS-232 for system integration. There is also an Ethernet port for wired internet connectivity.
For wireless connectivity options, the Samsung RU8000 comes with Bluetooth. It also has WiFi LAN 802.11 ac for wireless internet connection.
Moving on, the Samsung RU8000 comes with a Samsung TM1950A remote control. The remote is a bit curved, looks quite simple, and has a few buttons.
Additionally, the Samsung RU8000 remote control is a bit large, has a nice texture and a matte black finish.
The remote control allows users to interact with Bixby – a virtual smart assistant for Samsung TVs.
For its looks and functionality, the remote control has a wide directional pad that is positioned near the top. It also has a mic button and a microphone opening at the top.
In addition to that, the remote control has number buttons. Also, below the navigation pad, there is the home, back, and a playback button.
Furthermore, the volume and channel controls sit horizontally at the center of the remote. Additionally, you will find the dedicated buttons for Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu below the volume and channel control.
In summary, the Samsung RU8000 has decent port options, great wireless connectivity options, and a Samsung remote control. Hence, I’ll be rating this TV an eight in this review section.
Samsung RU8000: Smart Features
The Samsung RU8000 uses the smart TV platform that other high-end Samsung TVs use. Precisely, the TV comes with a smart hub interface that is packed with attractive features.
Impressively, the smart hub performs smoothly and doesn’t lag. Also, the platform is almost like that of LG’s WebOS which has a row of commonly used apps.
Moreover, scrolling to the right allows you to select from your frequently used apps and services. Also, scrolling to the left allows you to select the television’s settings, input, and search feature.
Also on the interface, you’ll find a second row that pops up above the first row. The second row displays more information about a selected tile like the modes for settings.
In the second row, you will also find a list of recommended guidelines for a channel.
In addition to that, the Samsung RU8000 platform offers pre-installed streaming apps and services. These apps include Hulu, Netflix, Sling TV, Amazon Prime Video, and Google Play Movies.
There are also new additions like the Apple TV, and iTunes. Users can also enjoy music from music apps like Spotify and SiriusXM.
Despite the rich collection of apps, users can install more apps if the ones available aren’t enough.
Another interesting feature the RU8000 has is Samsung’s Bixby. This voice assistant serves as a support and guide for the smart hub platform.
As a result, users can use the remote control to interact with the virtual assistant such as making searches. Additionally, users can check the weather, and loads of interactive functions just by voice command.
However, Bixby only works with Samsung devices. It is not compatible with other devices, unlike Google Assistant and Alexa.
However, users can pair the TV with Alexa or Google Home but you can’t use them together with Bixby.
In conclusion, the Samsung RU8000 delivers a vast amount of smart features. It also has a smooth and easy interface, as well as a virtual assistant.
As a result of these, it deserves a rating of nine in this section of the article.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the Samsung RU8000 is a fantastic 4K resolution TV that boasts impressive smart features. It has a low input lag and a fast response time which are interesting features, especially for gamers.
Yes, one of the HDMI ports on the Samsung RU8000 supports ARC (Audio Return Channel). Hence, you can pair the TV with a soundbar.
The Samsung RU8000 was released in 2019.
Yes, the Samsung TU8000 has Bluetooth.
The Samsung RU8000 is an amazing smart 4K resolution TV with outstanding display performance.
Conclusion
The Samsung RU8000 is a fantastic 4K resolution TV that boasts impressive smart features. It also has a low input lag and a fast response time which are interesting features that will attract gamers.
Furthermore, the display has a high contrast ratio which makes the picture quality great. Additionally, its operating system performs smoothly while supporting Bixby for easy voice interaction.
However, there are some downsides to the features of this TV like its lack of local dimming and bass sound.
Nevertheless, if you are impressed by the Samsung RU8000 features and performance, I suggest that you purchase it.
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