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Let’s review the Samsung CU7000 TV to get a feel for the budget section of the company’s 2023 lineup.
The smallest display in the CU7000 series is the 43-inch screen, while the 85-inch giant rules the pack. This review looks at the 50-inch model, but performance should remain the same across different sizes.
Samsung CU7000 review: What this TV can do for you
Samsung has a reputation for selling fairly durable products. It is for this reason that many buyers choose to spend extra on the brand. This brings us to the CU7000 4K Smart TV. The CU7000 looks like a good fit for the shopper who wants a reliable TV at a reasonable price. While you can find a cheaper display with similar specs, the Samsung brand implies a product that will weather the years.
A good gaming companion
The Samsung CU7000 panel promises good motion handling for gaming, sports, and other kinds of fast-action content. Low input lag and a decent response time allow the screen’s pixels to keep up with whatever you throw at them.
However the refresh rate of the CU7000 peaks at 60Hz, which is to be expected. The entry-level segment of most product lines tends to lack the higher frame rates that heavy gamers prefer. It then follows that the CU7000 fails to make full use of the 4K/120 capability of the latest PlayStation and Xbox consoles. That doesn’t stop your favorite AAA titles from rendering beautifully in 4K; even at 60fps.
Great for movies
Because the CU7000 is a little dim, you may want to use the TV for darkroom viewing. In this setting the screen displays bright scenes with good accuracy. Darker scenes look decent too, thanks to the panel’s ability to dim itself to perfect, uniform blacks.
Lack of local dimming prevents blooming and light bleedthrough in dark scenes. At the same time, a lack of local dimming limits the screen’s ability to execute precision contrast and minuscule details.
Samsung CU7000 review: Build and physical setup
The 50-inch Samsung CU7000 is slim enough to sit flush against your wall. If you choose to put the TV on an entertainment stand, you’ll need a long piece of furniture. Use a surface that is at least 15 inches deep and a few inches longer than the panel. An entertainment stand offers benefits like easier access to ports and ample space for a soundbar. The TV feet leave enough room for a soundbar that is less than 3.3 inches high.
You can organize your media cables along a set of grooves that run across the bottom section of the back panel. After you put the cables in place, use the clip that ships with the CU7000 to hold the cables together for a neater installation.
The back panel also has an inset with a column of ports that are hard to reach from the front or side. This makes a wall-mount setup inconvenient for most users of the CU7000.
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Connectivity
Three HDMI 2.0 ports connect to a range of devices; from soundbars, to gaming consoles, to laptops, to Blu-Ray players. HDMI3 supports audio passthrough of Dolby formats, but it lacks support for DTS. In addition to the three HDMI ports, the Samsung CU7000 comes with the following connections:
- One USB port
- A digital optical output
- Antenna/Cable connector
- Ethernet port
Samsung takes a ‘less is more’ approach to the physical connections on the CU7000. Still, the port selection is adequate for the average entertainment center. WiFi and Bluetooth take care of the wireless connections you need for screen sharing, wireless audio devices, and compatible smart home devices.
Smart features
Samsung uses the 2023 iteration of Tizen for its 2023 product lines. In the case of the CU7000, the manufacturer chooses a simple, lightweight version of the Tizen OS. This translates to fewer features and a smooth, responsive user interface. The OS also offers convenient functions like:
- Multi-view feature to display content from multiple sources at the same time
- SmartThings module to interface and control compatible smart home devices
- Casting and screen sharing via Apple Airplay
Like most smart TV interfaces, Tizen has its fair share of intrusive ads and sponsored content. This is the tradeoff that users have to make with today’s smart TV systems.
Samsung CU7000 review: Hardware
The CU7000 is a 60Hz VA panel with 4K resolution and a peak brightness level that could be higher. This edge-lit panel lacks local dimming, which is both an advantage and a disadvantage. A lack of local dimming means that picture quality remains consistent as bright images move across the screen. At the same time, the lack of dimming zones limits the panel’s ability to execute fine detail and shadow detailing.
Lastly, the TV has a decent color palette and accurate color reproduction. To get the best performance from the CU7000, you may have to make a few adjustments to the color settings. Here’s how the TV performs across other metrics:
Brightness, contrast, and HDR content
Avoid glare and reflections by putting the Samsung CU7000 in a space with low ambient light. The TV lacks the peak brightness levels that can counter reflections from brilliant light.
Despite the lack of local dimming, the TV succeeds at creating vivid, realistic contrast. This translates to a decent level of depth and texture. However, minute details and HDR highlights level don’t exactly leap off the screen. The good news is that the casual viewer may fail to notice these small limitations.
Viewing angles
Colors start to shift as you move from the center of the screen. At 30 degrees from the center, different colors start to lose saturation and accuracy. The TV also looks dimmer when you watch it at an angle. This means that like most VA panels, the CU7000 requires creative sitting arrangements for a large audience.
Motion handling
Low lag and a decent response time allow the CU7000 panel to deliver smooth, blur-free motion for 60 fps content. This means that action flicks, sports, and video games look great on this TV.
Gaming features
The CU7000 switches to the game mode when it detects a game app or a gaming console. Game mode lowers the input lag to enhance the screen’s response to your user commands. It’s worth noting that the CU7000 lacks VRR, so the panel cannot adjust its refresh rate to accommodate games with lower frame rates.
Pros
- Solid build
- Minimal blooming and light bleedthrough
- No blurring with fast-action content
Cons
- The TV is dim
- Reflection handling could be better, meaning that the TV works best in darker spaces
- Lack of local dimming limits what the CU7000 can do in terms of contrast and fine detail
- Narrow viewing angles
Samsung CU7000 review: Simple and reliable, with decent features
This Samsung CU7000 review finds a solid smart TV that covers the basics. 4K resolution and decent image processing deliver a good viewing experience on all counts. Click here to learn more about this television.
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