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This Samsung N5200 review looks at the charms, benefits, and downsides of a Full HD TV from 2019. Specifically, we explore the performance of the 2019 edition of the Samsung 5 series. Let’s jump into our Samsung N5200 review to find out if a 1080p display still has a place in the world of affordable 4K TVs.
Content Breakdown
Samsung N5200 Review: Market Segment
Samsung released the N5200 Full HD Smart TV as part of their budget product lines for 2019. The company aimed to offer value for money by combining smart TV features and good picture quality.
Here’s how the TV performs across different metrics, starting with the design.
First looks
The side profile of the Samsung N5200 is one of the panel’s most pleasant design elements. Most of the panel is of uniform thickness, with a depth of two inches. The lowest part of the panel then expands into a rounded extension that houses internal speakers and part of the TV circuitry.
In a nod to simpler times, the screen of the N5200 has thick bezels that are hard to ignore. The lower edge of the TV has a small extension that holds an IR receiver and a few controls.
At 2.9 inches at its thickest, the N5200 is slim enough for a wall-mount installation. There’s a VESA wall mount pattern that you can use to attach a mounting bracket. Still, you should consider placing the TV on an entertainment stand for easier access to the ports.
Samsung N5200 Review: Ports and wireless connectivity
The Samsung N5200 offers a mix of regular and legacy ports. There are enough ports to connect most devices in your entertainment center. Here’s what you have to work with:
- Two HDMI ports, where one port has ARC capability
- A digital optical output
- An analog RCA input
- 3.5mm audio jack
- A set of component video inputs
- One composite video output
- RF connector
- Ethernet port
You get WiFi connectivity with the Samsung N5200 but no Bluetooth. At this point, it’s worth mentioning that feedback from multiple buyers points to a shaky WiFi connection. This means that one of the first things you should do with the N5200 is to perform a firmware update. The update should iron out a few glitches and improve your experience with the smart TV interface.
[Read what others are saying about this television]
Smart TV interface: Tizen
The N52000 runs on Tizen, which is Samsung’s proprietary smart TV platform. At first glance, the Tizen interface seems user-friendly and relatively simple. Scrolling through the menu ribbon at the bottom of the screen peels off the shiny packaging. Soon you notice that Samsung’s recommendations dominate the SmartHub menu, which forces you to scroll and scroll to reach the app you want.
Apart from these annoyances, how responsive is the Tizen interface? The Samsung N5200 has an input lag of 40ms, which is passable. Passable is not the same as excellent, and you may notice a slight delay between the moment you select an app and the moment the app loads. Scrolling across different items is a much smoother experience, and the animation keeps up with your movements.
Smart TV features
Tizen has a wide selection of streaming apps, including user favorites like Netflix and HBO. Tizen also offers a module that lets you access and manages compatible smart home devices from a single dashboard.
Then there’s SmartThings, a companion app that installs on your devices. The app converts your phone or tablet into a powerful controller for the Samsung N5200. Lastly, Tizen offers support for Google Voice Assistant. You can also get Alexa to work with the TV with some coaxing.
Samsung N5200 Review: Hardware and picture quality
The Samsung N5200 is a 60Hz VA panel with direct backlighting and no local dimming. This 1080p display has a color gamut that is wide enough to create vivid, saturated colors that mimic lifelike life hues.
A peak brightness level of 330 nits in HDR allows the N5200 to support HDR content; to a degree. 300cd/m2 is also bright enough to handle glare in moderately (but not extremely) bright rooms. The N5200 has middling native contrast, but the panel does an excellent job of rendering contrast, depth, and detail.
An input lag of 40ms (give or take) leaves room for improvement. Still, the N5200 makes a valiant effort to respond to user commands in good time. In contrast, the panel has a good response time (19ms) that all but eliminates motion blur.
Now go over different performance metrics, one at a time.
1. Color accuracy
The N5200 has poor color accuracy out of the box, and you should switch to the movie mode for better picture quality. However, a few tweaks will deliver the beautiful, lifelike colors you expect from more expensive Samsung TV sets.
2. Brightness, contrast, and HDR content
A peak brightness level of 330 nits offers basic support for HDR content. Still, don’t expect the blinding highlights you get with twice as bright panels. The good news is that the Samsung N5200 does an excellent job of rendering texture, depth, and fine detail in bright scenes. However, there’s some loss of detail in dimmer scenes and sections.
3. Viewing angles
The N5200 has viewing angles wider than your typical VA panel, which is a pleasant surprise.
4. Screen uniformity
Both black and gray screens show good uniformity, which makes the Samsung N5200 a good fit for sports and TV shows. Sports fans may notice occasional patches of brown on a football or baseball field. It’s worth noting that the dirty-screen artifact will vary from one TV set to another.
5. Motion handling
Here the TV offers a mixed bag of high input lag and a low response time. The low response time allows pixels to change colors in time to avoid trailing and motion blur in fast-moving objects. In contrast, high input lag may annoy gamers who need a screen that can quickly show an opponent’s moves. High lag also affects the responsiveness of the Tizen interface.
Pros
- A smart TV platform with plenty of features
- Crisp, clear images
- Good color accuracy after a few adjustments
- A good level of contrast and detail, especially in bright scenes
- Minimal motion blur
Cons
- Only two HDMI ports
- The TV is bright enough for SDR content but not bright enough to offer solid support for HDR content
- Some buyers report a glitchy WiFi connection
- Poor color accuracy right out of the box
- The user interface could use some improvements, starting with Samsung’s aggressive pushing of recommended content
Samsung N5200 review verdict: An affordable, general-purpose TV with good picture quality
This Samsung N5200 review finds an FHD TV that’s an absolute steal. For a small sum, you get a TV that works well with TV shows and sports. Click here to learn more about this television.
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