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To try to better understand how long a TV should last, we're running 100 TVs through an accelerated longevity test for the next two years. We've just posted our 1-year video update with our latest findings on temporary image retention, burn-in, and more!

Samsung JU7100 TV Review

Tested using Methodology v1.0
Review updated Mar 01, 2017 at 06:31 am
Samsung JU7100 Picture
7.6
Mixed Usage
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.6
Movies
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.5
TV Shows
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.4
Sports
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
8.1
Video Games
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.3
HDR Movies
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.5
HDR Gaming
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
6.8
PC Monitor
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
This TV was replaced by the Samsung KU7000

The Samsung JU7100 is a great 4k LED TV. With the exception of the discoloration it gets when viewed at an angle, it has impressive picture quality. It is also a great gaming TV, with low input lag and minimal motion blur.

Our Verdict

7.6 Mixed Usage

The Samsung JU7100 has great picture quality, assuming you don't sit at an angle. It is better than last year's Samsung 4k TVs for gaming, thanks to the lower input lag. Upscaling works better than the competition, so you don't need to worry about 1080p content looking soft on this TV.

Pros
  • Great gaming TV. Very low input lag and minimal motion blur.
  • Great picture quality in both dark and bright rooms.
Cons
  • Loss of color saturation at an angle.
  • 7.6 Mixed Usage
  • 7.6 Movies
  • 7.5 TV Shows
  • 7.4 Sports
  • 8.1 Video Games
  • 7.3 HDR Movies
  • 7.5 HDR Gaming
  • 6.8 PC Monitor
  1. Updated Mar 01, 2017: Review published.
  2. Updated Mar 29, 2015: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
  3. Updated Mar 28, 2015: Our testers have started testing this product.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

Test Results

Design
8.5
Design
Style
Curved No

The bezel looks great on the Samsung JU7100, but the borders are slightly thicker than most 2014 models. They also slant towards the screen a little bit.

The stand is very stable, but it doesn't swivel.

Design
Stand

Dimensions of 55" TV stand: 33.75" x 11".

Design
Borders
Borders 0.63" (1.6 cm)
Design
Thickness
Max Thickness 1.9" (4.9 cm)
Picture Quality
8.0
Picture Quality
Contrast
Native Contrast
3,141 : 1

The contrast ratio is average. It's a little bit sub-par when compared to some other VA panels, but unless they are side to side, you won't really notice the difference between blacks of 0.032 cd/m2 and 0.020 cd/m2.

3.0
Picture Quality
Local Dimming
Local Dimming
Yes
Backlight
Direct

The local dimming feature is not effective. In this video, 'Smart LED' was set to high. You can see that the backlight adjusts for the moving dot, but it affects only about 50% of the screen at a time.

Additional Review Notes

6.2
Picture Quality
SDR Peak Brightness
SDR Peak 2% Window
324 cd/m²
SDR Peak 50% Window
323 cd/m²
7.2
Picture Quality
Gray Uniformity
50% Std. Dev.
2.934%
50% DSE
0.195%

The gray uniformity isn't great, but it's better than most of the TVs we have reviewed. The DSE is relatively minimal.

4.2
Picture Quality
Viewing Angle
LCD Type
VA
Color Shift
20°
Brightness
30°
Black Level
19°

All Samsung TVs lose color saturation when viewed at an angle. You can still see the picture, but it is nowhere near as good as when seen from directly in-axis.

Update 01/06/2017: We have changed the methodology of testing. Since this is an old TV which we don't have anymore, we extrapolated the results from 2016 TVs.

7.9
Picture Quality
Black Uniformity
Native Std. Dev.
1.554%

The uniformity of a black frame is sub-par on this TV. There is faint clouding on the left side that covers a large portion of the screen.

8.8
Picture Quality
Pre Calibration
White Balance dE
1.73
Color dE
2.7063
Gamma
2.23

The colors pre calibration are quite good.

9.8
Picture Quality
Post Calibration
White Balance dE
0.37
Color dE
0.3472
Gamma
2.2

We had no problem achieving an accurate calibration on this TV.

8.0
Picture Quality
480p Input

For lower resolutions like DVDs, 'Digital Clean View' set to high does a great job of reducing compression artifacts and increasing the amount of detail, without softening the picture.

8.0
Picture Quality
720p Input

Cable TV can also benefit from turning on 'Digital Clean View'.

9.0
Picture Quality
1080p Input

Upscaled 1080p looks nearly as sharp as with native 1080p, which is great. In comparison, the Vizio P 2015 looks a lot softer/blurrier.

10
Picture Quality
4k Input

4k content looks great.

7.1
Picture Quality
Color Gamut
Wide Color Gamut
No
DCI P3 xy
81.91%
DCI P3 uv
84.08%
Rec 2020 xy
55.6%
Rec 2020 uv
62.01%

The colorspace set to 'Native' has a color gamut coverage of 55.5978%. The default 'Auto' has 55.4258%. If you want a wider color gamut, go for the pricier JS8500.

9.0
Picture Quality
Reflections
Reflection
0.7%
Screen Finish
Glossy

The Samsung JU7100 reflects very little ambient light due to its glossy screen, which is great for improving the perceived contrast ratio when a few lights are on. However, this type of finish has two downsides: direct light sources (like bulbs) get a rainbow around their reflection, and the eye tends to focus instead on reflected objects because they are well-defined. Therefore, this TV is ideal when you have the lights either overhead or behind the TV - not facing the TV.
It can get bright enough for a bright room. You're able to see the picture even through the reflection of the window we use for tests.

9.0
Picture Quality
3D
3D
Yes
3D Type
Active

No noticeable crosstalk with 3D content. The JU7100 doesn't come with 3D glasses included.

Picture Quality
Pixels
Type LED
Motion
8.5
Motion
Motion Blur
Refresh Rate 120 Hz
Response Time
13.9 ms
Overshoot
0.7 ms

The amount of motion blur on this TV is pretty good.

4.8
Motion
Image Flicker
PWM Dimming Frequency
120 Hz
BFI
Yes
BFI Frequency
60 Hz
BFI In Game Mode
No
7.1
Motion
24p Playback
Judder-free 24p
Yes
Judder-free 24p via 60p
No
Judder-free 24p via 60i
No

Movies don't have any judder when you are watching via a Blu-ray player at 24p. Via 60p or 60i though (like when playing on a PC computer), it can't reliably do the reverse 3:2 pulldown. You can turn on 'Auto Motion Plus' to fix it, but at the cost of the soap opera effect.

10
Motion
Motion Interpolation
Motion Interpolation (30 fps)
Yes
Motion Interpolation (60 fps)
Yes
Inputs
7.6
Inputs
Input Lag
1080p @ 60Hz
26.1 ms
1080p With Interpolation
116.1 ms
1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
127.9 ms
1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
44.3 ms

In game mode, this TV can achieve a low 26.1ms, which makes it a good gaming TV. In PC mode, the input lag is 44.3 ms.

8.0
Inputs
Supported Resolutions
Resolution 4k
1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
1080p @ 120Hz
No
4k @ 30Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
4k @ 60Hz
Yes
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes

4k @ 60 fps worked at chroma 4:4:4. You need to turn on 'UHD Color' and also set the input to PC. If it doesn't work for you, try changing your cable. It didn't work with our Monoprice 18 Gbps 15ft Redmere cable, but it worked with a cheap 3 ft one.

Inputs
Side Inputs
Inputs
Rear Inputs

The TV comes with a One Connect Mini box. That's the only HDMI inputs it has, which means more clutter near your TV.

Inputs
Total Inputs
HDMI 4
USB 3
Digital Optical Audio Out 1
Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 1
Analog Audio Out RCA 0
Component In 1
Composite In 1
Tuner (Cable/Ant) 1
Ethernet 1
DisplayPort 0
IR In 0
SD/SDHC 0
Inputs
Inputs Specifications
HDR10
Yes
5.1 Passthrough ARC Dolby Digital
Yes
Dolby Vision
No
5.1 Passthrough ARC DTS
Yes
5.1 Passthrough Optical Dolby Digital
Yes
5.1 Passthrough Optical DTS
Yes
HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwidth Yes
ARC Yes (HDMI 4)
USB 3 Yes (1)
HDCP 2.2 Yes
CEC Yes
MHL Yes (HDMI 3)
Variable Analog Audio Out No
Sound Quality
6.5
Sound Quality
Frequency Response
Std. Dev. @ 70
5.55 dB SPL
Std. Dev. @ 80
5.7 dB SPL
Std. Dev. @ Max
6.86 dB SPL
Max
91.5 dB SPL
Low-end Cutoff
95 Hz

Good low-end cut off and loudness. The frequency response however, is rather poor. There may be some pumping at higher volumes.

7.0
Sound Quality
Total Harmonic Distortion
Distortion @ 70
0.011
Distortion @ 80
0.01
Distortion @ Max
0.08

Low distortion level at comfortable listening volumes with a slight increase as the volume increases.

Smart Features
Smart Features
Apps

Major Apps Available

  • Netflix
  • YouTube
  • Vudu
  • HBO Go
  • Hulu Plus
  • CinemaNow
  • Crackle
  • Amazon Video
  • Pandora

    Check out our full review of Samsung's smart features.

  • 8.5
    Smart Features
    Interface
    Smart OS Tizen

    The included smart features work really well. The app selection is pretty good, and the remote has the handy motion and voice control features, so navigation and search are pretty smooth.

    The HDMI inputs are all on the OneConnect Mini box, which may not be ideal for mounting purposes. The included cable that is used to connect the box to the TV is 7' long.

    0
    Smart Features
    Ads
    Ad-free
    No
    Opt-out
    No
    Smart Features
    Remote
    Remote Smart
    Smart Features
    Misc
    Power Consumption 85 W
    Power Consumption (Max) 188 W
    Firmware a0531000