The Samsung AU8000 is one of the entry-level models in Samsung's 2021 lineup, replacing the Samsung TU8000. It's the only TV in the Crystal UHD lineup in North America, but in Europe, it sits between the AU7000 and AU9000 models. It competes with other entry-level models like the Sony X80J, LG UP8000, and Hisense A6G. It's a simple model that lacks features like variable refresh rate (VRR) and HDMI 2.1 support. It runs a simplified version of Samsung's 2021 Tizen OS smart interface, which offers most of the same features as more advanced models but has fewer animations to keep the interface running smoothly. It comes with the same great remote as more expensive models, and it even supports voice controls to make it easy to find your favorite content.
Our Verdict
The Samsung AU8000 is an okay TV overall. It's best suited for watching shows or sports in a moderately lit room as it can handle some glare due to its great reflection handling. It's a decent TV for gaming thanks to its low input lag, but it has no advanced gaming features, and its slow response time means there is noticeable motion blur with fast-moving objects. The TV displays a wide color gamut that displays vibrant colors with HDR content, but it doesn't get bright enough to make highlights stand out, so HDR content has little impact. Due to the TV's lower contrast ratio and lack of local dimming, blacks aren't very deep and have a cloudiness to them. Unfortunately, it has a narrow viewing angle, so it's not a good choice for a wide seating arrangement, as the image degrades when viewed at an angle.
- Great reflection handling.
- Low input lag in and outside of Game Mode.
- Lacks a local dimming feature.
- Doesn't get very bright in SDR or HDR.
- Slow response time that makes motion look blurry.
The Samsung AU8000 is decent for watching TV shows. Although it doesn't get very bright, it still has great reflection handling, meaning visibility won't be an issue in a moderately lit room. It doesn't have upscaling issues with lower-resolution content, so it's a good choice for watching shows from cable boxes or DVDs. Sadly, it has a narrow viewing angle, so it's not ideal if you like to move around your room while watching TV or have a wide seating arrangement, as the image degrades when viewed from the side.
- Great reflection handling.
- Upscales lower-resolution content without issues.
- Narrow viewing angle.
- Doesn't get very bright in SDR or HDR.
The Samsung AU8000 is decent for watching sports. It has great reflection handling, so it can handle some glare in a moderately-lit room, but bright lights or windows are still distracting. Unfortunately, it has a slow response time, so fast-moving action in sports looks blurry. Also, it has a narrow viewing angle, so it's not ideal for watching the big game with a group of friends, as anyone not seated directly in front of the TV has to view a degraded image.
- Great reflection handling.
- Upscales lower-resolution content without issues.
- Narrow viewing angle.
- Doesn't get very bright in SDR or HDR.
- Slow response time that makes motion look blurry.
The Samsung AU8000 is decent for gaming. It has low input lag for a responsive gaming experience, so there's very little delay between your controller inputs and the action on-screen. However, it has a slow response time that makes faster-moving motion look blurry. The TV supports Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) that switches your TV into game mode when launching a game, but it doesn't support any advanced gaming features like variable refresh rate and is limited to HDMI 2.0 bandwidth. Unfortunately, the TV doesn't support 1440p @ 60Hz.
- Great reflection handling.
- Low input lag in and outside of Game Mode.
- Slow response time that makes motion look blurry.
- Limited to 60Hz and no VRR support.
- No 1440p @ 60Hz support.
The Samsung AU8000 is okay for watching movies in a dark room. It has excellent black uniformity, and there's no distracting blooming around bright areas, but since the TV has a low native contrast ratio and lacks a local dimming feature, blacks aren't very deep. The TV supports a wide color gamut, which results in vibrant colors when watching HDR content, but it doesn't get bright enough for highlights to stand out the way they should. It supports HDR10 and HDR10+ but lacks Dolby Vision, which is unfortunate since a lot of 4k Blu-rays and streaming services use the format.
- Removes judder from 24p sources.
- Lacks a local dimming feature.
- Doesn't get very bright in SDR or HDR.
The Samsung AU8000 is decent for HDR gaming. It has low input lag, so there is very little delay between your controller inputs and the actions on the screen. However, it has a slow response time, so there's noticeable blur with quick-moving objects, and due to the lack of VRR, you'll have screen-tearing. The TV can display a wide color gamut, so colors are vibrant when gaming in HDR. Unfortunately, it has bad HDR brightness when in 'Game' mode, so highlights don't stand out. It also has a low native contrast ratio and lacks a local dimming feature, so blacks aren't deep. Sadly, there is no 1440p @ 60Hz support.
- Low input lag in and outside of Game Mode.
- Doesn't get very bright in SDR or HDR.
- Slow response time that makes motion look blurry.
- No 1440p @ 60Hz support.
The Samsung AU8000 is decent for use as a PC monitor. It has low input lag for a responsive desktop experience, making your mouse movements smooth. However, due to the TV's slow response time, there's noticeable motion blur with quick-moving objects. It has great reflection handling, so glare isn't an issue in a moderately-lit room. It also displays chroma 4:4:4 properly, which is essential for clear text from a PC. Unfortunately, the TV has a narrow viewing angle, so the image looks washed-out at the sides if you sit too close to the screen, and it doesn't support 1440p @ 60Hz.
- Great reflection handling.
- Low input lag in and outside of Game Mode.
- Displays chroma 4:4:4.
- Narrow viewing angle.
- No 1440p @ 60Hz support.
Changelog
- Updated Jul 26, 2024: Added additional information to the Accelerated Longevity Test from the findings on our edge-lit TV investigation.
- Updated Jun 11, 2024: Unfortunately, this TV died as part of an in-depth investigation into edge-lit TVs. It has been removed from the Accelerated Longevity Test.
- Updated Mar 27, 2024: Unfortunately, the backlight on our unit has failed. We've started looking into it, and we'll post updates in the Accelerated Longevity Test section of the review.
- Updated Feb 13, 2024: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We bought and tested the 65-inch Samsung AU8000, and the results are also valid for the 43-inch, 50-inch, 55-inch, 70-inch, 75-inch, and 85-inch models as well, but the 70-inch model isn't available in North America. The warehouse variant is known as the Samsung AU800D. The 43-inch model has an IPS panel in some regions, so it has a wider viewing angle but worse contrast.
| Size | US Model | Short Model Code |
|---|---|---|
| 43" | UN43AU8000FXZA | UN43AU8000 |
| 50" | UN50AU8000FXZA | UN50AU8000 |
| 55" | UN55AU8000FXZA | UN55AU8000 |
| 65" | UN65AU8000FXZA | UN65AU8000 |
| 70" | - | UN70AU8000 |
| 75" | UN75AU8000FXZA | UN75AU8000 |
| 85" | UN85AU8000FXZA | UN85AU8000 |
Our unit was manufactured in April 2021; you can see the label here.
Popular TV Comparisons
The Samsung AU8000 is a basic entry-level 4k TV with decent overall performance. It's a nice improvement from the Samsung TU8000, and although it doesn't get as bright as the higher-end Samsung Q60/Q60A QLED, it offers better value for the dollar.
See our recommendations for the best budget TVs, the best 4k TVs, and the best 40-42-43 inch TVs.
The Samsung AU8000 replaced the Samsung TU8000 in 2021 and is a slight improvement over its predecessor. The AU8000 is better in a few areas, like reflection handling and improved gradient handling, but it doesn't have frame dimming with small highlights like the TU8000. The newer model even has an upgraded version of Tizen that feels smoother. However, the TU8000 still has better motion handling, and it has a much better contrast ratio, but this can vary between units.
The Samsung CU8000 is slightly worse than the Samsung AU8000. The CU8000 is better in a few areas, as it has a wider color gamut, better color volume, higher HDR brightness in game mode, and much better low-quality content smoothing. The AU8000, however, has much better reflection handling, better build quality, much better color accuracy both pre- and post-calibration, and is easier to calibrate. It also has much better black uniformity, but this can vary between units. The newer CU8000 does have an upgraded version of Tizen OS, which now supports MultiView on this TV.
The Samsung AU8000 is a bit better overall than the Samsung TU7000. They have similar features, but the AU8000 is better in a few areas. The AU8000 gets brighter and has better reflection handling, so it's a better choice for well-lit rooms. It also has an upgraded version of Tizen OS, which feels smoother to use, and it comes with a mic for voice control in the remote, which the TU7000 doesn't have. On the other hand, the TU7000 supports 1440p, which the TU8000 doesn't.
The Samsung AU8000 and the LG UQ75 are similar TVs, but the Samsung is better in most situations. The Samsung looks better in a dark room thanks to its better contrast and black uniformity. The Samsung also has a higher SDR peak brightness, so it overcomes glare better in a bright room. Both TVs lack modern gaming features, but the Samsung has a faster response time, so there is less blur with quick-moving objects in games. The LG does have a wider viewing angle, so it’s a bit better if you regularly watch TV in a group setting, as anyone watching from the side won't have to deal with a significantly degraded image like on the Samsung.
We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests use specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.
Test Results
Older Test Bench: This product has been tested using an older TV test methodology, before a major update. Some of the test results below aren't directly comparable with other TVs. Learn more
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