Our Verdict
Average TV for a mixed usage. The Samsung MU6290 does most tasks decently; its picture quality is decent, its input lag is low, and it doesn't produce an immense amount of input lag. Most people will be quite pleased by its smart features as well. Where it falls short is its lack of fancier feature such as HDR and local dimming.
- Good contrast for dark room viewing
- Low input lag for gaming
- Image quality deteriorates at an angle
- Limited HDR capabilities
Passable choice for watching movies. While the MU6290's high contrast and uniform blacks give its image a lot of depth in a dark room, it does lacks the local dimming feature required to produce even deeper blacks. Unfortunately, it also cannot display 24p content without judder, but this is only an issue for those sensitive to it.
Decent TV for watching TV shows in a bright room. The MU6290 features a slick and intuitive smart platform that makes it easy to access popular apps. It also gets decently bright in SDR, so it should suit most viewing environments.
The MU6290 is about average for sports watching. It can get bright enough, and its screen doesn't have any major uniformity issues, but its motion performance is a bit ordinary causing some trailing behind moving objects. Unfortunately, its limited viewing angle also means the picture will look significantly worse to people watching from the sides.
Good TV for playing video games. The MU6290's very low input lag keeps it responsive. While not great, its low amounts of motion blur keep fast-paced shooters or fighting game quite clear.
Below average TV for HDR movies. The MU6290 does support HDR10, but it lacks most of the features associated with it that enable TVs to enhance the image quality. Its peak brightness is also not high enough to create a significant HDR effect.
Good TV for HDR gaming. While the MU6290's HDR presentation isn't stellar, there is no downside to using an HDR input for gaming. Its input lag remains low, and the image stays quite bright.
Average PC monitor. The MU6290 supports Chroma 4:4:4 which is essential, but its average motion blur can be quite distracting for scrolling text. It also does not support a 1080p@120Hz input for PC gaming. Fortunately, image retention is not present.
Changelog
- Updated Mar 12, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
- Updated Jan 05, 2018: Bluetooth can be enabled in the TV's service menu, allowing the use of the Samsung smart remote (not included) and its voice control, as well as Bluetooth headphones.
- Updated Dec 25, 2017: Review published.
- Updated Dec 23, 2017: Our testers have started testing this product.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 55" (UN55MU6290) version CC09. For the most part, we expect our review to be valid for the other sizes of this model.
The 43" size likely uses an IPS-type panel, according to many user reports, so our review is not a good indication of this size's performance. An IPS-type panel will have a much worse contrast ratio but a much better viewing angle than the VA panel unit we tested, which will change our overall scores significantly.
The MU6290 is almost identical to the pricier Samsung MU6300. The biggest difference between the two is the Bluetooth connectivity found on the more expensive variant and fancy smart remote.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Samsung MU6290 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review.
| Size | LCD Type | Model | US | US Alternate | Canada |
| 40" | VA | UN40MU6290 | UN40MU6290FXZA | 40MU6290FXZA | UN40MU6290FXZC |
| 43" | IPS | UN43MU6290 | UN43MU6290FXZA | 43MU6290FXZA | UN43MU6290FXZC |
| 49" | VA | UN49MU6290 | UN49MU6290FXZA | 49MU6290FXZA | UN49MU6290FXZC |
| 55" | VA | UN55MU6290 | UN55MU6290FXZA | 55MU6290FXZA | UN55MU6290FXZC |
| 65" | VA | UN65MU6290 | UN65MU6290FXZA | 65MU6290FXZA | UN65MU6290FXZC |
| 75" | VA | UN75MU6290 | UN75MU6290FXZA | 75MU6290FXZA | UN75MU6290FXZC |
Popular TV Comparisons
Much like the MU6300, the Samsung MU6290 is somewhat of a jack of all trades. It will work well enough in a variety of usages, but it also won't excel in any of them.
The Samsung NU7100 4k TV is slightly better than the Samsung MU6290. The NU7100 has better gray uniformity and better reflection handling, good for sports fans watching the big game on a Sunday afternoon. The NU7100 also has better input lag for gamers or use as a PC monitor. The Samsung MU6290 is a bit brighter with SDR content.
The Samsung MU6300 and the Samsung MU6290 perform very similarly, and there is no significant difference between the two. The Samsung MU6300 supports Bluetooth out of the box. Bluetooth is not officially supported by the MU6290, although for some sizes this can be enabled through the service menu, as described here.
The Samsung MU6290 is better than the LG UJ6300 for most people, unless you have a wide sitting area. The Samsung MU6290 has a VA panel which is better suited for viewing in a darker room from a direct viewing position, thanks to the much higher native contrast ratio and excellent black uniformity. The LG UJ6300 has an IPS type panel which is better suited for a wide sitting area in a brighter room thanks to the better viewing angles and great reflection handling.
The TCL S Series/S405 4k 2018 and Samsung MU6290 deliver very similar performance overall. The TCL S405 has a better response time and can remove judder from most 24p sources. The Samsung MU6290 is much brighter and has more options for smoothing out motion, including optional motion interpolation and a better black frame insertion feature, but can't remove judder from 24p sources.
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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