Our Verdict
Good TV for a mixed usage. The Samsung MU8500 produces a good picture quality and has a versatile set of features that make it a decent performer in most usages.
- Great contrast ratio
- Brighter than average
- Low input lag for gaming
- Image quality degrades at an angle
- Poor local dimming
The MU8500 does well with movies in a dark room. Its very good contrast ratio helps it produce deep blacks and it's capable of playing back 24p content without judder. Unfortunately, though, its local dimming feature leaves a lot to be desired and it doesn't do much to enhance the picture quality
Better than average TV for watching TV shows or live broadcasts. The Samsung MU8500 upscales lower resolution content quite well and gets bright enough to be enjoyable at all hours of the day. Its handling of reflections could be a bit better though.
Decent TV for watching sports. Fast motion doesn't have any very noticeable trailing and the screen itself is quite uniform and free of major blotchiness. Unfortunately, though, its narrow viewing angle means that people watching the TV from the sides will have a worse picture quality.
Great TV for playing video games, the Samsung MU8500's low input lag and low motion blur make games feel responsive and immersive. Combined with the good picture quality this makes for a great gaming experience.
Good TV for HDR movies, the MU8500 can display 10 bits of color depth for smooth HDR gradients and it also gets decently bright. Its color gamut could be a bit wider though.
Good TV for HDR gaming. THE MU8500's HDR capabilities are translated well with video games and its input lag remain low regardless of the input type.
Very good PC monitor. The MU8500 supports chroma 4:4:4 for crisp text and it has a low input lag for responsive mouse movement. Its curved design also helps reduce the effects of its narrow viewing angle when sitting close to it.
Changelog
- Updated Mar 30, 2018: It was discovered that many 2017 Samsung TVs change their BFI frequency to 60 Hz when a lot of 60 Hz motion is detected on screen. The scores have been updated.
- Updated Mar 12, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
- Updated Aug 21, 2017: Review published.
- Updated Aug 19, 2017: Our testers have started testing this product.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 55" (UN55MU8500) version AB03. For the most part, we expect our review to be valid for the 65" (UN65MU8500).
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Samsung MU8500 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review.
| Size | Model | US | Canada | Warehouse | Warehouse long |
| 55" | UN55MU8500 | UN55MU8500FXZA | UN55MU8500FXZC | UN55MU850D | UN55MU850DFXZA |
| 65" | UN65MU8500 | UN65MU8500FXZA | UN65MU8500FXZC | UN65MU850D | UN65MU850DFXZA |
Popular TV Comparisons
The Samsung MU8500 is a good 4k LED TV, but it's not very competitive compared to other TVs in its price range.
The Samsung MU8000 is slightly better than the Samsung MU8500. The Samsung MU8000 has a faster response time that leaves a slightly shorter image trail on fast action scenes, and it's marginally better for watching movies due to the better contrast. On the other hand, the Samsung MU8500 is somewhat better for use as a PC monitor due to its curved nature that results in better viewing angles to the edges of the screen.
The Samsung MU8500 is a better TV than the Samsung MU6500. The Samsung MU8500 is better for watching movies as it has local dimming to improve blacks, much better motion handling with excellent 24p judder removal and excellent motion interpolation. The Samsung MU8500 also has marginally better SDR peak brightness so you can comfortably watch your favorite TV shows in a brighter room. Finally, the Samsung MU8500 has a slightly better color volume which is important if you play HDR games. On the contrary, the Samsung MU6500 has slightly better black uniformity that can be observed when watching HDR movies.
The Sony X900F is much better than the Samsung MU8500. The Sony X900F has much better local dimming, better black uniformity and better contrast ratio that make it much better watching movies in dark rooms and can get much brighter when displaying HDR content. The Sony X900F has better reflection handling and a better response time that make it better for watching sports and TV shows in bright rooms. The Samsung MU8500, on the other hand, has a bit better input lag and is more responsive when playing video games.
The Samsung NU8500 is slightly better than the Samsung MU8500. The Samsung NU8500 is a better choice for video games and HDR gaming because of better input lag and support for the AMD FreeSync variable refresh rate. Also, the NU8500 has a faster response time that leaves a smaller image trail in fast action scenes like sports. Finally, black uniformity is slightly worse on the older Samsung MU8500, and that might be noticeable when watching movies in a dark room.
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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