- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Design
- Picture Quality
- Motion
- Inputs
- Sound Quality
- Smart Features
- Sizes and Variants
- Compared
- Conclusion
- Discussions
Samsung NU7300
TV REVIEW
The Samsung NU7300 is a decent 4k TV with deep blacks when viewed from directly in-front, but the image degrades when viewed at an angle. It lacks more advanced features found on higher-end TVs like local dimming and a wide color gamut, but still has a decent picture quality. The image degrades when viewed at an angle, so it isn't good for those who have wide seating. The TV has excellent low input lag which is great for gamers, but motion handling is only decent.
| Design | 8.5 |
| Picture Quality | 7.4 |
| Motion | 6.4 |
| Inputs | 9.3 |
| Sound Quality | 6.7 |
| Smart Features | 7.4 |
- Can produce deep and uniform dark scenes
- Feels very responsive
- Bad viewing angles
- HDR performance is mediocre
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Design
The design of the Samsung NU7300 is very good. It is slightly curved and mainly made of plastic except for the borders that are metal. The stand is basic and supports the TV well, but the TV wobbles back and forth when moved. The are no gaps in the construction.
The back of the TV is plastic and has the distinct groves for guiding the cables. In this model, the cables cannot be hidden through the stand as in more premium models, as only a clip is provided to guide them along the legs.
The Samsung UN55NU7300 gets quite warm at the bottom edge where the LEDs are encased. This, however, should not be an issue for most.
Picture Quality
- 11% Contrast
- 6% Local Dimming
- 6% SDR Peak Brightness
- 6% HDR Peak Brightness
- 6% Gray Uniformity
- 7% Viewing Angle
- 4% Black Uniformity
- 6% Reflections
- 4% Pre Calibration
- 1% Post Calibration
- 6% 480p Input
- 9% 720p Input
- 11% 1080p Input
- 5% 4k Input
- 4% Color Gamut
- 4% Color Volume
- 2% Gradient
- 1% Temporary Image Retention
- 1% Permanent Burn-In Risk
The picture quality of the Samsung NU7300 is ok. The good contrast helps black look good in dark environments and the gray and black uniformity are good so there is very little clouding. The TV can get bright enough when displaying SDR content, but it isn't really enough to make HDR content stand out. The TV has a limited color gamut and hence color volume. This TV, as with most VA panels, is not well suited for a wide room as the viewing angles are not good so the image degrades when viewed at an angle.
The Samsung NU7300 has an excellent contrast ratio. It has no problem displaying deep blacks in a dark room. This is in the same ballpark as other Samsung TVs with VA panels, like the flat NU7100.
The Samsung UN55NU7300 has no local dimming option. The video is provided for reference only.
- 64% SDR Real Scene Peak Brightness
- 5% SDR Peak 2% Window
- 5% SDR Peak 10% Window
- 5% SDR Peak 25% Window
- 5% SDR Peak 50% Window
- 5% SDR Peak 100% Window
- 2% SDR Sustained 2% Window
- 2% SDR Sustained 10% Window
- 2% SDR Sustained 25% Window
- 2% SDR Sustained 50% Window
- 2% SDR Sustained 100% Window
- 1% SDR ABL
Good SDR peak brightness. In dark scenes with a small bright highlight, the TV reduces the overall brightness to produce deeper dark scenes and thus highlights don't look too bright. Brightness, however, does remain consistent in less dark scenes, and the TV is ok for most rooms. It is just slightly brighter than its flat counterpart the NU7100
- 63% HDR Real Scene Peak Brightness
- 5% HDR Peak 2% Window
- 5% HDR Peak 10% Window
- 5% HDR Peak 25% Window
- 5% HDR Peak 50% Window
- 5% HDR Peak 100% Window
- 2% HDR Sustained 2% Window
- 2% HDR Sustained 10% Window
- 2% HDR Sustained 25% Window
- 2% HDR Sustained 50% Window
- 2% HDR Sustained 100% Window
- 2% HDR ABL
The HDR peak brightness of the TV is mediocre. It is just slightly brighter than the flat NU7100 but this may be due to unit variance. Is far behind the brightness levels of the TCL R617. The TV does keep similar brightness levels regardless of the window sizes, but dark scene highlights are not boosted at all.
- 40% 50% Std. Dev.
- 40% 50% DSE
- 10% 5% Std. Dev.
- 10% 5% DSE
The Samsung NU7300 has good gray uniformity. On the 50% gray image, although there are uniformity issues, this is mostly darkening of the edges which doesn't create much dirty screen effect. These uniformity issues are not likely to cause dark spots on the screen, and this should make sports fans happy as no clouding will be visible in panning shots.
Similar and even better results are obtained at the 5% gray and this great.
- 20% Color Shift
- 40% Brightness
- 40% Black Level
The viewing angle is poor. Blacks fade as soon as you move from the center, colors start shifting at slightly larger angles. Finally, brightness is the last image quality that deteriorates as viewing angle increases.
This TV is not suitable for a wide viewing environment.
- 75% Native Std. Dev.
- 25% Std. Dev. w/ L.D.
The black uniformity is amazing. Our panel has very little clouding on the lower right corner, this should not be a concern as most people will not notice it.
Reflection handling is ok. The semi-gloss finish manages to diffuse most of the ambient reflections but doesn't do a great job if the source is facing the screen
- 46% White Balance dE
- 45% Color dE
- 9% Color Temperature
The out-of-the-box color accuracy is decent. We obtained the best results with the Movie Picture mode.
The white dE and the color dE are a bit off, but these differences are too small to bother most people. Gamma is higher than our target and thus some dark details is lost. The colors are a little warm and this explains the faint red and yellow image tint.
- 46% White Balance dE
- 45% Color dE
- 9% Color Temperature
The post calibration color accuracy is remarkable. We were able to significantly lower the white balance dE, the Gamma was right on the 2.2 target and color temperature was almost perfect.
As with most 2018 Samsung TVs, we were unable to completely fix the color dE, although it was brought down to levels where very few people might notice.
You can see our recommended settings here.
- 25% DCI P3 xy
- 25% DCI P3 uv
- 25% Rec 2020 xy
- 25% Rec 2020 uv
The color gamut is okay. The TV is only capable of covering about 3/4 of the DCI P3 space and only just a little more than half of the Rec. 2020 space.
The EOTF in Movie mode undershoots the target PQ curve significantly, so HDR content looks a little dimmer than normal. This is made less severe by setting Contrast Enhancer to Low, as shown in this plot.
The Game Mode EOTF photo shows that the same undershooting happens in this mode too. In the PC Mode EOTF, there is still some undershooting of the PQ curve, but it starts at higher input signal luminosity.
The Samsung NU7300 has a disappointing color volume as it fails to cover the color space in various luminosity levels. Colors look dim in darker scenes and the TV fails to display the creator intended content accurately. This is also due to the limited color gamut.
- 25% Red (Std. Dev.)
- 25% Green (Std. Dev.)
- 25% Blue (Std. Dev.)
- 25% Gray (Std. Dev.)
The gradient on the Samsung UN55NU7300 is good. Although there is small banding pretty much everywhere, no major banding can be observed in any color except in dark green
Setting Digital Clean View to 'auto' smooths the gradient but can't fix it and causes a lost of fine details.
There is no temporary image retention on the NU7300, which is typical for TVs with VA panels.
The VA panel in our long-term test appears to be immune so we do expect not this TV to experience permanent image retention.
Motion
- 53% Response Time
- 11% Flicker-Free
- 3% Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
- 5% Motion Interpolation
- 12% Stutter
- 11% 24p Judder
- 5% Variable Refresh Rate
Motion handling is decent for this Samsung NU7300. The response time is good, so fast-paced content can be displayed without much blur. The backlight uses PWM flicker to dim, but at a frequency of 240Hz it isn't noticeable to most people are motion appears decently smooth. The TV can also flicker the backlight at 60Hz to clear up fast-paced motion.
- 50% 80% Response Time
- 50% 100% Response Time
The response time of the Samsung NU7300 is good. The pixels transition fast and should please sports viewers and gamers. At the same time, there is some blur in the image which is mainly caused by the backlight flickering. The response time is a bit faster than that of the flat NU7100, but this may come down to unit variance and these small response time differences are also visible in the moving logo photo.
Just like the NU7100, the NU7300 uses PWM at 240Hz to dim the backlight except when at 100%.
However, when the motion interpolation is enabled through the Auto Motion Plus option the flicker frequency of the backlight changes to 120Hz as shown in this plot.
This causes worse duplications in the motion as shown in this photo
The BFI is great.
In Game mode, 60Hz flicker is not possible, but the backlight flicker stays at 120Hz in Game mode as shown in this plot.
Motion Interpolations is decent. Some occasional artifacts can be seen, and the TV stops interpolating when there's too much motion.
Note: that when Auto Motion Plus is enabled the backlight flicker changes to 120Hz, as shown in this plot.
The Samsung NU7300 has a very good stutter results as there is practically no stutter on the 60fps signal, but there might be a slight stutter on 24p content. This, however, will not be noticeable by most people.
Just like the NU7100, the NU7300 cannot remove judder from 24fps content. This holds true no matter if the content is 60p/i or from native 24fps content played from a Blu-ray.
This isn't a big issue since most people are not very sensitive to judder and probably won't notice it.
- 25% 4k VRR Maximum
- 25% 4k VRR Minimum
- 25% 1080p VRR Maximum
- 25% 1080p VRR Minimum
This TV does not support VRR
Inputs
The Samsung 55NU7300 has excellent input lag to please most competitive console gamers. It supports many input signals, including 4K @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 + HDR. The TV can not pass DTS 5.1 audio to an external receiver. This, however, should not be much of a problem because most of the available content provide both DTS and Dolby Digital audio streams, allowing you to choose.
- 35% 1080p @ 60Hz
- 3% 1080p @ 60Hz + HDR
- 37% 4k @ 60Hz
- 19% 4k @ 60Hz + HDR
- 3% 4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
- 3% 4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 + 8 bit HDR
Excellent low input lag, better than last year's MU6300. When the input is set to PC, the input lag is automatically the lowest possible.
There is no improvement in input lag if you activate Game mode within PC mode. The NU7300 does not a have a Game Motion Plus like the higher end Samsungs.
- 17% 1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
- 17% 1080p @ 120Hz
- 17% 1440p @ 60Hz
- 17% 4k @ 30Hz @ 4:4:4
- 16% 4k @ 60Hz
- 16% 4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
The Samsung NU7300 is decent at resolution support. The following settings have to be implemented:
- The resolution 4k@60Hz @ 4:4:4 or @ 4:2:2 is only supported when HDMI UHD Color is enabled
- 4:4:4 Chroma is only properly displayed when the input icon is set to PC (aka PC mode)
- In PC mode, Sharpness is set to '10' by default and this means no added sharpness. However, you can 'soften' the image if you decide to reduce it.
The TV includes inputs for a composite or component connection. As the connection is shared it is not possible to connect a component and composite connection at the same time.
The TV can passthrough Dolby Digital signal, but no DTS.
Anynet+ (HDMI-CEC) is needed for ARC, which passes on HDMI 3 only.
Sound Quality
- 75% Frequency Response
- 25% Distortion
The Samsung NU7300 has an average sound quality. This TV has above-average loudness, produces clear dialogs, and has some punch to its bass. However, it doesn't generate any thump and rumble in the sub-bass region, could produce pumping and compression under heavy loads, and doesn't have a room correction system. For a better sound, dedicated speakers or a soundbar is recommended.
- 30% Low-Frequency Extension
- 5% Std. Dev. @ 70
- 20% Std. Dev. @ 80
- 15% Std. Dev. @ Max
- 20% Max
- 10% Dynamic Range Compression
The Samsung NU7300 has an average frequency response. LFE (low-frequency response) is at 80Hz, which is decent. This results in a sound that doesn't lacks thump and rumble, but have some punch to its bass. The response above the LFE point is decently balanced, which is important for producing clear and intelligible dialogs. However, this TV doesn't get very loud and produces some compression and pumping artifacts under max volume. It doesn't have a room correction system either, which is why it wasn't to remove the modes of our test room around 200Hz.
- 40% Weighted THD @ 80
- 25% Weighted THD @ Max
- 10% IMD @ 80
- 25% IMD @ Max
The distortion performance is decent. The overall amount of harmonic distortion is within acceptable limits and doesn't increase dramatically at max volume either. However, this TV doesn't get very loud.
Smart Features
- 42% Interface
- 2% Ad-Free
- 37% Apps and Features
- 16% Remote
- 3% Remote App
The smart features of the Samsung NU7300 are decent. The TV is equipped with a limited version of the latest Tizen Smart platform from Samsung, also called Smart Hub. As always it is easy to navigate, it is well-organized and provides access to the Samsung app store where a plethora of apps are available. The TV does not support voice control/assistance. The interface is choppy with minimal animations, but because of this menus, load faster than the NU8500. The menu ads can be annoying and you don't have to option of opting out.
The interface is characterized as good mainly due to the speed of menu loading. It feels choppy interface with minimal animations but is faster than the NU8500
Unfortunately, the NU7300 comes with ads and suggested content, and does not offer the option to opt out.
Samsung's app store has an abundance of apps to choose from. The Apps run fairly smoothly, and definitely smoother than the TV's own interface.
The remote is ok, but it is worth noting that this TV has no voice control. The buttons cover most of the basic functions, including inputs, quick access to the settings menu, and a picture size button to control the upscaling options for lower resolution content.
The remote App only acts as the remote. There is no option for Voice control as Bixby is not supported on this TV model
There is a single button located underneath the TV, similar to the NU7100. Pressing the button brings up a menu that can power cycle the TV, control volume, channels, and change inputs.
Differences between Sizes and Variants
We tested the 55" (UN55NU7300) version FA01. For the most part, we expect our review to be valid for the 49" (UN55NU7300) and the 65" (UN65NU7300) as well.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Samsung NU7300 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review.
| Size | Model | US | UK |
| 49" | UE49NU7300 | N/A | UE49NU7300KXXU |
| 55" | UN55NU7300 | UN55NU7300FXZA | UE55NU7300KXXU |
| 65" | UN65NU7300 | UN65NU7300FXZA | UE65NU7300KXXU |
Compared to other TVs
The Samsung NU7300 is a decent 4k TV without much curved competition, but if you're willing to give up the curve then one of these competing models may be a better choice.
The Samsung NU7300 is marginally better than the Samsung NU7100. The NU7300 is a touch brighter, and has a slightly faster response time but this may be just due to small variances between panels. Overall, there is no major difference between the two though. The NU7100 is available in a wider variety of sizes.
The Samsung NU8000 is better than the Samsung NU7300. The NU8000 is much brighter and better able to overcome glare in a bright room. The NU8000 has a faster response time and is able to remove judder from most sources. The NU8000 also has new gaming features, including Auto Low Latency Mode and VRR (variable refresh rate).
The Samsung NU7300 is marginally better than the Samsung MU6300. While there are no major differences between them, the NU7300 has a better backlight with less noticeable flicker.
The Samsung NU7300 is a bit better than the Samsung MU7000. The NU7300 has better black uniformity, which is important when viewing in a dark room. It also has less input lag, although both have excellent performance.
The Samsung NU7300 is somewhat better than the Samsung MU7600. The Samsung NU7300 has better input lag that you will enjoy if you play video games and better response time for fast action like sports. It can also display more uniform blacks, and this improves the picture quality in a dark room. On the other hand, the curved Samsung MU7600 has slightly better color gamut and color volume that make HDR content slightly better.
The Samsung Frame 2018 is a bit better than the Samsung NU7300. HDR content looks better on The Frame, as it is able to display a wide color gamut, and has better color volume. The Frame also has much better motion handling, with a faster response time and FreeSync support. The Frame can also remove judder from all 24p sources.
The TCL 6 Series 2018 R617 is a better TV than the Samsung NU7300. It has better overall picture quality that is apparent in almost any usage. Colors, compared to the NU7300, are more vivid for HDR content due to the wide color gamut. We've received reports of significant gray uniformity issues on the 6 Series, however, this does vary on a unit-by-unit basis and we expect it to be fine for most people. If this concerns you then the Samsung is a safer buy.
Choosing between the Sony X690E and the Samsung NU7300 is a tough call, as the two TVs marginally beat each other in different areas, so go with the cheaper model. The Samsung NU7300 has a slightly better picture quality. The X690E has a faster response time and is flicker-free, but with worse BFI implementation and slightly worse input lag.
