Our Verdict
This is a good TV for mixed usage. It's more suitable for darker rooms as it can't get very bright to overcome glare. It has a low input lag that makes it very responsive, but unfortunately, you have to sit straight in front to enjoy the most accurate image due to the poor viewing angles, as is expected of most VA panels.
- Excellent low input lag.
- Good uniformity.
- Poor HDR peak brightness.
- Image degrades when viewed at an angle.
The RU7100 is a decent TV for watching movies in a dark room. It has an excellent native contrast ratio and can deliver deep blacks, but it lacks a local dimming feature to further enhance dark room performance. Unfortunately, it can not remove 24p judder from any source.
This is a good TV for watching TV shows. It has decent reflection handling but can't get very bright, so it's more suitable for a room with less light. The gray uniformity is good, but the viewing angles are poor, and you are better off sitting straight in front.
This is a decent TV for watching sports. It has a fast response time, and fast-moving objects only have a small blur trail. The gray uniformity is good, and you should not experience any dirty screen effect when watching your favorite game. Unfortunately, the RU7100 is not a good choice for a large room with a wide seating arrangement due to its poor viewing angles.
The RU7100 is an excellent TV for playing video games. It has a remarkably low input lag and a fast response time, so it's very responsive to your actions. Unfortunately, it doesn't have FreeSync or any other game enhancing features like the ones found on higher-end models like the Samsung Q60R.
This is a decent TV for watching HDR movies. It can deliver deep blacks in a dark room, but it lacks a local dimming feature to further improve dark room performance. The TV doesn't have a wide color gamut and can't get very bright in HDR, so it cannot display HDR content as its creator intended.
In terms of playing games, the RU7100 is a good TV. There's an extremely low input lag and quick response time. Unfortunately, the HDR performance isn't great as it fails to display a wide color gamut and it doesn't get very bright. However, the response time is fast, so there's low motion blur.
The RU7100 is a great for use as a PC monitor. It's extremely responsive because of the low input lag. The viewing angles are not good, so if you sit too close to the screen, you will lose image accuracy at the sides. However, it can properly display chroma 4:4:4 in all the resolutions it supports, which is fantastic.
Changelog
- Updated May 21, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Feb 21, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Apr 15, 2019: Review published.
- Updated Apr 13, 2019: Early access published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 55" (UN55RU7100) version FA01. For the most part, we expect our review to be valid for the other sizes of this model, except for the 43" model, which appears to have an IPS panel in some regions.
Walmart is selling the RU7200 variant, which appears to be nearly identical to the RU7100. We don't know precisely how it performs, but we expect it to be very similar to the RU7100.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Samsung RU7100 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review.
| Size | Model | US | UK | Europe |
| 43" | UN43RU7100 | UN43RU7100FXZA | UE43RU7100KXXU | UE43RU7175UXXC |
| 50" | UN50RU7100 | UN50RU7100FXZA | UE50RU7100KXXU | UE50RU7175UXXC |
| 55" | UN55RU7100 | UN55RU7100FXZA | UE55RU7100KXXU | UE55RU7175UXXC |
| 58" | UN58RU7100 | UN58RU7100FXZA | UE58RU7100KXXU | N/A |
| 65" | UN65RU7100 | UN65RU7100FXZA | UE65RU7100KXXU | UE65RU7175UXXC |
| 75" | UN75RU7100 | UN75RU7100FXZA | UE75RU7100KXXU | UE75RU7175UXXC |
The UN55RU7100 we reviewed was manufactured in February 2019.
Popular TV Comparisons
The RU7100 is a good entry-level UHD TV, but there are better TVs for the same price. See our recommendations for the best TVs, the best HDR gaming TVs, and the best smart TVs.
The Samsung RU7100 and the Samsung TU7000 are very similarly performing TVs, since the TU7000 is the 2020 replacement for the RU7100. The TU7000 has a slightly better response time, and its input lag is better outside of Game Mode, so it's marginally better for gaming. The TU7000 also feels a little better built. On the other hand, the RU7100 has better accuracy out of the box, although this can vary between units.
The Samsung TU8000 is a slightly better TV than the Samsung RU7100. The TU8000 has much better black uniformity, response time, and a bit better reflection handling and contrast ratio, while the RU7100 has a somewhat better input lag, peak brightness, and better gray uniformity. The TU8000 comes with the 2020 Tizen interface while the RU7100 has the 2019 version, but in reality, there's little difference between these two TVs.
The Samsung NU7100 and the Samsung RU7100 both have very similar performance. The RU7100 has a slightly faster response time which is great if you watch sports, and a much lower input lag which is great for those who play video games. The NU7100, on the other hand, can deliver more uniform blacks.
The Samsung RU7300 and Samsung RU7100 are extremely similar, but the RU7300 has a curved screen. Other than that, they're essentially the same TV.
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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