The Samsung RU8000 is a decent mid-range 4k TV that delivers good picture quality and solid performance. It delivers deep, uniform blacks, so it's good for dark room viewing, but it lacks local dimming to further improve black levels. It gets fairly bright and has decent reflection handling, although it performs best in dark to moderately-lit rooms. Despite the TV's wide color gamut, HDR content looks okay, but the TV simply doesn't get bright enough to make highlights pop and deliver a satisfying HDR experience. Unfortunately, it has narrow viewing angles, so you have to sit head-on to get an accurate image. On the upside, though, it has an impressive response time, so motion in fast-moving content looks clear, and it has a Black Frame Insertion feature to reduce blur even further. It also has a low input lag and supports FreeSync variable refresh rate (VRR) to reduce screen tearing in games.
Our Verdict
The Samsung RU8000 a decent TV for mixed usage. It can get fairly bright, but it's more suited to a moderately-lit room. It displays deep blacks that look good in the dark, ideal for watching movies, although it lacks local dimming to improve dark room performance. It has a fast response time that makes motion look clear in fast content like sports or video games, and it has a low input lag and VRR support for gaming. HDR looks okay, but the TV doesn't get bright enough to make highlights pop.
- Fast response time.
- Low input lag.
- Fantastic contrast ratio.
- Poor viewing angles.
- Doesn't get bright enough to make HDR content pop.
- No local dimming.
The Samsung RU8000 is decent for watching movies. It has a high native contrast ratio and good black uniformity, and blacks look great in a dark room. Unfortunately, there's no local dimming feature to further improve dark room performance. It can remove judder from any source, but there's a bit of stutter with low frame rate content due to the fast response time.
- Fantastic contrast ratio.
- Excellent black uniformity.
- No local dimming.
- Some stutter with low frame rate content.
The Samsung RU8000 is decent for watching TV shows. It gets fairly bright but may not be suitable for very bright rooms, and while its reflection handling is decent, it's best to avoid placing it directly in front of light sources. It upscales lower resolution content, like cable TV, without issue, but unfortunately, the viewing angles are poor, so the image looks washed out from the side.
- Good gray uniformity.
- Decent SDR peak brightness.
- Poor viewing angles.
- Direct reflections may be distracting.
The Samsung RU8000 is a good TV for watching sports. It gets fairly bright and has decent reflection handling, although direct lights can still be distracting. On the upside, it has a great response time, so fast-moving sports look crisp and smooth. It has good gray uniformity, so dirty screen effect shouldn't be noticeable to most people. Unfortunately, it has poor viewing angles, so it's not the best option for watching with a group in wide seating arrangements.
- Fast response time.
- Good gray uniformity.
- Decent SDR peak brightness.
- Poor viewing angles.
- Direct reflections may be distracting.
The Samsung RU8000 is great for playing video games. It has a quick response time that makes motion look clear in fast-paced games. Its input lag is also low, so gaming feels responsive. It also has extra gaming features like FreeSync VRR and Auto Low Latency Mode. Its high contrast ratio is great for gaming in the dark, but there's no local dimming to improve black levels.
- Fast response time.
- Low input lag.
- FreeSync VRR support.
- Poor viewing angles.
- No local dimming.
The Samsung RU8000 is okay for watching HDR movies. Its contrast ratio is fantastic, and it has excellent black uniformity, resulting in deep blacks. Unfortunately, though, it doesn't have local dimming to improve black levels. Despite having a wide color gamut, it can't deliver a satisfying HDR experience because it doesn't get bright enough to display HDR content as vividly as intended.
- Fantastic contrast ratio.
- Excellent black uniformity.
- Wide color gamut.
- Doesn't get bright enough to make HDR content pop.
- No local dimming.
- Some stutter with low frame rate content.
The Samsung RU8000 delivers a good HDR gaming experience. This is mostly due to its great gaming performance, particularly its low input lag, which stays low even in HDR, and quick response time. Its high contrast ratio produces deep blacks, but there's no local dimming to improve black levels. While it has a wide color gamut, the TV can't deliver a satisfying HDR experience because it doesn't get bright enough to make highlights in HDR pop as they should.
- Fantastic contrast ratio.
- FreeSync VRR support.
- Low input lag and fast response time.
- Doesn't get bright enough to make HDR content pop.
- No local dimming.
The Samsung RU8000 is good for use as a PC monitor. It has a fast response time, and its low input lag ensures a responsive desktop experience. Text looks crisp because it can display proper chroma 4:4:4. Since it's a VA panel, there's also no risk of permanent burn-in from static elements like a desktop interface. Unfortunately, it has narrow viewing angles, so the edges of the screen may look washed out when sitting up close.
- Fast response time.
- Low input lag.
- Displays proper chroma 4:4:4.
- Edges look washed out when sitting close.
- Direct reflections may be distracting.
Changelog
- Updated Feb 17, 2021: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
- Updated Jul 03, 2020: We have retested the input lag @120Hz in 1080p and 1440p with the latest firmware update (version 1356).
- Updated May 21, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Feb 21, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 55 inch RU8000 (UN55RU8000) version FA01, and we expect our results to be valid for the 65 inch RU8000 (UN65RU8000), the 75 inch RU8000 (UN75RU8000), and the 82 inch RU8000 (UN82RU8000). Most of our results should also be valid for the 49 inch RU8000 (UN49RU8000), but there are some differences that are noted below.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Samsung RU8000 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we'll update the review. Note that some tests, like gray uniformity, may vary between individual units.
| Size | US Model | EU Model | UK Model | Costco Variant | Refresh Rate | Notes |
| 49" | UN49RU8000FXZA | UE49RU8005UXXC | UE49RU8000TXXU | N/A | 60Hz | No FreeSync |
| 55" | UN55RU8000FXZA | UE55RU8005UXXC | UE55RU8000TXXU | UN55RU800DFXZA | 120Hz | |
| 65" | UN65RU8000FXZA | UE65RU8005UXXC | UE65RU8000TXXU | UN65RU800DFXZA | 120Hz | |
| 75" | UN75RU8000FXZA | N/A | N/A | UN75RU800DFXZA | 120Hz | |
| 82" | UN82RU8000FXZA | UE82RU8005UXXC | N/A | UN82RU800DFXZA | 120Hz |
The UN55RU8000 we tested was manufactured in February 2019.
Popular TV Comparisons
The Samsung RU8000 is a mid-range TV that performs decently overall. While it doesn't have local dimming like some of its competitors and there may be better TVs for the price, its impressive gaming performance and features like VRR support are welcome on a mid-range TV. For more options, see our recommendations for the best TVs, the best HDR gaming TVs, and the best smart TVs.
The Samsung TU8000 replaces the Samsung RU8000 in Samsung's 2020 lineup. They perform similarly, but despite being succeeded by the TU8000, the RU8000 has a slight edge. The TU8000 performs a touch better in dark rooms because it has a slightly higher contrast and better black uniformity, but the RU8000 has VRR support and a much faster response time, so it's much more suited to gaming and offers similar or better performance in other uses as well.
The Samsung RU9000 and the Samsung RU8000 are very similarly performing TVs. The biggest difference is that the RU9000 has slightly wider viewing angles, resulting in an image that looks a tad less washed out from the side, and its color gamut is a bit wider. Other differences are very minor and will likely be hard to notice.
The Samsung AU8000 and the Samsung RU8000 are very similar TVs, with some minor differences. The RU8000 has better contrast and black uniformity, so it’s a bit better for use in a dark room as blacks are a little deeper than on the AU8000. The RU8000 is also the better option for gaming, as it has VRR support, up to 1440p @ 120Hz, and a faster response time for less blur behind quick moving objects.
The Samsung RU8000 and the LG UM7300 use different panel technologies, each with advantages and disadvantages. The Samsung is better-suited for dark room viewing thanks to the high contrast ratio of its VA panel, and it has extra gaming features like VRR support. The Samsung also has a faster response time and delivers crisper motion. The LG, on the other hand, is better suited for a larger room with wide seating arrangements as the image remains accurate when viewed at an angle.
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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