The Samsung TU8300 is a decent TV for most uses that performs very similarly to the Samsung TU8000 but features a curved screen. Unlike previous years, this is Samsung's only curved TV for 2020. Like most VA panel TVs, it has an excellent contrast ratio and great black uniformity, though unfortunately, it lacks a local dimming feature to help further improve blacks. It has outstandingly low input lag, but unfortunately, it doesn't support variable refresh rates and only has a 60Hz panel. Overall, while it doesn't perform much better than the 2019 Samsung RU7300 or the 2020 Samsung TU8000, it's a decent choice if you're looking for a curved 4k TV.
Our Verdict
The Samsung TU8300 is a decent TV for mixed usage. Its excellent contrast and great black uniformity make it an alright TV for watching movies. Its okay peak brightness helps it overcome glare while watching TV during the day. While it's good for video games thanks to its incredibly low input lag, unfortunately, its mediocre response time means there's some motion blur with fast-moving content. Finally, fans of HDR content will likely be disappointed by its low HDR peak brightness and lack of a wide color gamut.
- Incredibly low input lag.
- Excellent dark room performance.
- Disappointing HDR performance.
- Can't get very bright.
The Samsung TU8300 is an okay TV for watching movies. It has deep and uniform blacks thanks in part to its outstanding contrast ratio, but unfortunately, it lacks a local dimming feature to further deepen any blacks. Gray uniformity is also only decent, and you may notice some dirty screen effect during panning shots.
- Excellent contrast ratio.
- Only decent gray uniformity.
- No local dimming.
The Samsung TU8300 is decent for TV shows. It does an excellent job at upscaling lower resolution content from a cable box, but unfortunately, it can't quite get bright enough to overcome glare in very well-lit rooms. Like with most VA panel TVs, it has poor viewing angles, which can be an issue if you like to watch TV while doing chores around the room.
- Satisfactory reflection handling.
- Upscales HD content well.
- Only decent gray uniformity.
- Poor viewing angles.
The Samsung TU8300 is a satisfactory TV for watching sports. It does a decent job at handling reflections but unfortunately, its low response time and 60Hz panel mean that it isn't the best at handling motion. It also doesn't have very wide viewing angles, which could be an issue if you like to watch the game with a large group of people.
- Satisfactory reflection handling.
- Curved screen may help viewing angles.
- Only mediocre response time.
- Can't get very bright.
- Poor viewing angles.
The Samsung TU8300 is a good TV for video games. Like with most recent Samsung TVs, it has incredibly low input lag, and its Black Frame Insertion feature helps with motion handling. Unfortunately, the response time is only mediocre, and it doesn't support any variable refresh rate technologies.
- Incredibly low input lag.
- Excellent contrast ratio.
- Upscales HD content well.
- Support black frame insertion.
- Low HDR peak brightness.
- Only mediocre response time.
- Doesn't support any variable refresh rate technologies.
The Samsung TU8300 is only adequate for watching HDR movies. While its outstanding contrast helps movies look good in a dark room, it doesn't have a local dimming feature to further deepen blacks. Its HDR peak brightness is very low, and it doesn't support a wide color gamut, so HDR content won't look the way the creator intended.
- Excellent contrast ratio.
- Doesn't support a wide color gamut.
- Low HDR peak brightness.
- No local dimming.
The Samsung TU8300 is decent for HDR gaming. It has an excellent contrast, and very low input lag with HDR content, but unfortunately, the response time is only mediocre. HDR content also doesn't pop the way it should, due to its low peak brightness and lack of a wide color gamut.
- Incredibly low input lag.
- Supports 4k @ 60Hz + 10 bit HDR.
- Doesn't support a wide color gamut.
- Only mediocre response time.
The Samsung TU8300 is a decent TV to use as a PC monitor. It supports 4:4:4 chroma, and has incredibly low input lag. On the downside, its disappointing viewing angles means that the image looks washed out on the sides, especially if you try using a large screen up close as a monitor, though the curved screen should help with this slightly.
- Incredibly low input lag.
- Supports 4:4:4 chroma.
- Curved screen may help viewing angles.
- Only mediocre response time.
- Poor viewing angles.
- Doesn't support any variable refresh rate technologies.
Changelog
- Updated Jul 29, 2021: Added the real content local dimming videos.
- Updated Mar 01, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.6.
- Updated Sep 29, 2020: Listed Auto-Calibration Function as 'Undetermined'.
- Updated Sep 21, 2020: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 55 inch model (UN55TU8300FXZA) and we expect our results to be valid for the other models, which are listed below. At the time of writing, it doesn't appear that the TU8300 is available in the UK, though Samsung does have a support page for it, indicating it may be coming soon. If you see a UK model, please let us know in the discussions.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Samsung TU8300 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we'll update the review. Note that some tests such as the gray uniformity may vary between individual units.
| Size | US Model | Canada Model | UK Model | Warehouse Model | Notes |
| 55" | UN55TU8300FXZA | UN55TU8300FXZC | - | - | |
| 65" | UN65TU8300FXZA | UN65TU8300FXZC | - | - |
Our unit was manufactured in July 2020 and you can see the label here.
Popular TV Comparisons
The Samsung TU8300 is Samsung's only curved TV for 2020 and performs very similarly to the 2019 Samsung RU7300. It's meant to be seen as a curved version of the Samsung TU8000 but actually performs slightly worse due to its lower contrast ratio, though this may vary between units. While it only performs decently for most uses, it's one of the only curved TVs still available on the market, so if you prefer having a curved screen, you don't have many options. If you'd rather a regular flat screen to give yourself more choice, check out our recommendations for the best budget TVs, the best TVs under $1000, and the overall best TVs.
The Samsung TU8000 is a marginally better TV than the Samsung TU8300. That said, the TU8300 is the curved version of the TU8000, so they perform very similarly overall with some minor differences. The TU8000 has a higher contrast ratio, more uniform blacks, and more accurate colors out-of-the-box. The TU8300, on the other hand, can get brighter, has better gray uniformity, and significantly better gradient handling.
The Samsung Q60T is a better TV than the Samsung TU8300. The Q60T has better contrast, can get much brighter, has much better black uniformity, and much more accurate colors out of the box. On the other hand, the TU8300 has a curved screen, which some people may prefer.
The LG CX OLED is a significantly better TV than the Samsung TU8300. Due to its OLED panel, the LG has perfect blacks, providing a much better movie-watching experience in dark rooms. It also can get quite a bit brighter with HDR content, making it a much better choice if you watch a lot of movies or game in HDR. The LG also has much better black and gray uniformity, and way better viewing angles as well. On the other hand, the Samsung has a curved screen, which some people may prefer. The Samsung also uses an LCD panel, which doesn't run the risk of permanent burn-in like with OLEDs, though we don't expect this to be an issue for most people who watch varied content.
The Samsung TU8300 and the TCL S525 are very similar performing TVs, but the Samsung features a curved screen. Aside from the curved screen, the Samsung has much better gray uniformity, lower input lag, can get marginally brighter, and has better built-in speakers. On the other hand, the TCL has more accurate colors out of the box, a much wider color gamut, and better overall motion handling.
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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