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Samsung UE46F8000 review

 Review: May 2013  
 

Last updated November 2013

Rating: 5 stars

In a nutshell: The 46 inch Series 8 LED TV delivers superb picture and audio quality and outstanding Smart TV and is now fairly priced.



 

Review

The UE46F8000 is the 46 inch version of Samsung's Series 8 LED TV range for 2013. We've previously reviewed the 55 inch version and concluded that it was quite possibly the best LED television ever. Pretty much the same conclusion applies to the 46 inch version.

Design & looks

There's no doubt about it. The 2013 Series 8 LED TVs are jaw-droppingly beautiful.

Start with a huge 46 inch flat screen. Make it extraordinarily thin and airy. Give it an ultraslim bezel just millimetres thick around the edge so that it appears to float weightlessly. Create a curved stand that's practically a work of art itself, to enhance the graceful lines of the display. Use only brushed metal and premium materials. Finally, place an illuminated Samsung logo below the screen and a pop-up camera above. Stand back and admire the effect.

The F8000 scores an easy "ten" for appearance. If looks are everything to you, then go out and buy the TV right now.

Picture quality

Images on this screen look just as good as the way the TV looks when switched off.

Let's be honest. 46 inches is enough to blow most people away, whatever the picture quality is like. But conversely, any defects will show up to a much greater extent when you magnify them this big. Fortunately, there are virtually no defects to see.

First of all, there's no sign of any motion blur here, which can affect cheaper LED TVs. The TV has a Clear Motion Rate of 1000 which makes it as fast as many plasma TVs, and you'll find no problems watching fast action or sport. Gaming is nice and responsive too, provided you engage Game Mode when plugging in your Xbox or PS3.

For high-def and standard-def viewing, picture quality is close to faultless. Samsung's "Micro Dimming Ultimate" LED backlighting system provides good local control of backlighting, so there's little to no sign of any cloudiness, even in dark, moody scenes. The screen produces excellent contrast ratios, with very bright colours and nice, deep blacks.

Overall, the F8000 produces picture quality that is very close to that of plasma screens, but with the benefit of a much brighter display, ideal for daytime viewing.

3D

3D quality matches 2D. Samsung TVs use active shutter 3D, and two pairs of glasses are included in the sales package. Active 3D glasses are a little heavier than passive 3D glasses, but they have the benefit of fully reproducing 1080p high definition images without any loss of detail.

The F8000 produces very high quality 3D with no flicker and is highly recommended.

Audio quality

Unlikely so many slimline LED TVs, the audio quality from the Series 8 TVs is excellent. That's because the TV uses a substantially upgraded speaker system with separate subwoofers to deliver extra bass. The result is a marked improvement in bass, which is especially noticeable in any kind of movie or action sequence. The total power output is a substantial 40W RMS (4 x 10W).

While a 3D effect can be obtained from the stereo speakers, we'd still recommend adding a dedicated 5.1 or 7.1 home cinema speaker system if you really want to get the most out of your TV entertainment.

Smart TV

Although the F8000 excels at picture quality and audio, it's perhaps the new Smart TV features that have been grabbing most of the headlines for Samsung. The 2013 range of TVs includes a new Smart TV look and feel, making it very easy to use, especially with the touch-based remote control provided. A standard remote is also included for those who prefer the traditional style.

As well as giving the user interface a makeover, the functionality has been improved considerably by including a full range of catch-up TV services. This includes the BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport, ITV Player, the 4oD service from Channel 4, and Demand 5 from Channel 5. You'll also find apps for LoveFilm, Skype, Twitter and others.

The Smart TV interface has been incorporated into the heart of the TV, making these features very accessible. As well as the graphical touch-based remote control, the TV also supports voice recognition and gesture controls. A quad-core processor means that the graphically-intensive user interface flies along without any frustrating pauses.

The new "S Recommendation" system suggests programmes based on your viewing history. You may not ever need to scroll through listings again, as the system does its best to bring interesting programmes to your attention.

Social media are also fully integrated into the system, so you can keep up with your facebook and twitter feeds and watch your friends' videos.

Since Smart TV is evolving so rapidly, it's good to know that the TV includes a slot in the back where you can plug in a Smart Evolution kit to upgrade your TV in the future. This option will allow you to add new Smart TV functionality as it becomes available.

Connectivity

The F8000 hasn't let us down so far, and it's no surprise that it excels when it comes to connectivity too. The first thing to note is the increase from last year's 3 HDMI connections to 4 HDMI ports in this 2013 model. There are also 3 USBs for plugging in cameras, laptops, etc.

You can connect to the internet via an ethernet cable or the built-in Wi-Fi. You can stream photos, music and movies from DLNA-compatible devices such as a PC or smartphone. Samsung’s AllShare creates a wireless home network for you to enjoy content from all Samsung compatible devices. If you own a Samsung tablet or smartphone, then this is a good reason to choose a Samsung TV to go with them. Built-in Freeview HD and Freesat HD tuners are included too.

Conclusion - superb but very expensive

The 2013 Series 8 series of LED TVs is outstandingly good. The design is absolutely stunning, and 46 inches is a more practical option than the 55 inch model, although you'll still need a big space for it. The TV excels at both 2D and 3D picture quality and audio quality is exceptional too. When it comes to Smart TV, this is the best system we've seen, bringing superb ease-of use and a full range of services including catch-up TV.

There's always a price to be paid for excellence, and the RRP of £1,900 is too much for a 46 inch model, even one this good. However, the price has dropped substantially in recent months and you can now probably pick one up for more like £1,500. This price seems to us to be fair, and we've upgraded our rating to 5 stars from an intiial 4 stars.

The Series 7 offers nearly all of the features of the Series 8 but at a more reasonable price.


Samsung UE46F8000 features include:

User questions

Sorry - questions and comments on this page are now closed.

How is this model model ue46f8090 different from ue46f8000?

Asked by Isaac from Ghana on 20th Sep 2016
Help me find out the difference.

Can I upgrade it to the latest version using Evolution kit 3500u?

Asked by Isaac from Ghana on 20th Sep 2016
If yes then how do I do that?
Help me because I really need to do so.

How do I connect a DVD with scary lead to this FB there is no scary connector on the back?

Asked by Jian from Uk on 18th Sep 2016



Samsung UE46F8000 user reviews

Sorry - reviews and comments on this page are now closed.