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Samsung UE49KU6400 review

 Review: June 2016  
 

Rating: 5 stars

In a nutshell: The 49-inch Samsung KU6400 LED TV offers amazing value. It's an impressively-good television including all the must-have features of 2016 - 4K, HDR, catch-up TV from the BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, All 4 or My5, and streaming content from Amazon and Netflix. Picture quality can't be beaten at this price, and it's probably the best mid-range family TV of the year.



 

KU6400 - 2016's biggest-selling TV?

The KU6400 is positioned right in the middle of Samsung's ever-popular Series 6 TV range, and 48" - 55" is the most popular screen size for 2016, so the 49-inch KU6400 is about as mainstream as you can get. S21's prediction is that this TV will sell by the bucketload in 2016, and you should regard it as a very safe choice.

Design & looks

For a mid-range TV, the KU6400 looks good. With a narrow black and silver bezel surrounding the screen, a metallic bar across the lower edge, and a stylish and practical Calyx quad-stand, it will blend into any setting. The slim chassis with its textured rear finish looks good too, should you ever feel the need to stick your head around the back to take a look.

Picture quality

Just a couple of years ago, 40 inches was Britain's most popular TV size. Now, 50 inches is the sweet spot, so this 49-inch model is positioned right in the mainstream. In the shop, this TV probably won't look particularly large, but when you get it home you might be surprised just how big it is, if you're used to something smaller. No doubt you'll adjust to the new size fairly quickly, and this is really a very good size for family viewing.

Although most broadcast TV is still HD (and plenty of Freeview channels are still standard definition), 4K is definitely the way to go, especially for a screen this big. The KU6400 does a good job of upscaling 1080p content to 4K, so Freeview HD programmes and your Blu-Ray disks will look pretty sharp on this screen. Even high quality DVDs upscale well, but those standard-def Freeview channels are going to look a bit blurry on a screen this big. To get the best out of this TV you'll be signing up to Amazon 4K, Netflix 4K, or buying one of the new (and currently very expensive) UHD Blu-Ray players.

With high-quality source material, the KU6400 does an outstandingly good job for a mid-range model. The dynamic range is impressive, with deep blacks, bright highlights, a wide colour gamut, and impressive amounts of shadow detail. It's hard to think of another mid-range TV that can match it.

The KU6400 also supports the new High Dynamic Range (HDR) format, which means that it can read the extra information encoded with HDR source material.

Although this is a native 50Hz screen, Samsung's Auto Motion Plus system automatically optimises motion, giving smooth judder-free movement without looking over-processed or artificial. That makes this TV a good choice for sport or movies.

Many of Samsung's mid-range TVs have traditionally suffered from poor off-centre viewing. However, its 2016 range generally seems much better in this regard, and the KU6400 offers wide viewing, so even if you're perched on the edge of the sofa, contrast levels and colour saturation remain relatively high.

Overall, this is a hugely impressive performance, and the only thing missing is 3D support. That's because Samsung has removed 3D support from its entire television range for 2016.

Audio quality

The downside of modern flatscreen televisions is that there isn't a lot of depth to accommodate speakers. The 6400 has typical performance for a mid-range model, with stereo downfiring speakers, each with just 10W of power. Mid-range frequencies are reproduced well enough, so dialogue is clear, but there's a distinct lack of bass, resulting in a flatness during movies.

We'd thoroughly recommend a soundbar or some other kind of external speaker system if you want to enjoy this TV to the full.

Smart TV

Samsung has updated its Tizen-based Smart TV system again for 2016, making it arguably the best system on offer from the big four manufacturers. The system is very comprehensive and easy to use, whether you're browsing the Electronic Programme Guide (EPG), Catch-up TV, or one of the many apps available, including Netflix and Amazon Instant Video.

New for 2016, the Smart TV system includes access to cloud gaming, giving you a console-like experience directly from your TV.

The quad-core processor gives a fast response, and this really is a very comprehensive Smart TV system.

Connectivity

The Samsung KU6400 has 3 HDMI ports, one with Audio Return Channel (ARC) compatibility for connecting to a soundbar, 2 USBs, an optical audio output, a combined composite/component input, a CI+ 1.3 slot, and Anynet+ support. It also includes built-in Wi-Fi and ethernet, and supports screen mirroring from smartphones and tablets.

The only problem you might have is that there's no SCART connection, so if you have an old DVD player or Sky box, you'll need to upgrade it.

Conclusion - one of the star products of 2016

The Samsung UE49KU6400 looks set to be one of the biggest-selling televisions of 2016. It's a superb mid-range TV, with a combination of attractive design, big screen size, superb picture quality, and outstanding Smart TV functions. UHD and HDR support make it future-proof.

The 49-inch KU6400 launched at around £800 at the beginning of 2016, but is already selling for a lot less. The sheer number of retailers selling this model means that competition is fierce. Watch the price continue to fall as we get closer to Black Friday 2016 and Christmas, and grab yourself a bargain!

The Samsung KU6470 is almost identical to the KU6400, and is exclusive to Currys / PC World. The KU6470 has a different stand and a different remote control, with support for voice recognition, but the KU6400 offers better value.


Samsung UE49KU6400 features include:

User questions

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

How do you make movies fit full screen and not have black line at top and bottom?

Asked by Bridget Dorman from UK on 12th Dec 2017

How does the Samsung UE49KU6400 compare to the UE50MU6122??

Asked by Lia from Greece on 10th Nov 2017

How does this one compare to the UN50KU6000?

Asked by Gabriel from Argentina on 27th Aug 2017
The UN50KU6000 is cheaper than this model so I wanted to know why. Im trying to buy a tv with a limited budget but keeping in mind an extra sacrifice is worth as long as it is efficient.

See all 29 questions

Samsung UE49KU6400 user reviews

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