Samsung AU8000 TV Review – Updated 11 Dec 2024

Upon receiving the Samsung AU8000 TV I was quite eager to figure out how it performed vis-a-vis its counterparts of the same class. After using it professionally as my main TV for several weeks, I now feel prepared to express my opinion as it should be. From picture and sound quality to smart features and connectivity, I’ve tested all the promises of Samsung that they would deliver with the SAMSUNG 65-Inch TV in reality. Anyway, whether you are a movie lover, a gamer, or just in search of a good quality television for regular use, in this review you will understand whether it is worth buying an AU8000 TV for your home.

Design and Aesthetics

To my delight, the Samsung AU8000 TV wasn’t a disappointment in its premium aesthetics, in particular for a starter model. Once the box is opened it is already a sleek modern looking device. Rather than being stuck with conventional bulky model stands which many TVs have, this model has new stumps as compared to the 2020 Samsung TU8000. These feet take a seat comfortably on the surface of the edges of the foot of the TV making it sit tightly and less distracting. The borders around the screen’s display area are significantly smaller which enhances the appearance of the screen to being larger than it really is which augurs well with the aesthetics of any household.

The stand out feature is the stand, which is very unique in its construction. An additional two plastic feet are also provided which are able to bear the weight of the TV securely. It is possible to change the height of the stand depending on the specifications that you are after. People who have a soundbar will be able to position the TV around 3.08 inches, with the soundbar resting in front and out of the window screen. Instead, the TV can be set lower down to 1.78 inches, which is rather nearer to the table for a more elegant style. As ceiling the footprint dimensions of this furniture size stand for the 55-inch 42.6 inches x 11.1 inches takes care of most of the furniture without occupying much space.

A wall mount is ideal for someone who wants something cleaner since the TV can embrace a VESA 400×300 mount for wall hanging. But the back does carry skilled horizontal cut-ins like other Samsung variants, and hurting cables is not considered as one of the strengths. The feet and the grid on the TV refugee allow for some sort of lesson obscuring factors attachments, display ports access is less convenient if the set is being placed into a position where it is attached to the wall. The ports are hidden behind a cutout and there is a short distance from There are many features that can be improved upon, and as such, I suggest using a mounting frame that extends forward for better grip access to the devices.

That is, shooting for the wall maximizes the aesthetics of the thin bezels of the TVs thanks to the fact that the borderline measures 0.35 it shudders, therefore achieving a clean look while maximizing the screen space. The thinnest profile maximally does not exceed the region of 1.22 ubw inc therefore with mounting on the wall it fits closely just fortifying its modern look.

Generally speaking, the design and look of Samsung TV is remarkable. This sleek design coupled with practical features such as adjustable shoe feet and thin bezel would complement any house well. It doesn’t matter if it’s placed on the stand or hung on the wall, this TV combines both form and function at ease.

Materials and Build Quality

Speaking of the Samsung AU8000 TV build quality, it is rather decent in this category of the television set, especially considering that this is an entry-level model. I noticed that this is shaped from hard plastic, which is solid, sturdy and gives good durability than Samsung CU8000 TV. This whole thing is well made and I did not have any troublesome matters concerning it in my entire duration of usage. That is why this is a good option for people who want a cheap Television without compromising much on the quality.

One thing here is the back panel you would start off with. While the framing is what most would consider stable, the rear does bend at the middle and near the input ports. There is a risk of this kind of bending when plugging in the HDMI cables or when making adjustments. But this is something that is found in many other TV’s though it’s more pronounced in this category of TV’s. That said it should be made clear that this little bit of flexing will not deter performance or functionality of the TV made.

The ports are also wisely placed so as to ensure that the devices that will be hooked up can easily be connected and rested on the table. Even if the back panel of this Samsung TV does bend, it does not cause any great misconvenience whenever using the TV. This device is made for normal wear and tear, and the materials are strong enough to take normal use.

When it comes to durability and functionality, the Samsung TV build quality has the best of both worlds. Still, there is a slight amount of flex in the back panel as well. For a budget model this is a well-built TV and offers good money for value so it can be recommended to anyone who wants to enhance the way they watch TV.

Picture Quality

While using and paying attention to the picture quality of this Samsung AU8000 TV 65, I recently discovered the following information.

TV supports 4,050:1 contrast ratio, which on paper is very captivating. In actual fact, the contrast here is good. However, lacking a local dimming feature, the blacks are not deep enough. This means that in dark scenes, the blacks could have a raised or washed out appearance if bright highlights are present.

On the downside, quite a number of users do not like the lack of local dimming. Because the backlight is always set at a constant level, there is no blooming of bright objects in the dark. Such backlighting frequently causes dark scene content to be spoiled too since there is no zone dimming and hence maintains a valve tan without room for brightness enhancement.

This backlight system is in use to avoid bulking up of the TV. Because the backlight is edge illuminated, it helps to make the TV thin. However as there is no local dimming, this configuration adversely affects the overall picture quality particularly on high contrast pictures. If you want high picture quality 4k TV, so i recommend to check VIZIO VFD40M-08 or VIZIO M50QXM-K01 M-Series.

Change in HDR performance is another thing this Samsung smart TV hands wish. The available HDR brightness is inadequate for HDR content viewing. Bright parts of dark images have been brought down quite significantly thus killing the picture quality. The calibrated settings of HDR white point in Movie mode gave maximum brightness and contrast which are expected, but there was quite a drop in HDR performance after switching to Game mode.

Overall, even with these limitations that are apparent in the TV, it has a proper PQ EOTF tracking meaning most HDR content are rendered at appropriate brightness levels. However, there is no local dimming feature and so the near-blacks are not too high up the range but they are raised, and mid-tones are a little higher than they ought to be. The gradual fall off around the peak brightness does prevent loss of very small details in very bright pictures which is good.

Even in the semi-gloss screen finishing, reflections can be controlled to an extent without making it overly glossy. It copes well with mid-range light sources and is better than most low-end TV systems with regards to intense light sources but still has quite a way to go in extremely bright environments. To sum up, the handling of reflection is quite impressive in relation to the general picture quality of this Samsung AU8000 TV.

The TV is designed with a BGR subpixel arrangement which assists the consumers in words but may not be a good idea if the screen is used as a computer monitor. This is a darker feature with blue pixels which tends to be present only in full white screens and hence may be worth it if clear text is a priority.

It’s got a MVA type VA Panel, in short the Samsung TU8000 tv. As for VA panels, most people agree that they’ve good colors and contrast ratios during regular viewing but these panels are weak, even stronger than most IPS generally in terms of narrow color viewing angles and move speeds. In this case, the panel does what it is supposed to do, even though some dither is visible in the end, but picture quality is good.

Picture quality of this television is also bad. Yes native contrast ratios and HDR tracking are commendable but it’s not as effective as they could be due to the absence of local dimming and low HDR brightness. Reflection is handled well for a basic model, and the panel performs adequately for day to day viewing use but for those who want really deep blacks and stunning HDR then this particular model might not be the one for you. Good general use but if you are critical of picture quality you will be better off searching elsewhere.

Sound Quality

The most important aspect of the Samsung AU8000 TV is how its audio system performs, so I decided to listen critically and offer some of my insights on the sound.

From 119.87 Hz, the highest frequency response that the TV can reproduce can be described as fairly standard, but disappointing for those who listen on professional audio systems. Low-end frequencies may seem a little weak if you have a habit of watching action movies and listening to high bass music. It implies that out of punches, the sound as a whole will be very flat.

Within normal listening levels, the performance of the TV is fair like TCL Class S4 4K LED Smart TV. The sound earth particle sound pressure level far as they are fresh when most of the internal structure gears are hidden goes down to 86.1 dB SPL. However when you continuously increase the volume to the maximum, the sound quality begins to suffer. The level of dynamic range compression is recorded at 4.70 dB. This means that as the audio gets louder, the TV applies which not only maintains some level of sane conversation, but also adds more levels into the system. This is a positive step as far as sound quality is concerned; however attention should be drawn on the fact that some degree of musicality is restrained which makes certain loud scenes less enjoyable.

Going by the official specs, you would think that this Samsung AU8000 TV 65 has a great handle on distortion. The data shows that, even in everyday use at 80% volume, the Weighted Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) would be pretty low, at 0.480%. Though in normal use of everyday topics and settings, volume’s ability is clearly letting everybody down. When it is driven to maximum volume, THD goes out of control to give 1.245% and this is when distortion sets in. An Intermodulation Distortion (IMD) is present at 7.30% proportion when the volume is at 80% but steadily increases to 18.15% IMD when the volume is turned to the maximum. These higher distortion figures brought forth at the maximum kind of volume may actually cause the remaining power and dynamics to be sorely grungy or sharpic which will decrease the enjoyment levels.

However, this is one area where this Samsung 4k smart TV stands out quite a bit, more so when watched at medium levels. The sound balance is reasonable with dialogue being audible along with good midrange frequencies. Unfortunately, the omission of healthy bass and the relatively low number of any compression artifacts means that the sound is less full or engaging than it should be. For normal activities like watching television series or light hearted motion pictures, the sound is ok. Those who like deep rich audio might find the worth of the television a bit low.

The audio of this TV is acceptable just for ordinary uses, but there are also some issues. For instance, the bass frequency response may not be adequate for some users, and higher volume leads to distortion. It would be unfair to criticize the performance of the audio in the mid-range volumes as it compliments the TV quite well with appropriate deep and high frequencies. However, it has hard time reproducing sound effectively when pushed to ‘loud’ and ‘very loud’ levels. The sound is not a top priority for you, then in that case you will need to either purchase a bar or attach speakers to the TV. If you wish for the sound for normal purposes, the idio-pectic genre will work fine without too much trouble.

Smart Features

­The operating systems used on the Samsung 65 inches 4k smart tv AU8000 are the Tizen OS version 2021. This is an updated version of the 2020 Samsung TU8000 model, which improved menu responsiveness and accuracy. The structure of the interface is simple making it easy for the user to locate whatever it is that they are searching for without any logistical hitches. However, it is necessary to mention that this version lacks some capabilities with respect to the flagship models, i.e. Samsung Q80/Q80A QLED. For example, there is no Multi View feature in which you can watch more than one source simultaneously on the screen.

Smart features on this TV are also easy to work with. The general level of simplicity is very satisfactory looking at how very smooth the interface is like Roku Pro Series QLED TV and Roku Select Series 4K TV. The process of scrolling through the menus, transforming from one application to another or even changing the settings is done pretty much without any second’s delay. For example, it takes about five hundred to two seconds for someone to select YouTube; and when someone switches the backlight setting to bright, it takes roughly five seconds to change. Such quick response times increases the user’s satisfaction regarding the TV and makes the TV responsive and efficient.

A few, but HI, the thing that stalks you is that it comes with an amazing app selection. There is a multitude of applications found in Bixby Smart TV, which includes all the leading streaming services like, Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime video and Disney plus. Whether it is movies, shows, games or sports, you will have the necessary applications at your disposal. Regardless, the excellent app selection, the performance of the apps leaves a lot to be desired. Most of the apps are running okay, although from time to time, some minor glitches will occur like hanging for a few seconds or taking more time than usual to load especially with heavy applications.

The Samsung AU8000 TV also includes a newly designed remote control. The remote has integrated shortcuts on the remote to many streaming services making it a quick affair, utilizing the favorite applications. The remote has to be changed using disposable batteries which have their disadvantages unlike rechargeable ones. Voice control is good as it supports Bixby, Alexa and Google assistants. These help you change settings, switch inputs and change playback modes. There are few things about the voice control; for instance, even with such a wonderful feature, you cannot search for anything over an app with your voice.

One common complaint about the smart features is the presence of ads on the home page and within the app store. Unfortunately, there are no ways to opt out of such ads, which are usually unwanted and can sometimes ruin the whole experience. Moreover, including them on the home page as well as suggesting the content from viewed habits is an added oppression to the viewers, which a good number of them find useful while some are devastated by being unable to prevent such features. It’s usually preferred to get rid of the added suggestions which convolute the interface.

The AU8000 is also cast-capable, giving the freedom of making the users stream from the smartphones and other devices. The TV plays on USB drives including HDR contents, so you do not have to only watch boring TV babbling without pictures or slides. The same goes for HDR where the TV does not disappoint as it handles HDR in the applications such as Netflix and Youtube with some smooth streaming of compatible contents.

The Samsung AU8000’s smart functionalities sure enough provide a coherent and comfortable usage experience. The latest version of the Tizen OS enables you to navigate through the menus easily and gives you many applications that are convenient in enjoying your preferred content. The voice control options are impressive, and the remote control works well and has some useful shortcut keys. For example, some content has ads that are annoying and force you to see the ads even if you don’t want to. Also, although there are many applications, the performance of those average applications is not that great for advanced users. If you are considering a TV which you can easily operate and which has a good number of smart functions, then AU8000 must be a very good choice. If you are more concerned about an ad-free environment and best quality application performance, then consider different options available in the market.

Connectivity and Usability

The Samsung AU8000 TV is a complete device to process various HDR formats as it supports HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG. As a result of this, a user can take in, a bit, more high dynamic range content that is rich in colors and better in contrast. However, it does not support Dolby Vision, which happens to be a common format for HDR content, and it is also offered through several streaming services and some Blu-ray discs. If you value having Dolby Vision, this may be a drawback. Nevertheless, HDR10’s and HDR10+’s availability means that the great majority of all HDR materials presently available will be supported.

In terms of connectivity, the AU8000 has three HDMI 2.0 ports and these 3 HDMI ports have full bandwidth. These ports provide high-quality video output and can be used for gaming consoles, Blu-ray players and any streaming devices. Although it doesn’t have an HDMI 2.1 slot, it still enables eARC (enhanced Audio Return Channel). This will enable you to deliver uncompressed audio, utilizing one HDMI cable for passing through the receiver that supports Dolby Atmos via TrueHD. Besides that, it also supports DTS 5.1 through ARC, which is beneficial for the most common home theater configurations. Although for DTS advanced formats over eARC is unsupported and optical outAudio does not support also these formats.

Compared to its predecessor, the Samsung TU8000, the Samsung AU8000 TV includes no component and composite inputs. This means if you have older devices like retro video game consoles or older DVD players, you will require an external HDMI adapter to connect them. This may be a moderate annoyance to those people who still have their old devices but this is a common trend since the companies now are providing new connectivity features.

The AU8000 has two USB 2.0 ports which are handy for the purpose of playing video and playing media from a USB pen drive. Media content playback including HDR via USB drive is normally supported so that one can watch high definition media contents without the use of special media players while USB ports are usually employed. But it does not have USB 3.0 ports, which means that the users have to use slower data speed than what newer standards have offered. For most users, this is not a critical problem, but it’s important if you do a lot of large file transfers.

Connection is good as there is Wi-Fi (2.4GHz and 5GHz) and an Ethernet port. It guarantees a good and steady internet connection whether one opts for wireless connections or wires. Reliable network connectivity is very important for uninterrupted streaming of HD contents and the AU8000 does it successfully.

With regards to audio output, the TV features one digital optical audio out port and no 3.5mm or RCA audio output ports. It would be adequate for connecting to soundbars or other such audio systems through an optical port. However, those who have older equipment may find it a disadvantage with no proper support for these kinds of outputs.

This Samsung 4k tv also impresses with control and integration capabilities. The device is also CEC compatible, which makes the management of attached devices more efficient. That is, one remote control can be used to operate several devices controlling the normal setting of the listening and viewing devices. Furthermore, the TV works flawlessly with Samsung SmartThings Application to operate other smart devices in the household from the TV itself. The use of this is a great plus to the entire function of the smart home setup.

Connecting everything that works with the Samsung AU8000 TV is relatively easy to do, thanks to the logical layout of the menus and the responsive interface. The Smart OS Tizen makes the process of connecting and operating a device easy. When it comes to connecting a streaming device, gaming console, or sound system this is quick and easy. The TV also has cast capability meaning that content can be played from a mobile device or other supporting devices with minimal effort.

Along with the AU8000, a new remote has been introduced that serves its intended purpose and even surpasses expectations on the easy-to-use front. You can instantly access your most used applications via the excellent shortcut buttons provided for your most used streaming services. This remote uses regular batteries, which is certainly a disadvantage in this day and age as rechargeable battery options are available, but nevertheless quite adequate for most users. The highlight of the remote control is the voice recognition capability, which uses Bixby, Alexa, or Google Assitant. You can do a variety of tasks including soothing the settings, switching the sources, and controlling the playback functions by just using your voice commands, making it even more delightful to watch anything on screen.

Final Verdict 

After spending a good amount of time testing the Samsung AU8000 65-Inch TV, I can confidently say it’s a solid entry-level 4K TV that delivers impressive performance for its price point. The Crystal Processor 4K does a great job upscaling non-4K content, making everything look sharp and clear. Watching native 4K content, especially with HDR10+, provided vibrant colors and good contrast, though the Edge LED backlighting does show some limitations with deep blacks in darker scenes.

Motion handling is decent with the Motion Xcelerator, but with its 60Hz refresh rate, this TV isn’t designed for hardcore gamers. That said, the Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) ensures a smooth and responsive experience for casual gaming, even though the absence of HDMI 2.1 is noticeable if you’re using the latest gaming consoles.

In terms of smart features, the Tizen OS is one of the best smart platforms I’ve used—smooth, intuitive, and packed with all major apps like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, and more. Voice control through Alexa, Google Assistant, and Bixby is a great touch, and the response was quick and reliable during my testing.

The audio, while not groundbreaking, is decent enough for casual viewing. The 20W speakers with Dolby Digital Plus produce clear sound, but for a more immersive experience, I’d recommend pairing the TV with a soundbar or external speakers.

The design is sleek and minimalist, with slim bezels that blend well into any modern setup. It’s easy to mount, and the wide viewing angles make it ideal for larger rooms, but don’t expect the same level of contrast or brightness you’d get from higher-end models like OLED or QLED TVs.

Our Opinion

The Samsung AU8000 TV is a great choice for those looking for a budget-friendly 4K TV with strong smart features and solid picture quality. It excels in day-to-day viewing, streaming, and casual gaming, but it does have some compromises when it comes to motion handling and black levels. If you’re seeking an affordable, large-screen 4K TV for general use, this is a fantastic option. However, if you’re a gaming enthusiast or want the absolute best in picture quality, you might want to consider higher-end alternatives.