I seldom write about TVs. The last time I did was for a TV I had just bought. That is the case again this time around. I just got onboard with a smart TV, the 2018 Samsung 55-inch Ultra HD 4K Series 7 Smart TV, model UA55NU7100KXXS.
My last TV was a Samsung Series 5 LCD TV from 2009. It’s still working fine, by the way, and the lack of 4K isn’t a big deal since I typically don’t have 4K video sources. The problem with it is that the 40-inch size is getting a little too small for the small text and tiny details in Xbox games. I also wanted to be ready for Digital TV, in preparation for the possibility of abandoning my StarHub set-top box.
Although there are plenty of brands and models in the market, my TV search didn’t take very long. I have certain brand preferences (i.e. Samsung or Sony), a size in mind (55-inch thereabouts), 4K, some smart TV functions, and perhaps most importantly, guided by a budget of about $1300. There were only that few left to choose.
I was quite surprised to learn that curved TVs are nowadays priced very similarly to their older flat versions. I had to think for a while if I wanted to go with a curved screen. I ultimately decided to go for flat screen, seeing that curved screens more significantly impair the experience of viewers seated at non-optimal positions.
The UA55NU7100KXXS is a 2018 model Series 7 Smart TV. In the full line-up of Samsung Ultra HD 4K TVs, this is positioned at the most entry-level. Depending on what you need from your TV, the UA55NU7100KXXS can be more than good enough!
A relatively thin 1.4 cm bezel surrounds all edges of this 55-inch TV. It is propped up by a two fork stands set about 96 cm apart. The TV is relatively thin, particularly at the top edge, though it gets up to 5.7 cm at the thickest point. The frame seems to be almost all plastic. There is some flex on the back panel, but overall the TV feels reasonably solid.
Picture quality on the UA55NU7100KXXS looks to be quite decent. The LED backl-lit VA panel has good contrast and vibrant colours, quite easy to see in side-by-side comparisons with some other brands of 4K TVs.
The UA55NU7100KXXS supports three HDMI inputs and one component input. It also has two USB ports, one of which with 1 A current output to support attaching hard disk drives. It has a RF input with a built-in DVB-T2 digital tuner and analog tuner. Apart from a RJ45 Ethernet port, this TV also supports Wi-Fi networking. There is also an optical audio output.
For audio, the UA55NU7100KXXS has a built-in 2 channel 20 Watt stereo speaker. Like what you get from most TVs, the sound is good enough for casual TV entertainment, though you’d most likely want to invest in a proper audio system to truly enjoy movies.
Out of this box, this Smart TV comes with apps for Netflix, PrimeVideo, and Toggle amongst others. It’s easy to navigate around the interface. Some Smart TVs are extremely slow and unresponsive. The experience on this TV, fortunately, is quite pleasant.
I’m also very happy with Miracast directly supported on the TV. This enables my Android smartphones to “cast” content to the TV for viewing, or even allow a Windows 10 PC to mirror or extend its display to the TV. This is very convenient when your PC is already playing media and you just want it put up on the big screen to share with more people.
In the box, the UA55NU7100KXXS comes with a remote control, power cord, and cable adapters for component input (including audio).
This Samsung 55-inch Ultra HD 4K Series 7 Smart TV modem UA55NU7100KXXS is listed for S$1499 at Courts, and includes a S$100 Choice voucher, effectively bringing the price down to S$1399. The actual selling price can go lower.
This NU7100 Series 7 4K Smart TV is also available in 43-inch, 49-inch, 65-inch and 75-inch sizes.
View Comment Policy