Samsung Galaxy Note 6 will have USB Type-C connector, rumor says

At this point Samsung is just a few months away from unveiling the Galaxy Note 6, so understandably the number of rumors regarding it is starting to rise.

The latest mumbling says in no uncertain terms that the successor to the Note5 will have a USB Type-C port, which will thus make its first ever appearance in the Korean company's portfolio. It will replace the ever-prevalent microUSB connector. What isn't as clear is which standard Samsung will use alongside the port itself - USB 3.1 or an older one.

Anyway, if Samsung wants to continue its VR push (and there's no reason not to), then it will also have to release a new Gear VR headset alongside the Note 6. That's because the current Gear VR connects to your Samsung phone via microUSB. The new Type-C connector in the Note 6 will therefore require an updated headset.

So far we've heard that the Galaxy Note 6 will have a 5.8-inch QHD Super AMOLED touchscreen (which might be curved), 6GB of RAM, Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon 823 SoC running things, the 12 MP rear camera from the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge (though improved somewhat), and a 4,000 mAh battery. It will be water and dust resistant.

Source

First Samsung Galaxy Note 5 rumors hint at crazy 2K or 4K screen

Now that Samsung's Galaxy S6 is out of the gate, the Internet's attention is gravitating towards Samsung's bigger flagship: the Galaxy Note 5. Samsung typically busts out the new Note in September at IFA, but the very first rumors about the phablet are already out, and we expect to see a whole lot more of them ahead of its launch.
Here's what we know so far.

Same jumbo screen with 2K or 4K clarity

Samsung's screens are known for being very bright, colorful, and bold. The Galaxy S6 upped the ante with a super high resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels, which is typically referred to as a 2K screen. SamMobile suggests that the Galaxy Note 5 may also have a 2K resolution, but Samsung could also bump the screen up to 4K.
Related: Read our Samsung Galaxy S6 review
If Samsung gives the Note 5 a 4K screen, it would be one of the very first smartphones with that kind of resolution. Of course, the higher the resolution, the more energy the screen will suck from the battery, which is something that typically upsets users. The screen will be Super AMOLED, as usual, and is likely to be the same size as the Note 4's 5.7-inch screen.
Samsung is also expected to reboot the Galaxy Note Edge when it introduces the Note 5. The curved screen is rumored to measure 5.4 or 5.5-inches, and sport two edges. It's unclear whether the edges will be substantial and useable like they were on the first variant, or if they'll be pretty, but useless, like those on the Galaxy S6 Edge.

The processor may be Exynos, Snapdragon, or both

Samsung is currently testing a variety of processors, SamMobile's source says, so it's unclear which chip the company will decide to use in the end. Reports peg Qualcomm's Snapdragon 808 as the chip that may power the Note Edge 2, but there are two Samsung Exynos processors in consideration, too.
TheExynos 7422 may power the Note 5, and if it does, it will offer an all-in-one solution (ePoP), which combines the CPU, GPU, RAM, storage, and modem on one chip. Another alternative is the Exynos 7430, but it sounds as though that processor isn't ready for use in a mainstream device just yet.

Camera possibilities and more

The Note 5's camera and other specs remain in shadow, but the Edge 2 may have a 16-megapixel back camera with OIS and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. Of course, these are early spec reports, so it's possible that the cameras will be entirely different. Another weird spec possibility is offering a Note Edge 2 model with just 16GB of internal storage, which seems unlikely to be true.

Samsung Galaxy A3 review

 

 

Following the sleek, high-priced Galaxy Alpha, Samsung offers a brace of similar, but considerably cheaper handsets with the Galaxy A3 and A5. The A3 costs less than half the price, but do the compromises made on the make it still too expensive?
Like the Alpha, the Samsung Galaxy A3 has a slimline metal body, measuring just a sliver under 7mm and weighing in at a feathery 115g. The slimness is a little bit of a cheat however, since the camera lens protrudes at the back. There are slots in the side for a nano SIM and, unlike the Alpha, a microSD card too (up to 64GB to add to the 16GB on board) but there's no option to get to the battery, since the back is fixed.

Screen & Chassis

The 4.5-inch Super AMOLED display may have dropped the resolution to a sub-HD 960x540 pixels (245ppi) but it still looks impressively vibrant and the loss of detail isn't glaring. For this size of screen it's a perfectly fine compromise.

 Software & Processor

The A3 is running Android 4.4.4 KitKat with the usual Samsung TouchWiz interface and extras, while the quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz and backed by just 1.5GB RAM is a serious step down from the Alpha. Our AnTuTu benchmark test gave it a result of 21,529 -- a little more than half the pricier phone's score. In practise however, the difference was less pronounced, since it's a generally nippy little mover as long as you don't overload it with apps. If you do, you'll start to notice some slow down and delay. Nothing to worry too much about, and it may well be a compromise worth making for the serious drop in price.

Conclusion

For those charmed by the style and specifications of the Samsung Galaxy Alpha, the Galaxy A3 is a mostly successful attempt to give you the best bits on a budget. The screen isn't quite as detailed, the processor isn't quite as powerful, and the main camera isn't quite as good (though the front-facing one is better). But it's a great-looking, pocket-friendly device with a well-executed component set that justifies its mid-range price.

Samsung Galaxy S6 vs. HTC One M9

The last two generations of HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S were separated by the looks versus practicality debate. Samsung's revamped design erodes this difference, while HTC stepped up its camera game.

HTC once ruled the Android world, but has since been supplanted by Samsung. Still, last year the companies' trajectories were reversing once again - Samsung's streak of record profits ended, as did HTC's streak of quarters in the red.
This lit a fire under Samsung to change the foundations of its design. The new slender body of metal and glass is a big step forward from the Galaxy S5. It wasn't a sudden reboot though, Samsung iterated the design first with the Galaxy Alpha then with the Galaxy Note 4 to make sure the Galaxy S6 comes out great.
Now HTC is the one stuck in a design rut, the HTC One M9 is a second rehash of the original HTC One design. Some (HTC designers and fans alike) will claim you can't improve on perfection. Looks aside, the One M9 misses out on some trendy hardware as well - QHD screen, fingerprint reader, wireless charging.
HTC did make the jump to 2160p video capture and even overtook Samsung in still resolution with a 20.7MP sensor. We'll have to see if that's enough.
To warm things up here's the blow-by-blow of the "specs on paper" round.

Samsung Galaxy S6 over One M9

• Bigger screen diagonal: 5.1-inch vs. 5.0-inch screen
• Higher resolution screen - 1,440 x 2,560 vs. 1,080 x 1,920px
• Optical image stabilization for the camera
• PayPal-certified fingerprint scanner
• Thinner and lighter - 6.8mm and 138g vs. 9.6mm and 157g
• Heart rate and blood-oxygen (SpO2) sensors), barometer
• Wireless charging (market dependent)
• 5MP selfie with QHD video vs. 4MP/1080p selfie camera 

Samsung will not have any issues in presenting the Galaxy S6 as a brand new, much improved device. The design is new, the screen is QHD, the camera has optical image stabilization, the fingerprint scanner is an improved design and so on. That said, it's making a bet that the majority of consumers don't care about expandable storage and removable batteries.
HTC ad star Robert Downey Jr. will have more explaining to do. The design is the same, the screen is the same, there's no fingerprint scanner, the stereo loudspeakers are an old perk and so on. The PR team can crow about the high-resolution camera with 2160p video. The old UltraPixel isn't dead, it's now serving selfie duties - great for low-light shots from a night out.

Samsung Galaxy S6 and the HTC One M9 getting ready for a fight
Of course, both phones are built around new and powerful chipsets. Samsung went its own way to leverage its manufacturing advantage - while the basic design isn't too different, the 14nm process keeps the chipset running cool. Snapdragon 810 on the other hand has had difficulties keeping cool, which reduces its performance potential.
With all that HTC can still claim to have the more premium design and the better loudspeakers, while Samsung will point to the thinner, lighter chassis and sharper screen. Consider this a preview of what's on the next page, the hardware comparison.
Update, April 3: we wrote this article using a pre-release Galaxy S6, but we received a retail unit and re-ran all the tests. The pages have been updated to reflect that - battery life and benchmarks improved, while the camera, display, audio quality and loudspeaker are

Charge test: Battle of the fast chargers

Smartphone batteries piggybacked on the growing screen size to go up in capacity to support both the screen and faster chipsets. Slower to deplete, the new batteries also proved slower to charge so manufacturers tackled the issue with new standards.
USB 2.0, the most popular charger at the moment typically puts out 500mA. Gradually manufacturers started bundling more powerful chargers, going over 2A in some cases. USB 3.0 offers a bit more power than the older standard, but its wide adoption in smartphones is not happening anytime soon.
Both manufacturers and chipset makers were not content with this and developed their own standards. We'll be testing solutions from Qualcomm, Oppo, Samsung and Intel (the last two seem to use Qualcomm's tech). We also have two iPhones in the mix even though Apple doesn't have an official fast charge solution.



There's a common standard on the horizon too - while USB 3.0 failed to take hold on mobiles, the USB Type-C connector might prove more successful. Reversible and capable of carrying more power - up to 3A at 5V for 15W total it looks to have what it takes. It's still larger than 2.0 connectors though, so we'll see if it will play nice with the ongoing struggle to make smartphones as slim as possible.
This matches the power from the Quick Charge 2.0 standard, though the latest USB standard also has an optional Power Delivery profile that can push up to 100W. That's intended for laptops and monitors, but the profile also has a number of lower steps which may one day land on phones and tablets.
We may or may not see USB Type-C mobiles this year, but it's clear that the current chargers will survive. Some of them fundamentally change the battery, Oppo for example splits it into multiple cells that are charged separately.
Since these charging standards work best when the battery is close to empty, we started with a fully depleted battery and wrote down the charge every five minutes. The phones were off initially and we powered them on after the first five minutes.
We'll compare all the phones together, but we'll also cover each phone's performance individually.
If you're new to charging tech, we researched each one we are testing and summarized our findings on the next page. You can quickly get acquainted or skim it and go to the following page for the showdown.

Next Page »

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Samsung Galaxy E7 review: Easy touch

  In a bid to bring the A series' new-found premium design language to the masses, Samsung's E-lineup has managed to maintain the same looks. Lower-grade hardware and entirely plastic build have helped keep the price down, but if you don't look too hard it's still an upmarket smartphone.

 

The design aesthetic of the E7 is unmistakably Samsung - a mix of the Galaxy A7 and the Galaxy S flagships before the Galaxy S6 came along.
The metal frame of the A7 has been replaced by plastic, emulating the looks, but not exactly the feel. On the other hand, the rounded corners are more of a throwback to the S5 than the sharper A7 styling.
A downgrade in the specs was also to be expected and the Galaxy E7 is powered by the lower-midrange Snapdragon 410 as opposed to the snappier Snapdragon 615 inside the A7. The 2GB of RAM is intact though, so not all corners have been cut.
Samsung's Super AMOLED display is also on the keep list, albeit in a more affordable 720p resolution. And if you thought that the E7 will skimp on battery capacity you're wrong, as it comes with a 2,950mAh battery, actually an upgrade over the more expensive Galaxy A7.

Key features:

• Quad-band 2G, quad-band 3G and multi-band 4G, LTE Cat.4 support for download speeds of up to 150Mbps
• 5.5-inch 720 x 1,280 pixel Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen
• Android 4.4.4 KitKat with Samsung's TouchWiz on top
• 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 chipset with quad-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A53; Adreno 306 GPU
• 2GB of RAM; 16GB of storage, expandable via microSD up to 64GB
• 13MP main camera with autofocus and LED flash; video recording up to 1080p@30fps
• 5MP front camera, video recording up to 1080p@30fps
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct and hotspot; Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP; NFC (model-dependent)
• GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS
• FM radio with RDS and recording
• 2,950mAh battery capacity

Main disadvantages:

• 720p stretches pretty thin on 5.5 inches by today's standards
• No Gorilla Glass protection on the display
• Battery is not user-replaceable
• Android 4.4.4 is not the most recent Android version; Lollipop is in the pipeline though

The OS update is a shortcoming that's fixable and, with Lollipop reportedly on the way, we'll not hold it against the E7. The screen resolution isn't that big of an issue either and offers decent pixel density for the price segment. The non-removable battery may not be a deal-breaker, but the versatility and future proofing of a user-replaceable battery is an undeniable advantage.
What's difficult to come to terms with is Samsung's decision to omit the Gorilla Glass protection, and aftermarket measures should be taken to protect your device, which is hardly the best option.

 

 

Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge video review

Today you are witnessing history in the making. We've chosen the Galaxy S6 and the S6 edge to be the subjects for our first ever video review. It certainly isn't our first ever video, but it sure is the first video that we've put so much effort and creativity.
If you've already read our regular Galaxy S6 and S6 edge reviews, you may be wondering what this is doing here. Well, it's popcorn time today as we've prepared the first ever video version of our trademark reviews. One thing's for sure - you've never seen us do a phone review like this before.
Don't miss dropping us a line whether you'd like to see more of these in the future. Any suggestions will be well appreciated too.

Samsung Galaxy S6

How big of an impact can a small change have? The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge has only the extra screen curves compared to the vanilla Galaxy S6, but these two phones couldn't feel any more different - it's a difference that you can readily feel when you hold them in your hand.

Different, and yet the same, the two Galaxy S6 phones share some of the best components available, tied together with software built on new philosophy to match the new hardware ideology.

Here's the recap of the key specs and disadvantages and... please, pardon the deja vu feel.

Key features

• Curved screen, thin (7mm) profile, premium dual-glass design reinforced by a metal frame
• 5.1" Super AMOLED of QHD (1440 x 2560) resolution, class-leading ~577ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 4
• Exynos 7420 64-bit chipset, octa core processor with four 2.1GHz Cortex-A57's and four 1.5GHz Cortex-A53 cores, Mali-T760 MP8 GPU, 3GB of RAM
• Android 5.0.2 Lollipop with TouchWiz and Samsung Pay
• 16MP camera, f/1.9 aperture, 4K video recording, LED flash, optical image stabilization
• 5MP front-facing camera, f/1.9 aperture, 1440p QHD video, HDR
• 32/64/128 GB of built-in storage (64GB comes as standard issue on some markets)
• Active noise cancellation via dedicated mic
• New generation of fingerprint scanner
• LTE Cat.6, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, GPS/GLONASS/Beidou, NFC, IR port, Bluetooth 4.1, ANT+
• Heart-rate sensor, barometer, SpO2
• Built-in wireless charging (Qi/PMA)
• 2,600mAh battery

Main disadvantages

• Pricier than its sibling, with only the curved screen to show for it
• No water or dust protection
• No user-replaceable battery
• No microSD slot
• No FM radio
• No stereo speakers

Samsung spun off a whole new Galaxy line, the A (or Alpha) series, to practice making phones with proper metal frame and then got back to the drawing board and came out with the new design language of the Galaxy S6 family. Combining the metal frame with a dual-glass build (front and back) is certainly not the most novel design solution but it's one that works well and it's a first for Samsung's smartphones.

And despite being their first attempt at this design approach, the Galaxy S6 came out borderline perfect - perhaps lacking on novelty, but excelling in implementation. The Galaxy S6 edge however takes it even further for those who want something that much more special. It comes with an off-the-chart novelty factor and is rightfully priced higher than the regular Galaxy S6.

    
Samsung Galaxy S6 edge official images

But is this sort of a difference worth the hefty price premium? A tough question, indeed, unless you reside in one of those markets where the Galaxy S6 edge will be selling with 64GB of storage as a base version, partly making up for the outrageous markup. But even then, you sure are getting a lot more than a mere storage upgrade for the extra money.

Join us on the following pages as we explore the hardware differences between the two and discuss the added value of the curved screen.

Samsung Galaxy A7 goes official with 6.3mm metal unibody

Samsung Galaxy A7 goes official
with 6.3mm metal unibody

Samsung Galaxy A7 is finally official. The metal-
clad smartphone with optional dual-SIM
functionality will be available at the end of Q1
this year in two different chipset configurations.
The Galaxy A7 will feature a 64-bit Qualcomm
Snapdragon 615 SoC or 32-bit Exynos 5430
solution. Both chipsets feature octa-core CPU
(1.5GHz quad A53 + 1.0GHz quad A53 for the
Snapdragon 615 and 1.8GHz quad A15 + 1.3GHz
quad A7 for the Exynos 5430).
Both versions of the smartphone will offer 2GB of
RAM and 16GB of built-in memory. A microSD
card slot for further expansion will also be
available.
Samsung Galaxy A7 packs 5.5” HD Super
AMOLED display. The rest of the device’s specs
include 13MP main camera, 5MP front-facing
unit, and full connectivity suite headed by Cat. 4
LTE.
The smartphone boots Android 4.4 KitKat with
TouchWiz UI. An update to Android 5.0 Lollipop is
naturally in the works.
Physical measures of the Samsung Galaxy A7 are
151 x 76.2 x 6.3 mm, while its weight tips the
scale at 141 grams. A 2,600mAh battery powers
the device. The handset is the slimmest offering
with metal unibody to date.
Samsung Galaxy A7 will be available in dark blue,
white, or gold color schemes. The Korean giant
promises a “competitive price point” for the
device.

Samsung UN50HU8550FXZA

Design
The 32.8-by-57.1-by-1.4-inch (HWD), 54.2-pound 65HU8550$2,497.99 at Dell looks remarkably understated considering its price and size. The screen is surrounded by a flat, 0.4-inch brushed aluminum bezel, which itself is framed by a silver-colored metal edge that extends into a small lip on the bottom side of the display. It rests on a T-shaped metal stand that doesn't pivot but holds the large screen steadily.

View all 7 photos in gallery

A four-way control stick sits on the lower-right corner of the back of the screen, and serves as a combination power button and menu navigation device. Three HDMI ports, three USB ports including one USB 3.0 port, an optical audio output, a DisplayPort, and an antenna/cable jack face right, near the control stick. A fourth HDMI port, component and composite video inputs, an Ethernet port, a coaxial audio output, and an IR blaster port face straight back.

Remotes and Smart Hub
Samsung includes two remotes with the 65HU8550. One is a conventional wand remote with backlit rubber buttons for most of the common functions on the HDTV. The other is a curved, silver-and-black controller built around a prominent touch sensor and direction pad. The sensor enables the remote's motion-sensing functions, which controls an on-screen pointer. It's an elegant way to have a mouse-like input scheme on the HDTV without getting in the way of individual menu items; if you want to jump between specific choices, you can simply use the direction pad without triggering the motion control. If neither remote suits you, you can control the 65HU8550 with your smartphone using Samsung's free iOS and Android remote apps.

Both remotes have prominent Smart Hub buttons for accessing Samsung's connected HDTV portal. The Smart Hub features four tabs: Games, Apps, Movies & TV Shows, and Multimedia. Games, like its name implies, offers a selection of HDTV-based games that can be played with a connected Bluetooth gamepad or Samsung's remote app. Apps features all of the major online media services, social networks, and apps like Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Instant Video, Facebook, Twitter, and Skype. Movies & TV Shows presents individual movies and shows, displaying different on-demand services through which you can access them. Multimedia covers popular online videos and audio streams through YouTube, Telly, DailyMotion, and TuneIn, and lets you access any media stored on USB-connected, networked, or cloud storage.

4K Content
The main problem with 4K televisions is the dearth of content. If you have a very fast Internet connection, you can stream some UHD videos on Netflix, but that requires a consistent downstream bandwidth of at least 25Mbps. The 65HU8550, like all 4K televisions, can upconvert 1080p video to its 3,840-by-2,160 resolution, but you can't beat the picture quality of native 4K content. Samsung offers a UHD Video Pack for $299.99, and sent one to us along with the 65HU8550 for review. The pack is a hard drive that plugs into the screen's USB 3.0 port, and includes five 4K movies (G.I. Joe: Retaliation, World War Z, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Night at the Museum, and The Counselor) and three 4K nature documentaries that can give you a compelling taste of the future standard of ultra high-definition content. The movie selection isn't particularly impressive and you'll spend easily two to four times the cost of a film's Blu-ray equivalent for the video pack, but it lets you show off native 4K. The version we received was part of a temporary promotion that includes additional films, but Samsung no longer offers that configuration of the pack.

Sony remains the frontrunner for accessible, downloadable UHD content with its FMP-X10 4K Ultra HD Media Player and Video Unlimited on-demand library, but that $699.99 device has its own significant issues, like only working with Sony 4K televisions and involving a byzantine authorization and registration process to watch content. The Samsung UHD Video Pack is limited to Samsung screens, but it doesn't need to access any sort of server or online authorization process. 

With the limitations of the content in mind, native 4K movies look genuinely impressive on the 65HU8550 through the sheer technical achievement of its higher resolution. I watched Star Trek: Into Darkness and Night at the Museum on the 65HU8550, and while neither movie is particularly good as a film, both are certainly stunning as UHD video seen on a 65-inch television. The picture indeed looks much more crisp than the equivalent 1080p version, even on a 4K screen with upconversion. It's clear UHD is the future of television content, but actually getting that content is still a difficult and bizarre process.

Samsung UN55HU8550FXZA

Design
The 32.8-by-57.1-by-1.4-inch (HWD), 54.2-pound 65HU8550$2,497.99 at Dell looks remarkably understated considering its price and size. The screen is surrounded by a flat, 0.4-inch brushed aluminum bezel, which itself is framed by a silver-colored metal edge that extends into a small lip on the bottom side of the display. It rests on a T-shaped metal stand that doesn't pivot but holds the large screen steadily.

View all 7 photos in gallery

A four-way control stick sits on the lower-right corner of the back of the screen, and serves as a combination power button and menu navigation device. Three HDMI ports, three USB ports including one USB 3.0 port, an optical audio output, a DisplayPort, and an antenna/cable jack face right, near the control stick. A fourth HDMI port, component and composite video inputs, an Ethernet port, a coaxial audio output, and an IR blaster port face straight back.

Remotes and Smart Hub
Samsung includes two remotes with the 65HU8550. One is a conventional wand remote with backlit rubber buttons for most of the common functions on the HDTV. The other is a curved, silver-and-black controller built around a prominent touch sensor and direction pad. The sensor enables the remote's motion-sensing functions, which controls an on-screen pointer. It's an elegant way to have a mouse-like input scheme on the HDTV without getting in the way of individual menu items; if you want to jump between specific choices, you can simply use the direction pad without triggering the motion control. If neither remote suits you, you can control the 65HU8550 with your smartphone using Samsung's free iOS and Android remote apps.

Both remotes have prominent Smart Hub buttons for accessing Samsung's connected HDTV portal. The Smart Hub features four tabs: Games, Apps, Movies & TV Shows, and Multimedia. Games, like its name implies, offers a selection of HDTV-based games that can be played with a connected Bluetooth gamepad or Samsung's remote app. Apps features all of the major online media services, social networks, and apps like Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Instant Video, Facebook, Twitter, and Skype. Movies & TV Shows presents individual movies and shows, displaying different on-demand services through which you can access them. Multimedia covers popular online videos and audio streams through YouTube, Telly, DailyMotion, and TuneIn, and lets you access any media stored on USB-connected, networked, or cloud storage.

4K Content
The main problem with 4K televisions is the dearth of content. If you have a very fast Internet connection, you can stream some UHD videos on Netflix, but that requires a consistent downstream bandwidth of at least 25Mbps. The 65HU8550, like all 4K televisions, can upconvert 1080p video to its 3,840-by-2,160 resolution, but you can't beat the picture quality of native 4K content. Samsung offers a UHD Video Pack for $299.99, and sent one to us along with the 65HU8550 for review. The pack is a hard drive that plugs into the screen's USB 3.0 port, and includes five 4K movies (G.I. Joe: Retaliation, World War Z, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Night at the Museum, and The Counselor) and three 4K nature documentaries that can give you a compelling taste of the future standard of ultra high-definition content. The movie selection isn't particularly impressive and you'll spend easily two to four times the cost of a film's Blu-ray equivalent for the video pack, but it lets you show off native 4K. The version we received was part of a temporary promotion that includes additional films, but Samsung no longer offers that configuration of the pack.

Sony remains the frontrunner for accessible, downloadable UHD content with its FMP-X10 4K Ultra HD Media Player and Video Unlimited on-demand library, but that $699.99 device has its own significant issues, like only working with Sony 4K televisions and involving a byzantine authorization and registration process to watch content. The Samsung UHD Video Pack is limited to Samsung screens, but it doesn't need to access any sort of server or online authorization process. 

With the limitations of the content in mind, native 4K movies look genuinely impressive on the 65HU8550 through the sheer technical achievement of its higher resolution. I watched Star Trek: Into Darkness and Night at the Museum on the 65HU8550, and while neither movie is particularly good as a film, both are certainly stunning as UHD video seen on a 65-inch television. The picture indeed looks much more crisp than the equivalent 1080p version, even on a 4K screen with upconversion. It's clear UHD is the future of television content, but actually getting that content is still a difficult and bizarre process.

Samsung UN60HU8550FXZA

Design
The 32.8-by-57.1-by-1.4-inch (HWD), 54.2-pound 65HU8550$2,497.99 at Dell looks remarkably understated considering its price and size. The screen is surrounded by a flat, 0.4-inch brushed aluminum bezel, which itself is framed by a silver-colored metal edge that extends into a small lip on the bottom side of the display. It rests on a T-shaped metal stand that doesn't pivot but holds the large screen steadily.

View all 7 photos in gallery

A four-way control stick sits on the lower-right corner of the back of the screen, and serves as a combination power button and menu navigation device. Three HDMI ports, three USB ports including one USB 3.0 port, an optical audio output, a DisplayPort, and an antenna/cable jack face right, near the control stick. A fourth HDMI port, component and composite video inputs, an Ethernet port, a coaxial audio output, and an IR blaster port face straight back.

Remotes and Smart Hub
Samsung includes two remotes with the 65HU8550. One is a conventional wand remote with backlit rubber buttons for most of the common functions on the HDTV. The other is a curved, silver-and-black controller built around a prominent touch sensor and direction pad. The sensor enables the remote's motion-sensing functions, which controls an on-screen pointer. It's an elegant way to have a mouse-like input scheme on the HDTV without getting in the way of individual menu items; if you want to jump between specific choices, you can simply use the direction pad without triggering the motion control. If neither remote suits you, you can control the 65HU8550 with your smartphone using Samsung's free iOS and Android remote apps.

Both remotes have prominent Smart Hub buttons for accessing Samsung's connected HDTV portal. The Smart Hub features four tabs: Games, Apps, Movies & TV Shows, and Multimedia. Games, like its name implies, offers a selection of HDTV-based games that can be played with a connected Bluetooth gamepad or Samsung's remote app. Apps features all of the major online media services, social networks, and apps like Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Instant Video, Facebook, Twitter, and Skype. Movies & TV Shows presents individual movies and shows, displaying different on-demand services through which you can access them. Multimedia covers popular online videos and audio streams through YouTube, Telly, DailyMotion, and TuneIn, and lets you access any media stored on USB-connected, networked, or cloud storage.

4K Content
The main problem with 4K televisions is the dearth of content. If you have a very fast Internet connection, you can stream some UHD videos on Netflix, but that requires a consistent downstream bandwidth of at least 25Mbps. The 65HU8550, like all 4K televisions, can upconvert 1080p video to its 3,840-by-2,160 resolution, but you can't beat the picture quality of native 4K content. Samsung offers a UHD Video Pack for $299.99, and sent one to us along with the 65HU8550 for review. The pack is a hard drive that plugs into the screen's USB 3.0 port, and includes five 4K movies (G.I. Joe: Retaliation, World War Z, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Night at the Museum, and The Counselor) and three 4K nature documentaries that can give you a compelling taste of the future standard of ultra high-definition content. The movie selection isn't particularly impressive and you'll spend easily two to four times the cost of a film's Blu-ray equivalent for the video pack, but it lets you show off native 4K. The version we received was part of a temporary promotion that includes additional films, but Samsung no longer offers that configuration of the pack.

Sony remains the frontrunner for accessible, downloadable UHD content with its FMP-X10 4K Ultra HD Media Player and Video Unlimited on-demand library, but that $699.99 device has its own significant issues, like only working with Sony 4K televisions and involving a byzantine authorization and registration process to watch content. The Samsung UHD Video Pack is limited to Samsung screens, but it doesn't need to access any sort of server or online authorization process. 

With the limitations of the content in mind, native 4K movies look genuinely impressive on the 65HU8550 through the sheer technical achievement of its higher resolution. I watched Star Trek: Into Darkness and Night at the Museum on the 65HU8550, and while neither movie is particularly good as a film, both are certainly stunning as UHD video seen on a 65-inch television. The picture indeed looks much more crisp than the equivalent 1080p version, even on a 4K screen with upconversion. It's clear UHD is the future of television content, but actually getting that content is still a difficult and bizarre process.

Samsung UN75HU8550FXZA

Design
The 32.8-by-57.1-by-1.4-inch (HWD), 54.2-pound 65HU8550$2,497.99 at Dell looks remarkably understated considering its price and size. The screen is surrounded by a flat, 0.4-inch brushed aluminum bezel, which itself is framed by a silver-colored metal edge that extends into a small lip on the bottom side of the display. It rests on a T-shaped metal stand that doesn't pivot but holds the large screen steadily.

View all 7 photos in gallery

A four-way control stick sits on the lower-right corner of the back of the screen, and serves as a combination power button and menu navigation device. Three HDMI ports, three USB ports including one USB 3.0 port, an optical audio output, a DisplayPort, and an antenna/cable jack face right, near the control stick. A fourth HDMI port, component and composite video inputs, an Ethernet port, a coaxial audio output, and an IR blaster port face straight back.

Remotes and Smart Hub
Samsung includes two remotes with the 65HU8550. One is a conventional wand remote with backlit rubber buttons for most of the common functions on the HDTV. The other is a curved, silver-and-black controller built around a prominent touch sensor and direction pad. The sensor enables the remote's motion-sensing functions, which controls an on-screen pointer. It's an elegant way to have a mouse-like input scheme on the HDTV without getting in the way of individual menu items; if you want to jump between specific choices, you can simply use the direction pad without triggering the motion control. If neither remote suits you, you can control the 65HU8550 with your smartphone using Samsung's free iOS and Android remote apps.

Both remotes have prominent Smart Hub buttons for accessing Samsung's connected HDTV portal. The Smart Hub features four tabs: Games, Apps, Movies & TV Shows, and Multimedia. Games, like its name implies, offers a selection of HDTV-based games that can be played with a connected Bluetooth gamepad or Samsung's remote app. Apps features all of the major online media services, social networks, and apps like Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Instant Video, Facebook, Twitter, and Skype. Movies & TV Shows presents individual movies and shows, displaying different on-demand services through which you can access them. Multimedia covers popular online videos and audio streams through YouTube, Telly, DailyMotion, and TuneIn, and lets you access any media stored on USB-connected, networked, or cloud storage.

4K Content
The main problem with 4K televisions is the dearth of content. If you have a very fast Internet connection, you can stream some UHD videos on Netflix, but that requires a consistent downstream bandwidth of at least 25Mbps. The 65HU8550, like all 4K televisions, can upconvert 1080p video to its 3,840-by-2,160 resolution, but you can't beat the picture quality of native 4K content. Samsung offers a UHD Video Pack for $299.99, and sent one to us along with the 65HU8550 for review. The pack is a hard drive that plugs into the screen's USB 3.0 port, and includes five 4K movies (G.I. Joe: Retaliation, World War Z, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Night at the Museum, and The Counselor) and three 4K nature documentaries that can give you a compelling taste of the future standard of ultra high-definition content. The movie selection isn't particularly impressive and you'll spend easily two to four times the cost of a film's Blu-ray equivalent for the video pack, but it lets you show off native 4K. The version we received was part of a temporary promotion that includes additional films, but Samsung no longer offers that configuration of the pack.

Sony remains the frontrunner for accessible, downloadable UHD content with its FMP-X10 4K Ultra HD Media Player and Video Unlimited on-demand library, but that $699.99 device has its own significant issues, like only working with Sony 4K televisions and involving a byzantine authorization and registration process to watch content. The Samsung UHD Video Pack is limited to Samsung screens, but it doesn't need to access any sort of server or online authorization process. 

With the limitations of the content in mind, native 4K movies look genuinely impressive on the 65HU8550 through the sheer technical achievement of its higher resolution. I watched Star Trek: Into Darkness and Night at the Museum on the 65HU8550, and while neither movie is particularly good as a film, both are certainly stunning as UHD video seen on a 65-inch television. The picture indeed looks much more crisp than the equivalent 1080p version, even on a 4K screen with upconversion. It's clear UHD is the future of television content, but actually getting that content is still a difficult and bizarre process.

Samsung UN65HU8550FXZA

Design
The 32.8-by-57.1-by-1.4-inch (HWD), 54.2-pound 65HU8550$2,497.99 at Dell looks remarkably understated considering its price and size. The screen is surrounded by a flat, 0.4-inch brushed aluminum bezel, which itself is framed by a silver-colored metal edge that extends into a small lip on the bottom side of the display. It rests on a T-shaped metal stand that doesn't pivot but holds the large screen steadily.

View all 7 photos in gallery

A four-way control stick sits on the lower-right corner of the back of the screen, and serves as a combination power button and menu navigation device. Three HDMI ports, three USB ports including one USB 3.0 port, an optical audio output, a DisplayPort, and an antenna/cable jack face right, near the control stick. A fourth HDMI port, component and composite video inputs, an Ethernet port, a coaxial audio output, and an IR blaster port face straight back.

Remotes and Smart Hub
Samsung includes two remotes with the 65HU8550. One is a conventional wand remote with backlit rubber buttons for most of the common functions on the HDTV. The other is a curved, silver-and-black controller built around a prominent touch sensor and direction pad. The sensor enables the remote's motion-sensing functions, which controls an on-screen pointer. It's an elegant way to have a mouse-like input scheme on the HDTV without getting in the way of individual menu items; if you want to jump between specific choices, you can simply use the direction pad without triggering the motion control. If neither remote suits you, you can control the 65HU8550 with your smartphone using Samsung's free iOS and Android remote apps.

Both remotes have prominent Smart Hub buttons for accessing Samsung's connected HDTV portal. The Smart Hub features four tabs: Games, Apps, Movies & TV Shows, and Multimedia. Games, like its name implies, offers a selection of HDTV-based games that can be played with a connected Bluetooth gamepad or Samsung's remote app. Apps features all of the major online media services, social networks, and apps like Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Instant Video, Facebook, Twitter, and Skype. Movies & TV Shows presents individual movies and shows, displaying different on-demand services through which you can access them. Multimedia covers popular online videos and audio streams through YouTube, Telly, DailyMotion, and TuneIn, and lets you access any media stored on USB-connected, networked, or cloud storage.

4K Content
The main problem with 4K televisions is the dearth of content. If you have a very fast Internet connection, you can stream some UHD videos on Netflix, but that requires a consistent downstream bandwidth of at least 25Mbps. The 65HU8550, like all 4K televisions, can upconvert 1080p video to its 3,840-by-2,160 resolution, but you can't beat the picture quality of native 4K content. Samsung offers a UHD Video Pack for $299.99, and sent one to us along with the 65HU8550 for review. The pack is a hard drive that plugs into the screen's USB 3.0 port, and includes five 4K movies (G.I. Joe: Retaliation, World War Z, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Night at the Museum, and The Counselor) and three 4K nature documentaries that can give you a compelling taste of the future standard of ultra high-definition content. The movie selection isn't particularly impressive and you'll spend easily two to four times the cost of a film's Blu-ray equivalent for the video pack, but it lets you show off native 4K. The version we received was part of a temporary promotion that includes additional films, but Samsung no longer offers that configuration of the pack.

Sony remains the frontrunner for accessible, downloadable UHD content with its FMP-X10 4K Ultra HD Media Player and Video Unlimited on-demand library, but that $699.99 device has its own significant issues, like only working with Sony 4K televisions and involving a byzantine authorization and registration process to watch content. The Samsung UHD Video Pack is limited to Samsung screens, but it doesn't need to access any sort of server or online authorization process. 

With the limitations of the content in mind, native 4K movies look genuinely impressive on the 65HU8550 through the sheer technical achievement of its higher resolution. I watched Star Trek: Into Darkness and Night at the Museum on the 65HU8550, and while neither movie is particularly good as a film, both are certainly stunning as UHD video seen on a 65-inch television. The picture indeed looks much more crisp than the equivalent 1080p version, even on a 4K screen with upconversion. It's clear UHD is the future of television content, but actually getting that content is still a difficult and bizarre process.

Samsung UN50H5500AFXZA

Design
The screen is surrounded by thin, quarter-inch black plastic bezels, with a slim chrome accent bar extending from the bottom edge that gives it a sleek look. The accent bar includes a small protrusion at the center containing the Samsung logo.
Peek behind the display and you'll find HDMI, Ethernet, optical audio, component video, analog audio, and IR blaster ports facing directly out. Two USB ports, two additional HDMI ports, and an antenna connector face left. The bottom right corner of the back of the screen holds a control stick that can turn the screen on, change the channel, adjust the volume, and navigate the HDTV's menu options.
Features
The included black plastic remote is Samsung's usual 9-inch wand with backlit rubber keys and a faux brushed aluminum pattern on the front surface. Its button selection is comprehensive, but it's also crowded with different single-purpose buttons you may never actually use. The rectangular, flat buttons aren't easy to identify and press without looking, either. A dedicated, rounded Smart Hub button sits in the middle of the remote and summons the connecte features, which I'll get to below.

The TV can connect to the Internet over Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and uses Samsung's Smart Hub ecosystem. Smart Hub offers most major streaming media services and online apps, including Netflix, M-Go, Pandora, Amazon Instant Video, YouTube, Hulu Plus, HBO Go, Facebook, and Twitter.
Samsung includes its Smart View 2.0 functionality, which lets you stream video content from your TV to your mobile device. Unfortunately, we couldn't get this feature to work with our Samsung Galaxy S5 using the Smart View 2.0 app, as the phone wasn't able to find the UN40H5500AFXZA even with both devices on the same Wi-Fi network. Also, the Smart View 2.0 app wasn't available for our Galaxy Tab S 8.4 at the time of testing, which is an odd incompatibility issue within the Samsung ecosystem. That said, we were able to mirror our Galaxy Tab S's screen directly to the HDTV using Samsung's Quick Connect feature, and could use the Samsung tablet as a remote, too, giving it a similar experience to Apple TV when connected to Apple devices, while freeing up an HDMI port. We were also able to mirror a Nexus 5's screen to the TV using Android's native Cast feature.
See How We Test HDTVs
Performance 
We test HDTVs with a Klein K-10A Colorimeter, SpectraCal's CalMAN 5 software, and DisplayMate test patterns. After basic dark room calibration, we determined that the best settings for the purposes of our testing was Movie picture mode, with Brightness set to 42, Contrast at 98, and the Warm 2 color temperature. The UN40H5500AFXZA showed a decent peak brightness of 220.15 cd/m² and a mediocre 0.06 cd/m² black level in a contrast tunnel test pattern, resulting in an effective 3,669:1 contrast ratio. Not a top result for an HDTV in this price range, especially since the 48-inch TCL 48FS4610R Roku TV$449.99 at Dell pulled off a similar 3,270:1 contrast ratio while costing $200 less, with similarly accurate colors and only slightly inferior black levels.

The chart above shows the UN40H5500AFXZA's measured color levels as dots and the ideal color levels as boxes. White was close to spot-on, leaning slightly towards the warmer side, and blue was also fairly accurate. Greens and reds appeared slightly oversaturated, but not to the extent that colors did on the JVC EM42FTR$299.00 at WalMart, which made colors appear positively neon. The colors aren't perfect, but they're slightly more accurate, by the numbers, than Sharp's LC-48LE551U$447.99 at Dell, and rival TCL's 48FS4610R Roku TV.
I watched The Amazing Spider-Man, which looked very good overall with a sharp, bright picture and well-balanced colors. The black levels are slightly better than TCL's 48FS4610R and revealed decent shadow detail, although in the darkest parts the alley scenes were blotted out. Highlights looked slightly washed out when viewing the HDTV from an angle. The slightly warm whites were evident during The Jesus' bowling scene in The Big Lebowski, preventing the alley's harsh fluorescent lighting from affecting the varied skin tones of any of the characters.
The screen measured an input lag of 45.2 milliseconds in Movie mode, and 49.7 in Dynamic mode, which is an average result. Dedicated gaming monitors can boast measured lag times as low as 8 milliseconds, but they generally tend to be more expensive with significantly smaller screens. Casual gamers shouldn't have any issues with the UN40H5500AFXZA's input lag.
Under normal viewing conditions using our calibrated settings, the UN40H5500AFXZA consumes 77 watts, which is about average for a 40-inch HDTV. For comparison, the 40-inch Sceptre X405BV-FHDR consumes 57 watts under similar conditions. Using the same calibrated settings with Low Energy Saving mode, which provided an acceptable viewing experience with only a slightly dimmer picture, it consumed a mere 49 watts, which is also on par for 40-inch HDTVs with power saving settings enabled. In the Energy Star-certified Standard picture setting, power consumption averaged out to 60 watts.
Conclusion
There's no doubt that Samsung's UN40H5500AFXZA is a quality HDTV, as it offers good color accuracy, and while the black level and contrast ratio aren't stellar, the viewing experience is still very solid. It's when we compare the Samsung's price relative to screen size that it falls a bit short of our full recommendation. You can get a bigger screen for your money with TCL's 48FS4610R Roku TV or Sharp's LC-48LE551U, both of which perform similarly (though the Sharp lacks connected features) and are available with 48-inch screens at similar prices as the 40-inch UN40H5500AFXZA. If you're specifically seeking an HDTV that's closer to the 40-inch range, TCL offers a 40-inch version$349.00 at Amazon of the 48FS4610R Roku TV, and the Sharp line comes in a 39-inch model$297.99 at Dell for considerably less than the Samsung model.

Samsung UN40H5500AFXZA

Design
The screen is surrounded by thin, quarter-inch black plastic bezels, with a slim chrome accent bar extending from the bottom edge that gives it a sleek look. The accent bar includes a small protrusion at the center containing the Samsung logo.
Peek behind the display and you'll find HDMI, Ethernet, optical audio, component video, analog audio, and IR blaster ports facing directly out. Two USB ports, two additional HDMI ports, and an antenna connector face left. The bottom right corner of the back of the screen holds a control stick that can turn the screen on, change the channel, adjust the volume, and navigate the HDTV's menu options.
Features
The included black plastic remote is Samsung's usual 9-inch wand with backlit rubber keys and a faux brushed aluminum pattern on the front surface. Its button selection is comprehensive, but it's also crowded with different single-purpose buttons you may never actually use. The rectangular, flat buttons aren't easy to identify and press without looking, either. A dedicated, rounded Smart Hub button sits in the middle of the remote and summons the connecte features, which I'll get to below.

The TV can connect to the Internet over Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and uses Samsung's Smart Hub ecosystem. Smart Hub offers most major streaming media services and online apps, including Netflix, M-Go, Pandora, Amazon Instant Video, YouTube, Hulu Plus, HBO Go, Facebook, and Twitter.
Samsung includes its Smart View 2.0 functionality, which lets you stream video content from your TV to your mobile device. Unfortunately, we couldn't get this feature to work with our Samsung Galaxy S5 using the Smart View 2.0 app, as the phone wasn't able to find the UN40H5500AFXZA even with both devices on the same Wi-Fi network. Also, the Smart View 2.0 app wasn't available for our Galaxy Tab S 8.4 at the time of testing, which is an odd incompatibility issue within the Samsung ecosystem. That said, we were able to mirror our Galaxy Tab S's screen directly to the HDTV using Samsung's Quick Connect feature, and could use the Samsung tablet as a remote, too, giving it a similar experience to Apple TV when connected to Apple devices, while freeing up an HDMI port. We were also able to mirror a Nexus 5's screen to the TV using Android's native Cast feature.
See How We Test HDTVs 
Performance 
We test HDTVs with a Klein K-10A Colorimeter, SpectraCal's CalMAN 5 software, and DisplayMate test patterns. After basic dark room calibration, we determined that the best settings for the purposes of our testing was Movie picture mode, with Brightness set to 42, Contrast at 98, and the Warm 2 color temperature. The UN40H5500AFXZA showed a decent peak brightness of 220.15 cd/m² and a mediocre 0.06 cd/m² black level in a contrast tunnel test pattern, resulting in an effective 3,669:1 contrast ratio. Not a top result for an HDTV in this price range, especially since the 48-inch TCL 48FS4610R Roku TV$449.99 at Dell pulled off a similar 3,270:1 contrast ratio while costing $200 less, with similarly accurate colors and only slightly inferior black levels.

The chart above shows the UN40H5500AFXZA's measured color levels as dots and the ideal color levels as boxes. White was close to spot-on, leaning slightly towards the warmer side, and blue was also fairly accurate. Greens and reds appeared slightly oversaturated, but not to the extent that colors did on the JVC EM42FTR$299.00 at WalMart, which made colors appear positively neon. The colors aren't perfect, but they're slightly more accurate, by the numbers, than Sharp's LC-48LE551U$447.99 at Dell, and rival TCL's 48FS4610R Roku TV.
I watched The Amazing Spider-Man, which looked very good overall with a sharp, bright picture and well-balanced colors. The black levels are slightly better than TCL's 48FS4610R and revealed decent shadow detail, although in the darkest parts the alley scenes were blotted out. Highlights looked slightly washed out when viewing the HDTV from an angle. The slightly warm whites were evident during The Jesus' bowling scene in The Big Lebowski, preventing the alley's harsh fluorescent lighting from affecting the varied skin tones of any of the characters.
The screen measured an input lag of 45.2 milliseconds in Movie mode, and 49.7 in Dynamic mode, which is an average result. Dedicated gaming monitors can boast measured lag times as low as 8 milliseconds, but they generally tend to be more expensive with significantly smaller screens. Casual gamers shouldn't have any issues with the UN40H5500AFXZA's input lag.
Under normal viewing conditions using our calibrated settings, the UN40H5500AFXZA consumes 77 watts, which is about average for a 40-inch HDTV. For comparison, the 40-inch Sceptre X405BV-FHDR consumes 57 watts under similar conditions. Using the same calibrated settings with Low Energy Saving mode, which provided an acceptable viewing experience with only a slightly dimmer picture, it consumed a mere 49 watts, which is also on par for 40-inch HDTVs with power saving settings enabled. In the Energy Star-certified Standard picture setting, power consumption averaged out to 60 watts.
Conclusion
There's no doubt that Samsung's UN40H5500AFXZA is a quality HDTV, as it offers good color accuracy, and while the black level and contrast ratio aren't stellar, the viewing experience is still very solid. It's when we compare the Samsung's price relative to screen size that it falls a bit short of our full recommendation. You can get a bigger screen for your money with TCL's 48FS4610R Roku TV or Sharp's LC-48LE551U, both of which perform similarly (though the Sharp lacks connected features) and are available with 48-inch screens at similar prices as the 40-inch UN40H5500AFXZA. If you're specifically seeking an HDTV that's closer to the 40-inch range, TCL offers a 40-inch version$349.00 at Amazon of the 48FS4610R Roku TV, and the Sharp line comes in a 39-inch model$297.99 at Dell for considerably less than the Samsung model.