Samsung TU7000 review: "An excellent value gaming TV"

The Samsung TU7000 is a solid entry-level 4K television, especially for those who are looking for an affordable option when shopping for the best gaming TV. It'll work well whatever your playing or viewing needs, so if you're on the market for something that'll be easy on your wallet, this is worth some serious consideration. 

Design & Features

The TU7000 looks nice, with a sleek and chic design and a super-thin bezel that makes this look more expensive than it is. The two solid feet are wide-set on the TV, which helps prevent wobble - although there is certainly some.

The meat and potatoes of the TU7000 is, of course, the screen: the variant we reviewed has a 65-inch screen, at that wonderful 4K (3840x2160) resolution that runs at a 60hz refresh rate. It boasts some incredible contrast and black level performance, good saturation and accurate colors, and great clarity and picture detail across gaming and viewing modes. It upscales non-4K content very well, making for a great viewing experience no matter what you're tuning in to.

If you're looking for a smart TV jam-packed with all your favorite streaming services, the TU7000 won't disappoint. The Tizen OS running on this model has simple animations that run relatively smoothly when navigating to apps like Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Apple TV, and more. It renders your Firestick or Roku relatively useless, which is great considering the TU7000 only has two HDMI ports (yeah, not great).  

The TU7000 also had a nifty little feature called Auto Game Mode (AGM) which will automatically optimize your screen when you navigate to whatever input your console is plugged into -  that means you won't have to manually switch between picture modes whenever you go back and forth between gaming and Netflix-ing. I even found that my television would also turn on my Xbox when I navigated to its input - but this feature was a little inconsistent.

Performance

Because of its low input lag (around 9.5ms) and fantastic black uniformity, the Samsung TU7000 is a great buy for those looking to ball out on a budget - whether it's dropping into Call of Duty: Warzone or exploring Japan in Ghost of Tsushima, this is a great gaming television. 

I found that the limited color range shows the most strain during vibrant games like Apex Legends and that despite the AGM setting, I had to mess around with the viewing mode presets on Call of Duty: Warzone as the picture was too dull. I do not have an HDR cable, but reports show that the HDR peak brightness for the Samsung TU7000 is subpar, while the SDR peak brightness is slightly better than average. The viewing angle for this TV is not fantastic - if you aren't sitting dead-on you'll notice some loss in image accuracy. 

However, for the price tag, this is a fantastic television not just for playing fast-paced realistic games like Warzone and more art-styled games like Fall Guys, but for watching movies and television shows as well. I for one am a reality TV watcher, and even older episodes of The Real Housewives of New York City translate surprisingly well considering the low quality at which they were shot. Newer reality TV like Selling Sunset looks incredible and every movie I watched read well, with a brilliant picture and gorgeous contrast. If you can get this model of TV cheap, in whatever size, then you really are getting one of the best 4K TVs under $500.

As far as sound quality goes, it's precisely what you'd expect from a budget television - not great, but something you can definitely live with. The bass isn't impactful, and dialog is difficult to understand at higher volumes, but you can get by without one of the best soundbars for TV or gaming sound system if you're trying to stay economically conscious. 

Overall - should you buy it?

If disposable TV income isn't something you have readily available, and you're looking for a better quality screen to get some gaming sessions in on, then the Samsung TU7000 is a solid option for you. For a great price you'll get a sleek TV with great contrast and solid color quality, with simple but effective features that make switching between gaming and Netflix-ing a breeze.

If you're after a different kind of 4K picture, check out the best 4K monitor for gaming guide we have as well as the often-ignored best projectors, which will offer a space-saving option for those with the appropriate budget.