It is a good 4k TV, and the successor to the very popular NU7100 from last year. It is also available in a wide range of sizes from 43 inches up to 75 inches. We can expect these other sizes to have a very similar picture quality.
It is also available in many other regions with the same RU7100 model code, and we expect these international variants to also offer the same performance. Typically there are only minor differences like the supported voltage or tuner to suit these different regions.
The design of the RU7100 is excellent. It looks very similar to last year’s NU7100, with only a few subtle differences which we’ll go over. The single control button is located under the Samsung logo at the front of the TV and provides basic functions just like the Q60R. The wide-set plastic stand supports the TV well but does require quite a large table. The borders of the TV have an average thickness and look good.
Moving around to the side of the TV, the TV is quite thin so it has a relatively low profile close to the wall if you mount it. The rear of the TV has a textured plastic finish which looks good, and there are channels along the bottom of the TV for cable management, similar to other new Samsungs. There are also clips on the rear of the stand to keep these cables out of sight which is a nice touch. Interestingly, the analog composite and component inputs don’t require an adapter this year. You can use these to connect to older devices.
A high contrast ratio is important for those who watch in the dark, for the TV to produce deep and detailed dark scenes. The RU7100 has a VA type panel with a very high native contrast which is excellent. This is about the same as the NU7100 from last year and allows the TV to produce deep blacks, which is great for those who watch in the dark. This is better than TVs with IPS panels like the LG UK7700.
Unfortunately, though, this TV doesn’t have local dimming to improve the dark scene performance further. This is quite normal for these lower-end 4k models though and tends to be a distinguishing feature with mid-range and high-end TVs. As typical for TVs with VA-type panels, the RU7100 doesn’t perform well and the blacks raise off-axis and the gamma shifts.
If you have a bright room, then good reflection handling is important to reduce the amount of glare on the screen. The RU7100 has a decent performance in a bright room. It should be fine for most rooms, but in a bright room, this may be limiting. Now, another important factor for those in a bright room is the brightness of the TV. A high peak brightness allows it to effectively overcome glare. Don’t worry about the TV being too bright though, as you can turn down the backlight to suit your room. At about 270 nits for large white windows, the RU7100 has a decent peak brightness, which is in the same ballpark as the NU7100 from last year. It should be fine for most rooms but in a very bright room, this may be limiting.
The center of the screen is relatively uniform, however, there is a darker region in the bottom third which produces a uniformity issue known as the dirty screen effect. This can be distracting when large areas of a similar color show, such as for gaming or watching sports. This is about the same as the NU7100 from last year, and better than the TCL 6 Series which was notorious for having uniformity issues that vary significantly between units. There isn’t too much blur when watching sports or playing games. This blur is visible as a darker trail to the left-hand side of our logo photo. Also visible in the photo are logo duplications, which are a result of the 240 hertz PWM flicker of the TV.
Now if you do plan to game then a low input lag is important to reduce the delay between something that occurs in-game and when you see it on the screen. The good news is the RU7100 is exceptionally quick, with about 11 milliseconds of input lag at 60 hertz regardless of the input resolution. This is excellent and can make this TV well suited for fast-paced gamers. This TV also supports the auto low latency mode feature, so a game console like a new Xbox can trigger the TV to automatically enable low input lag when you open a game.
Samsung TVs, this TV has a Tizen smart platform. It works well, however, this TV uses a slimmed-down version with fewer animations. Unlike higher-end Samsung models, there is no smart remote so there’s also no voice control. Overall, it is decent and should be fine for most people. The RU7100 performs almost identical to the NU7100 and can get decently loud but it may not be enough for large or noisy environments. It can’t produce deep bass but can produce clear dialog. If you care about sound then it may be worth getting a soundbar in addition.
So overall, the RU7100 is a decent budget 4k TV from Samsung. Not a lot has changed from the Samsung 7 series for a few years, and this TV is no exception. It offers very similar picture quality performance to the NU7100 from last year. The input lag is a few milliseconds lower and it supports auto low latency mode for gamers, but otherwise it is almost the same TV.
Samsung 55" RU7100 LED Smart 4K UHD TV...
Samsung’s already shown us their 4k QLEDs are great gaming TVs, but did you know you can actually spend less for better lag times? This is the RU7100 series, the starting point for Samsungs 2019 4k TVs. The design’s pretty basic with a thin, black bezel. And you get a couple of wide-set pedestal feet like seen on almost every other TV latest TV.
Around back is where you will find all your inputs which include 3 HDMIs, 2 USBs, shared component and composite inputs, antenna, ethernet and it is also compatible with RS232C, an optional USB to the ex-link adapter. You also get an optical audio output to go along with wi-fi and Bluetooth. Unlike Samsungs QLEDs though, the HDMIs you’ll find on this model is 2.0, which means they don’t offer all the same features.
For gamers, you will lose free sync compatibility, but on the bright side, you do get better input lag times than going to find on those QLEDs. The RU7100s well equipped with smart features though. A press of the home button on the remote brings up the smart hub and it’s a pretty familiar layout with the most popular apps like Netflix, Hulu, and Prime video installed right out of the box. Plus, even though it’s not the One remote you’ll find with every Samsung TV above this one, you still get shortcut buttons to those three apps on it. The navigation speed’s a little slow.
It makes sense though since this is the entry point into the 4k lineup for this year. And, it’s still far faster than what they used to be, which is definitely a positive. Another thing to point out is that this TV does not come with Bixby, however, that doesn’t mean it can’t work with voice commands. And that’s because this year Samsung’s made their 4k sets compatible with Google Home and Amazon Alexa. All you have to do is add one of those devices and now you’ve got the ability to use your voice to do things like change the channel and volume or search for a video on youtube.
Samsung’s entry-level 4k HDR series is pretty impressive. You’re not gonna get contrast levels as you would on a QLED, but you’re still getting reasonable details in the bright and dark areas, and motion’s smooth. Colors right out of the box were a little oversaturated, but then you’ve got different picture modes to choose from as well as the ability to fine-tune things in the expert settings menu. Really, if you take some time to dial it in, you’ll wind up with a picture that’s better than what you might think.
Now, if you don’t have a 4k TV already or you’re looking to get a TV that’s great for gaming with its super-fast lag times and isn’t gonna cost you an arm and a leg, the RU7
Video -Samsung RU7100 TV Review - RTINGS.com
Last update on 2023-05-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API