The Tizen-based smart TV interface Samsung has been persisting with for the last however many years is so intrinsically correct that it only needs the most minor refreshes to keep it competitive. Samsung has managed to include ‘Filmmaker Mode’ as one of the AU7100’s picture presets and the warning that flashes up regarding increased power consumption should this mode be selected never fails to amuse, given how dim the resulting images are. As far as HDR goes, well, it’s Samsung business as usual - which means HLG, HDR10 and HDR10+ dynamic metadata, but not a sniff of Dolby Vision. Picture quality is governed by the company’s Crystal Processor 4K processing engine. The AU7100 is part of Samsung’s Crystal UHD range of screens, and as such it’s a 4K LCD/LED device with backlighting arranged around the edges of the screen. There’s a digital optical output for legacy soundbars, and one of the HDMI sockets is eARC-enabled for a more modern equivalent.

Three HDMI inputs (all of which offer the Auto Low Latency Mode aspect of the HDMI 2.1 specification), a USB input, Ethernet socket, an RF aerial binding post and a CI slot account for physical inputs, while integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 take care of wireless connectivity. Mind you, they’re quite far apart - so even a screen as relatively titchy as the 43-inch model we’re testing here needs a reasonably wide surface to stand on.Īs you might expect with a TV designed to hit a pretty small performance/price sweet spot, the Samsung is adequately rather than lavishly specified. And if you’re not wall-mounting your AU7100, its simple plastic push-and-click boomerang feet continue the minimalist vibe. The bezel across the bottom, which carries a little central ‘Samsung’ logo, isn’t much bigger. It’s a discreet looker, the AU7100, with next-to-no bezel around the top and sides of the screen. And sure enough, there aren’t any - which is undoubtedly a good thing. Even the most expensive TVs tend to play it safe design-wise, so no one should really be expecting any out-there design flourishes where a mainstream model like the AU7100 is concerned.

Samsung tu7000 review