Samsung UE49KS7000 review: One of the best midrange 4K HDR TVs

Connections and speakers

The KS7000 comes with a great range of ports, and much like Samsung’s other 2016 SUHD TVs, most of these are confined to a dedicated OneConnect box that attaches to the TV via a proprietary cable. This makes the TV easier to wall-mount, as you theoretically need only one cable coming out of the back. It also means you can use shorter HDMI cables for the other sources you’re plugging in.

In total, there are four HDMI 2.0 ports with HDCP 2.2 support (one with ARC), an optical S/PDIF output, three USB ports, an Ethernet port, plus antenna and satellite connections. There’s also an RS-232 ExLink port for service engineers to install any emergency updates.

The KS7000’s pair of 40W speakers is better than I’d expected. Dialogue was clear, including Batman’s gravelly tones in Batman vs Superman, while sound effects were accompanied by a decent amount of bass. They won’t make the room shake, but they’ll serve you well enough for most types of content.

Remotes and Smart Hub

The KS7000 comes with two remotes: one standard and one so-called “smart remote” that supports voice commands. The latter wasn’t particularly impressive: TV repeatedly failed to act on what I’d said, despite recognising every word on-screen perfectly.

The smart remote’s buttons provided a decent amount of tactile feedback, but the lack of motion control is a real omission in my eyes, since it makes it no easier to use than the standard remote. As a result, I’d leave the smart remote to one side, and use the standard remote instead.

Whichever remote you settle on, though, you’ll definitely want to check out Samsung’s Smart Hub, since it has one of the best lineups of apps and catch-up services available today. Press the Home button on the remote and you’re presented with a list of sources and your most recently used apps along the bottom of the screen, making it easy to dive into different services no matter what you’re watching.  

Along with  Netflix and Amazon Instant Video (both of which also let you stream 4K content), you’ll find BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4 and Demand 5, plus a wide selection of other services such as Plex, PlayStation Now, YouTube, GameFly, Deezer and TuneIn Radio. The only noticeable omission is Now TV, but when dedicated Now TV boxes are currently available for as little as £15, you don’t need to spend a lot if you want to add that.

Verdict

Small niggles aside, the Samsung KS7000 is an excellent TV. Picture quality is great straight out of the box, and it has plenty of controls to help you fine-tune it if you have a colorimeter handy. It’s easy to set up, too, and its ten-year warranty against screen burn means Samsung will repair or exchange any panel at no extra cost if you happen to experience any burn-in effects during the first ten years of use. That’s unlikely to happen, but at least it’s there for peace of mind.

If your budget can’t stretch to the KS9000, and you still want a great SUHD TV with all the 4K bells and HDR whistles, the KS7000 is a fantastic alternative, costing around £500 less across all equivalent screen sizes. What’s more, buy the KS7000 through Currys and it will knock £170 off the cost of Samsung’s 4K UBD-K8500 Blu-ray player if you buy it at the same time, making it more or less half price – a great bargain if you’ve yet to make the jump to a proper 4K player.