Samsung CU8500: 65 Inch Samsung - Review 🏆

The Samsung 65" CU8500 is one of Samsung's latest 4K UHD smart TVs for 2023. This 65-inch model features an attractive slim design with a central stand and delivers excellent picture quality thanks to Samsung's Crystal 4K processor. With support for HDR, an impressive peak brightness, and Samsung's Quantum Dot technology, the CU8500 produces vivid and accurate colors.

The CU8500 runs Samsung's Tizen-based smart TV platform, giving you access to popular streaming apps and services. Gaming is enhanced by AMD FreeSync Premium Pro support, low input lag, and integration with services like Google Stadia. Alexa built-in allows for hands-free voice control. Overall, the CU8500 is a great option if you're looking for a premium 4K smart TV with stellar picture performance and smart features.

Design

The Samsung 65 Inch CU8500 4K UHD Smart TV features a slim, minimalist design that will blend seamlessly into any living room. Despite the large 65-inch screen size, the TV has a very thin depth of just 1.7 inches, allowing it to sit nearly flush to the wall if wall-mounted. The slim bezels around the display give a nearly all-screen look when viewing content.

The stand design is unique, with a central 'T-shaped' stand placed in the middle of the TV rather than feet on the edges. This single stand looks very sleek and modern. The central placement helps provide stability while taking up less surface area on a TV stand or table. Overall, the design is very elegant and will suit both contemporary and traditional home decor styles.

The Samsung CU7110: 50 Inch also boasts an impressive design. This 4K UHD Smart TV is perfect for smaller spaces while still providing stunning picture quality. With a remarkably slim profile, it can be wall-mounted with ease. The bezels are thin, giving it a modern, sleek look. Its T-shaped stand, similar to the CU8500, ensures stability while being less obtrusive, making it ideal for any room setting.

Display Quality

The Samsung 65 Inch CU8500 4K UHD Smart TV delivers an immersive viewing experience with its large 65-inch screen and impressive 4K Ultra HD resolution. The screen utilizes Samsung's proprietary Quantum Dot technology, providing over a billion shades of color that are rich and vibrant. Images appear lifelike, with excellent contrast and depth.

In terms of high dynamic range support, this TV is capable of HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG formats. This allows you to enjoy HDR content from a variety of sources, displaying a wide color gamut and preserving details in the brightest and darkest areas of the picture. High brightness levels above 1,000 nits ensure highlights really pop.

Overall, the 4K resolution and quantum dot display of the Samsung 65 Inch CU8500 produces stellar picture quality that makes movies, shows, games, and other content come alive. Small details are crisp and clear even in fast-moving scenes. You'll be amazed by the colors, contrast, and realism.

For a smaller option, consider the Samsung CU7100: 55 Inch. This model also offers a high-quality 4K UHD display with remarkable clarity and vibrant colors. While it utilizes a different panel technology, it still ensures a wonderful viewing experience with support for HDR formats and smart TV features. Perfect for smaller spaces or secondary rooms, the CU7100 brings excellent picture performance and value in a 55-inch size.

Sound Quality

The Samsung 65 Inch CU8500 4K UHD Smart TV has impressive sound quality thanks to several key features. It utilizes Object Tracking Sound, which uses multiple built-in speakers to make sounds come from exactly where the action is happening on the screen. This creates a very immersive audio experience.

The TV has 60W speakers with Dolby Atmos support. Dolby Atmos provides multidimensional sound and enables audio to move around you. With 4 speakers built into the TV, plus 2 woofers, the CU8500 can deliver room-filling, cinematic sound without the need for a separate soundbar.

Dialogue comes through very clearly, and the speakers can get quite loud without distortion. The bass is punchy and deep thanks to the dedicated woofers. Explosions and action sequences have a real sense of impact. Overall, the CU8500 produces a premium, dynamic sound experience that complements its stunning 4K visuals.

Smart Features

The Samsung CU8500 is packed with smart features powered by the intuitive Tizen operating system. One of the highlights is built-in Alexa, Amazon's popular voice assistant. You can use your voice to search for content, control smart home devices, get information, play music, set timers and more. Alexa is always ready to help on this TV.

Another handy voice assistant is Samsung's own Bixby. It can respond to voice commands to navigate the TV, look up content, change settings and other tasks. Bixby works seamlessly with Samsung's ecosystem.

For those who prefer typing, there is also a full web browser included. This allows you to directly access websites and online apps on the big screen.

When it comes to content, the CU8500 provides quick access to popular streaming apps like Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, Disney+ and more. Samsung's Universal Guide makes it easy to find something to watch with personalized recommendations.

For controlling other devices, the TV has built-in support for Apple AirPlay 2 and works with Google Assistant and Alexa enabled devices. You can cast or mirror content from your phone or tablet with ease.

Overall, the smart features on the CU8500 are robust and intuitive, with multiple options for hands-free voice control and access to all the top streaming platforms. The Tizen operating system ties it all together for a seamless smart TV experience.

Gaming

The Samsung CU8500 is a great 4K TV for gaming. It has a low input lag of around 10ms, which is very responsive for fast-paced action games. The Game Bar provides quick access to important settings like FPS counter, aspect ratio, input lag, and game mode. There's also a dedicated Gaming Hub that aggregates all your cloud gaming services and consoles in one place.

Samsung's Game Motion Plus feature reduces blur and judder for smoother gameplay. The CU8500 supports Variable Refresh Rate as well which prevents screen tearing. With Auto Low Latency Mode, the TV automatically switches to game mode when a console is connected. AMD Freesync Premium support reduces stuttering for compatible gaming PCs and consoles.

Overall, the CU8500 delivers an excellent gaming experience with its quick response time, low input lag, and gaming-centric features. Casual and hardcore gamers will appreciate the smooth visuals and minimal lag when playing fast-paced competitive games. The gaming hub also makes it easy to access all your games from different platforms in one centralized place.

Ports & Connectivity

The Samsung CU8500 is well equipped when it comes to ports and connectivity. On the back of the TV, you'll find 4 HDMI ports, with HDMI 2.1 support on ports 1 and 2. HDMI 2.1 enables 4K video at up to 120Hz refresh rate, making this TV ideal for next-gen gaming consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X.

For USB connectivity, there are 2 USB ports on the back and 1 USB port on the side. The USB ports allow you to connect external storage devices, keyboards, mice, and more. Bluetooth 5.2 provides quick pairing and stable connections to wireless speakers, headphones, mobile devices, and other accessories.

For wireless connectivity, the CU8500 has a dual band WiFi 5 (802.11ac) adapter built-in. It connects easily to 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks for smooth 4K video streaming from apps like Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, and more. The TV also has an Ethernet port if you want the most reliable wired network connection.

Overall, with multiple advanced HDMI inputs, fast USB 3.0 ports, Bluetooth 5.2, and dual band WiFi, the Samsung CU8500 has all the connectivity options needed in a modern 4K smart TV.

Remote Control

The Samsung CU8500 comes with the new SolarCell remote, which has solar panels on the back to charge the batteries. This means you don't have to worry about replacing batteries as often.

The remote is slim and has a very premium feel. The buttons have a nice tactile click to them.

For voice control, the CU8500 works with Bixby, Alexa and Google Assistant. You can use your voice to launch apps, search for content, control playback, change volume and more. Bixby comes built into the TV, while Alexa and Google Assistant require additional devices like an Echo or Chromecast.

Overall, the SolarCell remote is a handy feature, and voice control support is quite robust. The remote feels great in the hand and makes it effortless to control the TV.

Pros

The Samsung CU8500 65-inch 4K UHD TV has many compelling benefits that make it a great option for home entertainment.

Bright and Vivid 4K Picture Quality

The CU8500 delivers stunning 4K picture quality with 8 million pixels for incredible clarity and detail. It uses Samsung's Quantum Dot technology for over a billion shades of color that are rich and lifelike. Scenes are bright and vibrant thanks to the high peak brightness and excellent contrast. You'll be amazed at how real content looks, whether you're watching sports, movies, shows, or playing games.

Sleek, Slim Design

This TV has an attractive design with slim bezels and a minimalist stand that keeps attention focused on the screen. The streamlined central stand provides sturdy support without taking up much space. Weighing just 38.9 pounds, the CU8500 can be wall mounted for a clean, floating aesthetic.

Smooth Gaming Experience

Gamers will appreciate the CU8500's low input lag and Auto Low Latency Mode for responsive gameplay. The fast 120Hz refresh rate results in fluid motion with minimal blur. AMD FreeSync Premium Pro support reduces screen tearing, while the Game Bar lets you monitor critical stats in real-time. The 4K resolution and HDR10+ produce highly detailed, realistic graphics.

Cons

The Samsung 65 Inch CU8500 4K UHD Smart TV has some drawbacks to consider.

• The viewing angles are more limited compared to other high-end TVs. There is more color and contrast degradation when viewing the screen at sharp angles. This may be an issue for very large living rooms where seating is far off-center.

• There are only 2 HDMI ports. Many buyers would prefer at least 3 or 4 ports for connecting multiple devices like a cable box, game console, Blu-ray player, etc. With only 2 HDMI inputs, you may need to frequently unplug and switch cables when using different devices. Some competitors in this price range offer more HDMI connectivity.