LG UA75006LA (IPS) vs Samsung U8000F (VA)

The situation is even more modest in the IPS version, where the peak brightness reaches only 250 nits. In practice, this means that there can be no real sense of HDR effect, and the materials being viewed resemble ordinary SDR. Similar to the VA case, the image behaves stably on most test screens, but in demanding scenes with fine details, the television tends to slightly dim the image. As a result, blacks appear somewhat better, but at the cost of losing detail in bright elements. The lack of additional color filters is also noticeable here. The UA7500 in the IPS version does not belong to QLEDs or PFS LED panels, and the DCI-P3 color gamut stops at 80%, which means that HDR films present themselves without much color depth and give the impression of being heavily flattened.

While the U8000F with a VA panel can still be praised for decent blacks, there are no longer any reasons to be impressed regarding brightness – especially in HDR scenes. The television reaches a maximum of just under 250 nits, which is simply too little to talk about any impressive light effects. Bright elements come off as pale, and scenes that should shine look rather flat. An interesting situation was observed during the test of a scene from the movie Sicario 2 – the screen noticeably darkened, as if the television were trying to hide its limitations in displaying blacks. One might get the impression that the device artificially darkens the image to improve contrast, but in practice, the effect doesn't make much of a difference, other than that we see less on the screen. Additionally, there's the issue of colors – the U8000F does not support a wide color gamut, so don't expect vibrant, saturated shades known from better models. The HDR image here resembles slightly brightened SDR and… maybe that’s even a good thing. For this model, it's not worth setting expectations for cinematic experiences – it's better to treat HDR as a modest addition.

The Filmmaker mode on the LG UA7500 performs better than one might expect from such a budget TV, but let’s not get carried away with enthusiasm. The picture is fairly well put together and at first glance does not offend, but its weaknesses quickly start to show. This is most evident in scenes with bright points — background lamps or light reflections on the skin are clearly overemphasized. The faces of the characters often look unnatural, as if they have been "blown out." Additionally, the default gamma characteristic brightens the smallest details and causes the image to lose subtlety in darker areas. That said, given its price range, the UA7500 in factory mode provides a pretty decent starting point. However, it is clear that without additional adjustments, these problems cannot be avoided, which is why — as with other TVs — we decided to check what could be achieved after calibration.

The Samsung U8000F has been tested by us in the best picture mode available out of the box – namely, Filmmaker Mode. This profile is supposed to provide a neutral, cinematic image, free of unnecessary enhancements and artificial beautifications. In the case of SDR content – mainly in HD or SD resolution – the television performed surprisingly well right out of the box. The only noticeable imperfection was brightness management. The gamma chart showed some deviations – slight brightening or dimming of certain tones – but in practice, it did not significantly affect the viewing experience. For a television in this segment, it performs quite well.

However, the situation is considerably weaker in HDR mode. Although white balance was still acceptable, color errors were very pronounced. In the Color Checker test, almost every sample was outside the target point, and the image itself looked unnatural – colors were shifted, sometimes too cool, at other times simply dull and lifeless. The main problem lies in the hardware limitations – the U8000F does not support the wide color gamut of DCI-P3, so it is physically unable to reproduce the colors anticipated by the HDR standard. And unfortunately, this is evident in almost every more demanding scene.

The biggest improvement we noticed was when calibrating the mode designed for everyday SDR content. We managed to smooth out the white balance in an acceptable way and tackle the problem of excessive brightening of small elements due to the gamma characteristic. As a result, the image gained consistency and naturalness that was lacking in the factory settings. After such correction, we can confidently state that for everyday television content, programs, or materials from YouTube, the LG UA7500 performs really well – especially after professional calibration. The situation is somewhat different for HDR content. Here, calibration allowed us to tame the white balance and slightly improve brightness management, but the limitations of the design are immediately apparent. The lack of additional filters to broaden the color palette makes the most vibrant colors appear flat, and the image lacks the intensity we would expect from good HDR. So, in SDR, the UA7500 performs quite well, but in HDR – despite corrections – it remains far behind, and this is a feature one has to come to terms with when choosing this television.

Right out of the box, the U8000F offered quite a decent picture in SDR for its price range. However, we managed to slightly enhance it – we reduced a subtle purple tint and improved the gamma characteristics, giving it a more natural curve. Despite these adjustments, the TV still tends to brighten the brightest details a bit too aggressively – the gamma graph shows a clear dip that cannot be fully corrected.

On the other hand, in HDR mode, it is noticeably weaker. It's hard to talk about any significant improvement here – despite attempts to tweak the settings, the picture still presents considerable color errors. A Delta E exceeding 7 means noticeable deviations that couldn't be effectively reduced. Unfortunately, this is a limitation of the design itself – the U8000F was simply not designed for serious HDR. In everyday SDR viewing, it performs quite well, but when it comes to HDR content... it's best not to have too high expectations.

The version with the IPS matrix performed significantly worse here. Image scaling was uneven – this was particularly noticeable in lower-quality materials, where edges became jagged and the image looked less detailed. At times, there was also a sense of slight blurriness that detracted from sharpness and made the overall presentation seem less polished than in the VA version. The tonal smoothing function turned out to be a lifesaver. At the medium setting, it worked very well – it didn't ruin the image with excessive softening, while smoothing out colors in such a way that everyday content gained consistency. The difference was especially visible with television programs or streaming materials of poorer compression quality, where the television with the function enabled presented itself much better. This is one of those features that is worth keeping active because it significantly enhances the reception of everyday materials.

When it comes to how the Samsung U8000F handles lower quality materials, we must admit that Samsung has made progress compared to its predecessor from last year – the DU7192 model, which theoretically occupies the same position in the lineup. This year's model is equipped with a feature for improving the fluidity of tonal transitions, which has been implemented much better than last year. Yes, the TV still uses quite strong algorithms that can distort details or remove film grain, but despite that – it can be confidently said that it works effectively. However, not everything went perfectly. The U8000F has noticeable issues with slight image stuttering when watching very old content in very low resolution. If someone plans to play their old VHS tape, they should be prepared for the image to appear slightly "choppy."

LG UA7500 is a television with a 60 Hz panel, so it's difficult to expect any excitement in this category. It's more of a screen intended for everyday content or an evening movie session rather than for following dynamic sporting events or playing action games. It's clear that the manufacturer designed this model specifically for that group of viewers – and in that regard, it works properly. We have access to the TruMotion feature, which is a motion smoother. It's simple, with just one slider, but it can make a noticeable difference. At lower settings, the picture looks more raw and cinematic, while at higher values, the motion becomes smoother and more pleasant to the eye.

The Samsung U8000F is equipped with a 60 Hz panel, so right from the start, it's clear that we shouldn't expect miracles. This is simply standard in this class – sufficient for everyday viewing but without any frills. The TV offers one motion enhancement slider – a feature called "Motion Blur Reduction," which allows us to adjust the smoothness of the image in movies. Higher settings give a more "theatrical" and smoothed effect, while lower settings help maintain the original character of the film with a slight 24p effect. An interesting feature is "Clear Motion LED," which is a BFI mode – inserting black frames between image frames to improve motion sharpness. However, in practice, the screen flickers heavily when it's activated, and it should be treated more as an experiment than something that genuinely improves gaming comfort.

LG UA7500 is a television that can be confidently recommended for "casual" gamers. While it lacks a 120 Hz panel and HDMI 2.1 ports, making full use of the potential of modern consoles out of the question, the manufacturer has included a few additions that can enhance the gaming experience. Notably, the Game Bar deserves mention – a very nicely designed panel that allows quick access to and modification of the most important settings. From this panel, we have access to features such as ALLM mode (automatic switching to game mode) and frame synchronization, which is VRR. The range of VRR is limited – it operates from 48 to 60 Hz – but the mere presence of this feature in such an affordable television is impressive.

Additionally, it supports HGiG, which is a calibration mode for HDR specifically for gaming. This sounds good, but based on testing experience, we already know that in the case of the UA7500, this option doesn't make much sense. The television doesn't handle HDR very well, so paradoxically, we achieved better results with this feature turned off. This is another signal that the UA7500 is more of a screen for occasional gamers who value simplicity and comfort rather than for those looking for a complete experience from the latest consoles.

[UPDATE] We have updated our 2025 Samsung TV reviews following the release of firmware version 1131, which officially restores the essential HGiG (HDR Gaming Interest Group) support.

Samsung U8000F offers a basic set of features for gamers, which nonetheless may be sufficient for less demanding users. It has an automatic game mode – when a game is launched on the console, the TV automatically switches to low latency mode, significantly improving response time. It also includes a VRR feature, or variable refresh rate, which operates in the range of 48 to 60 Hz. This means that both Xbox and PS5 will not produce a "tearing" effect on the screen – as long as we stay within this range.

And unfortunately, that's about it when it comes to advantages. Additions like Game Bar or higher refresh rates are reserved for higher models of Samsung from the 2025 line. In theory, the TV also supports the HGiG function, which should adjust the HDR image to the intentions of game developers. Unfortunately – even though this feature appears in brochures and marketing materials – its configuration on the Xbox console turned out to be... impossible in practice.