The Samsung TU7100 is effectively the little brother of the Samsung TU8500 we reviewed earlier in 2020, being the smaller option and lower entry point to the firm’s Crystal UHD series. There are inescapable shortcomings where picture performance is concerned. But they’re predictable, relatively minor and trifling compared to what the UE43AU7100 gets right. This frankly unlikely level of fidelity is carried over to most other aspects of picture-making too – give the Samsung a fighting chance with some high-quality 4K content and it’s an eminently watchable TV. The colour palette it draws from is wide and convincing, and it has little trouble differentiating between even very subtle variations in tone, and serves up entirely believable skin-tones. Samsung may not have embraced Freeview Play, but it compensates by offering a full raft of Catch-up and SVoD services, plus curated content from its Universal Guide. You can also follow the instructions detailed below for some models. Follow these instructions to retune your Freeview compatible Samsung TV:

The image preset selection covers Standard, Natural, Dynamic, Movie and Filmmaker Mode, the UHD Alliance sanctioned movie preset. On this particular TV, we found the most consistently entertaining with most content proved to be Natural. Unlike the TU8500, the TU7100 only comes with one standard-looking remote. Though the design is a little old school and full of inputs most younger people won’t use, it does the job and is suitably intuitive. Design’ isn’t really something that happens to entry-level TVs, and sure enough the Samsung UE43TU7100 isn’t so much ‘designed’ as ‘assembled’. It also lets you connect the TV to other compatible SmartThings compatible devices in your home, which will be a bonus for tech tinkers.We fire up the HDR10+ 4K Blu-ray of 1917 and are instantly impressed with the TU7100’s picture. It’s compromised, of course, as it has to be at this end of the market, but those compromises are in the right places and the set delivers an enjoyable core performance. Three HDMI inputs should be enough for all but port-hungry power users, plus all three include the Auto Low Latency Mode aspect of HDMI 2.1 specification – though we’d expect committed next-gen gamers to need a bit more than that. What it does do, though, is show a level of maturity, confidence and understanding of the many elements that go into producing a truly satisfying TV picture that’s comfortably beyond anything else in its class right now.

Control is available via a small, overbuttoned and altogether too complicated remote handset. This might be the single biggest indicator of where the TU7100 sits in the Samsung hierarchy, which is a pity, because you’ll probably be using it quite a lot. The desire to include every single function on quite a small handset means too many of the buttons are too small, and their labelling is smaller still. Select the Antenna type that you are using ( Air or Cable) and press the Enter button. Make sure that your aerial is connected to your device before re-tuning. It’s not a set that features all the bells and whistles gamers will need for the next generation PS5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, but at this price, what do you expect? The Samsung UE43TU7100 has a discrete design and easy setup process While inevitably for its money it’s not without its limitations, the UE43AU7100 delivers an impressively balanced, consistent and immersive picture.Then select Support on the Samsung TV screen and the model number of the TV should display on the screen. Game Pass Ultimate: Subscription continues automatically at regular monthly price unless cancelled. Xbox Cloud Gaming: requires supported controller (sold separately); streaming limitations apply, server availability and wait times may vary. Subject to xbox.com/subscriptionterms. Follow instructions on your new Galaxy Book to activate Game Pass Ultimate. As we’ve observed on many budget 4K sets, HDR compliance is more about metadata recognition than actual performance. It comes as little surprise that the TU7100’s 20W sound system is no sonic masterpiece, and you’d be well advised to budget for a soundbar with which to partner it. However, if you are determined to make do with the built-in speakers, their output is perfectly passable. The design wears the plastic reasonably well, though. The feet aren’t distracting and lift the screen high enough to accommodate a soundbar, while the frame around the screen is extremely narrow for this level of the market (even if the set’s rear depth isn’t).

As Schofield cautiously climbs the building’s dimly lit stairs, the Samsung provides lots of insight, digging up details that most sets at this price simply can’t find. Crucially, this crispness and detail is delivered without any sense of artificiality or over-enhancement, and the same is true of the way the TU7100 handles motion. Switch the processing from the default Auto to Custom and the set strikes a good balance between smoothing and authenticity. My only gripe is, as mentioned in some rev iews, the operating system can be a little laggy in opening and navigating menus. As this isn't something I typically do often though it doesn't hugely bother me.

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The only bit of advice I’d give is to make sure you turn off, or at least reduce, the TV’s Picture Clarity setting. The feature is designed to reduce noise and generally make TV and movies look smoother, but during testing I found it just gave most content the ‘soap opera’ effect. It works with connected SmartThings devices, and has AirPlay 2 support which allows iOS owners to stream and share from iPhones and iPads. Stepping down in quality to some 1080p Full HD content actually confirms the Samsung as a fully capable device. Naturally enough there’s a drop-off in detail levels, accompanied by a little less certainty where motion is concerned and a little more picture noise (especially in scenes of uniform colour, such as sports broadcasts), but the TU7100 proves an adept upscaler. Some softness in an upscaled picture is only to be expected, but the Samsung stays pretty regimented in most circumstances. The UE43AU7100 doesn’t clamour for your attention on a crowded TV shelf or make any claims that it’s taking affordable TVs to places they’ve never gone before. You won’t see it turning up in any future ‘classic TV design’ exhibits, either. The Samsung TU7100 is powered by the Tizen operating system. This is one of the better TV interfaces offering wide app support and smart home functionality.

This version of Tizen isn’t quite the full enchilada, as found higher up the range, but it’s not far off. If you can live without niceties like Ambient mode and TV/Smartphone Multi-View, you won’t feel short-changed. The design isn’t revolutionary, but the tiny bezel and utilitarian stand make it a suitably compact to fit in any second bedroom, kids playroom or small lounge without taking up too much space. The stand also sets it high enough for you to place a small soundbar under the TV, if you so desire. This means if you try and take advantage of the TV’s Dolby Digital Plus support using a soundbar you’d only have room to connect one other device. Considering how many households have multiple devices, I’d liked to see the TU7100 come with at least three HDMIs.

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As far as build quality goes, you’re on admirably safe ground here. We can’t remember the last time we saw a Samsung TV which seemed poorly constructed. Sure, it may not be built from the most indulgent materials – the plastic boomerang feet, in particular, don’t feel anything special – but the AU7100 is flawlessly finished and built to last. The only other minor quibble is that its wireless support caps out at WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2. At this price that’s the industry standard and hardly a deal breaker, though. The Samsung TU7100 has a robust feature set and app ecosystem Tizen is a mature, well-honed smart platform, which makes for an easy, uncomplicated user experience. It’s neither as invasive as Android TV or as disjointed as webOS.