Samsung UE55C9000 review

Samsung's 55" Series 9 LED LCD 3D TV is the cream of the crop

Samsung UE55C9000
The aluminium frame of the Samsung Series 9 is quite simply stunning

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Samsung ue55c9000

The Samsung UE55C9000 is the most ambitious LED LCD TV you can buy. Beautifully designed, with leading-edge electronics, it's a worthy flagship product from the world's biggest TV maker.

Two-dimensional pictures are terrific, images are extra-sharp and the use of LED backlighting aids black levels immeasurably. The feature set, with well considered online and network capability, is also on the money.

The 3D compatibility almost seems like an afterthought, but performance is very good, although crosstalk artefacts are there if you want to look for them. Overall, this is a fabulous TV proposition.

We liked

The gorgeous design and finish on this set, along with the astoundingly sharp picture quality. The screen's multimedia abilities impress, both in terms of networking stream and the richness of Samsung's online content portal. The 2D to 3D conversion is also impressive.

We disliked

The Touch Control remote zapper is far too fiddly to use and its Wi-Fi implementation is wanting. Integrated Wi-Fi would make more sense than a dongle.

There is also crosstalk evident in the set's 3D image, which may be noticeable depending on the kind of 3D material viewed.

There is no zero-overscan, 1:1 pixel matching mode.

And of course, you're going to need deep pockets to buy into the Series 9 experience.

Final verdict

It's expensive, but it very much looks the part. And if you're more interested in the visual performance than the aesthetics, there's always the brand's step-down Series 8 range.

Overall this is a remarkable LED LCD screen. It exceeds expectations in most areas and stands as a shining example of just how well Samsung can do high-end screens.

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Steve May
Home entertainment AV specialist

Steve has been writing about AV and home cinema since the dawn of time, or more accurately, since the glory days of VHS and Betamax. He has strong opinions on the latest TV technology, Hi-Fi and Blu-ray/media players, and likes nothing better than to crank up his ludicrously powerful home theatre system to binge-watch TV shows.