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The 55-inch UE55H8000 jumps off crowded store shelves at you thanks to its curved screen design – and its rather eye-watering price for a full HD TV.
It works hard to justify this price with its feature count, though, which includes a sophisticated smart TV system with an effective content recommendation engine, more control options than any other brand of TV can offer and some potent picture technology in that new curved screen.
By far the best justification for its price, though, comes from its performance. For while the curve is less persuasive on this 55-inch TV than it was on the bigger, 65-inch Samsung UE65HU8500, its picture quality is supremely good, while its sound is startlingly powerful.
We liked
The curve looks cool, the set ticks all of my flagship HD TV connection and feature boxes, picture quality is stellar, and sound quality is one of the best I've heard.
We disliked
The picture presets are too aggressive, the curved screen exaggerates the reflections of any light sources you may have opposite it, the complexity of the operating systems present a stiff learning curve and it looks expensive for a non-UHD TV.
Verdict
The UE55H8000 is a stunning performer that shows there's plenty of life in HD yet. It's also flexible with its control options, and accompanies its stellar pictures with startlingly robust sonics.
It's a couple of hundred pounds dearer than I'd ideally like, but if there's a better 55-inch full HD TV around this year I'd love to see it!
