There’s no denying that Samsung has been a world leader in the realm of television technology for several years. The Samsung UE55K5500 represents one of their successful endeavors into the mid-tier market, blending quality and affordability. This review will explore the various aspects of this product and also compare it to some modern alternatives.
Design and Build Quality
The design and build quality of a television play a crucial role in enhancing the overall viewing experience. The UE55K5500 from Samsung is a testament to the brand’s dedication to delivering both style and durability.
Design
The first thing that catches the eye when looking at the UE55K5500 is its elegant and understated design. Samsung has opted for a minimalist approach, ensuring that the television seamlessly blends into any living room decor. Let’s take a closer look at its design features:
- Thin, Black Bezel: The UE55K5500 features a thin black bezel that frames the screen, creating an immersive viewing experience. The slim bezel design maximizes the display area, allowing users to enjoy their favorite content without any distractions;
- Rectangular Stand: The unassuming rectangular stand adds to the minimalist aesthetic of the television. It provides sturdy support while maintaining a sleek and streamlined look. The stand is designed to keep the focus on the screen, allowing users to enjoy their favorite shows and movies without any obstructions.
Build Quality
While the design of the UE55K5500 is impressive, its build quality is equally noteworthy. Samsung has always been committed to delivering products that stand the test of time, and this model is no exception. Let’s explore the build quality of the UE55K5500:
- Sturdy Construction: The UE55K5500 is built to last. Despite being a few years old, it holds up well when compared to newer models. Samsung’s attention to detail and commitment to quality is evident in every aspect of this television. The robust construction ensures that it can withstand the rigors of daily use, making it a reliable choice for long-term usage;
- Durability: Samsung has employed high-quality materials in the construction of the UE55K5500, ensuring its durability. The television is designed to withstand accidental bumps and knocks, reducing the risk of damage. This durability factor is particularly important for households with children or pets, where accidents are more likely to occur.
Specifications
To provide a comprehensive overview of the UE55K5500, let’s take a look at its key specifications:
- Screen Size: The UE55K5500 boasts a generous 55-inch screen, allowing for an immersive viewing experience. The large display size is ideal for enjoying movies, sports, and gaming with friends and family;
- Resolution: With a resolution of 1920×1080 (Full HD), the UE55K5500 delivers crisp and clear visuals. Whether you’re watching movies or playing games, the Full HD resolution ensures that every detail is brought to life on the screen;
- Thickness: The UE55K5500 measures 55.1mm in thickness, contributing to its sleek and slim profile. This slim design allows the television to be mounted close to the wall, saving space and creating a clean and uncluttered look;
- Weight: Weighing in at 15.5kg, the UE55K5500 strikes a balance between sturdiness and portability. It is light enough to be easily maneuvered, while still maintaining a solid and stable feel when placed on the stand.
The UE55K5500 from Samsung is a prime example of a television that combines elegant design with impressive build quality. Its minimalistic aesthetic, thin black bezel, and rectangular stand make it a versatile addition to any living room. The sturdy construction and durability of this model ensure that it can withstand the test of time. With its generous screen size, Full HD resolution, and slim profile, the UE55K5500 offers an immersive viewing experience for users.
Picture Quality
When it comes to choosing a television, picture quality plays a pivotal role in delivering an immersive and enjoyable viewing experience. The Samsung UE55K5500 offers a Full HD resolution that ensures crisp and clear visuals, making it a reliable choice for everyday TV viewing.
The UE55K5500’s Full HD resolution of 1920×1080 ensures that every detail on the screen is displayed with clarity. While it may not compare to the 4K resolution offered by newer models, it more than suffices for regular TV viewing. The Full HD resolution delivers sharp images, vibrant colors, and a realistic visual experience, allowing users to enjoy their favorite shows, movies, and games in high definition.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Micro Dimming Pro | The Micro Dimming Pro technology employed in the UE55K5500 enhances contrast by dimming LEDs behind dark areas of the picture. This results in deeper blacks and brighter whites, creating a more dynamic and immersive viewing experience. |
| Wide Color Enhancer Plus | The Wide Color Enhancer Plus feature dramatically expands the color spectrum, improving image quality and revealing hidden details. It intelligently analyzes and adjusts the colors in each frame, bringing out the richness and vibrancy of the content. |
| Limitations | The Samsung UE55K5500 does not support HDR (High Dynamic Range), which is a standard feature in many current TVs. HDR technology enhances color and contrast range, delivering more vibrant and dynamic colors, as well as greater detail in bright and dark scenes. |
The Samsung UE55K5500 impresses with its picture quality capabilities, despite not offering the latest 4K resolution or HDR support. The Full HD resolution ensures crisp and clear visuals, making it suitable for everyday TV viewing. The Micro Dimming Pro technology enhances contrast, resulting in deeper blacks and brighter whites, while the Wide Color Enhancer Plus expands the color spectrum, bringing out hidden details and creating a lifelike visual experience.
Although the absence of HDR support may be a drawback for those seeking the utmost in color vibrancy and contrast, it’s important to consider the intended usage of the television. For everyday viewing, the UE55K5500’s picture quality features more than suffice, delivering an enjoyable and immersive visual experience.
Audio Performance
When it comes to choosing a television, audio performance is an essential factor to consider. The UE55K5500, a model known for its solid audio capabilities, provides an immersive viewing experience through its advanced sound technologies and features. In this article, we will delve into the audio performance of the UE55K5500, exploring its specifications and how they contribute to an enhanced audio experience.
Speaker Output and Placement
The UE55K5500 is equipped with two down-firing speakers that deliver a total output of 20W. While not the highest wattage available on the market, this configuration is capable of producing clear and balanced sound, ensuring an enjoyable audio experience. The placement of the speakers, facing downward, helps to distribute the sound evenly throughout the room, filling it with immersive audio.
Dolby Digital Plus: Elevating Sound Quality
One of the standout features of the UE55K5500 is the inclusion of Dolby Digital Plus. This audio technology enhances sound quality by delivering a more immersive and cinematic experience. Dolby Digital Plus optimizes the audio performance, providing greater clarity, depth, and detail to the sound output. Whether you’re watching a thrilling action movie or enjoying your favorite music, Dolby Digital Plus ensures that you can hear every nuance and enjoy a truly captivating audio experience.
DTS Premium Sound 5.1™: Surround Sound Delivered
In addition to Dolby Digital Plus, the UE55K5500 supports DTS Premium Sound 5.1™. This technology decodes DTS-encoded content, allowing you to enjoy a true 5.1 surround sound experience. With DTS Premium Sound 5.1™, you can immerse yourself in a rich audio environment, where sounds come from all directions, enhancing the realism of movies, TV shows, and games. The surround sound effect adds depth and dimension to the audio, making you feel like you’re right in the middle of the action.
Multiroom Link: Expanding Your Audio Experience
Samsung has incorporated its Multiroom Link feature into the UE55K5500, allowing the TV to be part of a Samsung Multiroom system. This feature enables seamless audio playback across multiple devices in different rooms. With Multiroom Link, you can connect the TV to other compatible Samsung devices, such as wireless speakers or soundbars, creating a synchronized audio setup throughout your home. Whether you’re hosting a party or simply enjoying some downtime, the Multiroom Link feature lets you extend the audio experience beyond the confines of your living room, immersing yourself in your favorite sounds wherever you go.
The audio performance of the UE55K5500 is a solid companion to its impressive visual display. With its two down-firing speakers and 20W output, it provides a well-balanced sound experience. The inclusion of Dolby Digital Plus enhances the sound quality, delivering greater depth and clarity. The support for DTS Premium Sound 5.1™ adds a surround sound element, making your viewing experience more immersive. Furthermore, the Multiroom Link feature enables you to extend the audio experience to other rooms, creating a synchronized audio setup throughout your home.
Smart Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Operating System | The UE55K5500 uses Samsung’s Tizen OS, an intuitive operating system designed specifically for smart TVs. It provides a clean, easy-to-navigate interface, making it user-friendly even for those unfamiliar with smart TVs. |
| Streaming Services | The UE55K5500 can connect to popular streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and YouTube, transforming it into a comprehensive entertainment hub. It offers virtually unlimited options for entertainment, from TV series to movies to a vast library of online content. |
| Smart View | This feature allows you to mirror your smartphone or tablet screen on the TV. You can share photos, videos, or other content from your mobile device, or use a larger screen for gaming or browsing. Smart View enables wireless connection and display, adding flexibility and convenience to your viewing experience. |
| Quad-Core Processor | The UE55K5500 is powered by a quad-core processor for smooth and efficient performance. It enables quick app loading, facilitating access to your favorite streaming services or other smart features without delay. It also supports multitasking, allowing you to switch between apps, browse the web, and perform other functions simultaneously for a responsive and lag-free smart TV experience. |
| Additional Smart Features | The UE55K5500 offers a range of additional smart features that enhance the TV experience. These may include built-in voice control for navigation, content search, and control using voice commands. Some models may also feature integrated web browsers for internet surfing directly from the TV screen. These features provide added convenience and versatility in controlling your entertainment experience. |
Samsung UE55K5500 vs. Modern Alternatives
Although the UE55K5500 still stands as a worthy option, consumers may also want to consider some modern alternatives that offer advanced features at a similar price point.
- Samsung AU8000: A newer model from Samsung, the AU8000 offers 4K resolution, HDR10+ support, and a sleek, slim design. It also features Samsung’s updated Tizen OS for a smoother smart TV experience;
- LG UN7300: This LG model matches the AU8000 with a 4K display and HDR10 support, and it runs on LG’s user-friendly webOS. The UN7300 also has low input lag, making it a great option for gamers;
- Sony X80J: The Sony X80J is a 4K HDR TV running on Google’s Android TV platform. It provides excellent picture quality, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos support for enhanced visual and audio performance.
Conclusion
The Samsung UE55K5500 is a reliable performer that stands the test of time, providing solid picture quality, sound performance, and smart features. While it doesn’t match the resolution and dynamic range of modern alternatives, it’s still a viable choice for those seeking a quality TV at an affordable price. However, those looking for the latest features like 4K resolution and HDR should consider newer alternatives such as the Samsung AU8000, LG UN7300, or Sony X80J.
To help visualize the detailed review, here’s a link to a video Samsung UE55K5500 Review:
In the world of electronics, the ‘right choice’ is subjective, driven by individual needs, preferences, and budgets. Whether you opt for the tried-and-true Samsung UE55K5500 or one of the modern alternatives, you can look forward to an immersive viewing experience.
FAQ
No, the UE55K5500 only supports up to Full HD resolution (1920×1080).
Yes, the UE55K5500 is a smart TV running on Samsung’s Tizen OS.
Yes, it can connect to a soundbar via HDMI ARC or Optical Audio Out.
No, the UE55K5500 does not support HDR, which is a feature commonly found in newer models.