Skip to main content

QLED may shine brightest, but Samsung’s TV and audio lineup is full of stars

On March 7, Samsung unveiled its 2018 home entertainment lineup, and while its QLED TVs are so impressive that we covered them in their own separate article, the company announced a whole slew of home theater gear that may have you reaching for your credit cards.

In addition to the QLED TVs, Samsung announced new models in its Premium UHD and UHD lineups. These TVs don’t offer the more style-oriented features like One Invisible Connection or Ambient mode, but if you’re looking for a solid 4K TV with excellent picture quality and smart features, and you don’t want to spend quite as much as you would on the QLED line, these are a great option.

Related Videos

The Premium UHD models for 2018 are the NU8500 and NU8000. Both of these models support high dynamic range (HDR), including the more recent HDR10+ which offers features rivaling Dolby Vision, as well as smart TV features powered by Samsung’s Bixby Voice and the same One Remote Control used in the company’s QLED TVs. Samsung’s UHD models for this year include the NU7100, which is available in 75-inch, 65-inch, 55-inch, 50-inch, 43-inch, and 40-inch varieties, and the NU7300, which comes in 65-inch and 55-inch options. Both models in the UHD series support HDR and have smart TV features, but don’t feature the One Remote Control.

TVs aren’t the only new product that Samsung unveiled today, with a trio of new soundbars and an addition to its VL series of speakers. The HW-N950 is a Dolby Atmos soundbar that cranks out 7.1.4-channel surround sound without the massive footprint of a full surround sound system, with built-in side-firing and upward-firing speakers to offer maximum immersion. Similarly, the gamer-focused NW-N650, which we first saw earlier this year at CES, uses Acoustic Beam Technology to make you feel like you’re in the middle of the action.

The HW-NW700 soundbar takes a slightly different approach, with a design that is meant to be wall-mounted, allowing it to fit in perfectly with Samsung’s ultra-thin QLED TVs. Finally, the VL550 speaker is similar to the VL-5 and VL-3 speakers we also saw at CES, with a wireless volume dial that can be attached to any metallic surface, letting you keep it within easy reach. That may not be necessary, however, as the dial also lets you control the volume using only your voice.

These products will begin to roll out to stores later this month, though not all at the same time. For more information, see the Samsung website.

Editors' Recommendations

Go ahead and spend the extra $20 on the good Apple TV 4K
Apple TV 4K 2021.

Apple has announced two new versions of the Apple TV 4K. Both are good for all kinds of reasons. Better internals. New features. And prices that are much more likely to be competitive, even if they're still a good bit north of what folks are spending on the likes of Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices.

But two new Apple TV 4K boxes -- and the death of the lower-resolution Apple TV HD -- means you've got a decision to make. Which Apple TV 4K is right for you?

Read more
New Apple TV 4K tweaks the internals and the price
Apple TV 4K 2022.

Apple today announced a new version of Apple TV 4K. It's the third generation of what we consider to be the best streaming device you can buy, and Apple's not really messing with things too much. Same general design. Same general function. But the internals have been tweaked that allow this 2022 model (which follows the models released in September 2017 and May 2021) to work better with more TVs — and to allow for a little more flexibility in price.

Here are the big deals: There are now two versions of Apple TV 4K (or SKUs, for those of you who prefer inside-baseball terms). There's a model that's Wi-Fi only with 64GB of storage for $130, or a model with Wi-Fi and Ethernet with 128GB of storage for $150. For our money, we'd just go ahead and spend the extra $20.

Read more
Samsung just dropped a massive 98-inch Neo QLED mini-LED TV
Samsung 98-inch QN100B series.

In what can only be characterized as an epic play of one-upmanship, Samsung has just announced a new addition to its 2022 4K TV lineup, and it is massive.

Unveiled in Dallas, Texas at the 2022 CEDIA Expo, the new 98-inch Neo QLED 4K TV uses mini-LED backlight technology and is equipped to be Samsung's highest-performing 4K TV to date. Previously, Samsung's 4K TV lineup was headlined by the QN95B and QN90B. The new 98-inch model uses the same processing and panel technology but has a more powerful backlight system.

Read more