Small-Screen Samsung Is A Stellar Performer

FOR Deep, insightful blacks; nuanced colours; great value

AGAINST Better HDR is available for more money

Isn’t it bizarre that 40in now seems like a fairly small screen for a TV? Not long ago this was the size you went for when you wanted to turn your lounge into a home cinema, and the size that manufacturers launched their flagship models in.

But that’s no longer the case. We’ve grown accustomed to the larger models and now if you want the best a manufacturer has to offer in terms of specs and features, you need to go for at least a 49in model, if not a 55incher.

Eco-hindering

Take Samsung for example: its OLED rivalling QLED range only goes as small as 49in. Even the more advanced models in the less premium MU range are reserved for larger screen sizes. If you want a 40in model, the most advanced options are in the 6000-series, as this, the UE40MU6400 is.

On the one hand that’s a shame, because you have to make do without premium features such as a 10-bit panel, but on the other hand the price is very affordable. And, given that price, the performance is pretty darn impressive.

One added benefit of the UE40MU6400 having a fairly streamlined feature set is that the calibration options are equally streamlined. Combined with some generally sensible out-of-the-box settings, this makes it simple to get the TV performing at its best.

As usual, we’d recommend that you turn off the picture-hindering options in the ‘Eco Solution’ mode, then tweak the Standard mode slightly by taking a few points off Contrast, adding a few to Brightness, and switching the Auto Motion Plus feature off. If you generally like a little bit of motion processing, it’s probably worth experimenting with the Custom mode, tweaking Judder Reduction to your liking, but for us the TV’s motion is best without the processing.