Samsung MU6300 40" (UN40MU6300) vs TCL R617 55" (55R617)

In its range, the Samsung MU6300 has better than average picture quality because of the TV’s high native contrast ratio, excellent black uniformity, and relatively high SDR peak brightness.

The TV does almost flawless dark scene reproduction. It has the highest contrast ratio in its range at 5768:1, which allows it to recreate rich and immersive dark scenes which are further enhanced by the TV’s excellent black uniformity. In fact, the MU6300 has the best black consistency out of all of its closest competitors, including the VIZIO M-series and Sony X720E.

Priced just above $400, the Samsung MU6300 is the most budget-friendly option in its range.

The Samsung MU6300 is an excellent companion to any current generation gaming console, including the Xbox One X, PS4 Pro, and Wii U. The TV is also suitable for HDR console gaming.

The MU6300 makes an excellent 4K computer monitor because of the TV’s fast response time and full 4:4:4 color support.

The Samsung MU6300 runs the Tizen smart platform which is well known for its simplicity and intuitiveness. Tizen’s entire menu is organized around the Smart Hub which acts as a gate for accessing all the functionality of the TV. Additionally, the Smart Hub has a row which contains the most-used apps.

As all the inputs of the Samsung MU6300 are situated on the side of the TV, you will always have unobstructed access to all the needed ports (HDMI ports, USB, Ethernet, etc.) even when the TV is mounted on a wall.

The Samsung MU6300 has all the bits and pieces needed for a good gaming TV. It has the input lag of 20.2 ms which allows it to do a decent job in fast-paced gaming. Additionally, the TV is perfectly suitable for HDR gaming, since its input lag remains low even while the TV is processing high-bandwidth 4K HDR input.

The Samsung MU6300 has everything needed to display high-quality dynamic content since it TV features well-handled motion blur, decent picture quality, and acceptable color uniformity.

The TV’s motion blur is handled by its relatively fast pixel response time which ensures that even fast moving objects do not leave overly long trails. Its full response time of 18.7 ms is on par with its main competitors, like the Sony X720E and VIZIO M-series.

While the MU6300’s color uniformity may not be as good as its main competitors, the TV is still capable of displaying attractive and uniform football, hockey, and golf fields.

Regarding the overall picture quality, the TCL R617 performs on par with the noticeably pricier high-end TVs. In its price range, the TV offers exceptional performance no matter if it is placed in a dark or bright environment.

It can reproduce a wide range of bright and vibrant colors as well as some truly inky blacks because of its wide color gamut, high color accuracy, excellent gamma tracking, high native contrast ratio, and stellar peak brightness.

Colors pop and look realistic thanks to the low average color error dE of 2.33, which is noticeably below the color error margin that can be spotted by a human eye. Also, colors don't look flat due to the TV's near perfect gamma tracking. The colors look very bright thanks to the TV's high overall peak brightness that is measured at more than 700 nits. No other TV in this price range can get that bright.

Dark scenes look profound thanks to the high native contrast ratio and excellent uniformity of its blacks. The TV's native contrast ratio is measured at around 6000:1, which is significantly above what its competitors offer.

With this TV you will not have problems associated with reflections and glare even in fairly bright environments thanks to the TV's amazing brightness and semi-gloss screen finish that helps it to diffuse reflections fairly well.

The TV's peak brightness measures at around 700 nits, which is far above what the other TVs in this price range offer.