Samsung U8000F vs TCL P7K: cheap 43-inch TVs do Black Friday battle

The 43-inch TCL P7K and Samsung U8000F TVs arranged against a swishy purple background

(Image credit: What Hi-Fi? / Samsung / TCL)

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Samsung U8000F
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Buying a budget TV is hard enough – buying a 43-inch budget TV is a bit of a nightmare.

It's no surprise that a lot of manufacturers lack effort when it comes to producing cheaper TVs, but the 43-inch size is especially badly neglected.

I have good news, then – because we have tested the two most popular 43-inch TVs in town: the Samsung U8000F and TCL P7K.

Both have been discounted for Black Friday: the Samsung U8000F is down to just £219 at John Lewis, while the TCL P7K has dropped a little less, to £249 at Amazon.

So which one should you buy? I've compared them side-by-side in order to answer that very question.

Prefer to get straight to the point? No problem: while I prefer the TCL P7K overall, thanks to its more zingy performance, the £30 price difference would be enough for me to buy the Samsung instead.

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Samsung U8000F: £219 at John Lewis
TCL P7K: £249 at Amazon

Samsung U8000F

The 43-inch Samsung U8000F is a surprisingly capable 4K TV for the price – especially now it's been discounted to just £219 at John Lewis.

It has a 4K LCD panel with HDR10, HLG and HDR10+ support, and a broadly competent feature set that includes the app-packed Tizen smart platform, plus VRR and ALLM for gaming.

Design-wise, it’s trim and clean enough. The matte-black bezel and slim front give it an understated, modern look, even if the back is quite chunky and the little clip-on feet feel a bit cheap.

When it comes to picture, this is where the U8000F shines for what it is. Colours stay consistent across different presets – nothing feels oversaturated or washed out – and motion handling is notably strong.

In side-by-side tests with the TCL P7K, it clearly handles motion better: panning shots, action and general motion remain sharp and judder-free, especially when you tweak the judder-reduction settings and turn off noise-reduction.

That said, it’s not perfect. Without Quantum Dot or local dimming, colours, contrast and depth sometimes suffer.

Static scenes don’t have quite the same “pop” or three-dimensional feel you see on more advanced sets, and with darker content, you may notice backlight clouding or slight “jetting” from the bottom corners.

Push the contrast enhancer, and HDR highlights can clip; leave it off, and scenes sometimes look a bit dull.

Audio is modest but more than acceptable at this price: the 20 W stereo speakers – helped by Samsung’s OTS Lite spatial processing – place effects convincingly across the screen, with clear dialogue and a decent stereo spread. It won’t knock your socks off, but it’s balanced, clean, and rarely distorts.

All told, the U8000F is “a mostly impressive all-rounder.” It isn’t going to rival premium TVs, but for everyday streaming, light gaming and general living-room viewing, it punches way above what you’d expect.

The TCL P7K is the more exciting performer, but the Samsung is more consistent and controlled. It's a close call over which one is outright best, so the Samsung's lower Black Friday price swings the result in its favour.

TCL P7K

The 43-inch TCL 43P7K might cost a little more than the Samsung – currently £249 at Amazon – but it offers a strikingly different package that leans into brightness, colour and feature richness.

Starting with the panel: this one uses Quantum Dot technology, which delivers noticeably more vibrant and saturated colours than the U8000F. The result is a picture that feels lively and vivid, especially in well-lit rooms or for HDR content.

Brightness overall is a real strong point. Both SDR and HDR content benefit from a screen that’s consistently brighter than most budget TVs – so HDR highlights pop nicely, and even SDR feels more dynamic than usual.

For motion, the P7K does a respectable job, too – though it's not at the level of the Samsung here. Sharpness and detail remain decent with fast-moving sports and action sequences, but the Samsung is cleaner and smoother.

On the other hand, the P7K supports more HDR formats than the Samsung, including Dolby Vision alongside HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG – so you’re better covered for HDR content from streaming apps, 4K Blu-rays and even Xbox games.

There are negatives, though. Black levels and contrast, while decent for the price, obviously can’t compete with TVs that have local dimming – and during dark scenes, you might spot “jets” of light creeping into the lower corners.

The viewing angles are fairly limited, too, and TCL’s upscaling and lower-res performance leave something to be desired, particularly with older content. Dynamic contrast, while often useful, sometimes causes flickering in dark scenes.

Sound is also basic. The 2 x 10 W stereo speakers are fine for speech and light viewing, but weak on bass and punch. Big action films or music-heavy content may feel a bit thin. The Samsung isn't much better here, but it is slightly so.

In short, the 43P7K is a surprisingly strong performer for its price – bright, colourful, feature-rich, and more HDR-ready than the U8000F.

If you prioritise vivid visuals and HDR flexibility (or just like a brighter display for casual watching), it’s very appealing.

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Tom Parsons has been writing about TV, AV and hi-fi products (not to mention plenty of other 'gadgets' and even cars) for over 15 years. He began his career as What Hi-Fi?'s Staff Writer and is now the TV and AV Editor. In between, he worked as Reviews Editor and then Deputy Editor at Stuff, and over the years has had his work featured in publications such as T3, The Telegraph and Louder. He's also appeared on BBC News, BBC World Service, BBC Radio 4 and Sky Swipe. In his spare time Tom is a runner and gamer.

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