Samsung Electronics is the biggest TV brand in the world, for good reasons. To name a couple, the company has some of the best panels, and Tizen offers access to great content platforms such as Samsung TV Plus and Gaming Hub. Nevertheless, it's not all roses. Although Samsung continues adding new advanced features to its high-end TV models, it also seems as though the company is neglecting the simpler things, especially in budget-friendlier TV lineups such as Crystal UHD.
If you're unaware of the company's Crystal TVs, it's likely because Samsung doesn't talk much about them. The tech giant's big announcements are generally focused on expensive lifestyle TVs and technologies such as QLED and Neo QLED. However, in the real world, the Samsung Crystal TV line is almost ubiquitous in markets with weaker economies. I happen to own a Crystal TV from Samsung, and while I'm satisfied with my purchase, I still think there's room for a couple of quality-of-life improvements.
It wouldn't hurt for TV menus to be snappier
Although navigating the menus offered by Samsung's low-end smart TVs isn't dreadful, it could be better. The menus sometimes stutter and need a few seconds to catch up with whatever commands you throw at them, which makes for an unpleasant user experience half the time.
Even though some people can adapt to the lag factor, I don't think anyone should be required to do so. Plus, I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that one of the main demographics for these budget TVs consists of seniors. Some may have even upgraded from non-smart TVs, whose menus are generally more responsive.
Samsung should stop shipping smart TVs with gummy remote controllers
Add remote controllers with rubbery buttons on top of the inherent menu stutters, and you have a recipe for a negative first impression. And yes, even though Samsung has been promoting its high-tech solar-powered remotes for about a year, keep in mind that these advanced models are reserved for high-end TVs.
Low-end smart TVs such as Crystal UHD ship with remote controllers that have mushy buttons, and needless to say, they make a sometimes-laggy experience feel worse. Although it would be unfair to expect Samsung's low-end smart TVs to ship with its most advanced remote controllers, that doesn't mean there's no room for quality-of-life improvements. A mere upgrade from mushy to clicky buttons without throwing in a solar cell should suffice.
SmartThings TV remote still doesn't support dark mode
Conspiracy theorists may believe that Samsung is shipping TVs with gummy remote controllers in 2022 as a way to force people into using the remote controller feature inside the SmartThings mobile app. That may or may not be the case, but I'd argue it isn't, simply because the SmartThings TV remote doesn't get nearly as much attention as it should and is lacking in one key area. Namely, the SmartThings TV remote is still missing support for dark mode.
As some of you know, the SmartThings smartphone app itself has a dark mode, but the TV remote component inside SmartThings does not support this arguably “must-have” feature. Therefore, if you're tired of using Samsung's low-end mushy remote controller and think about replacing it with the SmartThings TV remote on your Galaxy phone or tablet, you'll have to put up with the remote's bright background. It can be a real annoyance, especially at night time.
The world's biggest TV brand shouldn't shy away from basic quality-of-life improvements
In conclusion, Samsung is the biggest TV brand in the world, so you could argue that the company didn't need any of these quality-of-life features listed above to reach the top. But although that may very well be true, it doesn't mean the company couldn't do better, especially on the low-end front.
These may seem like trifling complaints, and in the grand scheme of things, they are. But with just a little effort towards these areas — menu responsiveness, remote controller buttons, and SmartThigns TV remote dark mode — Samsung could provide meaningful quality-of-life improvements to millions of TV customers worldwide. It may not seem like much, but I believe that a bit more polish could make a world of difference.
Have you used any budget Samsung smart TVs? What are your thoughts on the matter? Would you have any other suggestions for improving the user experience? Feel free to leave them in the comment section below.
