Samsung KS8000 vs KS8500 vs JS8500 (UN65KS8000 vs UN65KS8500; UN55KS8000 vs UN55KS8500)

The KS8000 and JS8500 are flat screen TVs whereas the KS8500 has a curved screen. The latter features Auto Depth Enhancer technology for contrast optimization across multiple zones of the picture. This is done to further enhance the sense of depth the KS8500's curvature gives off. The KS8000 and JS8500, on the other hand, lack the Auto Depth Enhancer since they have flat screens. Instead, they utilize Contrast Enhancer that is also aimed at improving the sense of depth but due to the absence of curvature the immersive feeling might be less pronounced although this is highly subjective.

While the "Nano Crystal Color" term is used with the JS8500, and "Quantum Dot Color" - with the KS8500 and KS8000, the underlying technology is identical. Quantum dots are semiconductor nanocrystals that perform spectral conversion of the backlight in order to produce narrow bands of red and green wavelengths, alongside blue wavelengths generated by the LEDs resulting in spectrally pure primary colors. In turn, wide color gamut is achieved by both this and last year's SUHD TVs. The wide color gamut is one of the prerequisites for HDR (High Dynamic Range) and all three series support the format. That being said, only the KS8500 and KS8000 are awarded the "Ultra HD Premium" certification while the last year's JS8500 is not. Lack of sufficiently high peak brightness on the JS8500 is one of the reasons as to why. The KS8500 and KS8000 can reach at least 1000cd/m2 of peak brightness as per the "Ultra HD Premium" certification which is nearly twice as much the JS8500, and less than 0.05cd/m2 minimum luminance (black level) at the same time. They are also required to cover more than 90% of DCI-P3 color space and process 10-bit signal. The JS8500 does this as well but the limited brightness means the HDR content looks less spectacular in comparison to the KS8500 and KS8000.

The JS8500 supports 3D and comes with one pair of active 3D glasses. The KS8500 and KS8000 lack 3D support so you won't be able to watch to 3D movies. What you can do with them, though, is use the SmartThings platform compatibility for connecting with and controlling SmartThings sensors and Samsung devices, in addition to a number of other compatible smart devices including lights, speakers, thermostats, cameras, appliances, and more. This is made possible by the built-in IoT (Internet of Things) hub technology which allows the TV itself to act as the controller for the entire smart home. The optional SmartThings Extend USB adapter, Wi-Fi connection and SmartThings application are required in order to connect your SUHD TV with the SmartThings-compatible devices. The JS8500 lacks any Smart Home functionality.