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Nov 13, 2024

Samsung has every other smart TV manufacturer beat in this one area

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While the quality and capability of a TV screen is most important when it comes to enjoying entertainment, I'd argue the tool in your hand that gets you to what you want to watch deserves consideration as well. Despite all the advances in voice control and the nascent use of gestures as a way of controlling your TV's operating system, the remote is still necessary and ubiquitous, and manufacturers need to pay attention to how they are constructed.

In testing out LG's most impressive G4 OLED TV that was released earlier this year, there was one, and perhaps only one, aspect that detracted from the overall experience, and that was the Magic remote.Despite a handy voice feature, there was too much about it that made the user experience cumbersome and frustrating, starting with the size. Thankfully, the latest smart TVs from Samsung don't have the same problems. Here's how it's remote sets a high standard for quality.

I'm torn between LG's latest OLED TVs. Are the G4 features worth the price jump?

Arguably, the most important feature of a remote is how buttons are set out. If the remote lacks an intuitive setup, or disparate buttons are placed too close together (consider trying to hit the volume button, and instead you activate the neighboring home button), then your entertainment experience can be easily disrupted. For Samsung's remote, the home button is smartly placed in the center of the device, just above a pair of rockers that serve to bisect it. Those rockers add a bit of symmetry to the device as well; which isn't necessary, but pleasing aesthetics and sensible lines are nice to have with any electronics.

Below those rockers are four quick launch buttons that take me to Disney+, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Samsung TV Plus, the last of which I don't care at all about. At the top is a navigation ring that offers another modern, pleasing design as well as functionality.

The remote just generally looks good: it's modern, sleek, and free from clutter. If it's going to sit out on a table, it should look good; when I pick it up, it should make sense.

The differences may be slight, but this is why Samsung takes the win as my next OLED smart TV.

It's simply no longer acceptable for a company to put forth a large, clunky remote. There are so many ways in which the device can be made small without losing any functionality. Samsung achieves this by taking part in a growing trend: removing the number pad from the remote. This is one of the easiest and savviest ways to save space and remove superfluous buttons. Instead of a physical numeric keypad, users can simply hit the settings button and get a digital one on the screen if they need input digits.

There are other clever space-saving decisions. While Roku puts the volume buttons on the side, Samsung employs a rocker bar that increases or decreases the volume; it can also be depressed to mute the audio, which in turn saves a button. There is a single button to pull up the settings menu, and another button to pull up the game bar settings. I also welcome that the remote isn't full; there is good deal of unused space that helps make the remote seem modern, and even somewhat minimal.

Buying a TV involves more than just measuring and budget -- there are other features that can make or break your experience.

The Samsung remote is solar-powered, with a cell located on the backside. Simply keep it face down, and sunlight or artificial light will charge the battery. It's a nice perk, though hardly a significant one, considering how little juice remote controls tend to use. Still, it's convenient not to have to deal with physical batteries. The device does not have a backlight, which I actually prefer. Because the layout is simple and practical, with different style buttons, a backlight isn't needed. After using it for a few days, it's fairly easy to know where certain buttons are and how they feel.

Some things could be better, though. I do wish it felt a little more substantial. This remote is plastic, which isn't uncommon, but for the price of the TV and all the attention to detail in other areas, a metal remote that feels durable and complements a modern TV is more fitting. It's especially confounding considering my Samsung soundbar remote isn't plastic.

The voice control that LG offers on its Magic Remote is still a pretty convenient tool; it allows you to directly ask the TV to find specific titles, genres, actors, or ask questions about movies and shows in order to get to what you want to watch. While the Samsung remote has a microphone button, it only works with a connected virtual assistant, like Alexa or Samsung's Bixby.

The makeup of a remote control should be a focus of every TV and streaming stick manufacturer. It's a physical tool that is still very important to modern entertainment, particularly as there are so many streaming services to navigate, settings to toggle, devices to source from, and apps to engage with. Even though your eyes will be on the screen, the remote in your hand is still vital for enjoyment.

The Samsung S95D is the top of the line OLED model from Samsung for 2024. It offers a dazzling image with unbeatable contrast and rich color depth.

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