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Amazon Fire TV Soundbar review: a cheap, basic soundbar with benefits
3:00 pm | October 7, 2023
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Soundbars Televisions | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar: two-minute review

The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar is the company’s first soundbar, and as with other Amazon-branded products, it arrives at a competitive price point  of just $119. It's currently only available in the US, though. Amazon’s offering is about as basic as a soundbar gets. It has a 2.0-channel speaker array and both HDMI and optical digital ports for a TV hookup, along with Bluetooth for music streaming.

There are many features found on the best soundbars that Amazon could have added to its model to make it a more compelling option – built-in Wi-Fi, for example. That specific feature would have given Fire TV users the ability to create a wireless, voice-controlled ‘Alexa Home Theater’ as they can with the company’s Echo wireless speakers. As it stands, even though Amazon claims its soundbar is ‘designed to work with Fire TV’, there are no specific Fire TV-related features. This is a cheap, basic soundbar that works with any TV featuring an HDMI eARC/ARC or optical digital connection.

Amazon’s soundbar has a compact design, and its build quality is good for the price. It provides Movie, Music and dialogue-boosting EQ modes, all selectable using the supplied remote control. There’s also DTS:Virtual X processing to expand the sound for movies and TV shows with surround-encoded soundtracks.

Sound quality is surprisingly good for the cost. Music sounds decent enough when played at reasonable levels. Eeven though bass is limited, movie soundtracks are strongly enhanced when the virtual processing is enabled, with the sound expanding well beyond the confines of the soundbar and TV screen. Dialogue is for the most part clear, though male voices can sound too heavy with the bar’s Bass setting, which is otherwise optimized for movie playback.

An advantage to the Fire TV Soundbar is that it’s easy to set up and use. If you're simply looking for a basic, low-cost soundbar to improve upon your TV’s built-in speakers that you can just set and forget, it will do the trick. As for value, you can find other equally good options for around the same price, so Amazon’s first real home theater audio offering isn’t exactly setting the budget soundbar space on fire. But that situation could change come Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday, when the Fire TV Soundbar is likely to see the same deep discounts that other Amazon-branded products typically get.

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar on TV stand with TV in background

Amazon's compact soundbar is a good fit for TVs with a 55-inch (shown here) or smaller screen. (Image credit: Future)

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar review: price and release date

  •  Released in September 2023 
  •  Priced at $119
  • Limited to the US

The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar was released in September 2023 and is priced at $119. At present, it’s only available in the US.

Amazon appears to have designed its first soundbar as a basic, low-cost audio upgrade for its Fire TV lineup, but it can also be used with any TV. At just $119, its price competition includes cheap, off-brand soundbars as well as the Roku Streambar, a higher spec offering with built-in streaming capabilities.

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar review: features

  • Dolby Audio and DTS:Virtual X processing
  • HDMI and optical digital connections
  • Bluetooth wireless streaming

Amazon’s soundbar is about as basic as soundbars get, with a 2.0 speaker array and HDMI and optical digital audio ports for connecting to a TV. There is no built-in Wi-Fi to enable audio streaming from phones or tablets using AirPlay 2 or Chromecast, though Bluetooth wireless streaming is supported.

At $119, you wouldn’t expect a soundbar to have Dolby Atmos support, even of the virtualized type, and the Fire TV Soundbar not surprisingly doesn’t. What it does support is Dolby Audio, which here ends up being 2-channel Dolby Digital with sound processing to enhance detail and normalize volume levels when switching between TV channels or sources.

Along with Dolby Audio, the Fire TV Soundbar has DTS:Virtual X processing and Movies, Music and Dialogue EQ modes.

  • Features score: 3/5

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar top panel controls

The soundbar's top-mounted controls (Image credit: Future)

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar review: sound quality

  • Good overall dialogue clarity
  • Spacious virtual surround
  • Light on bass

When I first plugged in the Fire TV Soundbar, I was happy to note that it provided a strong sound quality boost over the built-in speakers of the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED TV I connected it to. Dialogue clarity received an immediate boost, and there was a spaciousness and heft to the sound that wasn’t there previously.

Watching scenes from the sci-fi film District 9, the interviews dispersed throughout the action sounded full-bodied, and so did the comments from Vikus as he wandered around the alien compound. With the Surround mode switched off, effects in the movie’s soundtrack were constricted, but when I switched it on, helicopters and machine gun fire sounds expanded beyond the TV’s screen and there was a naturalistic sense of ambience.

When I next watched a scene from Top Gun: Maverick where Maverick is disciplined by Rear Admiral Chester ‘Hammer’ Cain, I found that the dialogue, while mostly clear, was too bass-heavy, with a ‘boomy’ quality. Checking the soundbar’s Bass setting, the medium option was selected, so I dialed it back to low. The effect of that change was to thin out the overall balance of the sound, so I decided to switch back to medium and live with too-boomy dialogue.

For comparison’s sake I swapped out Amazon’s soundbar with a Sony HTS2000 soundbar ($500 / £449 / around AU$788), a 3.1-channel model with virtual Dolby Atmos processing, and found dialogue in the same Top Gun: Maverick scene to be significantly cleaner-sounding with the Sony’s medium bass level selected. The comparison demonstrated the advantage to using a soundbar with a dedicated center-channel speaker, which is a feature that 2.0-channel models like the Fire TV Soundbar lack.

Otherwise, I was impressed with how effectively the Fire TV soundbar’s DTS:Virtual X processing widened the soundscape on Top Gun: Maverick and other movies, and did so without negatively affecting other elements in the audio mix such as music and dialogue. Bass was one area where I found the Amazon bar to be lacking, especially in comparison to the much more expensive Sony model. But given the Amazon’s compact design, the amount of bass it did deliver was actually better than expected.

I don’t expect music to sound great on budget soundbars and the Amazon Fire TV soundbar didn’t do much to change my mind. That being said, when I streamed Endless Time by The Weather Station using the Tidal app on the Omni QLED TV, the song’s simple Joni Mitchell-like piano and vocal presentation sounded smooth and natural. There was also a good sense of spaciousness with the Surround mode enabled. Other, more dynamic music I played sounded a bit harsh and congested with the volume pushed to a high level, though it was comparatively fine with the volume dialed back to a normal listening level.

  • Sound quality score: 3.5/5

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar review: design

  • Compact design
  • Remote control included
  • Front-panel LED indicator lights

The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar is a lightweight and highly compact design, measuring just 24-inches wide by 2.5-inches high and 3.5-inches deep. Its black plastic cabinet has rounded edges and is fronted by a black mesh grille. A row of control buttons are located on the top surface that let you adjust volume, select inputs, pair the soundbar with Bluetooth devices, and power it on and off. 

An equally compact remote control is packaged with buttons to adjust volume, switch inputs as well as select the EQ, bass and virtual surround sound modes. Remote commands trigger a sequence of LEDs on the soundbar's front, with one to three lights indicating the volume level range, for example. There’s also voice confirmation when selecting EQ modes, with a robot-like (not Alexa) voice telling you if Dialogue, Music, or Movie mode is selected.

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar back panel inputs

Inputs include HDMI and optical digital connections (Image credit: Future)
  • Design score: 3.5/5

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar review: usability and setup

  • HDMI eARC/ARC connection to TV
  • Easy Bluetooth pairing 
  • No alphanumeric front panel display

Given the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar’s basic design, setup poses no challenges. You simply connect it to your TV’s HDMI eARC/ARC port or optical digital output, and Amazon even gives you an HDMI cable to speed things along. Once an HDMI connection is made, you can use your TV’s remote control to adjust volume instead of the one supplied with the soundbar.

Pairing a Bluetooth device like a phone is equally simple. You just press the Bluetooth button on the soundbar’s control strip and a blue LED starts pulsing to indicate it’s in pairing mode. You then check the Bluetooth setup menu on your phone or tablet, select the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar, and you’re ready to stream.

Audio features such as EQ modes, bass level, and surround sound can be easily accessed from the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar’s remote control. A drawback to inexpensive soundbars like this one, however, is having to rely on LED light sequences instead of an alphanumeric display (or a control app) to make adjustments. But these proved easy enough to work with on the Fire TV Soundbar and having voice confirmation when switching EQ modes made things that much easier.

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar remote control in hand

Amazon's small remote provides all the controls you'll need, but the soundbar's volume can also be adjusted with your TV's remote when it's connected to an HDMI eARC/ARC port. (Image credit: Future)
  • Usability and setup score: 4/5

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar review: value

  • Good overall value 
  • Faces strong budget competition
  • Look for Prime Day and Black Friday discounts

The Amazon Fire TV Soundbar is one of the least expensive options on the market, although you can also buy a 2.0-channel model from Sony or a 2.1-channel system with a wireless subwoofer from Vizio for even less than the $119 Amazon is charging here. And spending a bit more will get you the Roku Streambar, a model with the Roku streaming platform built-in that can be expanded with the company’s wireless surround speakers and subwoofer.

Nevertheless, given its good design and decent overall sound, Amazon’s soundbar ranks fairly high for value. You’d have to step up to the $500 range to get reliably better performance, along with extras like Dolby Atmos support via virtual processing or upward-firing speakers. And while I strongly feel that better sound is worth extra money, not everyone wants to spend that much to improve their TV’s built-in audio. For those who instead think around $100 is the right price, the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar is a solid budget-bar option.

While Amazon’s soundbar is a good deal at its current price, the company typically offers substantial cost reductions on its Fire TV products both on Prime Day and during the Black Friday sales. Should the Fire TV soundbar get a 25% or better price cut during either of those events, which I expect it will, its overall value will get a strong boost.

  • Value score: 4/5

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar close up

The Fire TV soundbar has smooth, rounded edges and a mesh front panel grille. Build quality is good given the low price. (Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar?

Buy it if…

Don't buy it if…

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar review: Also consider

Amazon Fire TV soundbar on TV stand with Fire TV in background

(Image credit: Future)

How I tested the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar

  • Evaluated using both 4K Blu-ray discs and streamed sources
  • Break-in time allowed before critical listening
  • Tested using reference movie scenes and music tracks

I tested the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar in a 12 x 16 x 9-foot room using a 4K Blu-ray player, Apple TV 4K, and music streamed from Tidal via an Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED TV as sources. I allowed it to break in by watching movies and TV shows before settling in for more critical listening using reference movie clips and music tracks. 

The key things I listened for with movies were dialogue clarity, bass definition, and a sense of spaciousness with the soundbar's surround mode engaged. For music, I paid attention to the naturalness of the sound with acoustic instruments and voices, as well as the dynamics in louder tracks.

Having reviewed many soundbars in the same room over the years, I have a reference sound standard that the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar was compared to. For further comparison, I also used a Sony HT-S2000 all-in-one soundbar, switching between the two compact models on identical movie clips and music tracks.

Read more about how we test

  • First reviewed: October 5, 2023
Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED review: one of the best-featured cheap 4K TVs you can buy
2:54 pm | October 5, 2023
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Televisions | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED: Two-minute review

The Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED is the latest entry into the Amazon Fire TV market, and unlike the other 2023 Fire TV Omnis, it uses QLED technology in an effort to add extra brightness and detail to the picture compared with the more basic LED-lit 4-series and 2-series. 

Competitively – aggressively, even – priced, the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLEDs offer a big screen size for a smaller price tag compared to most of the best TVs. Launched in April 2023 (for the 65-inch) and June 2023 for all other sizes, prices for the Omni are low enough by default, but are almost certainly a Black Friday 2023 and Amazon Prime Day 2023 deal waiting to happen. 

In terms of picture quality, the Amazon Omni QLED isn’t going to rival the best OLED TVs anytime soon. But, with vivid colors, decent contrast and a surprisingly detailed and natural image with certain movies and TV shows, the Omni QLED’s picture excels for its budget price. There are some backlight blooming issues, and black levels aren’t the best, but at this price it’s hard to argue against. 

Sound quality on the Omni QLED is serviceable as long as you have the sound mode set to Movie. Bass levels are punchy and speech is clear despite its basic 2.0-channel 12w speaker system, but if you’re looking for a big sound, you’ll be better off looking at pairing the Omni QLED with one of the best soundbars.

The Amazon Omni QLED’s design is nice enough, with an attractive silver frame and slim bezel around a slightly chunkier build. Its main downfall is its supplied feet which, whilst feeling solid, are so deep and far apart that people will need to have specific stands or furniture to put the Omni QLED on.

Gaming performance on the Amazon Omni QLED is surprisingly good, as are its features, for a cheaper TV. Whilst not as kitted out as the best gaming TVs, the Omni QLED does offer 4K Dolby Vision gaming, VRR and ALLM on its one HDMI 2.1 port. 120Hz support is all it's missing, but at this price range that’s not a common feature anyway. 

Fire TV is a solid smart TV platform, which can offer recommendations based on your viewing across multiple apps. There aren’t as many picture settings to adjust as other TVs but there are still plenty to tweak. Ambient Experience offers a nice bonus feature that can turn a drab, black screen during standby into a work of art. There are definitely some stutters and stops when navigating Fire TV, but it still offers a lot of options in terms of features.

Value is one of the Amazon Omni QLED's strongest categories, with the features on offer in terms of picture, gaming and smart TV greatly exceeding its budget price. TVs from rivals like Samsung, LG, Hisense and TCL don’t offer the same in terms of overall spec when compared to the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED. As an almost certain inclusion within Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday, we could even see that excellent value increase very soon. 

We used the 65-inch Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED for this review.

Amazon Omni QLED with dusk city landscape on screen

(Image credit: Future)

Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED review: Price and release date

  • Released: April 2023 (65-inch UK/US), June 2023 (43, 50, 55-inch UK/US and 75-inch US only)
  • Price starts from $379/£549 
  • Up to $599/£999 (65-inch) and $899 (75-inch US only) 

The Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED is part of Amazon’s 2023 Fire TV lineup, also featuring the Fire TV 4-series and Fire TV 2-series. The Amazon Omni QLED range is only available in the US and UK, and there is no official word on an Australian release at the time of writing.

The 65-inch was released first in April 2023 with prices at that time being $799/£999. In June 2023, the rest of the range was released with prices being $449/£549 for the 43-inch, $529/£649 for the 50-inch and $599/£749 for the 55-inch. The 75-inch model, priced at $1,099 at time of release, was only available in the US at the time of writing.

A few months on, and prices have dropped. At the time of writing in the US, the Omni QLED starts from $379 for the 43-inch to a very competitive $899 for the 75-inch. The 65-inch, featured in this review, currently sits at an incredibly affordable $589. The pricing for the Amazon Omni QLED is always changing and we expect this to be the case on Amazon Prime Day 2023 and Black Friday 2023, with some excellent discounts to be had. So if prices go back up again, be sure they will come back down.

Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED review: Specs

Amazon Omni QLED Ambient Experience on display showing flowers on screen

Ambient Experience (pictured) on the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED. (Image credit: Future)

Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED review: Features

  • 4K QLED panel 
  • Ambient Experience 
  • Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive HDR support 

The Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED doesn’t have the connections a lot of more premium TVs offer, but for a budget TV it does come with a surprising amount of features packed into it.

The Omni QLED features a QLED display with full array local dimming in sizes 50-inch and up, while the 43-inch has direct LED backlighting (but no local dimming). In terms of HDR support, the Omni QLED features Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive, both of which analyze the viewing environment to adapt picture quality. 

When it comes to gaming features, the Amazon Omni QLED doesn’t support 120Hz gaming, but it does support Dolby Vision gaming, VRR and ALLM, all of which are welcome additions for a TV priced like the Amazon Omni QLED. However, its one HDMI 2.1 port is also its eARC port for connecting to a soundbar.

Fire TV is the Amazon Omni QLED's smart TV platform, and offers plenty of options in terms of recommendations and customization. If you log in with your Amazon account, you can track what you’ve been watching as well as your most recently used apps, and Amazon will make recommendations based on your viewing and show the top trending videos.

Two other features integrated within Omni QLED are Ambient Experience and hands-free Alexa voice control. The Ambient Experience uses the premise of Samsung’s Art Mode from its Frame TVs (where artwork is displayed when the TV is in standby as opposed to a blank screen) but can also show time and date, smart widgets such as weather, and also play music and podcasts in the background. Hands-free Alexa voice control, once enabled, allows navigation of the Fire TV menus without any need for touching the remote.

  • Features score: 4/5 

Amazon Omni QLED with Top Gun Maverick on screen

Facial details are surprisingly accurate on the Omni QLED, as shown on Top Gun: Maverick (pictured)  (Image credit: Future)

Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED review: Picture quality

  • Colors are surprisingly good 
  • Average black levels 
  • Natural-looking image 

For a budget TV, the Amazon Omni QLED delivers respectable brightness levels that are similar to last year’s Samsung Q60B, another entry-level QLED set. I measured the Omni QLED at HDR peak brightness of 531 nits in Standard picture mode, and 402 nits in Movie Dark mode on a 10% window when tested. Although there is a Movie Bright mode that would have no doubt yielded a higher brightness result, the Movie Dark mode was the most accurate picture preset, and displayed the best picture on the Omni QLED. For a QLED screen, these results were a little dimmer than I might like, but as I mentioned, they're comparable to other budget options.

When measuring the Delta-E values (the margin of error between an accurate test pattern source and what’s shown on screen), we typically look for the average result to be under 3, since this is considered indistinguishable from perfect to most people. When measuring grayscale results (to test how it handles different levels of darkness) in Movie Dark mode, the result was 4.3, so a little disappointing – but this is somewhat expected with an LED screen. However, in terms of color accuracy, the Omni QLED’s Delta-E average was 1.99, which is an excellent result especially for a TV at this level. It’s worth noting adjustments in picture can be made to improve those numbers, but these were the out-of-the-box results. 

I measured coverage of the DCI-P3 color range (used for mastering 4K movies and digital cinema releases) at 97.3% and BT.2020 at 74.3%. These are very good results again, and definitely rival some of the other best 4K TVs available. 

Despite these mostly positive results, there's one clear weakness to its pictures: standard definition content. It had a muddy, fuzzy look to it. HD and 4K pictures are strong, as I'll come to in a moment, whether that's in HDR or SDR. But especially on this 65-inch model, low-resolution viewing wasn't a great experience.

When testing 4K content with Dolby Vision next, I used several scenes from various Star Wars movies streamed through Disney Plus. Switching between the TV’s Dolby Vision picture modes, Dolby Vision IQ did a good job of adapting the picture to suit the different lighting conditions that could be set in the testing room, but again I found the dark preset (Dolby Vision Dark) to be the best for quality. Despite the lack of any anti-glare screen coating, the Omni QLED also did an adequate job in regards to reflections, reducing the visibility of harsh overhead lighting effectively. 

During the throne room fight in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the colors were dynamic and punchy, and the Omni QLED displayed the predominantly red color well without making it looking overblown. Whilst contrast levels were decent, any black within the scene did take on a dark-gray tone, showcasing the shortcomings of the QLED screen’s full-array local dimming compared to mini-LED or OLED TVs.

HDR demo video on the Spears & Munsil UHD Benchmark disc showed that in brighter nature scenes, color again was accurate. Images had a surprisingly natural quality to them as well, with good texture to animals and landscapes. During some of the night scenes, particularly of a city, contrast levels were good overall but again the black levels weren't that deep, and there was some backlight blooming from light to dark areas, especially in scenes where the night sky took up a lot of the screen. 

When it comes to motion, the Omni QLED did a great job of processing Top Gun: Maverick's jets in full flight, cleanly capturing fast panning shots and extreme changes in motion. There was the odd judder, but after changing motions settings to off or low – some motion processing can still be helpful with the Omni's 60Hz panel – this improved. It was also here that I noted just how detailed people looked on the Omni QLED, with a close up shot of Maverick’s face showcasing surprising deep levels of detail.

The Omni QLED may not have the best picture on the market, but considering its price range, I was surprised with just how detailed and vivid its picture was and how well it punches above its weight.

  • Picture quality score: 4/5

Amazon Omni QLED with Star Wars The Last Jedi on screen

Movies like Star Wars: The Last Jedi (pictured) will sound okay on the Omni QLED's built-in speakers, but only okay. (Image credit: Future)

Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED review: Sound quality

  • Clean, direct sound in Movie mode
  • Decent speech levels
  • No Dolby Atmos support

With a 2.0-channel speaker system, the Amazon Omni QLED's sound isn’t going to set the world alight. In Standard mode, audio quality is a bit thin with very little bass and treble, as demonstrated in the opening scene of Top Gun: Maverick, where opening track music lacked any sort of drive. 

However, changing the sound mode to Movie completely altered the dynamic of the Omni QLED’s sound. Bass levels were elevated and the rumble of the engines from the jets in Top Gun: Maverick was much more powerful and direct. Speech levels were also surprisingly clear, with dialogue being audible even during moments where characters spoke through a crackling radio. 

Yes, there’s no Dolby Atmos support but it seems that Amazon’s intention was to create a powerful built-in TV sound that was direct and clear, and to an extent they have succeeded. Dolby Atmos would be nice but it’s not something you necessarily find in TVs of the Omni QLED’s price range.

The built-in TV speakers should suit most people and situations but if you are looking for a bolder sound, it may well be worth considering a soundbar just to add that extra level of depth.

  •  Sound quality score: 3.5/5 

Feet of the Amazon Omni QLED TV 65-inch

The Fire TV Omni's feet are very deep, even by 65-inch TV standards. (Image credit: Future)

Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED review: Design

  •  Attractive, gray steel frame 
  •  Deep feet supplied with TV 
  •  Fire TV Alexa remote 

The Amazon Omni QLED features an attractive steel-look frame in a silver, metallic finish. At 8.4cm, it isn’t the slimmest TV, especially in comparison to Samsung’s ultra-slim LCD TVs which sit in a similar price range. However, the trim of the screen itself is minimal, meaning you get a nice screen-filling picture.

One of the most noticeable design features, and one that could be a drawback for some people, are the feet provided with the Amazon Omni QLED. Although they are fairly sturdy, they are a little deeper than your average TV stand/feet. This could be an issue for some TV stands and other furniture. The Ikea TV stand we used for testing just about fit the 65-inch Omni QLED’s feet (as shown in above pic) – we've had the 65-inch LG G3 on here with no worries about it fitting. 

The remote supplied with the Omni QLED is the Fire TV Alexa remote. Slim and small in nature, the remote is compact and feels light. Simply by pushing the blue button at the top, you can access Alexa voice control if you don’t wish to use the hands-free option.

  • Design score: 3.5/5

Amazon Fire TV home menu on Omni QLED

The Amazon Omni QLED uses Fire TV as its smart TV platform.  (Image credit: Future)

Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED review: Smart TV and menus

  •  Fire TV smart TV platform 
  •  Extensive recommendations 
  •  Slightly clunky navigation 

The Amazon Omni QLED comes with the Fire TV smart TV platform, unsurprisingly. Offering a wealth of recommendations, Fire TV tracks your viewing habits to tailor these based on genre and across multiple streaming sites. Logging in with your Amazon account further adds to what you’ll get in terms of suggestions, customization of menus and more.

One of the most recent additions to Fire TV is a feature called Ambient Experience. Reminiscent of the Art Mode feature found on Samsung’s Frame TVs, Ambient Experience will display artworks or your own photos on screen when the TV is in standby mode. You can also display other widgets such as weather, smart home features, music and more. Speaking of music, you can even play music in the background whilst Ambient Experience is on.

In terms of menus, the main Fire TV menu is easy enough to navigate through but changing settings such as picture mode, input and so on is not as easy compared to other smart TV platforms. To access these settings, you have to hold down the home button rather than a settings button, which definitely slows down the process. 

One thing I did find during testing was that, although easy to navigate, Fire TV felt clunky at times. There were often frequent pauses and stutters when accessing apps, changing settings and browsing through menus, which hindered the experience a little, although thankfully these stutters weren’t common. 

Another feature of the Omni QLED is the Alexa voice control which can be accessed via the remote or, if enabled, via the Omni QLED's built-in mic for hands-free voice control. Alexa functioned well when it came to navigating Fire TV and when issued with the command to find a particular movie, it would find that movie on all possible sites, allowing for user choice.

  • Smart TV and menus score: 3.5/5

Amazon Omni QLED with Battlefield V on display

Graphics of Battlefield V (pictured) look good on the Amazon Omni QLED. (Image credit: Future)

Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED review: Gaming

  •  Dolby Vision gaming support 
  •  No 120Hz HDMI 2.1 support 
  •  Low 10.4ms input lag 

In terms of gaming features and performance, the Amazon Omni QLED delivers surprising results. The Omni QLED offers a decent picture with enough detail to make it a real viable budget gaming TV. During a night mission on Battlefield V, played through an Xbox Series X, landscapes looked natural and the weapon on screen had plenty of detail within it. Sadly, the night mission did showcase more of the slightly lacking black levels within the Omni QLED’s picture. 

With Game mode switched on, the Omni QLED processed intense moments well. Switching between targets and motion processing felt smooth, with changes from sections of calm into action feeling seamless. This is in part thanks to the Omni QLED's very low input lag time. Using the Leo Bodnar 4K input lag tester, the Omni QLED yielded a result of 10.4ms, which is an excellent result for a TV at this price and even rivals some of the best 120Hz TVs. 

Another welcome addition is the inclusion of gaming features like 4K Dolby Vision gaming support,and even VRR and ALLM, which are not always included on TVs within this price range. The Omni QLED offers multiple Dolby Vision game picture modes as well to give more choice to players on how they want their HDR to look in compatible games on the Xbox Series X.

The Omni QLED may not be the most comprehensive gaming TV, with no 120Hz support on any of its HDMI ports, but it’s hard to argue against what it does offer for gamers at such a budget price.

  • Gaming score: 4/5

Amazon Fire TV Alexa remote

The Omni QLED is supplied with the Amazon Alexa remote. (Image credit: Future)

Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED review: Value

  •  Very competitively priced 
  •  Well stocked with features compared to similar TVs 
  •  Frequently on sale

Value is where the Amazon Omni QLED range really shines. Priced at the time of writing at $599/£999 for the 65-inch model, it is an extremely competitive TV. At $599 in the US, you are getting good picture quality, Dolby Vision support, great gaming performance and an intuitive smart TV platform at a large 65-inch size. Although not as budget friendly in the UK as it is in the US, the features you get in the Omni QLED still make it a very competitively priced TV compared to ones from rivals such as Samsung and LG.

Another advantage with the Amazon Omni QLED being an Amazon product means it is a regular feature during seasonal discount events such as Black Friday, or on Amazon Prime Day. This means that the already well-priced Omni QLED will most likely end up being even cheaper during sales season.

It may not have the picture quality and full features of a more premium TV, and sometimes the budget nature of the Omni QLED shows via its sometimes lacking black levels, average sound quality, and slightly clunky software, but what you do get makes this TV a real bargain.

  • Value score: 4.5/5

Amazon Omni QLED with demo content of mountain on screen

(Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED review: Also consider

How I tested the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED

Amazon Omni QLED with testing equipment attached

The Amazon Omni QLED in the process of testing, with our equipment. (Image credit: Future)
  • Tested in our lab room with varying lighting conditions
  • Measurements taken using Portrait Displays' Calman software
  • Tested through a variety of sources, both SDR and HDR

When testing the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED, I first viewed several different sources such as SDR and HDR movies and TV shows through 4K Blu-ray, streaming and live TV via antenna. I also tested video game performance using an Xbox Series X. Whilst doing this, I tested the out-of-the-box picture presets to determine which was best.

After some running-in time, I then took measurements of the Amazon Omni QLED using Portrait Displays' Calman calibration software. I used this to measure and record the Omni QLED's SDR and HDR peak brightness levels on a 10% and 100% window. Alongside this, I measured the Delta E averages (the margin of error between a test pattern and what's shown on screen) for grayscale, color accuracy and gamma. Test patterns were made using the Murideo Seven 8K test pattern generator.

As well as these tests, I also measured  DCI-P3 and BT.2020 color space coverage. This demonstrates how faithfully a TV can render extended color space from UHD sources. Finally, I used the Leo Bodnar 4K input lag tester to measure the input lag of the TV while it was in its Game mode. 

  • First reviewed: October 2023
Apple could strike a $2 billion deal for the TV rights to Formula 1 races
5:08 pm | October 2, 2023
Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: | Comments: Off

This February Apple launched the MLS Season Pass – a place to stream Major League Soccer, which doesn’t require an Apple TV+ subscription (thought TV+ subscribers get a discount). This was apparently quite successful (it’s credited with 1 million new subscribers hopping on board) and Cupertino is now trying to strike a similar deal and become the exclusive rights holder for Formula 1 races. Business F1 reports that the deal will cost Apple around $2 billion a year, double what the Formula 1 Group is getting for the global TV rights currently. However, there are deals in place with...

Hisense U8K Series TV review: Mini-LED magic at a strikingly low price
9:00 pm | August 17, 2023
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Tags: | Comments: Off

Hisense U8K Series TV: Three-minute review

I was very impressed with the Hisense U8H series TV when I reviewed it in 2022, mostly due to its very good overall picture quality and low price. The U8H was undoubtedly great value for a mini-LED TV, many of which are priced at the level where you might be inclined to consider one of the best OLED TVs instead.

While the U8H was Hisense’s only mini-LED offering at the time, the company has doubled-down on the tech for its 2023 lineup. The U8K models lead off three distinct mini–LED series, with the differences between them mainly being peak brightness capability and the number of full array local dimming zones. Audio performance is another differentiating factor, with the U8K series sporting a built-in 2.1.2 Dolby Atmos speaker system.

While the new U8K doesn’t surpass its predecessor on the peak brightness front, its local dimming performance is very good, with only a few instances of backlight 'blooming' effects to distract when watching movies in a dark room. Brightness here is sufficient for the U8K to look good when viewing in daylight conditions, and the TV’s anti-glare screen helps to reduce any onscreen reflections from overhead lamps.

Hisense uses the Google TV interface for the U8K series, and it handily does the work of organizing your streaming apps and providing voice control for content searches and other functions, either using the TV’s built-in mic or the one in the set’s remote control. And while the Google TV interface is layered with personalized movie, TV series and YouTube video recommendations, there are also options to create a more streamlined look. Google TV additionally provides a Live menu that shows current free streaming channels, along with digital TV broadcasts ones pulled in by the set’s ATSC 3.0 tuner.

As for design, the Hisense U8K isn’t as slim and elegant as some of the more expensive examples of the best 4K TVs, but it has a slim bezel and a sturdy set of support feet. These can also be set to a narrow or a wider placement to clear space for a soundbar.

Gaming is one of the U8K’s strong points. The TV has a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports, and they support up to a 4K 144Hz input, along with VRR, ALLM, and FreeSync Premium Pro. Unlike some other top TVs, there’s no onscreen hub that compiles cloud gaming services, but the TV will automatically switch to a low input lag Game mode when an input from an Xbox or PS5 console is detected.

Another U8K strong point is value. It’s considerably less expensive than its mini-LED competition, while offering many of the same features and much of the same performance. I think most people will be very happy with what they’re getting here, whether the TV is used for movies, sports or gaming.

Hisense U8K Series TV review: Price and release date

  • Release date: June 5, 2023 
  • 55U8K: $1,099
  • 65U8K: $1,399
  • 75U8K: $1,949
  • 85U8K: $2,999

The Hisense U8K series is the company’s top mini-LED TV line for 2023 (a limited edition ULED X model is also available, but only in an 85-inch screen size). There are two additional lines that use mini-LED backlighting, the U7K and U6K, with the difference between them being specified brightness and number of full array local dimming zones.

Pricing for the U8K series is highly competitive and appears set to not only put Hisense’s bigger-brand mini-LED competition – most notably Samsung and Sony – on notice, but fellow budget-oriented brand TCL as well. Prices for U8K series TVs have also dropped by quite a bit since they first shipped in June, with the 65-inch model I tested now selling for 25% less than its initial cost. 

At the time of this review, the 85-inch U8K was not available, though Hisense says it should ship in late August or September 2023.

Hisense U8K Series TV review: Specs

Hisense U8K back panel inputs

Back panel inputs include four side-mounted HDMI 2.1 ports (two HDMI 2.1 and one with eARC), an optical digital output, and an antenna connection for the TV's ATSC 3.0 tuner. (Image credit: Future)

Hisense U8K Series TV review: Features

  • Mini-LED backlight with local dimming
  • Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ high dynamic range 
  • 4K 120Hz support with up to 144 Hz VRR for gaming

The U8K series TVs use a mini-LED backlight with full array local dimming. Hisense lists the local dimming zone count at “over 1,000” and peak brightness at 1,500 nits. High dynamic range support includes the Dolby Vision (IQ), HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG formats, and there are Filmmaker and IMAX Enhanced picture modes along with an anti-glare screen to reduce screen reflections in bright rooms. 

Hisense uses Google TV as a smart TV interface for the U8K series. A built-in mic gives you a hands-free voice command option (the microphone can also be switched off) and there’s also a button-activated mic on the set’s remote control. Beyond Google Assistant, the U8K has an Alexa voice control option, and it supports Apple HomeKit and AirPlay 2 for streaming from an iPhone or iPad. Chromecast built-in provides yet another streaming option.

Two of the TV’s HDMI ports support up to 4K 144Hz input from a next-gen gaming console. There’s support for VRR, ALLM and FreeSync Premium Pro, and an onscreen Game Bar menu lets you make gaming-related adjustments on the fly while playing. Additionally, the set has a built-in ATSC 3.0 tuner to receive 'NextGen' digital TV broadcasts.

The TV's audio system uses a 2.1.2 Dolby Atmos speaker system with 50 watts total power, with an Acoustic Tuning Adjustment providing automatic sound calibration. One of its HDMI outputs supports eARC for connecting to an external soundbar – something the TV’s width-adjustable support feet are designed to accommodate – and there’s also a WiSA option for wirelessly connecting WiSA-certified speakers to the TV.

  • Features Score: 4.5/5  

Hisense U8K showing image of landsape with lake and mountain

The U8K offers high screen brightness and can handle HDR programs without breaking a sweat. (Image credit: Future)

Hisense U8K Series TV review: Picture quality

  • High peak brightness
  • Deep blacks with detailed shadows
  • Some backlight blooming

I reviewed a 65-inch U8K, which managed to beat Hisense’s brightness spec for the series. Peak brightness measured 1590 nits on a 10% white window pattern with the TV set to HDR Theater mode, which is notably higher than the 905 nits I measured in Fillmmaker mode on last year’s U8H series model. A white pattern covering 100% of the TV’s screen hit 760 nits, which is similarly impressive performance for that test.

With the TV’s Local Contrast (local dimming) set to High, its backlight fully switches off when displaying a full black test pattern, resulting in 'infinite' contrast. Both black and white uniformity is very good, though a degree of backlight blooming could be seen when displaying white movie titles against a black background (or red titles in the case of the film Babylon) or on black letterboxed bars where a bright object is shown at the top or bottom of the image.

In the TV’s Filmmaker picture mode, measured grayscale Delta E values averaged out to 4.1 (we typically look for these to clock in below 3) with a high of 6.3. Measurements made with Portrait’s Calman color calibration software showed coverage of DCI-P3 (the color space used for mastering 4K Blu-rays and digital cinema releases) to be 97%, and BT.2020 to be 80%, both of which are excellent results.

An anti-glare screen coating on the U8K did a great job of reducing reflections from the overhead lights in my room. As with other LCD TVs with a vertical alignment (VA) panel, picture contrast and color saturation took a hit when viewing the TV from far off-center seats.

After breaking the TV in for a few days with casual viewing, I started out my critical viewing with the demonstration section of the Spears and Munsil Ultra HD Benchmark disc. Watching the version graded for 2,000 nits peak HDR brightness, I could see occasional banding artifacts in clouds, though the same issues disappeared when I watched it at 1,000 nits – a far more common peak brightness level for HDR programs. The disc's starfield sections also revealed a degree of backlight blooming, which showed up in the form of an elevated black level over what you would see on an OLED display, a TV tech that doesn’t use a backlight.

With the TV in Filmmaker mode, there was a notable degree of judder and blur in film scenes with camera motion. Watching a scene from the James Bond film No Time to Die, for example, a shot where the camera pans across a cemetery on a craggy hillside showed significant artifacts of both types. Fortunately, the TV’s Clarity menu provides independent Judder and Blur adjustments to minimize such artifacts, and it’s possible to create a setting that doesn’t also introduce a significant “soap opera effect” – something that the other Clarity presets generate.

Whether I was watching news channels with the lights on or streaming movies and shows with them dimmed, everything looked very good on the U8K. The Netflix movie They Cloned Tyrone has a dark and grainy-looking image, and both the shadows and grain were well handled by the Hisense. A brighter option was presented by the Apple TV Plus series Hijack, with strong HDR highlights in many of the scenes. On the U8K, these came across in a balanced and detailed manner, and there was a consistently natural look to the images.

  • Picture quality score: 4.5/5

Hisense U8K rear-panel subwoofer

The U8K's built-in audio system includes a rear-mounted subwoofer. (Image credit: Future)

Hisense U8K Series TV review: Sound quality

  • 2.1.2 channel speakers
  • Good dialogue clarity, decent bass 
  • Auto Acoustic Tuning mode

The U8K’s 2.1.2 speaker system is powered by a total of 50 watts and includes a subwoofer built into the set’s rear panel. Overall, the TV’s sound quality is quite good. Dialogue sounds clear and the speakers can get fairly loud before you start to hear any signs of strain.

The TV’s two upfiring speakers add a sense of spaciousness to Dolby Atmos soundtracks, though the effect is nothing like what you’d get when using the best Dolby Atmos soundbars. There’s also an Auto Acoustic Tuning mode that uses the mic built into the TV to equalize the sound, though you shouldn’t expect to hear a night and day difference when using it.

Other audio features include a Late Night mode (useful for reducing overall dynamic range without affecting dialogue clarity) and a multi-band equalizer to dial in the sound to your liking.

  • Sound quality score: 4/5

Hisense U8K remote control held in hand

The U8K comes with a compact, basic remote control. (Image credit: Future)

Hisense U8K Series TV review: Design

  • Slim form factor
  • Adjustable-width support feet
  •  ATSC 3.0 tuner

The U8K series TVs have a basic but good overall look, with a slim bezel and adjustable width support feet. Being able to set the feet to either a wide or narrow width gives you a greater range of placement options, and it also helps make space for a soundbar.

At three inches deep, the U8K series lacks the incredible slimness of high-end TVs from Samsung and LG, though that’s not surprising as its casing accommodates a back-mounted subwoofer. A strip of LED indicator lights is located on a narrow panel at the set’s bottom, and a switch to turn the TV’s built-in mic is located on the same panel.

The TV’s side-mounted inputs include four HDMI ports (two HDMI 2.1 with support for 4K at 144Hz and one with eARC). There are also optical digital audio and wired headphone outputs and a powered USB port. An RF input lets you connect an antenna, and the set’s built-in digital TV tuner has support for next-gen ATSC 3.0 broadcasts.

Hisense’s compact remote control provides only a basic button set. There are controls for volume and channel selection, as well as ones to access setup menus, Google TV profiles, a built-in mic for voice control, and video inputs. A six-pack of buttons on the bottom also provides direct access to popular apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney Plus.

  • Design score: 4/5

Hisense U8K smart TV interface

Hisense's U8K series uses the Google TV smart interface. (Image credit: Future)

Hisense U8K Series TV review: Smart TV and menus

  • Google TV interface
  • Hands-free voice command that works with Alexa and HomeKit
  • Setup menus can be annoying to navigate

Hisense uses the Google TV smart interface for the U8K series. Like many smart TV interfaces, the home screen is loaded up with content recommendations, though Google TV also has an “Apps Only” mode that creates a more stripped-down presentation when enabled. Entering your Google account credentials or creating a new account, will provide you with personalized content recommendations, with the results based both on your viewing history and Google Chrome browsing activity. Multiple accounts can be created, which allows everyone in the household to have their own Google TV “experience”.

The TV’s built-in mic lets you use hands-free voice commands for content searches and basic control such as volume adjustment and input selection. You can also switch the mic off and instead use the built-in one on the remote, which is temporarily activated when you press the microphone button. Along with Google Assistant, the U9K works with Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s HomeKit, and you can wirelessly cast videos to it using Chromecast built-in and AirPlay 2.

Google TV’s Live TV portal presents a time-based guide featuring free-to-stream (ad-supported, of course) channels, with everything from movies to national news to cooking shows on the menu. With one of the best indoor antennas connected, you can also select a Tuner option to see a guide listing live programs from your local broadcast TV channels. Interestingly, the guide flags any ATSC 3.0 channels, so you can easily tell which stations in your area have been upgraded for “NextGen” digital TV.

The U8K’s setup menus can be a bit confusing to navigate at first, though you’ll soon enough find what you’re looking for. A Picture menu includes sub-menus for options like Brightness, Color and Clarity, with various related adjustments available for each category. It’s a comprehensive list to be sure, and fanatical picture tweakers will find much here to play with. The downside is that doing something as simple as adjusting picture brightness takes multiple remote button presses to get to a specific control. Also, the setup menu takes up half of the screen area, which makes it difficult to see the effects of your adjustments.

  • Smart TV and menus score: 4/5

Hisense U8K onscreen game menu

The U8K's pop-up Game Menu lets you adjust gaming-related settings on the fly. (Image credit: Future)

Hisense U8K Series TV review: Gaming

  • 4K 144Hz with VRR and FreeSync Premium Pro
  • No native cloud gaming portal
  • 13ms input lag

With a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports and support for up to 4K 144Hz input, the U8K series is a great option for gaming. The Hisense also supports VRR, ALLM and FreeSync Premium Pro along with Dolby Vision gaming at 4K 144Hz. Google TV currently doesn’t offer a gaming option with native support, though you can find the Nvidia Geforce Now app in the Google Play store.

Measured using a Bodnar 4K HDMI tester with the U8K in Game mode, input lag on the U8K was 13ms, which is an average performance. When a game console input is detected, the U8K’s ALLM (auto low latency mode) feature automatically switches the TV to Game mode, and you will be able to use an onscreen game menu to adjust settings like Brightness, Dark Detail, Picture Size and High Refresh Rate Mode.

  • Gaming score: 4/5

Hisense U8K TV support feet on stand

The U8K series uses support feet with two separate width options. (Image credit: Future)

Hisense U8K Series TV review: Value

  • Cheaper than the mini-LED TV competition
  • Great performance for the price
  • Maximum brightness is less than competition

Priced at $1,399 and selling for significantly less than that just two months after being released, the Hisense U8K is fantastic value. You’ll pay a good deal more for mini-LED TVs from Sony and Samsung, though those models are likely to offer features not found on the U8K, such as soundbar audio integration and a cloud gaming hub.

The U8K is also priced lower than the TCL QM8, a 2023 mini-LED TV that we favorably reviewed. What are the differences between the two? Brightness mainly, with the TCL TV managing to hit 2,321 nits peak light output as compared to the Hisense’s nearly 1,600 nits. Otherwise, the two share similar features and gaming specs, and both use the Google TV smart interface for streaming.

  • Value score: 5/5 

Hisense U8K Live TV guide showing ATSC 3.0 channel

Next-gen digital TV broadcasts pulled in by the U8K's ATSC 3.0 tuner are labeled as such in the Live TV program guide. (Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the Hisense U8K Series TV?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if…

Also consider...

Samsung QN90C mini-LED
Samsung’s Neo QLED model is pricier than the QN90C, but it offers higher peak brightness along with refined local dimming. It also has an anti-glare screen and an excellent suite of gaming features, including 4K 120Hz support and Samsung’s Game Hub for cloud-based gaming.

Read our Samsung QN90C mini-LED TV review.

How I tested the Hisense U8K TV

TCL QM8 TV showing color test patterns onscreen

(Image credit: Future)
  • I spent about 15 hours in total measuring and evaluating
  • Measurements were made using Calman color calibration software
  • A full calibration of the TV was made before proceeding with subjective tests

When I test TVs, my first step is to spend a few days using it for casual viewing for break-in and to assess the out-of-box picture presets. The next step is to select the most accurate-looking preset (typically labeled Movie or Cinema) and measure the white balance (grayscale), gamma and color point accuracy using Portrait Displays’ Calman color calibration software. The resulting measurements provide Delta-E values (the margin of error between the test pattern source and what’s shown on-screen) for each category, and they allow for an assessment of the TV’s overall accuracy.

Along with those tests, I make measurements of peak light output (recorded in nits) for both standard high-definition and 4K high dynamic range using 10% and 100% white window patterns. Coverage of DCI-P3 and BT.2020 color space is also measured, with the results providing a sense of how faithfully the TV can render the extended color range in ultra high-definition sources.

For the Hisense U8K, I used the Calman ISF workflow, along with the TV’s advanced picture menu settings, to calibrate the image for best accuracy with SDR and HDR sources. Once done, I watched a range of reference scenes on 4K Blu-ray discs that I’ve gathered after years of TV and projector testing to assess the TV’s performance, as well as new Dolby Vision-encoded material streamed from sources like Netflix and HBO Max.

  • First reviewed: August 17, 2023
Samsung QN90C TV review: a bright mini-LED TV that looks good from any angle
6:00 pm | June 24, 2023
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Televisions | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Editor's Note

• Original review date: June 2023
• Samsung S95D due for release spring 2024
• Launch price: From $2,499 / £2,399 / AU$3,999 (55-inch)
• Target price: From $1,699 / £1,499 (55-inch)

Update: February 2024. The Samsung QN90C offers an elite, mini-LED experience that gives stunning brightness without sacrificing contrast. With its anti-reflection coating and excellent motion handling, the QN90C is ideal for daytime sports viewing, which is why it's our best TV for sports. There’s plenty of cheaper mini-LED competition at this point, such as the impressively bright Hisense U8K, but the QN90C has a wider range of sizes, stronger overall picture quality and the flexibility of four HDMI 2.1 ports – and during Black Friday, the 55-inch Samsung QN90C dropped as low as $1,199 / £999, and we expect it will hit close to those kinds of prices again before it goes off sale, making it still a great choice today. Especially because we don’t expect its successor, the Samsung QN90D, to be that much of a drastic upgrade. The rest of this review remains as previously published.

Samsung QN90C TV: two-minute review

Samsung’s QN90C series TVs are the step-down offering in the company’s 2023 Neo QLED lineup. Neo QLED TVs feature a mini-LED backlight, which allows the set to deliver high brightness along with generally more refined local dimming than what you’ll get with a standard QLED model that uses a regular LED backlight.

For the QN90C, mini-LED backlighting lets it deliver peak light output approaching what Samsung’s flagship QN95C Neo QLED TVs are capable of, while also delivering the deep blacks that local dimming provides. And while the QN90C doesn’t quite hit the OLED-like heights of the QN95C when it comes to rendering the deepest shadows, its performance on that front is nonetheless impressive. Similar to other Samsung TVs, HDR support here extends to the HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG formats, but not Dolby Vision.

With its slim form factor, thin bezel and sturdy hexagonal plate stand, the QN90C has strong visual appeal and looks great when in Ambient Mode, which is a Samsung feature for displaying artwork and photos in a low-power mode. Its Tizen smart TV interface is somewhat more busy and complicated than what you’ll see on other 4K TVs, but it provides plenty of options to customize and extend its usability, particularly when it comes to smart home tech.

Gaming is a particularly strong point for Samsung Neo QLED TVs, and the QN90C offers up four 4K 120Hz-capable HDMI 2.1 ports for connecting next-gen game consoles. Its Gaming Hub greatly expands the possibilities for gamers with cloud-based services including Xbox, Nvidia GeForce Now, Amazon Luna, Utomik and more.

The QN90C has better than average audio performance for a TV, including an Object Tracking Sound Plus feature to enhance the directionality of effects in movie soundtracks. It also supports the company’s Q-Symphony feature, which lets you pair the TV with select Samsung soundbars for a more spacious and dynamic audio experience.

Samsung Neo QLED TVs tend to be pricey, and the QN90C is no exception. But you’ll be able to score one for a good deal less than the company’s flagship QN95C, and unless you’re an ardent videophile, the differences between the two won’t appear all that dramatic. There are definitely budget mini-LED alternatives from brands like TCL and Hisense that can be had for a lot less, but when it comes to features and design sophistication, they won’t be able to match the QN90C .

Samsung QN90C TV review: price and release date

  • Release date: February 21, 2023
  • QN43QN90: $1,119 / £1,399 / AU$1,999
  • QN50QN90: $1,319 / £1,499 / AU$2,499
  • QN55QN90: $1,519 / £1,899 / AU$2,999
  • QN65QN90: $2,299 / £2,699 / AU$3,999
  • QN75QN90: $2,599 / £3,799 / AU$5,299
  • QN85QN90: $3,999 / £5,199 / AU$6,799

The QN90C series sits between Samsung’s flagship QN95C and QN85C series, both of which are also mini-LED backlit QLED TVs. A main difference between the QN90C and the step-down QN85C appears to be less advanced built-in audio features in the latter, while the QN95C series has an ultra-slim, zero bezel 'Infinity One' design.

Make no mistake – these are all high-end LCD TVs, with elevated pricing to prove it. With screens ranging from 43 inches to 85 inches, there are plenty of QN90C size options to choose from based on space or budget, with the 65-inch model I tested priced just a few hundred below an LG C3 OLED TV in the same screen size.

Samsung QN90C TV review: Specs

Samsung QN90C back panel inputs

Back panel inputs include four side-mounted HDMI 2.1 ports (one with eARC), an optical digital output, and an antenna connection for the QN90C's ATSC 3.0 tuner. (Image credit: Future)

Samsung QN90C TV review: features

  • Mini-LED backlight with local dimming
  • Native 4K with HDR10+ dynamic range
  • Gaming Hub for cloud gaming

Samsung’s QN90C series TVs use a QLED display panel and mini-LED backlight with full-array local dimming. A Neural Quantum Processor upscales regular HD images to 4K and a Neo Quantum HDR+ feature dynamically processes high dynamic range content. As with other Samsung TVs, HDR handling is limited to the HDR10+ format, with no Dolby Vision support. The QN90C also features an anti-glare screen coating, along with the company’s Ultra Viewing Angle tech to improve picture quality at far off-center seats.

Samsung’s own Tizen smart TV interface is used for streaming as well as home control via the Samsung SmartThings app. The company’s Bixby tech is also onboard for voice commands, and both Alexa and Google Assistant devices are supported. An ambient mode can be activated that shows a wide range of still and animated images when the TV is not in use, and you can both customize these and upload your own images for display.

The QN90C series sports Samsung’s NeoSlim Design, one that still allows room for a built-in 4.2.2-channel Dolby Atmos speaker system. Samsung’s Object Tracking Sound Plus processing helps to make sounds coming from the screen more natural and believable, and there’s also a Q-Symphony 3.0 feature that combines the TV’s audio output with a Samsung soundbar for an enhanced presentation.

Samsung’s Gaming Hub provides a central destination for gaming apps and settings, with cloud gaming services such as Xbox, Nvidia GeForce Now, Amazon Luna, Utomik, and more supported. You can set up a Bluetooth controller to use for cloud gaming and games with HDR10+ high dynamic range are supported.

All four of the TV’s HDMI 2.1 inputs support 4K 120Hz input from a PS5 or Xbox Series X game console. The set also has an RF antenna input, and when a digital TV antenna is connected, its built-in ATSC 3.0 tuner will tune NextGen digital stations in the US.

  • Features Score: 5/5  

Samsung QN90C showing birch trees in forest

One of the many digital art options available to display in Ambient Mode. (Image credit: Future)

Samsung QN90C TV review: picture quality

  • High peak brightness
  • Deep blacks with detailed shadows 
  • Some backlight blooming

The 65-inch Samsung QN90C TV I tested delivered impressive peak HDR brightness, with the set measuring 1,787 nits (measured on a 10% white window test pattern) in its Movie picture mode. There is also a Filmmaker mode option, but that had lower brightness and was generally less accurate than Movie. In the TV’s Standard mode, peak brightness measured 1,219 nits. To give those numbers some context, Samsung’s flagship QN95C 4K mini-LED TV delivered 2,000 nits peak brightness in Movie mode when we tested it, and 2,240 nits in Standard mode.

The Samsung’s full-array local dimming backlight allows it to display 0 IRE full black, resulting in “infinite” contrast. It also did a very good job fleshing out shadow detail in dark scenes. Backlight “blooming” was evident, though, with light halos appearing around white-on-black movie titles and also pinpoints of light in the Starfield motion patterns from the Spears & Munsil Ultra HD HDR test Blu-ray. But these were minimal for the most part during regular viewing, though I did see some blooming in the transitions between bright sections of images and black letterbox bars on ultra-widescreen movies.

The color balance in the Movie picture mode’s default Warm color temperature setting was slightly blue-ish, with Delta E values at some brightness levels measuring in the 3-4 range (we typically look for these to dip below 3). Measurements made with Portrait’s Calman color calibration software also showed coverage of DCI-P3 (the color space used for mastering 4K Blu-rays and digital cinema releases) to be 93.3%, and BT.2020 to be 73.0%. These are just average results, with sets from budget brands like TCL and Hisense delivering equivalent performance.

Samsung’s anti-glare screen coating for the QN90C series proved effective at keeping screen reflections to a minimum. Between that and the TV’s high brightness, the QN90C will be a great option for daytime sports viewing. The company’s Ultra Viewing Angle tech also helped images retain contrast and color saturation when viewed at off-center seats – a performance aspect that gives the QN90C an advantage over budget LCD TVs, most of which start to look washed out when you move away from a center viewing position.

Starting my viewing tests out with the montage section of the Spears & Munsil Ultra HD Benchmark disc, the TV did a good job handling HDR images graded at a high brightness level. Picture detail was excellent and bright highlights had strong dynamic punch, though the backlight blooming artifacts I had seen earlier showed up on high-contrast images like a nighttime shot of a Ferris wheel.

Viewing a scene from the 2021 James Bond film No Time to Die that I use to test motion handling, a rocky hill Bond traverses as the camera tracks along looked both solid and detailed on the QN90C. Samsung TVs provide Picture Clarity settings with separate motion blur and judder adjustments that are very effective at reducing those picture effects, but in this case I found I didn’t even need to use them.

Viewing another reference scene on 4K Blu-ray, this one from Dune (2021), as Paul and his mother walk through a dark, misty space following an interrogation, the QN90C’s picture looked clean and crisp despite the grainy nature of the images. The set’s performance here was a big improvement over last year’s QN90B, which showed a high level of noise in this same scene when I did a hands-on test of it.

Black Mirror season 6 dropped on Netflix as I was testing the QN90C, and bingeing it gave me a good opportunity to watch shows produced in different styles. The high-tech sets of Joan is Awful and Beyond the Sea had a crisp, punchy look, with very good shadow detail and robust color. And scenes from Loch Henry and Beyond the Sea (again) that take place in rural environments came across with a range of subtle, natural hues. Skin tones looked accurate throughout, and there was a bright, engaging quality to the QN90C’s picture that made it a great delivery vehicle for Netflix’s satirical sci-fi series.

  • Picture quality score: 4.5/5

Samsung QN90C remote control held in hand

Samsung's battery-less remote control is powered by a solar cell located on its back. (Image credit: Future)

Samsung QN90C TV review: sound quality

  • 4.2.2-channel Atmos speakers
  • Spacious sound at reasonable levels
  • Q-Symphony feature combines TV’s audio with soundbar

The QN90C has a built-in 4.2.2-channel Dolby Atmos speaker system that creates a believable sense of spaciousness with Atmos soundtracks. This effect is helped by the TV’s Object Tracking Sound Plus feature, which works to make sounds more directional and aligned with the onscreen action.

Of course, with a TV this thin, you’re not going to be hearing much in the way of bass, and movies with bass-heavy soundtracks didn’t sound particularly impressive when watched using the QN90C’s built-in speakers. Pushing the volume to a high level also caused the sound to compress, which resulted in the spacious presentation heard at a lower level to flatten out.

For most viewing using the TV’s speakers, I activated the Amplify audio setting, which made everything sound louder and clearer. QN90C series TVs also provide the company’s Q-Symphony feature, which lets you combine the set’s built-in audio with Samsung’s Q- and S-Series soundbars for an enhanced presentation.

  • Sound quality score: 4/5

Samsung QN90C stand close-up

The QN90C's sturdy stand provides firm support. (Image credit: Future)

Samsung QN90C TV review: design

  • NeoSlim design
  • Center-mounted hexagonal plate stand
  • Solar-powered remote with built-in mic

The QN90C features Samsung’s NeoSlim design with an aluminum, center-mounted "hexagonal" plate stand. It’s a good look: the TV has a slender profile when viewed from the side, and the stand gives it a somewhat aerodynamic form while lending firm support.

Samsung’s slim design necessitates an equally slim side-mounted panel for the TV’s input section, which offers up 4 HDMI 2.1 ports, along with USB, optical digital audio, and RF antenna connections. I found it a bit difficult to plug in  some of my HDMI cables with thicker cables and connectors, but all hook-ups were ultimately made. 

The included remote control is a compact affair with small, non-backlit buttons that can be difficult to use in a dark room. Most navigation moves are carried out using a central trackpad and there’s a button up top to activate voice commands via its built-in mic. Unlike most other remote controls, Samsung’s doesn’t require a battery. Instead, it harvests power from a solar cell located on its backside, and can also draw power from your home’s broadband network if the solar cell is blocked.

  • Design score: 4.5/5

Samsung QN90C Smart TV interface

Streaming apps in the TV's smart interface occupy a horizontal row that can be fully customized. (Image credit: Future)

Samsung QN90C TV review: smart TV & menus

  • Samsung Tizen interface
  • Bixby voice command, but works with Alexa and Google
  • Comprehensive, easy to navigate menus

Samsung’s Tizen smart TV interface is mostly easy to deal with, which is something I can’t say about all smart TV interfaces. A horizontal row of apps spans nearly the full screen width and you can add and remove apps, as well as edit the order they appear in (based on frequency of use, for example). Content recommendations and other windows are stashed below the central app row, where they can be browsed by scrolling down using the remote control or Samung’s Bixby voice assistant (Alexa and Google Assistant are also supported).

There are plenty of features to explore here, including the Samsung TV Plus free streaming TV portal, Ambient Mode settings and Samsung Gaming Hub for cloud-based gaming. Samsung’s Ambient Mode is particularly distinguished, with a wide array of tasteful designs available to display on the TV when it’s not in use. You can edit these to modify settings such as brightness and color balance, and you can also upload your own photos to display in Ambient Mode.

Switching input sources and picture settings is fairly easy. Selecting specific icons on the left side of the smart screen triggers a transparent row of input options and picture and sound settings. You can also select an “All Settings” option that will show a more traditional onscreen settings menu. Samsung doesn’t skimp on picture settings – you’ll find everything you need here to painstakingly tweak the TV’s picture, including separate adjustments for motion judder and blur.

  • Smart TV & menus score: 4.5/5

Samsung QN90C Gaming Hub interface

Samsung's Gaming Hub provides a central portal for cloud-based gaming and game settings.  (Image credit: Future)

Samsung QN90C TV review: gaming

  • 4K 120Hz with VRR and FreeSync Premium
  • Low 9.8 ms input lag
  • Samsung Gaming Hub for cloud-based gaming

With a native 120Hz refresh rate and support for 4K 120Hz signal input on all four HDMI 2.1 ports along with VRR and FreeSync Premium, the QN90C series is well-suited for gaming with next-gen consoles. With Game mode active, I measured an impressively low 9.8ms input lag using a 4K meter, which is a better result than most TVs are capable of delivering.

Samsung’s Gaming Hub is the most comprehensive cloud gaming portal you’ll find on any TV, with apps including Xbox, Nvidia GeForce Now, Amazon Luna, Utomik, Anstream Arcade, and Blacknut. You can easily connect Bluetooth game controllers to the TV from within Gaming Hub, and the main screen displays your recently played games and game suggestions based on your history.

Pressing the Play/Pause remote button with the TV’s Game mode selected calls up a transparent game menu at the screen’s lower half. From here, you can make additional Game mode settings, as well as monitor things like resolution and frames per second.

  • Gaming score: 5/5

Samsung QN90C onscreen game menu overlay

Samsung's pop-up onscreen game menu. (Image credit: Future)

Samsung QN90C TV review: value

  • Significantly cheaper than Samsung’s mini-LED flagship
  • Can buy budget mini-LED models for less
  • Good, not great value

At $2,299 / £2,699 / AU$3,999, the 65-inch QN90C represents a very good value when compared to Samsung’s step-up QN95C, which is priced $1,000 higher in the US. That model provides a more advanced mini-LED backlight and local dimming processing, however, which we found to effectively eliminate backlight blooming when we tested it – something that, along with even higher peak brightness, could make the QN95C worth the extra money for some viewers.

Any consideration of the QN90C’s value also needs to take into account less pricey mini-LED TV options such as the TCL 6-Series (2022) and Hisense U8H, both of which can hit similarly high brightness peaks and have good local dimming performance. I think that most viewers would be happy with either of those TVs, though they lack many of the advanced features found on Samsung’s Neo QLED models such as Ultra Viewing Angle and Gaming Hub.

To sum up, the QN90C is a good overall value, but not a great one. 

  • Value score: 4/5 

Samsung QN90C showing abstract orange and red image

(Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the Samsung QN90C TV?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if…

Also consider...

TCL 6-Series mini-LED
TCL’s 6-Series TVs are a great budget alternative to Samsung’s Neo QLED models since they also feature a mini-LED backlight for high brightness. The 6-Series is also a very good option for gaming with next-gen gaming features like 4K 120Hz input support and VRR. Read our TCL 6-Series TV review.

How I tested the Samsung QN90C TV

Samsung QN90C TV shown from angle

(Image credit: Future)
  • I spent about 15 hours in total measuring and evaluating
  • Measurements were made using Calman color calibration software
  • A full calibration of the TV was made before proceeding with subjective tests

When I test TVs, my first step is to spend a few days using it for casual viewing for break-in and to assess the out-of-box picture presets. The next step is to select the most accurate-looking preset (typically labeled Movie or Cinema) and measure the white balance (grayscale), gamma, and color point accuracy using Portrait Displays’ Calman color calibration software. The resulting measurements provide Delta-E values (the margin of error between the test pattern source and what’s shown on-screen) for each category, and they allow for an assessment of the TV’s overall accuracy.

Along with those tests, I make measurements of peak light output (recorded in nits) for both standard high-definition and 4K high dynamic range using 10% and 100% white window patterns. Coverage of DCI-P3 and BT.2020 color space is also measured, with the results providing a sense of how faithfully the TV can render the extended color range in ultra high-definition sources.

For the Samsung QN90C, I used the Calman ISF workflow, along with the TV’s advanced picture menu settings, to calibrate the image for best accuracy with SDR and HDR sources. Once done, I watched a range of reference scenes on 4K Blu-ray discs that I’ve gathered after years of TV and projector testing to assess the TV’s performance, as well as new Dolby Vision-encoded material streamed from sources like Netflix and HBO Max.

  • First reviewed: June 24, 2023
Roku Plus Series review: a great budget 4K QLED TV
6:00 pm | June 10, 2023
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Tags: , , , | Comments: Off

Roku Plus Series TV: Two-minute review

Most people know Roku for its streaming boxes and sticks – like the Roku Streaming Stick 4K – as well as the company’s smart interface, which can be found in TVs from brands like TCL, Hisense and others. Back in March of 2023, the company also started selling its own Roku-branded TVs, and as with its streamers, they are priced at a level that most people can afford.  

There are two lines of Roku TVs: the Plus Series and the Select Series. Both are inexpensive compared to other sets, but the Plus Series is more feature-packed and consequently priced a bit higher. I was sent a 65-inch Plus model to review, and as a longtime Roku user, I was very curious to see how this $649 set would stack up against other 4K TVs I’ve recently tested.

Along with the company’s own smart TV interface, Plus Series TVs feature AirPlay for wireless streaming from devices and work with Alexa and Google Assistant. You can also conduct hands-free voice searches using the remote control’s built-in mic by first saying “Hey Roku” or by pressing a button on the remote and speaking your search directly.

Plus Series TVs use a QLED display panel with a full-array local dimming backlight, and there’s support for Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and HLG high dynamic range. The 65-inch model I tested doesn’t offer nearly the same peak brightness as QLED TVs with a mini-LED backlight, but it has a local dimming feature that's effective enough to deliver images with strong contrast.

All new Roku TVs have a native 60Hz refresh rate. And while we normally recommend 120Hz 4K TVs for gaming, the Plus Series had an impressive 11.5 ms measured input lag when its Game mode was enabled.

The design of Plus Series sets are basic though, and they come with side-mounted support feet that can’t be height-adjusted. Inputs include 4 HDMI 2.0 ports (1 with eARC) along with an RF connection for an antenna and an optical digital audio output.

Audio on the Plus Series is also basic, with the TV sporting two bottom-mounted speakers. And while the sound is perfectly satisfactory given the TV’s price, the company offers several inexpensive options to enhance audio quality, including a 2-channel soundbar that connects wirelessly with the TV, and wireless surround sound and subwoofer speakers.

Between the company’s own The Roku Channel and a Live TV portal with an enormous amount of free streaming channels that can be browsed in a grid format with TV broadcasts pulled in by antenna, there’s plenty available to watch here, much of it free. Even so, the Roku smart TV interface provides almost every streaming service app you could possibly want, and it also supports personal photo streaming, with an option to add pictures directly from your phone.

Roku Plus Series TV review: price and release date

  • Release date:  March, 2023 
  • 55R6A5R: $499
  • 65R6A5R: $649
  • 75R6A5R: $999

The Plus Series models are the step-up offerings in the Roku TV lineup. They are available in 55-, 65-, and 75-screen sizes, and are only sold in the US at Best Buy stores and online.

Pricing for the Roku Plus Series TVs is in the same approximate range as budget models from Hisense, TCL, and Amazon Fire TVs, all of which also feature QLED screen tech, and in some instances a local dimming backlight similar to Roku Plus series models.

Roku Plus Series TV review: Specs

Roku Plus Series TV back input panel

Back panel inputs include two side-mounted HDMI 2.0 ports (one with eARC), two bottom-mounted HDMI 2.0 ports, an optical digital output, and an antenna connection. (Image credit: Future)

Roku Plus Series TV review: features

  • Roku smart TV interface and voice remote
  • Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and HLG high dynamic range 
  • Four HDMI inputs, one with enhanced audio return channel (eARC)

Roku Plus Series TVs feature the company’s popular smart TV interface, which is easy to navigate compared to other options. It provides an extensive amount of streaming apps to select from, and includes The Roku Channel and the Live TV portal for streaming free ad-supported TV shows and movies. Live TV also lets you integrate TV channels tuned by an indoor TV antenna.

Plus Series TVs support AirPlay for wireless streaming from iPhones and iPads, and they also work with Alexa and Google Assisant. They include voice remote pro features, a rechargeable battery and it has a built-in mic that allows for hands-free voice searches (the built-in mic can also be easily disabled using a switch located on the remote).

A QLED display panel with a native 60Hz refresh rate is used for the Plus series, and there’s a full-array local dimming backlight for enhanced contrast. High dynamic range support includes Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and HLG. A Game mode is also provided that reduces input lag when gaming with a connected console.

The set’s four HDMI inputs include one that supports HDMI eARC for a soundbar connection, and there’s an optical digital audio output and an RF input to connect an antenna. When viewing TV broadcasts, you can pause and rewind live TV for up to 90 minutes when a 16GB USB flash drive is plugged into the set’s USB port. Roku TVs also support a wireless audio connection to the company’s Roku Smart soundbar. 

Roku’s features package for its Plus Series is fairly basic overall compared to other TVs, but it includes a solid array of video performance basics such as a QLED display panel and full array local dimming backlight.

  • Features Score: 3.5/5  

Roku Plus Series TV showing Max app screen with Avatar 2

The new Max is one of the many streaming apps available in the Roku smart TV interface (Image credit: Future)

Roku Plus Series TV review: picture quality

  • Average brightness
  • Deep blacks with detailed shadows 
  • Some screen reflections

The 65-inch Roku Plus Series TV I tested delivered an average brightness level for a QLED TV, with peak brightness topping out at 556 nits (measured on a 10% white window test pattern) in its Standard HDR picture mode, and 533 nits in Dark HDR mode. To put those numbers into perspective, the TCL 6-series TV, a model with a mini-LED backlight, can hit 1,326 nits peak brightness, while the LG C3 OLED TV tops out at 830 nits.

A full-array local dimming backlight on the Plus Series enabled it to display deep blacks, though it didn’t hit the 0 IRE full black that OLED TVs and the best mini-LED models are capable of, with maximum contrast measuring 20,500:1. Even so, blacks looked strikingly deep in most movie clips I watched, and backlight 'blooming' artifacts were surprisingly minimal given the set’s low price. For most of my testing I kept the Micro Contrast setting at High, which delivered the best black depth and shadow detail.

The color balance in the Movie picture mode’s default Warm color temperature setting was slightly blue-ish, with most Delta E values measuring in the 3-4 range (we typically look for these to dip below 3). Measurements made with Portrait’s Calman display calibration software also showed coverage of DCI-P3 (the color space used for mastering 4K Blu-rays and digital cinema releases) to be 95.8%, and BT.2020 to be 81.3%. These are very good results, and closely match what was measured on the TCL 6-Series TV.

Roku’s Plus Series set had a fair amount of screen reflectivity, with reflections visible when viewing in a room with bright overhead lights. Picture contrast and color saturation also weren’t as solid when viewing from off-center seats, though that effect is common with LCD-based TVs like the Plus Series.

I watched several scenes from 4K Blu-ray discs that I typically use for testing on the Roku Plus Series, starting out with the Spears & Munsil Ultra HD Benchmark (the just-released new version). Viewing the 4,000 nits version of the montage sequence, some clipping artifacts were visible with the set’s Dynamic Tone Mapping setting active, though the issue disappeared when I watched a version graded at 1,000 nits – a more typical peak brightness for programs with HDR. Otherwise, images in the montage looked clean, crisp and had rich color, though the strongest highlights lacked some of the visual punch I’ve seen when watching the same material on brighter TVs.

Next up was No Time to Die, the James Bond film from 2021. Shadows looked deep and solid in the early scenes where Bond and Madeleine arrive in Italy, and in a later one where 007 walks across a craggy hill toward the resting place of Vesper Lynd with the camera panning along, the motion was smooth with almost no blurring artifacts.

Dune also looked very good on the Roku TV, with the set’s processor managing to deliver a detailed and noise-free picture even in difficult scenes like one where Paul walks through a dark and misty environment with Lady Jessica following an interrogation by the Reverend Mother. I’ve seen other, much more expensive TVs trip up on this sequence, which made the Roku’s handling of it all the more impressive.

With Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse now out in theaters, it seemed appropriate to give 2018’s Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse a spin on the Roku Plus TV. This film has an incredible range of color, and images are enlivened with finely detailed textures throughout that give it a printed comic book look. The Roku conveyed all of it in a convincing manner, with images looking impressively dynamic for such an affordable TV.

  • Picture quality score: 4/5

Roku Plus Series TV main smart interface

Inputs can be accessed from the main Roku TV interface  (Image credit: Future)

Roku Plus Series TV review: sound quality

  • Two downfiring speakers
  • Average TV sound quality 
  • Can make a wireless soundbar connection

Roku Plus Series use two down-firing speakers and the sound quality is average – you can easily hear dialogue and there’s a good overall balance, but otherwise dynamic movie soundtracks tend to flatten out during loud scenes.

Roku sells a two-channel Roku TV wireless soundbar ($150), which is designed specifically for its TVs and can be connected wirelessly (surround speakers and a subwoofer can also be added for a wireless 4.1-channel setup). Roku sent me its wireless soundbar to try out, and setting it up was incredibly easy. Configuration and control of the soundbar is carried out using the voice remote pro, with sound presets selectable via the TV’s menus.

Of the various presets, the Standard mode proved to be the best for most viewing, and with it selected dialogue gained weight and body while soundtrack elements like music and effects came across with greater clarity and dynamic presence. Given the TV’s low price, this is definitely a situation where you should consider a soundbar, and while there are plenty of great choices on our best soundbars list, the Roku TV wireless soundbar is a perfect match for this TV.

  • Sound quality score: 3.5/5

Roku Plus Series TV support feet on TV stand

The 2-channel Roku TV wireless soundbar (shown) provides an easy and inexpensive audio upgrade (Image credit: Future)

Roku Plus Series TV review: design

  • Basic design
  • Side-mounted, non-adjustable support feet 
  • Roku voice pro remote with built-in mic

The design of Plus Series TVs is fairly basic, with a thin bezel surrounding the screen’s edges and a thicker bezel at the bottom with a protruding compartment with an IR receiver and multipurpose control button under the Roku logo. Side-mounted feet provide sturdy support, though both their height and horizontal spread can’t be adjusted.

Two of the TV’s HDMI ports are located on an input panel accessible from the side, while the other two are on the panel’s bottom along with the antenna, USB, and Ethernet ports. There’s also a composite-video and RCA-type analog stereo audio input here that lets you connect legacy sources such as a VCR or vintage game console. The bottom HDMI ports were somewhat difficult to access, and could potentially be a challenge when using a stiff cable to connect sources.

The built-in battery of Roku’s compact voice pro remote control can be recharged by connecting it to the TV’s USB port. It has a built-in mic that can either be always on or disabled using a switch located on the remote’s side. The benefit to having the mic always on is that you can do hands-free voice searches by saying “Hey Roku” followed by a request. You can also momentarily activate the mic for searches by pressing the mic button at the remote’s center. Four quick buttons let you instantly access the Apple TV Plus, Disney Plus, Netflix and Max streaming services, and there are two numbered “shortcut” buttons that can be configured for a range of uses.

  • Design score: 3.5/5

Roku Plus Series TV Live TV program guide shown onscreen

The Live TV "Favorites" program grid with streaming and broadcast TV channels listed (Image credit: Future)

Roku Plus Series TV review: smart TV & menus

  • Roku TV interface
  • Works with Alexa and Google Assistant
  • Picture adjustments hard to access

Roku’s well-known and well-regarded smart TV interface is one I’m familiar with having spent many years as a Roku owner before making the leap to an Apple TV 4K. It’s a great interface for browsing apps, mainly because everything is right up front and accessible, and it’s easy to add or delete apps.

The Roku Live TV portal is a good way to supplement any streaming services you subscribe to. It offers an abundance of free channels organized in a time-based grid, and you can add broadcast TV channels tuned by an antenna to expand your free TV menu. With so many channels to choose from, it’s a good idea to edit the grid down to a more manageable size – something that the Favorites feature easily lets you do.

The Roku Photo Streams app has received recent enhancements that let you upload images directly from a phone to for viewing on the TV. You can also now edit streams and set screensavers, and the app now supports up to 1,000 images. When it comes to displaying personal photo libraries, the Roku Plus series is no Apple TV 4K, which provides tight integration with that company’s Photos app. Even so, most viewers will find Photo Streams to be sufficient for their needs.

Picture adjustments are carried out by pressing the remote’s asterisk button, which calls up the onscreen setup menus. You can adjust picture settings separately for regular and HDR sources, and those custom settings can also be applied across all of the TV’s inputs. Getting to basic adjustments like Brightness, Contrast and Color can take a lot of button presses, which is something that I found annoying during my time testing the TV's performance.

  • Smart TV & menus score: 4.5/5

Roku Plus Series TV remote control held in hand

The Roku TV remote has a USB rechargeable battery and quick buttons to access select apps (Image credit: Future)

Roku Plus Series TV review: gaming

  • No cloud gaming apps
  • Low 11.5 ms input lag
  • Auto Game Mode

With a native 60Hz refresh rate, the Roku Plus isn’t designed to be a powerhouse gaming TV. There’s also no gaming portal with subscription cloud-based services like you’ll find on Samsung and LG sets, and there’s no support for Bluetooth game controllers.

What Roku Plus TVs do offer gamers is a Game mode that reduces input lag to 11.5ms – an impressive level for a budget TV and one that will satisfy all but competitive gamers. Game mode is automatically enabled when a console input is detected, saving you the trouble of having to turn it on in the TV’s settings menu.

  • Gaming score: 3/5

Roku Plus Series TV showing image from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse onscreen

The Roku TV Plus isn't the brightest TV, but it has a very good combination of features and performance for the money (Image credit: Future)

Roku Plus Series TV review: value

  • Very good picture quality for price
  • Roku interface adds to value
  • Loads of free (but ad-supported) streaming channels

At just $649, the 65-inch Plus Series TV I tested is a great value. It’s not able to hit the high peak brightness levels some of its budget TV competition manages, particularly models with a mini-LED backlight, and that limitation lessens some of its impact when viewing movies with HDR. But overall, image quality here is very good for the price.

Also adding to the value of Plus Series TVs is the company’s built-in streaming interface, which is clean and easy to navigate and offers pretty much any app you’d want along with a Live TV portal to stream a multitude of free ad-supported channels. You’ll have a tough time not finding something to watch on Roku’s TV, and if you do, you can always use its hands-free voice remote to recommend something.

  • Value score: 5/5 

Roku Plus Series TV shown at side angle

(Image credit: Future)

Should I buy the Roku Plus Series TV?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if…

Also consider...

TCL 6-Series mini-LED
TCL’s 6-Series TVs are a fairly substantial price jump over the Roku Plus Series, but you’re getting a big brightness boost for the money. The 6-Series is also a better option for gaming with next-gen gaming features like 4K 120Hz and VRR.

How I tested the Roku Plus Series TV

Roku Plus Series TV showing Ferris Wheel onscreen

(Image credit: Future)
  • I spent about 15 hours in total measuring and evaluating
  • Measurements were made using Calman color calibration software
  • A full calibration was made before proceeding with subjective tests

When I test TVs, my first step is to spend a few days using it for casual viewing for break-in and to assess the out-of-box picture presets. The next step is to select the most accurate-looking preset (typically labeled Filmmaker or Movie) and measure the white balance (grayscale), gamma, and color point accuracy using Portrait Displays’ Calman color calibration software. The resulting measurements provide Delta-E values (the margin of error between the test pattern source and what’s shown on-screen) for each category, and they allow for an assessment of the TV’s overall accuracy.

Along with those tests, I make measurements of peak light output (recorded in nits) for both standard high-definition and 4K high dynamic range using 10% and 100% white window patterns. Coverage of DCI-P3 and BT.2020 color space is also measured, with the results providing a sense of how faithfully the TV can render the extended color range in ultra high-definition sources.

For the Roku Plus Series TV, I used the CalMan ISF workflow, along with the advanced picture menu settings in the Roku control app, to calibrate the image for best accuracy with SDR and HDR sources. Once done, I watched a range of reference scenes on 4K Blu-ray discs that I’ve gathered after years of TV and projector testing to assess the TV’s performance, as well as new Dolby Vision-encoded material streamed from sources like Netflix and Max.

  • First reviewed: June 6, 2023
Sylvox 55-inch DeckPro 4K display panel
11:34 am | April 20, 2023
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Tags: | Comments: Off

60 second review

Ever wanted to have a massive business monitor for a prospective outside office in the shade of a patio? 

The Sylvox 55-inch DeckPro 4K display panel (a fancy name for a TV set) will fit the bill thanks to its relatively affordable price tag (for such a product) and its 1000-nits brightness. 

It’s a versatile screen that runs on Android TV and has enough connectors to plug in anything from a laptop, computer and everything in between. It is built like a tank with a down-to-earth, rudimentary design and a simple to operate remote control. It manages to produce colorful, bright, punchy and sharp pictures that it's hard to believe are really coming from a display under an awning. 

All in all, a remarkably good, keenly priced all-rounder.

Sylvox 55-inch DeckPro 4K

Sylvox 55-inch DeckPro 4K (Image credit: Future)

Sylvox DeckPro: Pricing and availability

Sylvox sells its product directly from its website to customers across the globe: the 2023 DeckPro series costs $1,899 on its own, $1,998 with a TV mount, $2,397 with an additional sound bar. This particular model also sells alone for the same price on Amazon. By default you get a free one-year warranty with free shipping. Retailers like Amazon also allow you to buy a protection plan covering the product for multiple years.

A smaller 43-inch model is available as well as a 65- and a 75-inch panel. Don’t confuse the DeckPro with the Deck (which has a lower brightness and runs on Linux) and the Deck Pro QLED (which uses a QLED panel and runs on LG WebOS).

Sylvox 55-inch DeckPro 4K

Sylvox 55-inch DeckPro 4K AndroidTV (Image credit: Sylvox)

Sylvox DeckPro: Design

The DeckPro is designed for self-installation by the end user but will also appeal to AV installers and companies looking for large format displays that can endure harsher than average conditions (e.g. in humid conditions): think exhibitions, events, outdoor happenings, museums, zoos, gardens etc.

It is however a large item, and will need two people to handle; it’s 1245 x 87 x 726mm high for a weight of almost 23Kg. Sylvox sent the TV in a clever cardboard box that protects the display very well without requiring extra protection (e.g. a wooden crate or reinforced plywood).

Read More

> Looking for a great TV? Check out our best Samsung TVs

> Wondering to yourself, should I buy an outdoor TV?

> Samsung unveils its next generation of smart monitors

Instead of the usual plastic shell found on indoors TV, this one has a full stainless steel coated shell which resists corrosion and scratching; you won’t find the same level of attention to aesthetics you’d find on say, Samsung’s The Frame. The DeckPro is more about getting the basics right even if the end results - like having a thick profile - look industrial: It is designed to work in temperatures between -30 and 50 degrees centigrade which precludes its use in direct sunlight which could heat its components to very high temperatures.

Sylvox has also tested the DeckPro to IP55 standards. So it is protected against dust, debris and water sprays from a nozzle from all directions. That’s not to say that the product is waterproof but it should withstand the occasional drizzle or rain showers. Sylvox mentions that it is designed to “beat the summer heat, the pouring rain, the blizzard cold, the heavy thunderstorms”. We didn’t test that extensively though.

All connectors are downward facing (gravity keeps water out, assuming you’re not using the TV upside down) and located behind a detachable waterproof panel at the back of the TV, secured by 13 screws. Two thick pieces of foam wrap around any connected cable to create a pseudo-waterproof seal. There’s three HDMI ports, an optical out, composite ports, an audio connector, two USB ports and even an Ethernet connector for wired connectivity. There’s also a standard VESA mount at the rear.

Sylvox 55-inch DeckPro 4K

Sylvox 55-inch DeckPro 4K back (Image credit: Future)

Sylvox DeckPro: Features

The DeckPro has a 4K 55-inch panel that can reach 1000 nits brightness, making it a great choice for viewing content outside (even if Sylvox pitches it as a TV for partial sun exposure). A 2000-nits model, aptly named Pool series, can endure a full sun exposure.

That said, while brightness does matter, it’s fair to say that it’s not all about the numbers: higher is not always better and the immediate environment and location matters just as much, if not more.

Sylvox 55-inch DeckPro 4K

Sylvox 55-inch DeckPro 4K Glare (Image credit: Future)

Sylvox uses Google’s Android TV and offers both Chromecast and Google Assistant (via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi) with full access to Google Play. Speaking of Wi-Fi, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that it is compatible with 5GHz networks which means faster speeds and wider coverage, great if, for example, you’re planning to use the panel far away on an exhibition floor.

You can have a quick look at the online manual of the DeckPro here.

Sylvox 55-inch DeckPro 4K

Sylvox 55-inch DeckPro 4K Ports (Image credit: Future)

Sylvox DeckPro: In use

Other than the mere annoyance of having to deal with a dozen or so screws for the protective panel, the DeckPro was a doddle to set up. There’s a single remote control: the more expensive QLED full sun version offers an extra one with a nifty scrolling wheel and an ergonomic body.

Setting up Android TV was also straightforward, and we were up and running in minutes. Surprisingly enough, we couldn’t find the UK in the list of available territories. Sylvox told us they were investigating.

Sylvox 55-inch DeckPro 4K

Sylvox 55-inch DeckPro 4K warning label (Image credit: Future)

Given its brightness, the DeckPro 4K performed admirably under a patio with excellent picture quality, a rich black level response, plenty of sharpness and superb color reproduction, albeit slightly saturated out of the box which is understandable given the target audience. Display settings can be easily adjusted using the remote control and there’s a plethora of options to finetune the screen to one’s expectations.

A word on the sound capabilities: there’s plenty of fans inside the TV to take care of the heat, both produced internally by the components and externally by, well, the sun. They can be slightly distracting but they’re there for a reason. A pair of powerful 10W speakers deliver some punchy, well balanced audio in our very subjective testing. Listening to audio outside a controlled environment makes attempts to come up with anything rigorous a tad trivial.

Sylvox 55-inch DeckPro 4K

Sylvox 55-inch DeckPro 4K remote (Image credit: Future)

How do we test display panels?

Outdoor display panels are different from traditional models so while we do look at the overall quality of the display output, connectivity options and pricing, the build quality and features that make it a proper outdoor display are objectively more important. For business users, we also look at after sales and support.

Should I buy the Sylvox DeckPro?

Buy if...

Don’t buy if...

Also Consider

The Samsung Terrace:
The first outdoor TV to come from the world’s biggest TV maker, and it’s pretty notable for that reason. Samsung uses its award winning QLED technology for the picture to deliver 2,000 nits of brightness. It is twice as expensive as the Sylvox but comes with a five year warranty.

Sunbrite Veranda:
Another popular outdoor TV vendor, Sunbrite’s Veranda is available in sizes up to 75-inch and can often be found at a discount from popular retailers. It has a lower brightness making it great for shaded spaces but will struggle in brighter areas. Do not confuse this with the far superior but more expensive Veranda Series 3.

Xiaomi Band 8, Sound Move speaker, 86-inch Mini LED smart TV unveiled
8:01 pm | April 18, 2023
Author: admin | Category: Mobile phones news | Tags: | Comments: Off

Continuing the coverage of new Xiaomi products that were announced today brings us to the Xiaomi Band 8, Sound Move speaker and the new 86-inch mini-LED smart TV. Xiaomi Band 8 The eighth iteration in the Xiaomi Band series brings retains the 1.62 inches AMOLED pill-shaped screen of its predecessor with 490x192px resolution a 60Hz refresh rate. Band 8 also brings Always on Display support and a 600 nits peak brightness compared to 500 nits on Band 7. Xiaomi Band 8 Band 8 comes with plenty of official strap options from Xiaomi including all sorts of materials such as leather,...

Gigabyte G5 Review: A great gaming laptop for gamers on the go
8:00 pm | March 26, 2023
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

Gigabyte G5: Two-minute review

Gigabyte has a solid track record in putting out pretty outstanding gaming laptops that deliver good performance for the asking price. They’re durable and simplistically designed, and despite being a little loud or a little heavy, they’re usually worth top marks - like the Gigabyte Aorus 17, which racked up a respectable 4 stars. Even in their non-gaming laptops they usually pack a powerful punch, like the 2021 Aero 17 model, which hit home with 5 stars and an abundance of praise for being the creative professional's dream. So, naturally, we had very high expectations for the Gigabyte G5.

This expectation was, predictably, met and at times surpassed by the Gigabyte G5 and we couldn’t reasonably ask for more from a gaming laptop with a sensible price tag like this one. After spending some time with this laptop we can definitely see it hanging with the best gaming laptops and holding its own.  

The model we tested had an Intel Core i5-10500H CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card which places the laptop as a midrange entry in relation to other gaming laptops. There are many different (some more powerful) versions of the G5, some with newer RTX 4000-series GPUs from Nvidia, but to be quite honest even if you’re running a bunch of AAA titles at max settings you’re unlikely to need much more internal power, since this one performed really well in our benchmarks and the G5 only packs a 1080p display - so there’s no need to shoot for higher resolutions.

The laptop comes with a stunning 1080p 15.6-inch display with anti-glare technology and a thin bezel. Colors come to life and maintain a rather striking brilliance on the screen that never dulls. You can see this very clearly with games like Cyberpunk 2077 or even when you’re watching films or Youtube videos.

I popped on an episode of Bojack (Horseman, obviously) and it really felt like I was watching the show on a cute and compact TV rather than a little laptop screen. 15.6 inches doesn't sound like a lot on paper but it arguably looks a lot bigger than it is, so don’t be too worried if screen real estate is a big concern for you. 

Aside from the sound benchmark scores and pretty face, the Gigabyte G5 is just a really nice bit of hardware. It has some weight to it, but not as much as you would expect for a gaming laptop; I threw it in my backpack on multiple occasions and it didn’t drag me down or make itself consistently known, never screaming ‘I’m here! And heavy! And fragile! Good luck to your shoulders!’

Gigabyte G5 review: Price and availability

  • Starts at $1,099.99 / £1,293.49 / AU$2,349
  • UK version tested costs £1,800
  • Massive variety of configurations

The Gigabyte G5 RTX 3060 configuration starts at $899.99 in the US which is pretty decent for the specifications you’re getting and the package those specs come in. The RTX 4060 version costs $1,099, but in the US you can only get this version with 8GB of RAM, and not the 16GB of RAM you can get in the UK with an RTX 4060. As standard, we'd advise that any gaming laptop should have 16GB of RAM as the baseline.

As I said, I don’t think there are many cases for upgrading to the more expensive configuration unless you are looking to fully ‘future-proof’ your investment. The RTX 3060 graphics card is perfectly sufficient to be able to play just about any game at 1080p right now, but if you’re worried about things getting ahead of you, it’s worth considering moving up if you have the cash to spare. If not, our version is perfectly fine.

Gigabyte G5 2023

(Image credit: Future)

In the UK our review model costs £899.99 (AU$1,499) which is basically dead on with the US pricing, and is still a pretty decent asking price for what you get. The models are the same across the US and UK barring that one caveat we mentioned above, though again, we can’t really justify dropping that extra cash when the cheaper model is still really impressive.

The Gigabyte G5 has a good chance of gracing our best cheap laptops list for sure, as it offers strong performance and a lot of dazzling features for the asking price.

  • Price score: 4/5

Gigabyte G5 review: Specs

The Gigabyte G5 comes in two variations. The model we tested comes with the RTX 3060 graphics card, and the other configuration comes with RTX 4060.  

In terms of CPUs, it can come with ever an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor - ours uses the i5 version. The RAM and SSD capacity varies between the two models. You can check out the specs of our version below:

Gigabyte G5 2023

(Image credit: Future)

Gigabyte G5 review: Design

  • Sturdy design
  • Ports on the rear edge of laptop
  • Pretty lightweight for gaming laptop 

The design of the Gigabyte G5 is pretty bog-standard in terms of aesthetics; nothing specific or unique to write home about, but I don’t actually mind that. It’s still a very handsome laptop and the classic chassis design is a breath of fresh air from other gaming laptops that try a little too hard to scream ‘gaming’ as loud as possible.

It isn’t riddled with flashy RGB that demands attention and maintains a very classy appearance. There’s slightly blue-tinted LED backlighting for the keyboard and if you’re like me (read: not a fan of excessive RGB), that is enough.

The G5 is super portable, so much so that I forgot about the laptop being in my backpack at times - not just because of the lightness, but because the build is very durable. I’ve accidentally dropped my bag with the G5 inside on the office floor and been knocked around on public transport, but I never felt worried because this thing is very robust.

Despite its sturdy build quality, it’s definitely one of the more portable 15-inch gaming laptops I’ve reviewed, so if you’re after a machine you can take with you on adventures, this is it. Like most of the best laptops, the physical appearance of the laptop is sleek, and slightly futuristic and doesn't go too crazy with RGB lighting that offends the eyes. 

Gigabyte G5 2023

(Image credit: Future)

Some of the USB ports and the headphone jack are on the side of the laptop with more of the physical ports along the back edge. However you feel about port positioning, we must admit that rear ports can be super convenient if you’re planning to plonk the laptop down on your desk and never move it, letting you keep your workspace free of cable clutter. Though with how easy this is to carry around it may be a little inconvenient if you want to plug in a USB mouse or a flash drive.

You get an adequate amount of ports and a somewhat unusual keyboard layout. Personally, as someone with smaller hands, I found the keys to be a little too spaced out for me when typing on the keyboard, but it felt fine when playing games with it. I asked someone with larger hands to give it a go and they felt the keyboard was well spaced out and rather comfortable, so be warned smaller hand gang! Do some finger stretches before you start writing that novel on the Gigabyte G5.

  • Design score: 4/5

Gigabyte G5 review: Performance

  • 1080p is ideal for most games
  • Might be weaker on CPU-heavy tasks
  • Relatively quiet when gaming
Benchmarks

Here's how the Gigabye G5 performed in our suite of benchmark tests:

3DMark Night Raid: 38,189; Fire Strike: 17,723; Time Spy: 7,572
Cinebench R20 multi-core: 2,660
GeekBench 5: 1,205 (single-core); 6,345 (multi-core)
PCMark 10 (Modern Office): 5,694
PCMark 10 (Battery life test): 3 hours and 51 minutes
TechRadar Battery Life Test: 4 hours and 1 minute
Total War: Warhammer III (1080p, Ultra): 63 fps; (1080p, Low): 173 fps
Cyberpunk 2077 (1080p, Ultra): 68 fps; (1080p, Low): 91fps
Dirt 5 (1080p, Ultra): 69fps; (1080p, Low): 137 fps 

 All things considered, the performance of the Gigabyte G5 is pretty hard to beat at this price point. The RTX 3060 is a decent affordable graphics card and while it may not delight you with 4K gaming, it’ll deliver excellent performance at 1080p with the best PC games. You can play the most demanding games without dropping to abysmal framerates.

The FHD display does a great job, and you'll definitely appreciate its stunning clarity when you’re gaming, watching a film, or scrolling through photos.

 The Intel Core i5 processor at the heart of the gaming laptop is pretty standard - as you may have noticed, it's an older 10th-gen Intel chip that doesn't have the fancy split core architecture of those newer 12th and 13th generation processors, but it's not so old that it'll cause any noticeable performance bottlenecking - you can do most basic CPU-bound tasks without causing the laptop to stutter. However, CPU-intensive workloads like real-time strategy games may struggle to run on the Gigabyte G5.

Gigabyte G5 2023

(Image credit: Future)

From the decidedly average scores in benchmarks like Cinebench R20 and GeekBench 5, you probably won’t be able to run a lot of heavy workloads like video editing or 3D animation but it should be able to handle some lower-level creative work. You can dabble in a little music creation or some very basic home video editing, but that might be where the bar lies. 

The fan design within the Gigabyte G5 is emphasized quite a bit by Gigabyte and rightly so: the laptop doesn’t have a nuclear meltdown when playing games for extended periods of time, and when the fans do kick in they’re relatively quiet for a gaming laptop. The laptop does get a little warm but never uncomfortably hot to the touch. The cooling technology comprises two gigantic fans and four heat pipes all vented out through the three exhaust slots. 

  • Performance score: 4/5

Gigabyte G5 2023

(Image credit: Future)

Gigabyte G5 review: Battery life

  • Lasts about 4 hours
  • A little disappointing for a gaming session
  • Pretty quick charge

If you're planning to take the laptop around with you and game on the go, the four hours the Gigabyte G5 lasted in our battery life benchmark doesn't really feel like a lot. The power brick is not that heavy, but it's inconvenient to carry both the laptop and the brick in a backpack.

So the battery life is not great, but fairly middle-of-the-road for a gaming laptop. When playing triple-A games on the G5, you're not likely to get more than two hours of use without plugging it in - less if you're got a bunch of wired peripherals connected. Keep in mind that if you don't plan to keep the laptop on your desk and move around with it, you'll be searching for wall sockets a lot.

  • Battery life: 3/5

Should you buy the Gigabyte G5?

Buy it if...

You want to game on the go
As we've said, the Gigabyte G5 is incredibly portable. You can whack this bad boy into any backpack and roam (and shoulder strength) for more.

You plan to use the laptop as a mini TV
With the clarity and vividness of the display any game gets a breath of new life on the Gigabyte G5, it would be a shame to relegate it to just gaming. Any movie or TV show streaming from the laptop would defiantly shine on this device.

Don't buy it if...

You're planning on doing anything creative
If you're planning on doing some serious video editing, 3D modeling, or animation work, the older CPU means this may not be the laptop for you.

You want an office laptop
There are loads of laptops that double as gaming laptops, and if you're doing very basic admin you might get away with it on the G5 - but ultimately, this is a gaming laptop and should really be kept that way.

Gigabyte G5 review: Also consider

If our Gigabyte G5 review has you considering other options, here are two more laptops to consider...  

How I tested the Gigabyte G5

Gigabyte G5 2023

(Image credit: Future)
  • Played games in the evening
  • Did some light work during the day
  • Took with me between work and home 

As with most of my gaming laptop reviews, I tried to swap the Gigabyte G5 into my daily life and place myself into the vibe of a potential user. I used it for both work and play and really got to know the product.

I did regular tasks like writing emails, basic web surfing, and some long-form writing. In the evening I played the Sims 4 on it and a little bit of Cyberpunk 2077 too.

Most of the general-use testing I did was with the laptop running on battery power, leaving it to charge to full power before using it till it died to get a better sense of what it would be like relying on the battery when carrying it around. Naturally, our benchmarking tests were conducted with the laptop plugged in for maximum performance.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed March 2023

1More Aero review: budget-friendly head-tracked spatial audio on a budget
5:46 pm | March 23, 2023
Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Tags: , , | Comments: Off

1More Aero: Two-minute review

1More is an audio tech brand that hasn’t produced devices on a par with big names such as Sony, Bose or even JBL – at least not yet. But over the past few years it has been releasing both over-ear headphones and true wireless earbuds that have held their own in a crowded market, including the 1More Evo, 1More Sonoflow and 1More ComfoBuds Mini. So how do the 1More Aero true wireless earbuds compare? 

The good news is that the 1More Aero true wireless earbuds are the definite step up from 2022’s 1More ComfoBuds Pro that 1More claims they are. They’re solid all-rounders that offer an impressive set of features for their price. I enjoyed the good overall sound quality on offer, ANC works well and battery life is… fine. I also liked the fit and the tapered stem design that 1More first debuted with the ComfoBuds Pro – although that’s down to personal preference.

However, there are many true wireless earbuds to choose from these days, from the best true wireless earbuds your money can buy through to the best budget wireless earbuds for those who want a cheaper alternative. So what sets the 1More Aero apart from the rest? The answer is spatial audio, which makes it seem as if you’re hearing sound from all around you in a three-dimensional space – and crucially here, it even alters you turn your head from the source device.

There’s a lot to love about the 1More Aero buds, but spatial audio for around $100/£100 is the main selling point here. But although I certainly enjoyed listening to my favorite tracks with spatial audio switched on, does everyone really need spatial audio? Read on to find out more in this 1More Aero review. 

Someone holding one of the 1More Aero true wireless earbuds with the charging case in the background.

The first thing you’ll notice about the 1More Aero is those stems, which are tapered at the ends. (Image credit: Future/TechRadar/Becca Caddy)

1More Aero review: Price & release date

  • Cost $109.99/£99.99/around AU$182
  • Released in October 2022

The 1More Aero true wireless earbuds were released in October 2022 and cost $109.99/£99.99/around AU$182. Hovering around the $100/£100 mark makes the 1More Aero a similar price compared to rivals and they just qualify for TechRadar's best budget earbuds category. However, the competition is pretty fierce at this level. 

The most obvious competition comes from the Earfun Air Pro 3. TechRadar also described these buds as good all-rounders and they cost $99/£99 at launch – although you can find them a little cheaper now. The Air Pro 3 buds offer a similar sound and ANC experience, as well as a significantly longer battery life, but you won’t get spatial audio. 

To get the spatial audio feature you’ll find in the 1More Aero, instead you’d need to spend significantly more for alternatives, like the LG Tone Free T90Q ($229.99 / £199.98) and Sony WF-1000XM4s ($279.99 / £250 / AU$449.95). More on whether the 1More Aero buds perform at the levels of these higher-end options soon…

1More Aero review: Specs

The 1More Aero earbuds pictured on a wooden surface next to their charging case.

I really love the design of these buds, but appreciate they won’t be for everyone – especially if you don’t like stems. (Image credit: Future/TechRadar/Becca Caddy)

1More Aero review: Features

  • Head-tracked spatial audio is the star of the show
  • ANC works well 
  • Smart Loudness tech is handy

Before I even put the 1More Aero to the test, I was impressed with the range of features on offer here, many of which can be tweaked within the 1More app, which I found clear and easy to use. 

The first noteworthy feature is ANC. During my testing, I found noise cancelling to be generally impressive. There are four levels of ANC to choose from, but I opted for the highest level ‘Strong’ the most often. Because why put ANC on if you’re not going to put it ON, right? Although if you work in an office and need varying levels, the choice might be handy for you. 

ANC was effective, drowning out conversations in a coffee shop completely. Difficult, higher-pitched sounds, like an alarm and toddler screaming, were muffled but still audible. And deep rumbling sounds, like a train and a fan, were still detectable a little, but everything was significantly dulled. If you’re looking for buds to simply lessen the chatter at work, these will do nicely. There’s also a transparency mode, which is handy for conversations, but I found it easier to just pop one of the buds out instead of faffing with my phone. 

Something I haven’t seen before is a Smart Loudness feature, which you can switch on and off and then use a slider to amp up. This is to keep the bass, mids and trebles detectable at low volumes, but it was hit-and-miss. If you listen to music at lower volumes it’s worth turning on, especially to reintroduce bass, but it wasn’t a feature that wowed me.

You can control the buds via touch controls on the stems and you can customize what these do via the app – although there’s no option to decline a call. These controls worked well most of the time, but sometimes weren’t as responsive and sensitive as I'd have liked. I found myself getting my phone out to make adjustments instead.

Within the app (oddly, under 'Experimental Features') there’s the option to switch on multipoint pairing, allowing you to move between audio input devices. Although there was a slight lag as I switched between a phone and a laptop, it did work and it’s a feature that’s incredibly handy – especially when working on my laptop, then taking a voice call on my phone, then moving back to the laptop to listen to music or join yet another video call. 

In terms of battery life, you’ll get 7 hours from the buds with ANC off and 5 hours with ANC on. I found these estimates from 1More to be bang on during my testing. You can get 28 hours in total from the case and buds combined, with ANC off. That’s a decent amount of battery life, but can be bested by similar-priced rivals, like the EarFun Air Pro 3 that gives you 9 hours from the buds and 36 hours from the case with ANC off. Or the JBL Live Pro 2 buds, which offer 40 hours of listening time in total. And TechRadar's pick of the bunch here is the far cheaper Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus, which will bag you 35 hours in High Performance mode, or 45 in Low Power mode… 

  • Features score: 5/5

The 1More Aero true wireless earbuds in their charging case

We like the clam shell style design of the 1More Aero charging case. (Image credit: Future/TechRadar/Becca Caddy)

1More Aero review: Sound quality

  • Enjoyable sound
  • ANC isn’t great but it’s good enough
  • Spatial audio is fun – especially for TV, movies and games

Overall, I found the 1More Aero buds an enjoyable listen. I felt that way across the genres too – noting a really nice balance, with crisp highs and crystal clear vocals, underpinned by more than enough bassline rumble underneath when it was needed. 

There was a real smoothness and warmth to some of my favorite tracks, too, like Tango by Onyx Collective. When I listened to big, classical tracks, like Johann Johannsson’s score for Arrival, I occasionally yearned for a wider, more expansive listen, which I've experienced with other buds at the level (see the Honor Earbuds 3 Pro). But I was impressed with the power and bass these little buds delivered through their solid low end, handling such epic and eerie instrumental tracks well.

You can tweak the sound, too. Within the 1More app there’s an equalizer you can manually adjust, as well as a bunch of EQ presets, including Studio and Classical. I enjoyed testing some of these and recommend you do the same, although some seemed a bit heavy-handed. Case in point: Bass Booster with Latto x Mariah Carey’s Big Energy made the bassline sound, well… a bit silly, like I was listening to a boomy sample track on a keyboard. The same goes for Vocal Booster, and Pop, which was very tinny. Then again, putting Bass Booster on for the Arrival soundtrack actually added to the drama. The lesson here is, you’ll need to play around with the settings to see what suits you – and you might need to do that each time you switch genres. 

On the subject of settings, switch spatial audio on and you’re in for a 360-degree sound treat. I mostly felt as if positional audio was accurate, so sounds came from a central stage or instruments around me. There’s head tracking here too, which essentially means that as well as feeling like sound is all around you, to some extent, you’re moving around it too.

I probably enjoyed spatial audio the most when watching TV shows and movies. For example, I watched The Mandalorian with the 1More Aeros and replayed a scene when the Razor Crest landed with and without spatial audio. It was subtle, but definitely created more of a cinematic, stereo sound feel than I'm used to.

Back to music, putting on spatial audio halfway through De La Soul’s Supa Emcees and selecting the Hip-Hop EQ preset was a pleasing upgrade. The track came alive more than ever. It might sound a bit cheesy, but it genuinely felt like I’d gone from listening to a track positioned directly in front of me to hearing it performed on a stage above me – exactly what you want from spatial audio. 

I felt the same about pop music. Miley Cyrus’ Flowers was noticeably elevated with spatial audio switched on. I then chose the Deep preset for added bass and Studio for a more neutral listen. The energy of this track was simply phenomenal. The best earbuds can help you notice things about your favorite tracks you haven’t before. 

Having said that, not all music was as sparkly and elevated with spatial audio – even tracks optimized for it – and I did prefer the spatial audio experience with other buds, like the LG Tone Free T90Q, as they provided a more consistent and convincing sound. Then again, that was for almost double the price. 

I did wonder whether the wow factor of spatial audio had already faded. This might be because, other than the EQ settings, you can’t change anything else about how spatial audio or head tracking works, which it would have been nice to adjust. Then again, this is an affordable application of spatial audio, so I really am being picky. 

  • Sound quality score: 4/5

The 1More Aero earbuds pictured on a wooden surface next to their charging case.

Each 1More Aero bud weighs 4.9g, making them lightweight and therefore comfy enough to wear for hours at a time.  (Image credit: Future/TechRadar/Becca Caddy)

1More Aero review: Design

  • Teardrop design 
  • Light at 4.9g per bud
  • They stay put

Like a lot of true wireless earbuds on the market at the moment, the 1More Aero buds have a stem-like design. At first glance they may look very similar to other buds, like the Apple AirPods Pro, but they’re a little different in that they’re teardrop-shaped with tapered ends. I like this small design quirk when other brands are just copying and pasting the AirPods design, but appreciate they may not be for everyone. 

The buds are light at 4.9g each, which makes them easy to wear for long periods. In fact, I had no trouble keeping them in for most of the working day and you have S, M, L and XL tips to choose from to find the perfect fit. The silicone tips I selected created a decent seal. They came a little loose when I wore them for more than 30 minutes, and I did knock the stems a couple of times, but this experience was no different to all of the other true wireless earbuds I’ve tested. 

There’s an IPX5 rating here, which means these buds are not fully waterproof but are certainly sweat-proof and rain-proof, which makes them a good option if you’re looking for a pair of workout buds. Although they did budge enough for me to keep securing them during a jog and when I was trying to perfect my downward-facing dog, although not enough to fall out.

The buds come with a charging case that’s small enough to slide into a pocket and weighs 45.2g. It has a clamshell-style design which I personally prefer to the pill-shaped box that seems to have become standard from rival brands. My only criticism of the case is the magnets that keep the buds in place could have been a bit stronger, they felt weak compared to similar devices I've tested.

  • Design score: 4/5

The 1More Aero true wireless earbuds pictured in the palm of someone's hand.

The design of the 1More Aero buds is similar to the Apple AirPods, but with a more tear-shaped tip. (Image credit: Future/TechRadar/Becca caddy)

1More Aero review: Value

  • Cheaper buds offer improvements in some areas
  • You’d have to pay much more for spatial audio

As a whole package, the 1More Aero buds are good value. They offer everything most people need from a pair of buds, including good audio and ANC, decent battery life and a comfortable fit. However, in some areas other buds shine. For example, if you want a longer battery life or a bump in ANC, there are better alternatives at a similar price – look to the Honor Earbuds 3 Pro or JBL Live Pro 2 for starters. 

That said, if you want that top-tier spatial audio feature, you’d have to pay significantly more. So in that respect, they’re great value. The question you need to ask yourself is: do you really need head-tracked spatial audio? It’s fun at first, and certainly improves the experience of TV shows and movies, but I'm not convinced it’s a must-have for everyone. 

So are the 1More Aero good value? That entirely depends on what you’re looking for. 

  • Value score: 4/5

Should I buy the 1More Aero?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

1More Aero review: Also consider

How I tested the 1More Aero

Becca with the 1More Aero earbuds in her ears

I spent a week testing the 1More Aero true wireless earbuds, taking them with me everywhere I went – on a bus, to the gym, running along the beach.  (Image credit: Future/TechRadar/Becca Caddy)
  • Tested for 7 days
  • Used working at a coffee shop, while working out at home and on a few bus and train journeys
  • Mostly tested with Apple Music and iPhone 13 Pro

To test the 1More Aero buds, I took them with them everywhere over the course of a week. They came with me while working at a coffee shop, on long walks through a town, on the bus and train to meetings and kept me occupied during workouts, too. 

I’m always keen to see how true wireless buds fare over long periods, so I can really test their comfort levels and make sure the battery claims are accurate. So I kept them in for hours on end, while going from working to walking to working out. 

I mostly used the buds to listen to a range of playlists on Apple Music, but also used them to listen to audiobooks, stream podcasts and watch a few TV shows – a good chance to see how spatial audio compares with different types of sound.

I’ve been testing audio products and wearable devices for around ten years now. I like to focus on how comfortable tech is and how easy it is to use.

  • First reviewed: March 2023
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