state of the art
big-screen 4K TVs are no longer just for the rich: ALL THREE OF THE sets here COS T LESS THAN £700. but which one should grace your lounge?
Think a huge 4K TV is out of reach for mere mortals? Think again - for less than £700 you can have a stunner gracing your lounge, and we’ve reviewed three of the best panels for you
Ultr a HD 4K TVs finall y appear to be coming of age. Offer ing four times the pixel de nsity of Full HD scree ns, these next -ge n displ ays have moved fr om sc ience project to the tell y mainstre am.
What were once the preserve of the high end now sell for as little as £500 (maybe even less by the time you read this – TV prices are nothing if not volatile). And a resolution boost isn’t the only step-up you can expect when you upgrade. All three 4K sets tested here have the latest network niceties. Android TV, anyone?
While upscaled HD can look terrific, UHD sets are at their best showing native 4K content. The good news is that all three of these have HEVC decoders and Netflix 4K on board. It’s worth paying attention to the number of HDMI inputs that offer HDCP 2.2 support, as you’ll need this when you plug in an external 4K source, like an Ultra HD Blu-ray player or a Sky Q Silver box (when 4K channels begin).
To hit an affordable price point, some things have to go AWOL. Philips’ popular Ambilight mood lighting, for example, isn’t included on the Series 6 model reviewed here. These sets aren’t bright enough for HDR, either – although, as we reveal, they’re not too shabby in the picture stakes. In fact, they can look pretty fantastic.
So is your next TV going to be a Panasonic TX-50CX680B, a Hisense 55K321 or a Philips 55PUT6400? Carry on reading to find out…