Philips 50PUS6703 £600
FOR Popping, dynamic image; great detail; good range of streaming apps; Ambilight AGAINST User interface isn’t the best; uninspired remote
If TV manufacturing were a sport then Philips’ 50PUS6703 would be a Bolt, or a Williams or a Pelé. Compared with the competition, it’s almost unfair that it’s in the running. For just £600, you get a 4K HDR panel with three-way-ambilight thrown in. And it looks darn good too.
Work on your image
We’d love to go straight to the ‘pic’ de résistance, but Philips doesn’t make it easy. There’s a multitude of menus to go through to get it looking its best. You’ll have to turn off the default ‘Eco’ mode, undo all the noise-reduction settings and adjust the contrast and brightness. Then do it all again for HDR content.
It’s well worth it, though. We begin with a 4K HDR disc of Kingsmen: The Golden Circle and there’s a distinct punch and pop from this television that competing sets have difficulty matching.
When Charles Hesketh stands in front of the neon signs adorning an amphitheatre, the glowing yellow and red are both striking but nuanced. This television walks that fine line of bringing you bold colours, while also offering a range of hues within those colours. It’s that same quality that makes its handling of skin tones so good too.
Dropping down a notch in detail with Spider-man: Homecoming on Blu-ray, the close-ups on Adrian Toomes’ face as he drives to the homecoming dance show off the pores on his skin and the furrows of his brow with striking realism.
With broadcast television, the 6703 upscales and renders to a perfectly enjoyable image. It’s not the last word in detail or definition but you won’t need to update your DVD collection just yet.
If there’s one slight criticism we have with this set, it’s that its black levels – while striking – can occasionally obscure detail. This, though, is more than a fair compromise; the greater sense of depth and richness of colour more than make up for any minor loss of detail.
At this price, we think the sound quality is more than acceptable, but we would always recommend pairing this television with a five-star soundbar, such as JVC’S TH-W513B (£60).
To the edge, and beyond…
Top of the feature list is the three-sided Ambilight, which projects the colour palette of whatever’s on screen to the surrounding walls via little LEDS. The effect enhances the action, but you can turn it off if you don’t like it.
The Philips comes with the expected streaming apps, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Only the former gives you full 4K HDR though, as the Amazon app still lacks HDR. On the catch-up side, iplayer, ITV Hub, All4 and Demand5 all make an appearance, although the operating system through which you access them is less than thrilling.
The remote offers direct access to Netflix, but its buttons are cluttered and feel a tad too spongey for our liking.
While those small flaws can’t be ignored, the quality this television provides means that, on the whole, it remains a great choice at a relatively low price. It really is one to beat.