GadgetsLab: REALME SMART TV

REVIEWED BY MARIBELLE ALBA

The new realme Smart TV is part of the brand’s foray into the local smart home scene. Moving beyond just being a mobile phone brand, realme is embracing the tech-lifestyle space with new products that elevate the smart home and interconnected tech experience. How well does the realme Smart TV live up to the promise?

DESIGN 4 / 5

The realme Smart TV comes in two sizes, a 43-inch model which is our review unit, and a smaller 32-incher. Overall, it looks well-made, with super-thin bezels for a more premium effect. The feet are two V-shaped stands that you screw into the base. It can also be wall-mounted and is compatible with standard VESA brackets. Weighing only 6.8kg, the TV is relatively light and quite easy to lift and move.

HARDWARE 4.5 / 5

realme did not hold back in the hardware department for their Smart TV debut, packing it with powerful ARM Cortex A53 quadcore and Mali-470 MP3 processors. The LED display on our 43-inch review unit is Full HD, with a 1920x1080 resolution.

The audio system is an impressive Dolby-certified solution supporting 24W quad stereo speakers located at the bottom of the TV. Each side has one full-range speaker and one tweeter symmetrically balanced for precise sound reproduction.

Connectivity options include WiFi, Bluetooth, and infrared. Ports include 3 HDMI, 2 USB, 1 AV, 1 tuner, 1 LAN, and 1 audio-out jack.

USER EXPERIENCE 4.5 / 5

Out of the box, the realme Smart TV was virtually plug and play. You just need to turn it on, link it to your home internet, and it’s good to go with builtin apps. In fact, the remote control very conveniently incorporates quick buttons for YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Video, so you can quickly access your favorite video services. You can also just press the Google Assistant button to control the TV with your voice.

realme’s extensive experience in smartphone screens and cameras has been put to good use with the application of Chroma Boost technology in their Smart TV. For its category, the picture quality is outstanding in terms of brightness, color contrast, clarity, and brightness.

The investment in ensuring outstanding audio is also apparent in the Dolby audio setup, which delivers natural-sounding, full stereo sound with good separation. Even at higher volumes, the sound quality remains consistent, although with a bit too much treble for my taste.

VALUE 4.5 / 5

The 43-inch realme Smart TV carries a PHP 18,990 suggested retail price, while the price tag on the 32-inch model is PHP 11,990. While not the cheapest of the smart TVs proliferating in the market, the price points are very affordable. Considering the specifications as well as the picture and sound quality, I think you’re getting great value for money. The only caveat I have at the moment is that being a new entrant in this product category, we do not have user feedback

SPECIFICATIONS

Display LED, 16.7M colors, 16:9 screen ratio, 178-degree viewing angle

Processor ARM Cortex A53 quad-core CPU, Mali-470 MP3 GPU

Picture Technology Chroma Boost

Connectivity Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi, NFC

Operating system Android TV

Built-in apps Netflix, Youtube, Prime Video, Google Assistant, etc.

Connectivity WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, infrared

Ports 3 HDMI, 1 AV, 2 USB, 1 LAN, 1 audio out

Audio 24W speakers x 4, Dolby audio

Dimensions (43”) 967.5x605x233mm (with stand) / 967.5x560x87mm (without stand)

Weight 6.8kg (with stand) / 6.7kg (without stand)

WHAT'S HOT

- Responsive

- Good picture quality

- Good sound quality

WHAT'S NOT

- Nothing major

BOTTOMLINE

A reasonable option for those looking to upgrade to a Smart TV