Philips 8100 PUT8115 (50-inch) TV review: A decent attempt
Philips recently launched its 8100 series 4K Ultra HD LED Android TV. Coming at a starting price of Rs 59,990, the smart TV competes with the likes of OnePlus, Samsung and LG. The new Philips TV features a borderless design with minimum bezels that easily blends with the background. Running Android TV10, it is equipped with features like dual-band WiFi, built-in Chromecast and Dolby Atmos to take care of the audio quality. The screen is a 4K Ultra HD LED one that boasts Dolby Vision with HDR picture quality. The Android TV is offered in three different screen sizes: 43-inch, 50-inch and 55-inch. We got the 55-inch unit for review and here?s what we thinkPhilips 8100 50PUT8115 TV: DisplayIn terms of display, the TV just fits in terms of what one might expect from a TV in this price range. The picture quality is crisp and clear with vibrant colours. It's a 4K Ultra HD panel with a peak brightness of 400 nits. You get support for HDR, HDR10+ content along with Dolby Vision that adds to the viewing experience on the smart TV. Colour accuracy on the TV is top-notch. They are rich, vivid and very much life-like with no hints of artificialness added to them. The background looks a bit burnt out at times. Switching to Vivid mode helps correct the problem. For gaming sessions, the HDR and HDR 10+ support lifts up the experience. We were not particularly happy with the glares coming from the screen which impacted the overall viewing experience. Also, the darks are a miss on the Philips 8100 series Android TV. We wish the experience could have been better and richer.Philips 8100 50PUT8115 TV: DesignThe smart TV comes with a near to border-less design. There are minimal bezels on the sides. The 55-inch screen model is perfect for an average-sized room and blends easily with the background. The TV comes in a plastic shell. Its overall build seems sturdy.The power button and the Philips logo have an unusual placement. While the button is placed at the bottom-right side of the TV, the logo can be seen on the front-left panel at the bottom. There is an LED indicator as well at the bottom edge.In terms of connectivity, the smart TV comes with 4 HDMI ports, 2 USB ports, Digital audio out, 1 ethernet-LAN port and a headphone out port. The TV offers dual-band WiFi and Bluetooth version 5.0 for wireless connectivity. You will hardly face any connectivity issues with the TV once it is connected to the network.The remote that ships with the Philips TV is pretty huge when compared to what others in the market offer. Though there are dedicated hotkeys for streaming platforms like Netflix, YouTube and Amazon Prime video, the sheer size and thickness of the remote remind you of good old times. Then again, you need to point the TV towards TV every time you want to navigate. This is surely a disadvantage. What we meant is that the remote does not complement the TV in terms of both quality and the money that one may spend on buying the TV.It comes with a tablet top stand only. There is no wall mount support. So, you will have to spend extra bucks if you want to mount the TV on the wall.Philips 8100 50PUT8115 TV: PerformancePhilips 8100 50PUT8115 TV is an Android TV. This means that you get access to Google App Store and can download apps of your choice. Some of the apps that come pre-installed with the TV are Google Play Movies, Google Play Music, Google Search, YouTube, and Netflix. It has a storage capacity of 4GB which is a bit short. So you might be cautious in the number of apps that you download on the TV before the storage fills up.Also, the TV runs on the Android TV 10 OS which is a bit old. The fact that other companies like Redmi have TVs running Android TV 11 at a cheaper price play against this Philips TV.In terms of the user interface and the ease of operating, it has a usual Android TV layout. On the homepage, you will see all apps that you have already downloaded and apps that are recommended along with the streaming content that you may like. Navigating forth and back using the remote is easy, but time-consuming. You will feel a gap of a second or two when switching between apps or coming to the home screen. Being a smart TV, the Philips TV comes with features that Chromecast built-in and Google Assistant-enabled voice control. The digital assistant was quick to pick up commands and responded well.The dual speakers on the TV have a total output of 20 watts. The audio quality of the TV is good and will not disappoint you at all. It comes with support for Dolby Atmos that further enhances the overall audio experience. The only miss we find is the audio levels which could have been more than just 20watt. Nevertheless, you can always connect the TV to a soundbar for that wholesome experience. VerdictThis Philips 8100 50PUT8115 TV is a mixed bag of certain things that work for it and some that do not. For one, it has a good display and picture quality. It's smart in terms of connectivity ? dual-band WiFi, features ? voice assistant, Google Play Store and remote with hotkeys. But these are the features you can get in many affordable range smart TVs these days. Low storage space, a not-so-attractive remote and an old operating system are some of the misses on Philips 8100 50PUT8115 TV. At Rs 79,990, it does seem expensive. But you can definitely get it at better prices during sales- both online and offline.
