As others have noted, I found the peak brightness of this TV to be darker than that of more expensive OLEDs, at least in factory calibrated mode. This problem is easily solved, although not entirely mitigated; you can increase luminance in the advanced image settings menu, which makes high dynamic range (HDR) content a little more vibrant.
As with all OLED panels, you can expect some screen burn (where the content leaves a mark on the TV panel) over the life of the unit if you leave a single station (or desktop application bar or menu game) being displayed for many hours a day. I suggest a standard LED TV like the TCL 6 Series if you think this could be a problem, but it really won’t be for most people.
It’s organic
Don’t let indifferent forum enthusiasts affect you. Believe me: although it is not as bright or as detailed in darker scenes (or in lighter rooms) as more expensive OLEDs, this TV still looks remarkable.
I watched everything from 4K Blu-ray discs to 720p Plex streams and, in all cases, I was amazed at the fantastic appearance of a TV at this price. I just had to turn up the luminance and turn off motion smoothing – things I would do on any new TV. From then on, everything I played looked fantastic. In previous years, the chasm between TVs that were two or three times the price and that would be impressive. This year, it looks like a little jump on a garden hose.
One area that I give Vizio the advantage is the Smartcast interface. It is easily my favorite of the three largest OLED TV companies, thanks to an intuitive interface and associated application. I like that it also has support for Apple AirPlay and Google Chromecast, so casting from any phone is very easy.
It is also better than Sony’s OLED when it comes to console games. Vizio is one of the few TVs on the market with HDMI 2.1 ports, in addition to full support for using the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X with 4K resolution and refresh rate of 120 frames per second. As of the date of publication, the only other TV to support this functionality is the LG CX (and other more expensive LG models).
I was unable to test any of the new game systems in the review period (and I heard there may be some initial compatibility issues), but upgrading your TV (if you have the money) is absolutely worth accessing these features and making the most of your new console.
Vizio’s OLED has some visual compromises, but overall, this new TV has the best price-performance ratio you’ll find outside of TCL’s Series 6. Be sure to wait for a holiday sale, as it is usually close to $ 1,000 if it doesn’t fall below. If I were looking for a new TV right now, it would be at the top of my list.