Philips has developed a reputation for churning out impressive 4K OLED tellies, but can it keep it up with this Ambilight-packing 55-incher?
£1299 /go.stuff.tv/OLED808
Given that last year’s OLED807 was pretty much universally acclaimed as one of the best pound-for-pound OLED TV ranges ever produced, this new Philips OLED808 has a lot to live up to.
While that’s not an enviable task for any brand, Philips has given itself a fighting chance of picking up where it left off. Choose the 55in model seen here and you get an OLED.EX ‘Prestige’ panel that offers impressive peak brightness, with all the minutiae of picture performance handled by the seventh generation of Philips’ P5 engine. It’s compatible with every major HDR standard, which is not something LG, Samsung or Sony can claim.
If the Philips 55OLED808 turns out to be a corker, well, that’s just the firm doing that thing it’s been doing for quite a while now. And if it doesn’t, that’s basically a catastrophe. So, which is it?
808 stately
The 55OLED808 sits on a sturdy central pedestal (1), so it doesn’t need an especially wide surface to stand on. There’s a fair amount of swivel available –getting the set positioned exactly as you want it shouldn’t be any trouble. It also feels properly built, from decently tactile materials.
808 state of the art
Google TV is an obvious step up from the Android TV interface Philips has been using until now. It’s more content-centric, quicker to pick up on your habits, and just as easy to navigate –but with no Freeview Play you’ll miss out on catchup apps from the BBC, Channel 4and ITV.
808 statecraft
In picture terms, this Philips is an across-the-board success. Blacks are deep and lustrous but packed with detail, contrast is hugely impressive, and the colour palette balances naturalism with vibrancy (2). Silkily convincing on-screen movement requires some fiddling in the menus, mind.
Tech specs
Screen 55in 3840x2160 OLED HDR HDR10+ Adaptive, HLG, Dolby Vision OS Google TV Connectivity 2x HDMI 2.1, 2x HDMI 2.0, 3x USB, digital optical out, 3.5mm out, Ethernet, CI+, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Dimensions 1225x773 x230mm, 21.7kg (including stand)
The 808 state of this
While they continue to be rectangular, all TVs will look about the same… but what’s this one like close up?
■ Fitting in
The screen bezels are nice and slim, and even at its deepest the 808 is just 68mm thick, but Philips has still found space for four u
