Yet another Philips OLED that strikes performance-per-pound gold
OLED TELEVISION
£1249
In recent years, Philips has won plaudits for producing market-leading OLED TVs at aggressively low prices. In truth, these OLED TVs have been priced significantly lower than the performances have justified, and every year we half expect the company to ask for more money for its new models.
That time may yet come, but it’s thankfully not now: the 48OLED807 continues the trend by significantly outperforming its price tag.
The Philips 48OLED807 is currently priced at £1249. Its key rivals are the excellent Sony XR-48A90K (£1599 – see p62), the Panasonic TX-48LZ1500 (£1599), and the LG OLED48C2 (£1099). Prices fluctuate wildly, of course, but we expect these essential differences to remain in relative terms.
If you want a bigger TV, the OLED807 is also available in 55in, 65in and 77in sizes.
Elegance – with a swivel
We were rather fond of the minimalist, very low-profile feet of the OLED806, so the move to a new pedestal stand isn’t entirely welcome. Said pedestal is fairly elegant, though, and it allows the TV to swivel, which is a real rarity these days and something that some people will really appreciate. Unfortunately, the stand’s glossy finish reflects the light from the screen in a way that can be rather distracting when watching a movie in a dark room.
The screen is surrounded by a flush black bezel that is itself framed by a super-thin dark grey metal edge. The set is thicker than most OLEDs, measuring 6.8cm at its thickest point.
Ambilight, which involves a series of LEDs embedded around the rear of the set that extend the on-screen action onto the wall behind and around the TV, has long been a Philips staple, and this year the company has introduced ‘Next Generation Ambilight’. This involves each LED being controlled individually for more precise matching to the image on the screen. It does make a very cool (and unique) feature even better. And you can turn it off if you don’t want it.
Also arranged on the rear of the set are its connections, which include four HDMIs, three USBs, an optical output and even a traditional 3.5mm headphone socket. Of the four HDMI sockets, two are 48Gbps 2.1 affairs with full support for 4K/120Hz. All four of the HDMIs support VRR and ALLM, and the TV supports Dolby Vision gaming (up to 60Hz). As with most TVs with just two HDMI 2.1 sockets, one also handles eARC.
With the app-packed Android TV 11 operating system, every streaming service you are likely to want or need
