Sony X90J TV Review: A worthy successor to the X90H

For the performance on offer, the TV is no slouch. It has one of the best out of the box colour calibration we’ve seen on a TV this year. The TV offers an immersive viewing experience and the colour pops thanks to the new XR processor. The TV is great for well-lit rooms and there is only slight blooming in absolute pitch darkness. Thanks to the VA panel, we get good black levels as well. Needless to say, if you watch set-top box content or OTT content, you will definitely enjoy it on this TV. While Google TV UI needs work, it is a step in the right direction for Smart TVs. The audio output from the TV is clear and good but lacks bass. As for gamers, the lack of VRR at launch is something that will definitely annoy gamers, but then again, it will only affect you if you have an Xbox Series X. As of writing this review, the PS5 does not support VRR. The presence of only two HDMI 2.1 ports is also a letdown for those that have both next-gen consoles and a home theatre. However, for gaming performance, the TV is no slouch. It has excellent content reproduction and low input lag. While the LG CX is still our TV of choice for gaming, you can consider this if you play games in a well-lit room.

In 2020 Sony launched its ready for PS5 TV in the form of the X90H (review). When we reviewed the TV back in 2020 it was one of the best LED TV's money could buy with good picture quality and good gaming performance. Of course, at the time we tested it with an Xbox One X (review) and PS4 Pro as the next-gen consoles hadn’t launched in India. However, Sony’s ready for PS5 TV saw some criticism for its performance at 4K at 120Hz and the TV still hasn’t received its promised VRR update. The successor to the X90H, which we have with us today, brings a bunch of new tricks up its sleeves. Unlike the X90H, the X90J runs on Sony’s brand new Cognitive XR processor, comes with Google TV out of the box and still only has two HDMI 2.1 ports. Sony has confirmed that both the X90H and X90J will get VRR support by the end of 2021, so there’s that to look forward to. So, is the X90J worth your hard-earned money? Let's find out. 

Specs at a glance

Panel Size: 55-inch (also available in 65 and 75-inch as well) Panel Type: VA LED Panel Resolution: 3840 x 2160 - 4K Panel Refresh Rate: 120Hz HDR 10 support: Yes Dolby Vision Support: Yes Weight (with stand): 17.4kgs approx.  HDMI Ports: 4 USB Ports: 2 Bluetooth: Yes Wi-Fi: Yes Ethernet: Yes Speakers: 20W (Acoustic Multi-Audio Sound Positioning Tweeter, X-Balanced Speaker) Built-in storage: 16GB Price: MRP: 1,59,990. Best Price: Rs 1,39,990

Sony X90J Display and picture quality

Let's kick things off with the performance of the black mirror. The TV has a VA panel which means you get deep blacks at the cost of viewing angles. The TV does not have Sony’s X-Wide Angle technology. The viewing angles are good and unless you go to extreme angles, you should enjoy the content on this TV. It has a 4K resolution with support for HDR 10 and Dolby Vision and while the TV can hit peak brightness upwards of 700 nits, it has a sustained brightness between 550 and 600 nits. While the panel produces punchy colours, the real question is how much of a difference the new XR Processor powering this TV makes. Let’s dive in. 

Sony X90J 4K and HDR performance

Sublime is the first thing that will come to mind when you start watching content on this TV. Considering the competition on offer, this TV is a good high-end LED LCD offering in India. In all the HDR content we played on this TV, the content was spot on. The Sony X90J is a Calman ready TV which means, when we hooked up our hardware to this TV, the Calman software can change the settings of the TV to hit the D65 white point with Delta errors around 1, which is very good. Remember, the Sony calibration for Calman uses the Rec 709 colour space to calibrate for HDR and not Rec 2020. In the Rec 2020 space, there are still some errors but lower than what we’ve seen on budget TVs. Needless to say, HDR and Dolby Vision content looks sublime on this TV. From shows like Our Plant to Grand Tour, to the Cyberpunk future in Altered Carbon, the colours just pop on this TV.

For Dolby Vision content the TV has the same Dolby Vision Bright and Dolby Vision Dark and it also has an ambient mode to recognise the light in the room. It’s puzzling that Sony didn’t go with Dolby Vision IQ on this TV. We are still waiting to experience a Dolby Vision IQ TV so we’ll hold off on our thoughts for that technology.

Even movies purchased from the Apple TV app in Dolby Vision looked punchy. The race in Ready Player One at the 11-minute mark is definitely on to enjoy and the end fight sequence in Wonder Woman (2017) is a showcase of the HDR performance of this TV. What it lacks in the punchiness of colours when compared to similarly priced OLED TVs, it makes up for with its bright highlights and impressive picture performance.

As you can see from the reading above, the out of the box calibration of the TV is very good. Post calibration the TV had an average delta error of 1.3 in the ColorChecker analysis. Even out of the box the performance in the ColorChecker analysis was very good with an average delta error of 1.8.  

Sony X90J FHD performance

Even FHD content looks good on this TV. We played a lot of FHD content from the TV like Spider-Man Homecoming, Young Sheldon, Mission Impossible and more, and FHD content is presented beautifully as well. The TV has a bunch of picture presets, but I suggest leaving the TV on Cinema as it makes the content look the best. Standard is also a good preset for everyday TV shows and works better for shows like Friends or news programs. The beauty of the Cinema preset is that while it adds warmth to the colour temperature it isn't as pronounced as we’ve seen on budget TVs which is good. Skin tones look natural and environments look realistic. Even Spider-Man’s Suit in Homecoming looks the right shade of red and blue in both the Standard and Cinema preset with the environments and skin tones changing as per the colour temperature of the preset. The TV has good upscaling too and in 720p and 1080p (especially 1080p content), you cannot make out the jagged edges. 

Sony X90J Gaming performance

Let's address the elephant in the room. Yes, the TV only has two HDMI 2.1 ports one of which is eARC enabled, so if you have a home theatre or soundbar, you are left with just one port for your PS5 (review) or Xbox Series X (review) console, which is a letdown. The second point is that while the TV supports VRR, it will be enabled on the TV via a future update. Sony has said that the X90H and X90J, both will get the VRR update by the end of 2021. 

Having said that, I don't think the TV was disappointing in any way for those looking for a high-end gaming TV. Spider-Man Miles Morales (review) looked sublime on a PS5 and when you activate your Venom powers, the HDR capabilities of the TV just pop. Speaking of HDR, a visual showcase of the TVs capabilities is Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (review). The game has so many particle effects at any given point that the screen is full of action. The game recently got a 120Hz mode and is one to check out. Speaking of 120Hz mode, we also played some Dirt 5 (review) on this TV. The blinding effect of the sun shining upon you is present here and the races just felt immersive. 

At this price point, you can get the LG CX (review) which is a capable gaming TV with not only four HDMI 2.1 ports but also support for VRR and G-Sync. But the Sony X90J is no slouch. While the Sony X90J vs LG CX can be a point of discussion for another day, know that if you are someone gaming in a well-lit room, then an LED works better than an OLED while for a darkroom experience, the OLED has an edge. 

Sony X90J Audio performance

Unlike the X90H which came with two full-range (Bass Reflex) drivers and two Tweeters (for the 65-inch variant we reviewed), the X90J brings Acoustic Multi-Audio Sound Positioning Tweeter and X-Balanced Speaker. Acoustic Multi-Audio Sound Positioning Tweeter works similarly as we’ve seen on Sony’s OLED TVs like the A8H (review) but there’s a difference here. In the OLED TV, the entire screen vibrates to create sound. Here the two positional speakers simulate the surround sound and channel shift experience. The speakers sound really good for vocals and have a decent dynamic range but fall flat when it comes to bass. We saw the opening bank heist sequence in the Dark Knight and there the glass shattering at the opening lacked the punch you would feel with a subwoofer. However, the rest of the background score and the conversation between the thieves was quite crisp and clear. 

Even when it came to gaming, the orchestral score of Ratchet and Clank or even the swishes of Spider-Man's web were all very clear. If you will use this TV in your bedroom or study which is 12x14 feet or even 12x16 feet then you should be fine without an external audio device as it can offer room-filling sound. 

Sony X90J UI

Sony has been helming Android TV OS since the beginning of Smart TVs and now the brand is shifting to Google TV. The Google TV UI feels like a mixed bag. For starters, it's very easy to set up the TV even from an iPhone (which wasn't the case on previous versions of Android TV) and you don't need to resort to the onscreen keyboard at all. The UI has changed to giving you all your apps upfront horizontally in a row with the subsequent rows highlighting content from various services (just like previous versions of Android TV but with enough visual differences). You also have a tab called 'Library' and for some reason, this only shows me movies I’ve got on Google Play Movies (which is now a part of YouTube). The “For You” section which we’ve seen in the Google TV videos and photos online is also not here. While the apps tab is replacing the Play Store for you to search for apps, there is no place for you to quickly go to see if an app needs an update. I had to use Google Assistant to navigate to the section where I can check for app updates. Maybe it’s a learning curve, but the Google TV UI feels slightly incomplete right now and Google may need to fine-tune it a little bit. 

The rest of the settings are easy to get to. Sony has made it incredibly easy to access picture presets and frequently used settings without jumping through any hoops. Just remember to go into the settings and switch the HDMI input to enhanced to get 4K HDR (RGB) performance from the PS5 when gaming. 

To do this go to Settings - Channel & Inputs - External Inputs - HDMI Signal Format. Here, select the enhanced format for the HDMI input. Remember, HDMI 2.1 is only available in HDMI 3 and 4. 

Another addition is that of far-field mics and just like we saw on the 75-inch Mi QLED TV (review) and 43-inch 4K Realme TV (review), you can control the TV by simply saying “OK Google” and this works as well as it did on the Mi QLED TV. The only difference is that the response was a lot snappier on the Sony TV but the accuracy of the voice recognition was at par. Just like the other 2 TVs mentioned, the Sony also has a physical toggle to mute the onboard mic and there is only a small LED indicator to let you know that the mic is muted. You can go into the TVs settings and switch this LED indicator off, something we wish was there in the Mi and Realme TV. But alas, we found it on the Sony TV only. 

Sony X90J Remote control

The remote control is the same as what we saw last year with the X90H and we think this is a well-built ergonomic remote control. It has a textured back to add to the grip and has a simple candy bar form factor. Playback controls are at the bottom with OTT hotkeys closer to the top. In my opinion, placing the OTT hotkeys closer to the bottom near the playback controls could make the TV more ergonomic, but that's a personal preference. Overall, the remote is well built, functional and works well. 

Sony X90J Build and design

The build of the X90J is very similar to what we saw on the X90H from the front and also as far as the tabletop feet are concerned. You have 2 feet holding the TV in place and they don't need screws to attach them. All you need to do is slot the feet in. The feet are quite thin and come with external clips one can use for cable management. The back this time isn't flush but has a bit of design and if you see the side edges, you will notice the side-firing tweeters of the TV. All the connectivity options are laid out on one side.

Sony X90J Bottom Line

For the performance on offer, the TV is no slouch. It has one of the best out of the box colour calibration we’ve seen on a TV this year. The TV offers an immersive viewing experience and the colour pop thanks to the new XR processor. The TV is great for well-lit rooms and there is only slight blooming in absolute pitch darkness. Thanks to the VA panel, we get good black levels as well. Needless to say, if you watch set-top box content or OTT content, you will definitely enjoy it on this TV. While Google TV UI needs work, it is a step in the right direction for Smart TVs. The audio output from the TV is clear and good but lacks bass. As for gamers, the lack of VRR at launch is something that will definitely annoy gamers, but then again, it will only affect you if you have an Xbox Series X. As of writing this review, the PS5 does not support VRR. The presence of only two HDMI 2.1 ports is also a letdown for those that have both next-gen consoles and a home theatre. However, for gaming performance, the TV is no slouch. It has excellent content reproduction and low input lag. While the LG CX is still our TV of choice for gaming, you can consider this if you play games in a well-lit room.

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Realme 32-inch FHD TV Review: One step forward, 2 steps back

The SDR performance of the TV is good, but the HDR performance of the TV is poor. The inability to control the picture settings when consuming content via the built-in apps is a step back to the flaws we saw in Realme TVs in 2020. The audio output from the TV is good and the smart capabilities work well. While FHD resolution in 32-inch TVs is rare, you’d be better off going for an HD ready 32-inch TV with better picture performance. The compromise of resolution for better picture performance at 32-inches is an acceptable tradeoff. 

 

It was about a year ago that realme launched a 43-inch FHD TV (review) and while we liked the SDR performance of that TV, the HDR and some basic functions left us wanting more. Something as simple as controlling the picture presets when consuming content from the TVs native apps wasn't possible and that was a big letdown. This year we reviewed the 43-inch 4K TV from realme and were quite impressed with what it offered. Today we have with us the 32-inch FHD TV from realme. Simply put, this TV suffers from the same flaws we experienced back in 2020 with 43-inch Full HD TV with HDR performance and the inability to change picture settings when consuming content from built-in streaming services. 

Realme 32-inch FHD HDR TV Specs at a glance

Panel Size: 32-inch  Panel Type: VA Panel Resolution: 1920x1080p - FHD Panel Refresh Rate: 60Hz HDR 10 support: Yes Dolby Vision Support: No Weight (with stand): 3.7 kgs HDMI Ports: 3 USB Ports: 2 Bluetooth: Yes, 5.0 Wi-Fi: Yes (2.4Ghz Only) Ethernet: Yes Speakers: 4 drivers with a total sound output of 24W Built-in storage: 8GB Price: MRP: 17,999

Realme 32-inch FHD HDR TV: Display and picture quality

Let's kick things off with the most important thing about the TV, the display panel and picture quality. The TV supports Full HD resolution along with HDR 10. In our measurements, we recorded a peak brightness of about 300 nits with sustained brightness at about 250 nits. The TV supports HDR 10 but does not support Dolby Vision. Let's break down the panel performance of the TV.

realme 32-inch FHD TV display tested on Calman Ultimate

Realme 32-inch FHD HDR TV: HDR performance

The TV can display HDR 10 content from the TV's native apps as well as from an external device. However, it must be noted that the TV only supports HDCP 1.4. When it comes to HDR performance, the overall experience of the TV left us wanting more. Shows like Altered Carbon and Our Plant on Netflix lacked the punch one would expect from an entry-level HDR TV. The overall picture was dark and dim and the fact that we couldn't control the picture presets or switch HDR off when consuming content via the native apps on the TV is a big letdown and a deja vu of the experience we had on the Realme TVs last year. Plug in an external device like a Fire TV Stick (review) or a PS5 (review) and switch the settings to SDR and you have a much better content consumption experience. For a side-by-side visual comparison, stay tuned for our video review. Overall, for HDR the performance of the TV was lacklustre.

We used the Spectracal Calman to measure the colour reproduction TV found that the average delta error was quite high meaning that the colour reproduction was off when compared to the D65 white point standard. In the ColorChecker analysis, we found an average delta error of 11.9 without luminance error and an average delta error of 37 with luminance error. As for the Colour Match analysis, the errors were 14.11 without luminance error and 24.9 with luminance error. While the ‘move’ preset showed a lower error rate when compared to the ‘standard’ preset during the Calman test, it was the standard preset which was more appealing in real-world performance. 

realme 32-inch FHD TV display tested on Calman Ultimate

Realme 32-inch FHD HDR TV: SDR performance

The SDR performance of the TV was a lot better than the HDR performance. We played movies like Mission Impossible Rogue Nation, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Young Sheldon and more which are in SDR and the experience was quite enjoyable. It looks like the picture preset for the built-in apps in the standard preset. This worked well for all the SDR content we consumed. Plugging in an external device and changing the picture presets had mixed results. For example, in Spider-Man, the Standard preset, though slightly cool, had an overall pleasant picture performance. The reds and blues in Spidey's suit look rich. However, shift to the Movie preset and the black webs design in his suit shimmers and merges into the suit. Same for Young Sheldon, the Standard preset has a pleasant experience when compared to the movie preset. While you can tweak the picture presets, we suggest leaving it on Standard for most content. 

For the SDR Calman performance, we recorded an average delta error of 9.28 in the ColorChecker analysis for the Movie preset while the standard preset gave us an error of 11.89.

Above: Standard Preset

Below: Movie Preset

realme 32-inch FHD TV display tested on Calman Ultimate

Realme 32-inch FHD HDR TV: Gaming performance

We hooked up a PS5 to play games on the TV and once again the HDR performance is poor. Spider-Man: Miles Morales (review) looks quite dark is in HDR when compared to SDR and the same is the case with Dirt 5 (review). When playing games in HDR, the TV offers a dark and dull image for both the games. Switch to SDR, and we have a much more enjoyable experience. Once again you can see the difference in performance in our video review once it goes live. Needless to say, if you plan on gaming on this TV, do it in SDR. 

Another thing we saw is that the TV has game mode under the picture modes as well as in the settings (2 game modes), something we noticed on the 43-inch FHD TV launched last year.

Realme 32-inch FHD HDR TV: Audio performance

Just like its sibling from last year, the 32-inch FHD realme TV comes with 4 drivers offering a total sound output of 24W. The audio performance from the speakers is quite good. Be it everyday TV watching like news, or TV shows which have more conversations than bangs, to the occasional movie, the speaker output is the one impressive thing this TV offers. In a small bedroom, the TV was easily audible at about 50 per cent volume.

Realme 32-inch FHD HDR TV: UI

Just like the realme TV launched in the past, this one also comes with stock Android TV out of the box. Its performance is once again at par with what we experienced last year. Overall, the UI is smooth, but there are times when you call upon the assistant and it’ll take a bit longer than expected to respond. This usually happens when consuming content via the built-in Netflix app and then calling the assistant via the dedicated button on the remote control. Unlike the new 4K TVs launched, this one does not come with hands-free controls. 

Realme 32-inch FHD HDR TV: Remote control

If it ain't broke, don't fix it and the remote control is once again, the same we’ve seen on other realme TVs with its teardrop design, comfortable grip and is overall easy to use. It also has dedicated buttons for OTT services - Netflix and Prime Video. 

Realme 32-inch FHD HDR TV: Build and design

Considering the price of the TV we don't expect it to boast of stellar design. The TV has a plastic shell and even though the bezels surround the display aren't the slimmest we’ve seen; they are slim enough not to hinder the viewing experience. The plastic feet holding the TV in place hold the TV quite sturdily. All the ports are laid out on one side and we have three HDMI ports, two USB ports, LAN port, antenna, AV and digital audio out. It also supports Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz only) and Bluetooth 5.0. 

Realme 32-inch FHD HDR TV: Bottom Line

It’s deja vu, once again. The SDR performance of the TV is good, but the HDR performance of the TV is rather poor. The inability to control the picture settings when consuming content via the built-in apps is a step back to the flaws we saw in realme TVs in 2020. The audio output from the TV is good and the smart capabilities work well. While FHD resolution in 32-inch TVs is rare, you’d be better off going for an HD ready 32-inch TV with better picture performance. The compromise of resolution for picture performance at 32-inches is an acceptable tradeoff.

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OnePlus U1S 65-inch TV Review: Could have been a great option for the price

I really like the panel of the OnePlus U1S. It produces good colours and works well for a variety of content. But giving it an outright recommendation is tough. The speakers sound excellent for some pieces of content while on others they fall flat. The UI is buggy. While OnePlus has issued an update for this fixing a large number of UI issues, the performance for the audio is still a mixed bag. OnePlus has added a plethora of features for those within the OnePlus ecosystem like seamless pairing with the OnePlus buds, controls via the OnePlus Watch and smartphone app and more. While the TV does not support Dolby Vision, you can connect a Dolby Atmos soundbar to it via eARC. The gaming performance of the panel is good too. 

OnePlus recently launched its U1S series of smart TVs available in 50, 55 and 65-inch screen sizes priced at Rs 39,999, 47,999 and Rs 62,999 respectively. In March 2021, Xiaomi launched its Redmi Smart TVs in the same screen sizes priced at Rs 34,999, Rs 40,999 and Rs 58,999, respectively. The 65-inch OnePlus U1S we have for review today is priced about Rs 4,000 more than the Redmi Smart TV X65 (review). Does Rs 4,000 more bring a much better viewing experience or are you better off looking elsewhere?

OnePlus U1S specs at a glance

Panel Size: 65-inch (available in 55 and 50-inches as well)  Panel Type: IPS panel with D-LED backlighting Panel Resolution: 3840 x 2160 - 4K Panel Refresh Rate: 60Hz HDR 10 support: Yes HDR 10+ support: Yes Dolby Vision Support: No Weight: 9.7 kgs with stand HDMI Ports: 3 USB Ports: 2 Bluetooth: Yes Wi-Fi: Yes Ethernet: Yes Speakers: 30W Built-in storage: 16GB Price: 62,999

OnePlus U1S: Display panel and picture performance

Kicking things off with the display, the OnePlus U1S has an IPS panel. It has a 4K resolution with support for HDR 10 and HDR 10+ but it does not support Dolby Vision. The panel has direct LED backlighting and there are no dimming zones. We measured a peak brightness of about 300 nits on the panel, but OnePlus tells us the “typical brightness level is at 330 nits”. 

The TV covers about 95 per cent of the UHDA-P3 colour space. UHDA -P3 has a slightly different red parameter than DCI-P3.

OnePlus U1S display tested on Calman Ultimate

The TV comes with a number of picture presets like Standard, Vivid, AI, Movie, Eye comfort, etc. and we will discuss their performance in the following section. 

OnePlus U1S: 4K and HDR performance

We played our standard slew of 4K and HDR content on the TV. As we’ve mentioned above, the TV does not support Dolby Vision but supports HDR 10 and HDR 10+. So, our suite of Dolby Vision content was represented in HDR, which is fine. Speaking of HDR performance, we played shows like Our Planet, Grand Tour, Jack Ryan and more on the TV and the performance of the panel is actually pretty good. From the reproduction of colours to even the skin tones in some sequences, the content was enjoyable. It doesn't get very bright which is ok considering the price of this TV. 

In a show like Jack Ryan, there are a lot of conversations in dark sequences and those are easily visible. The performance is slightly better than the Redmi Smart TV but not as good as the Philips 50-inch PUT8215 (review) we reviewed earlier. But then again, the 65-inch variant of the Philips TV is priced at about Rs 80,000. 

Moving over to a show like the Grand Tour once again, the sequence in season 1 episode 1 with the cars driving across the desert looked good. There was a slight green tint here but not as evident as we’ve seen on the Mi QLED TV 55 (review) for example. Even with HDR content on Netflix like Our Planet or Altered Carbon, the performance of the TV was good, crisp and enjoyable. 

One thing we’d like to talk about is the picture presets. There are the usual suspects here including Movie, AI, Standard, HDR 10+ and more. Leaving it on AI doesn’t yield the desired result. You are better off selecting a picture preset manually. While most TVs have a separate picture preset for HDR content, that doesn't seem to be the case here. Also, the TV does not switch the HDR 10+ preset on its own even when consuming HDR 10+ content. So, when consuming SDR content on Prime Video like Young Sheldon the picture preset was Movie and when I switched to HDR 10+ content on Prime Video, like Jack Ryan or the Grand Tour, the picture preset was still Movie and I had to manually change it to HDR 10+. So as a consumer you will have to keep an eye on changing the picture presets. While this is ok for normal content, the switch should happen automatically for HDR 10+ content. If you want to leave the setting of the TV on one preset and forget about it, then I suggest Movie as it worked the best for most content. 

While the HDR 10+ preset yielded good results for consuming HDR content, our Calman HDR Toolkit Analysis shows us that the HDR 10+ picture preset has a cool bias to all the colours. The Colour checker analysis tells us that there is a Delta error of 3 on average. But in HDR there is an average error of up to 7 which is high. However, considering the price of the TV and the performance we experienced, only those with an eye for colours and details will see the difference. 

OnePlus U1S display tested on Calman Ultimate

You can check out the rest of our Calman readings for HDR content below. 

OnePlus U1S display tested on Calman Ultimate

OnePlus U1S: SDR playback

The SDR playback from streaming services like Netflix, YouTube and Prime Video is also good. We saw our standard slew of content like Spider-Man Homecoming, Mission Impossible and even Young Sheldon. The content looks crisp and enjoyable. While the colours don't pop as they did on the Philips 50PUT8215 we reviewed earlier, they are slightly better than what we found on the Redmi TV. 

Let's talk about the picture presets first. For consuming content from OTT services, I recommend leaving the Movies preset for all. It gets the job done well. Just switch off motion smoothing as it makes the content look unnaturally smooth. The Vivid preset made some content look burnt while the Standard preset had a very cool bias to it for movies. The Movie preset hit the sweet spot making Tom Cruise and the desert around him look natural in Mission Impossible. Same for Young Sheldon. The skin tones of the characters did not look unnaturally yellow and the rest of the colours on screen had a natural look. 

Using the Movie preset, we used the Calman software with VideoForge Pro pattern generator and SpectraCal C6 Colorimeter and analysed the SDR performance of the TV. 

OnePlus U1S display tested on Calman Ultimate

Once again from the get-go, the analysis tells us that the TV has a cool bias to it but it isn't very prominent which is good.

Even in the colour gamut coverage, we can see that the marks aren’t off by much. While this is good, it is something we would expect from a TVs SDR colour performance. 

Like we mentioned above, the colour saturation also shows an average delta error of 3.33 which is acceptable for SDR content consumption. 

OnePlus U1S display tested on Calman Ultimate

OnePlus U1S: PS5 Gaming Performance

Just like the Redmi TV, the OnePlus U1S supports HDMI 2.1 with ALLM only. The display has a refresh rate of 60Hz and the HDMI input recognised the PlayStation 5 when plugged in. When the PS5 (review) was plugged in, the TV automatically changed the setting to Game mode. We played a bunch of games on the PS5 on this TV including Spider-Man: Miles Morales (review), Dirt 5 (review), Returnal (review) and the recently released Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (review). Gaming on this TV is a visual treat with good particle effects and decent black levels. In a game like Returnal, the hint of grey in the black wasn’t as prominent as what we saw in the Redmi TV which is nice. 

A game like Dirt 5 really benefits from a good HDR TV and its performance was good. The bright highlights of driving into the sun don't hit you and that's ok. The overall visual appeal of the game is good when it comes to the colour pallet. One game we really enjoyed playing on an OLED TV was Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart as its Pixar like movie presentation is a visual treat. The particle effects in the game including the explosions from the guns, and vibrant colours of the enemies and characters looked great on this TV. Some dark sequences looked a tad dull. The performance of Spider-Man Miles Morales was also better than the Redmi TV when looking at Spider-Man's suit. It doesn't have the slight hint of grey we saw on the Redmi TV. 

Overall, the TV has a good panel for content consumption and gaming and this is where the praises for the TV come to an end as we will now venture into areas that have some issues that could affect your purchase decision. 

OnePlus U1S display tested on Calman Ultimate

OnePlus U1S: Audio Performance

The audio performance of the TV is a mixed bag. There are times when the TV sounds excellent and times when it sounds bad. In a game like Dirt 5, the TV almost had the performance of an entry-level soundbar for grunts the cars make during a race leading to an immersive experience at 60 to 70 per cent volume. On the other hand, in a movie like Mission Impossible on Netflix, while the sound effects and crashes were good, the dialogue was absolutely inaudible even after bumping up the dialogue enhancer to the high setting. The same was reflected across movie trailers we saw on YouTube. But when watching a dialogue-heavy show like Young Sheldon, the voice was clear as daylight. In Returnal, the audio logs were barely audible during the game but the other effects felt very punchy. OnePlus has issued an update that addresses the issue. We noticed some improvement in the sound output of the TV, but it isn't perfect and there are still some pieces of content which exhibit the audio issue. However, the fact that an update was released is a ray of hope that the audio performance can be improved via subsequent updates. 

Watching a documentary-style show like Our Planet, once again the vocals are clear. We even downloaded the Apple TV app on the TV and played Ready Player One on the TV and the audio was barely audible even at 100% volume. We tried the Apple TV app via a Fire TV Stick and the PS5 and found the same results. In fact, the results were consistent across the pieces of content played from different devices like the streaming stick and the gaming console. This problem is still there after the update.

We even used the TV speakers to play music from our smartphone and this is one place the TV shines. A song like Over and Over by Hot Chip for example hit the right thumps with the bass and vocals making it a good option for those party nights of music listening. While the issue of dialogue and sound with some of the content got fixed via an update, there are still some pieces of content that exhibit the issue like Ready Player One. 

Those interested must note: OnePlus has confirmed to us that the TV supports Dolby Atmos when an Atmos-enabled soundbar is connected via HDMI eARC. At the time of review, we did not have a Dolby Atmos soundbar, so we can’t test this feature.

 

OnePlus U1S: UI

Just like its predecessor, the U1, the TV brings the best of Android TV and OxygenPlay. Oxygen Play has a similar feel to what Xiaomi offers on their Mi TVs and Redmi TVs with PatchWall. The remote control has a dedicated button to bring up OxygenPlay UI as well as the Android TV UI. 

The TV brings with it a plethora of UI features for those that want to take advantage. You have the data saver mode in case you are tethering from your smartphone or have a data cap, you can activate kids' mode remotely using the smartphone companion app, easily pair the OnePlus Buds (review) with the TV and even control things like the volume of the TV from the comfort of the OnePlus Watch if you have one. The volume on the TV also reduces when you get a call. Speaking of the app, you can navigate the UI of the TV using the OnePlus Connect app and also change apps and navigate content on the TV from the comfort of the phone. OnePlus even has the ability to let two devices cast to the TV at the same time but that's something we didn’t try out.

All of these features are great for those looking for add on abilities in a TV but I faced an issue with the basic navigation on the TV. You can see in our video review, the lag I've faced when consuming content from Netflix. OnePlus has issued an update and we tried it out on June 25th and the new update on the TV shows significant improvement with navigating Netflix. While there are still a few hiccups here and there the experience is vastly better than what we show you in our video review. When connected to an external device like the Fire TV Stick, the TVs UI like settings responded smoothly. 

OnePlus U1S: Remote control

OnePlus has yet again redesigned the remote control it offers with the TV. The U1S comes with a remote control which is well built and ergonomic, but the buttons feel a little all over the place. We have the OnePlus button which doubles up as the power button. And long-pressing it brings up the option to restart, go to sleep or power off the TV. 

You have to long-press the menu button to bring up the settings options. The OTT hotkeys are next to each other but the Android TV UI and Oxygen Play UI button are quite far apart. A very good thing is that the back button has a slight indent so when you are moving your thumb around the remote control you know exactly where you are because of this. I am personally not a fan of long-pressing buttons on the remote control for basic actions as that feels counterintuitive, but it’s a personal choice.  

Build and design

The build and design of the TV feels quite good. For the duration of the review, we kept the TV on its tabletop feet. The feet hold the TV in place quite well with very little wobble. The wobble is acceptable considering the size of the display. The feet are metal and feel premium. They are quite wide, so you may want to recheck your tabletop stand if this will fit or not. 

The TV has very slim bezels all around and at the bottom, we have an array of LED lights that light up when you call the Assistant. There is a button at the bottom to mute the mic but this leaves a yellow light on constantly which can get annoying especially when watching a movie in the dark, similar to what we saw on the Realme 43-inch 4K TV (review). Yes, you can switch on the TV if it's in sleep mode, switch it off and controls the Assistant by using your voice without the remote control. Put simply, it works as well as it did on the Realme TV which is a good thing. 

When it comes to connectivity, the TV has 3 HDMI ports and 2 USB ports. It supports dual-band Wi-Fi and also supports Bluetooth 5.0. It has an RF port, a min AV port and an optical port. 

OnePlus U1S: Bottom Line

I really like the panel of the OnePlus U1S. It produces good colours and works well for a variety of content. But giving it an outright recommendation is tough. The speakers sound excellent for some pieces of content while on others they fall flat. The UI is buggy and there are times when it did not respond to any commands from the remote control when consuming content on Netflix. While OnePlus has issued an update for this fixing a large number of issues, the performance for the audio is still a mixed bag. OnePlus has added a plethora of features for those within the OnePlus ecosystem like seamless pairing with the OnePlus buds, controls via the OnePlus Watch and smartphone app and more. While the TV does not support Dolby Vision, you can connect a Dolby Atmos soundbar to it via eARC. The gaming performance of the panel is good too.

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