Philips has made good on its promise to launch an OLED TV that’s within the reach of entry-level buyers with its extremely affordable Philips OLED705, which is going on sale for just £979 for the smaller 55-inch model.
The OLED705, which is also available in 65-inches for a heftier price tag of £1,499, might be on the cheaper side but the spec sheet is a reassuringly long one that seems to defy its low retail price.
For starters, the TV supports all of the major high dynamic range formats in use today, including Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG, and also Dolby Atmos surround sound for good measure. DTS Play-Fi multiroom audio support is also included, as is Philips’ customary Ambilight mood lighting technology on three sides, which proponents say is not only spectacular but also beneficial in terms of increasing the perceived contrast.
The Philips OLED705 looks good in any case thanks to its “near-frameless” design, and it should also deliver good sound quality through the 50 watt 2.1 channel sound system that was also found on last year’s Philips OLED805, a higher-end model.
Android TV is onboard which means access to dozens of essential apps such as Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, YouTube and so on, though Apple TV+ is notable for not featuring on the list. Google Assistant is built-in and it also supports Amazon Alexa if that’s your preferred medium for voice interaction.
On the downside, there are one or two compromises that Philips has made to accommodate the lower price tag. The Philips OLED705 TV will not come with the company’s most powerful P5 AI Perfect Picture Engine processor. Instead it features a standard P5 processor seen in last year’s midrange models, but Philips will no doubt say that with the OLED display and 4K resolution, it’s going to deliver some high quality pictures anyway.
The OLED705 might not be the best choice for gamers either. Though Philips talks of a basic Game Mode and support for 4K@120Hz, it doesn’t make any mention of features like Variable Refresh Rate, Auto Low Latency Mode, or enhanced Audio Return Channel. No doubt that’s because the TV is equipped with four standard HDMI 2.0 ports rather than the newer HDMI 2.1 versions. Philips did however mention a more basic Audio Return Channel capability.
All in all, the Philips OLED705 looks to be a pretty decent offering overall with some great specs for under a grand. So if you happen to want an OLED TV and don’t mind not having the latest in AI processing and advanced gaming features, it could well be worth your consideration.
For those who’re willing to pay a touch more, Philips has promised to launch a more premium, but hopefully still affordable, OLED706 TV later this year. The Philips OLED706 is said to be a higher-end model that includes the latest P5 AI processor and will also come with HDMI 2.1 ports to ensure smoother, free-flowing gameplay.
Philips has also announced two more OLED models, the Philips OLED 806 and OLED856 that it said in January would go on sale by June, though it hasn’t said anything more so far. The company also has a range of Mini-LED LCD TVs to come later this year, but we’re waiting to see if there will be a successor to last year’s flagship OLED+935 TV.
