Prism+ Q65 65” 4K Android TV Review
Justin Choo samples a basic Android TV at a price that's almost too good to be true…
Prism+
Q65 4K Android TV
SGD $999 / USD $759
Singapore start-up Prism+ has been making noise in its native country for a while, and there's a good reason for that. It offers decent quality TVs and monitors at very keen prices. An Android-based 4K TV that costs less than S$1,000 in the shops, the Prism+ Q65 has been buzzing since its launch in October 2020. The website states that the regular price is S$1,999, but it's been selling for half that and will continue to, until the day it's discontinued. It is a direct rival to offerings from Panasonic, LG, and Samsung, whose equivalent offerings cost over half as much again. Its smaller 55" and larger 75" siblings offer equally impressive value, too.
IN DEPTH
At this price, there are bound to be trade-offs, so what are they? On paper at least, the Q65 looks to have all the features that most users need – this 65-inch, 3,840x2,160 pixel IPS display is certified for HDR10, has Dolby Vision, a brightness rating of 350 nits, a contrast ratio of 1300:1 and displays 1.07 billion colours. It can also playback content up to 60 frames per second. Meanwhile, its two integral 10W speakers support Dolby Audio and DTS TruSurround, and it comes with voice control and Chromecast. Features are pretty basic, but the price tag excuses that.
Sat in front of you, the Q65 is surprisingly presentable if first impressions are anything to go by. Even the remote control is well designed, with brushed metal panels framing a collection of buttons with a layout that's comfortable for your fingers – in no way does this look cheap at all. Similarly, it has a respectably thin borderless design, often associated with pricier TVs. Shame then, that the receiver for the remote control sticks out like a sore thumb under the screen.
Still, all credit to Prism+ for cutting corners in mostly the right places – just don't expect the rear of the TV to look sleek or be filled with a plethora of ports. Indeed in terms of physical connectivity, the Q65 has two HDMI 2.0 ports and one HDMI-1 (ARC) port; one USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0, which is the bare minimum. You can still hook up a receiver, so there is that I suppose! There's a single LAN port, an optical digital audio output, and a set of composite inputs to round things up.
Prism+ doesn't disclose any information on the chipsets inside this TV, but the performance is adequate enough. Start-up takes about forty seconds, though you can always enable the Android Instant On feature to speed that up to just three seconds. The Android experience is satisfactory for the most part, and navigating menus never feels sluggish. The Bluetooth remote control is excellent, and I don't see myself needing to set up a wireless keyboard – but I suppose that's more of a personal thing since I don't browse the web on my TV or do much searching for content.
SOUND AND VISION
While the Q65 boasts HDR10 and Dolby Vision support, brightness is capped at 350 nits, and I suppose this partially explains why the TV is so cheap. But this sort of thing sounds more troublesome on paper than in practice, and for the most part picture quality is good – decent enough for me to not feel like my 4K option on Netflix was wasted. Viewing angles are okay, but the backlight is uneven and noticeably darker on some edges – you probably expected that.
The sound matches the vision – it's good but nothing too special. It isn't as open or transparent as pricier designs, but it can still convey some of the impact of a climactic scene in an action movie, for example. Its two 10W loudspeakers are hardly exciting, but they're not hollow-sounding either. They don't fare as well in a big room, so you might want an auxiliary system there. Still, they work well enough for bedrooms so you can't say fairer than that.
THE VERDICT
In a nutshell, this TV is passably good and sells for a third less than its rivals. That will be enough for many people to buy the Prism+ Q65, and why not? With its three-year warranty, it's even more of a no-brainer.
Think of it as a 'free transfer James Milner' in telly terms – three years of service left on the cards, modest upkeep, and a consistent seven out of ten, day-in, day-out. For many TV buyers, that's all they'll ever need.
For more information visit Prism+
Justin Choo
Kicking off his musical journey as a child with a dubious entreé of Rick Astley and Ozzy Osbourne, his musical tastes have only gotten ‘worse’ since then. Quick to embrace both traditional and modern worldviews in the field of audio, but that could also be down to his eclectic array of interests, ranging from fine spirits (not the ghostly kind), billiards to consumer tech; all topics he has contributed to PC Magazine, T3, Stuff and The Robb Report, among others.
Posted in: Applause Awards | 2021 | Visual | Televisions | Visual
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