In the highly competitive smart television market, do we need another player to make our choices all the more difficult? The answer is always in the affirmative. That’s because new players keep the old hands on their toes. Competition between usual rivals with newcomers alike, drives innovation and that is always a positive thing.
That is why the entry of rising tech giant realme into the smart TV market is a welcome thing, given that it provides consumers an additional brand to seriously look into.
As part of its realme TechLife, which aims to make every young Filipino live more conveniently and efficiently daily, realme recently launched a full-circle digital experience for the public, driven by a powerful mix of audio, wearables, smart TVs, smart home devices, and smartphones.
The realme TechLife was introduced in the Philippines with the company’s first smart home entertainment device, the realme Smart TV; and the newest smartwatch in its line-up, the realme Watch S Pro. realme envisions every Filipino home to become a smart home in the future with the realme TechLife.
Kickstarting the realme TechLife for Filipino homes is the realme Smart TV, realme’s first Certified Android TV in the Philippines.
What stands out
With the realme Smart TV’s one-touch google assistant and all-in-one smart remote, it can easily access the weather, calendar, and several apps under Google.
The feature that stands out is the built-in Chromecast app. This alone is a winning proposition, considering a Chromecast gadgets retails from P2,500 to P3,500, depending on the model.
With the touch of the Chromecast app on your phone, you can conveniently play your music and stream your video from your smartphones to your realme Smart TV. This is particularly helpful when you are lazy enough to download the apps on your TV and just rely on Chromecast to pair all your streaming needs from your phone. But applications like Google Play Store are made available so that you can install apps that you like.
Cinematic experience
Filipinos can also now also enjoy a cinematic experience at home with the realme Smart TV’s Dolby Audio Speakers, not to mention 24W quad stereo speakers, creating a surround sound effect designed for vast rooms, thereby increasing the overall immersive experience without compromising the sound quality.
To provide options for consumers, realme is making the Smart TV available in two sizes—80cm (32 inches) and 108cm (43 inches), the second of which is perfect for homes as it provides just the right size—not too small, and not too big either.
The 32-inch model retails for only P11,990, while the bigger 43-inch variant is at P18,990.
Powering the TV is the 1.1GHz MediaTek quad-core processor with Mali-470 GPU. Other features include the 2.4GHz WiFi, Infrared, and Bluetooth 5.0, not to mention three HDMI ports, two USB Type-A, SPDIF, Ethernet, and a digital TV receiver.
Premium feel
The bezel-less design is a plus, with a 1366 x 768-pixel resolution for the 32-inch model, and a 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution for the 43-inch model —our review unit. It also comes with HDR10 support, HLG, and Realme’s Chroma Boost technology that’s also present in Realme smartphones.
The eye test doesn't lie as it looks premium against other smart TVs with uneven edges in the same price range.
For realme's first TV product, it incorporates several premium features only found on high-end counterparts with its budget offering.
So is the realme android TV worth your investment?
Our review unit has been with us for only a week and so far, we like what we see. And going back to the question at the start of this review, owning a realme Smart TV isn't a difficult choice, after all.
(Connections available: LAN; HDMI in 1/2/3; USB ports; ANTENNA Input; Digital Audio Output; AV Input; Headphone Output;
What’s in the box?: 43” realme Android TV; 2x Base Stands; 4x Screws; Remote Control; 2x AAA Batteries; Instructional Manual; Quick Start Guide;Warranty Card)