The Dolby Vision-equipped television range is priced from Rs. 24,999 onwards
Indian television brand Vu only recently launched its Cinema TV range in India, which we praised for the sheer value on offer. That television series features support for the Dolby Vision HDR format, and runs on the Android TV platform, at prices starting well under Rs. 30,000. While we'd have expected Vu to sit back and wait a while before its next launch, the company is clearly in no mood to hit the brakes.
Soon after the Vu Cinema TV series was launched, the company introduced another television range in India - the Vu Premium 4K TV series. The new models have many of the capabilities of the Cinema TV series, including Dolby Vision HDR and Android TV with support for all the major streaming services. So what sets this the Vu Premium 4K TV apart from the company's previous offerings, as well as the competition? Find out in our review.
Vu Premium 4K LED Android TV design and specifications
The Vu Premium 4K TV range is available in three sizes - 43-inch, 50-inch and 55-inch - and all have the same specifications save for the 43-inch variant, which has a rated sound output of 24W as compared to 30W for the 50-inch and 55-inch options. All three variants have 4K LED-backlit screens and support HDR content up to the Dolby Vision format. The specifications and features are similar to those of the Vu Cinema TV range which is available on Amazon in India, but the Premium 4K range is available on Flipkart and is priced just a bit more affordable at Rs. 24,999 onwards.
We had the top-end 55-inch 55PM version for review, which is priced at Rs. 31,999. This makes it among the most affordable televisions of this size with Dolby Vision in India. However, there are some key differences between this range and the 55-inch Vu Cinema TV: the sound output is a bit less at 30W, and the design is a bit more discreet and focused on the screen. This is a good thing in our opinion since the viewer's attention is more easily directed to the content on-screen rather than the design of the TV.
The chin of the Vu Premium 4K TV is narrower, making for a better screen-to-body ratio. The included stands are grey and match the bottom of the TV, while the rest is plain black. This makes the TV a lot less striking, but with televisions we consider that to be a good thing. The stands are attached near the two ends of the TV, so if you table-mount it, you'll need a wide enough table.
Wall-mounting the TV is easy enough, and standard VESA mounts will attach easily. The power cord is non-detachable, and most ports and sockets face to the left of the screen. These include three HDMI ports (with HDMI ARC supported on the HDMI 1 port), two USB ports, digital audio out, Ethernet, an antenna port, and 3.5mm audio out. The AV In sockets is the only one which faces to the back. The ports were all hard to access with the TV on a wall mount, so it's advisable to connect all your cables and devices before mounting it.
The TV has a rated brightness of 400 nits and a standard refresh rate of 60Hz. To run the operating system, the Vu Premium 4K TV has a quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. There's 16GB of storage for apps and app data. Dolby and DTS audio are supported by the 30W box speaker system, and the 55-inch variant weighs a modest 12.3kg without the stands.
Vu Premium 4K LED Android TV remote and features
While most major TV manufacturers have moved to smaller, minimalist remotes, Vu held firm with full-size remotes till as recently as early this year. However, with the Vu Premium 4K TV, the company has finally gone with a small remote that has fewer buttons. It's a Bluetooth unit that runs on two AAA batteries; the TV's power is controlled by an IR emitter, though.
The number pad, color buttons, and playback controls are all gone, with the remote keeping the focus on the direction pad and Android TV navigation buttons. There are also hotkeys for Netflix, YouTube, Google Play, Amazon Prime Video, and Hotstar, apart from a Google Assistant button.
You can of course change the source, access settings, adjust the volume, and mute sound using the remote. It looks good and works well. We did miss dedicated playback keys; the D-pad substitutes for these but isn't quite as easy to use as proper playback controls. The back has a grippy textured finish which we liked, and we were particularly impressed with the unique design of the power button.
The Vu Premium 4K TV, like other Android TV devices, has built-in Chromecast functionality which is useful for screen mirroring from compatible devices. Bluetooth connectivity not only allows for the remote to work without being pointed at the TV but also lets you connect external wireless headphones or speakers.
Vu Premium 4K LED Android TV software and interface
Android TV is one of the most popular smart TV platforms in India, and Vu continues to work with Google to enable smart connectivity on its televisions. The Vu Premium 4K TV runs on Android TV 9 Pie (the current version of the platform), with the stock launcher and access to all of the popular apps and streaming services. Unlike on some Android TV-powered televisions sold by companies that compete with some streaming services (such as the MarQ range), Vu's televisions have no limitations on the Android TV platform; you can access pretty much everything available.
Popular apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hotstar are preinstalled on the TV, and work to its full capabilities. This means that you can watch 4K, Dolby Vision and HDR10 content if your Internet connection and subscription plans support that. You can also use Google Assistant to access content or get contextual information, as well as use an Assistant-based device such as the Google Home to control some features of the TV through voice commands.
All the software and connectivity based features of the Vu Premium 4K TV worked as expected. We've described in detail why we like the Android TV platform so much in many of our previous reviews, and it's no different with the Vu Premium 4K TV. This is arguably the best smart TV platform available right now and makes for an entirely satisfying experience without the need for additional equipment such as media streaming devices.
Vu Premium 4K LED Android TV performance
With similar specifications to the Vu Cinema TV at a slightly lower price, the Vu Premium 4K TV is definitely worth considering if you're looking for a value-for-money option. With a 55-inch 4K LED screen and support for HDR up to the Dolby Vision format, the television can handle pretty much anything you throw at it, and do so capably.
There are small differences between the Vu Premium 4K TV and the Cinema TV when it comes to sound and peak brightness, but in everyday use you aren't likely to notice these differences. The 55PM is among the best 55-inch televisions you can buy on a tight budget; it makes sense if you're looking for top-end features and decent enough performance for the price.
We started with 4K Dolby Vision content to test the TV at its best, playing some of our sample video clips as well as content from Netflix such as Night On Earth and The King. Colors and moderate motion were handled well by the TV, and the picture was reasonably bright and fairly sharp.
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