I spent a few hours with the world’s cheapest OLED TV – what I like (and don’t like)

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Some of best OLED TVs are sold at exorbitant prices, making them a tough sell for people who want premium TV technology without the premium price tag. That’s why we tend to offer to catch LG C3 OLED TV or buy the 48-inch LG B4 OLED from Best Buy for $699. Apart from these two exceptions, most OLED TVs are expensive.

But what if OLED TVs could be cheaper? What if you didn’t have to spend over $1,000 to get best cheap OLED TV deals – or at least get something like a 42-inch LG C4? This is exactly what Sansui aims to correct with its new 55-inch OLED TV starting at just $799..

Sporty Google TV and a smooth 120Hz refresh rate are ideal for PS5 Pro — The cheaper Sansui OLED TV is entering the market from such powerful companies as Sony, LG and Samsung. And I’m happy to report that it has some serious advantages at a price point largely dominated by Mini-LED offerings.

I’ve spent a few hours using the Sansui OLED TV and I have a lot to say, so let’s get to it.

Expert design choices with a few caveats

At $799, you’d expect the Sansui’s design to make some sacrifices, but in fact there are very few issues here and, surprisingly, a lot that gets it right. For example, Sansui thought ahead and gave this OLED display a stand, making initial setup a breeze, meaning you can place the TV on almost any size surface.

You’ll still need some extra help when putting this display together for the first time, but it’s pretty simple and it took me no more than 45 minutes before it was set up and I was watching the content.

Speaking of TV series and movies, I’ve given them quite a bit of content, adding anime like Dan Da Dan and Tokyo Scammers, as well as Amazon’s Rings of Power and Spy Games.

One of the main problems I noticed right away was the high reflectivity issues. We don’t have official numbers for the Sansui OLED yet, but brightness probably won’t get too high on this higher-value offering—but stick with Tom’s Guide for a closer look at its performance numbers. However, colors and HDR content look fantastic right off the bat. It doesn’t have HDR10+ support, which is a slight drawback, but the Sansui OLED TV still features Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG.

A console gamer’s dream?

When it comes to the best TVs for gaming, there aren’t many options for OLED models. Of course, you can get the LG C4 OLED, which we think is the best 144Hz option, but you’re paying $1,800 for that TV—$1,299 with a discount.

While it may only have two HDMI 2.1 ports, one of which is connected to eARC, the Sansui OLED TV has a 120Hz refresh rate, which is ideal for PS5 and Xbox Series X gamers. The C4 OLED at 144Hz is better for gamers. running some of the best gaming PCs out there, as you won’t be clocking anything higher than 120Hz on a current-gen console.

And after just a few hours of playing on the Sansui OLED, I was quite impressed with its potential. Again, we don’t have official input lag figures, but I’m willing to bet they’re better than some Sony OLED TVs that often have high latency, such as the Sony XR A95L OLED TV with its 16 lag time. 1 ms.

I played the new Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 campaign and zombies on the Sansui OLED, as well as a bit of Star Wars Outlaws and Silent Hill 2 Remake. It performed amazingly well in each of them, and while the reflection issues are a tough sacrifice, I love its sound quality. You’ll still need one of the best soundbars, but its 40W output is nothing to sneeze at.

I know I’ve already said that the Panasonic Z95A OLED TV is one of the best TVs for the PS5 Pro, but if price is your main concern, here’s an OLED TV that costs exactly the same as a new Sony console with stand and disc drive. This is a full-fledged gaming rig for under $2,000, and the only complaint you might have is the size.

Is this the new budget OLED TV worth beating?

I’ve really enjoyed my time with the Sansui OLED so far. However, the LG B4 looks to be the reigning champion of the budget OLED TV market and is hard to beat.

The downside to the Sansui OLED is that its maximum diagonal is 55 inches, and it’s unclear whether the company plans to produce additional sizes in the future. I would hope so, as I personally would like to see more competitors in this OLED display segment.

I will reserve my final opinion until we receive final test data from the labs. However, from what I’ve seen so far, I think the Sansui is a worthy alternative to LG’s best budget OLED display, and I can’t wait to test it further.

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