Vizio M Series Quantum 4K TV Review
Product Name: Vizio M Series Quantum 4K TV
Product Description: Low-cost, discounted, or bargain priced TVs that offer great features are rare to find these days. If you are want to upgrade your TV without investing a lot of money in a high-end 4K TV, then you might want to take a chance on the Vizio M Series Quantum. It delivers 4K resolution, high-dynamic-range (HDR) imaging, and great picture quality for a much lower price than you would expect for a 4K TV.
Currency: USD
Availability: InStock
-
Build Quality
-
Performance
-
Features
-
Image Quality
Summary
The Vizio M-Series Quantum 4K TV offers outstanding image quality with quantum dot technology and Smartcast as the Operating System, all at a relatively affordable price. It is far from perfect but in this price range, you won’t find anything anywhere near close in terms of image quality and overall functionality. We were surprised by its Dolby surround feature and the sound quality. Yes, it won’t compare to the higher-end (4 times the price) 4K TV sets but if you don’t want to splash out on that kind of money, the Vizio M series is the way to go, without a doubt.
Pros
Quantum-dot display provides an impressive range of colors
Full array local dimming for excellent HDR performance
Good audio quality
Smart TV integration
Great price
Cons
Limited selection on TV apps
Poor upscaling
Standard remote and TV design
Average dirty screen effect (DSE)
Complicated features
User Review
( votes)Vizio M Series Quantum 4K TV Review
Best Bargain TV
Low-cost, discounted, or bargain priced TVs that offer great features are rare to find these days. If you are want to upgrade your TV without investing a lot of money in a high-end 4K TV, then you might want to take a chance on the Vizio M Series Quantum 4K TV. It delivers 4K resolution, high-dynamic-range (HDR) imaging, and great picture quality for a much lower price than you would expect for a 4K TV.
Overview
The Vizio M Series Quantum is a combination of affordable price and an exciting new version of SmartCast which will give you access to streaming apps as well as streaming services such as airplay and google cast.
The Vizio M Series Quantum uses a VA panel with outstanding contrast, great black levels, and an excellent wide range of colors. Surprisingly, full-array local dimming (FALD) is good and HDR content looks well though it varies in peak brightness.
A black frame insertion is included in order to help reduce the blur and motion handling is actually pretty good. Of course, there are some issues that need to be taken care of like poor viewing angles, but overall, it is a great 4K TV for not-so-picky users.
Vizio adapted the Quantum Dot Technology from Samsung’s QLED TVs and created the M Series. They thought of expanding the last year’s P Series technology to make way for more TVs at different price ranges. All models in the Vizio’s M Series have different features and specifications which some might find baffling or backwards.
The 65-inch Quantum TV called M657-G0 has 20 dimming zones and a brightness level of up to 400 nits. For a 55-inch model, you can either have the one with 90 dimming zones and 600 nits or 16 dimming zones and 400 nits. It may be confusing but to make it easier, you need to check the model number and see if it ends with G1 or G0.
Design
When you compare most Vizio TVs to other high-end 4K TVs you can clearly see that they are not really the cutting-edge-type in terms of the design but they still look stylish and elegant. Taking into consideration the difference in price, it is a compromise most will be happy to take. The super-thin bezel around the edges and a thicker bezel on the bottom give the M Series Quantum a sleek and stylish look. Also, its strong thin metal legs are great on any TV stand or entertainment center and actually makes it look really good.
Connectivity on the back of the TV consist of four HDMI ports, including one for the HDMI ARC. You also get USB and Ethernet ports along with optical digital and stereo analogue audio output. Unfortunately, the Vizio M Series Quantum does not support HDMI 2.1, but given its price range, it is a compromise most won’t even notice.
Unlike Apple, LG, and Samsung TVs that comes with a very interesting and eye-catching remote controller, Vizio stays on the rather basic side of the spectrum. It has direct buttons for apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and other standard buttons for the menu, and so on. All in all, design-wise, the M Series Quantum of Vizio is classy and modern but the remote is not what you would call “cutting edge”. Simplicity does the job, but nothing to be amazed by.
Features
Instead of going for a popular TV operating system such as Apple’s TV OS, Vizio chose SmartCast 3.0. It is not the fastest nor the most up to date but it has tons of super-smart features. And compared to previous versions, this one takes only a few seconds to load and switch apps on the main interface.
The purpose of smartcast is to combine access to digital streaming platforms like YouTube with streaming services such as Google Cast, Google Assistant, or Amazon Alexa. Vizio also offers WatchFree where you can watch live TV streaming apps for free. As with anything with the word “free” attached to, it may not have all your favorite shows, but you shouldn’t ask for or expect miracles. However, it is a welcomed feature.
Performance
When it comes to upscaling HD and SDR content, we must say that Vizio really took it upon themselves to improve what previous models offered and they have come through with the goods. HD and SDR content looks brilliant on its 4K panel with more natural colors and brightness that you would expect. However, there are still some lagging issues and HDR content is still behind in terms of overall quality when you compare it to other 4K TVs such as Samsung Q90R or the LG C9 Series.
Another issue is that blooming (Uneven backlight, mura, banding and un-uniform brightness) seems noticeable on darker scenes and you can tell that the pictures are a bit grainy at a closer look. But thanks to Quantum Dot Technology, images display vivid colors and brighter levels. Applying Dimming zone is not necessary but it definitely helps in making the picture look better.
Quantum TVs have HDR10 and Dolby Vision support so you can expect natural and defined colors with great contrast and very good quality sound. However, we still recommend a 3rd party soundbar if you want to maximize and get the best sound when watching a movie or TV series. A TV’s built-in speakers can never compete with a sound system or soundbar. There are also different viewing modes, Vivid, Calibrated, or Standard mode, which is the default setting so you can easily adjust how the image looks without having to spend time manually adjusting each setting.
Also, Vizio’s Quantum comes with motion smoothing that you can turn on or off. Annoyingly, it does not have different levels to adjust. The TV has a 60Hz panel but motion smoothing would have been nicer on a 120Hz panel. That being said, even with a 60Hz panel, the video image was able to keep up with fast-moving graphics or movie scenes, which was a nice and welcome surprise. Playing games is also very smooth and vivid so using your PlayStation 4 or X-Box is very responsive with amazing looking graphics.
Sound
Built-in speakers in most TV are not really extraordinary. Most of the time, it needs an external speaker or a soundbar in order to get the maximum sound quality we expect. But we were pleasantly surprised with the two 20-watt speakers of the Vizio M Series Quantum. They are way better than we expected and they pack a punch. There are few setbacks especially when you push the speakers to its louder ranges, but overall, they are far better than we had originally expected. For the average person whose main concern is the picture, it might just be enough.
However, if you want to really appreciate the sound and all its nuances, we always recommend a separate surround sound system or soundbar like the Philips Fidelio, Sonos Playbar or the Sony HT-ST500, all of them absolute stunner of soundbars with truly amazing sound quality.
Verdict
Without a doubt, the Vizio M Series Quantum is the best TV in its price range. Yes, it is not perfect and a lot could have been made better but a Quantum Dot Technology TV within a very affordable price is still a winner in our eyes. Just like other expensive TVs, it offers exceptional image quality, great SmartCast features, and good sound quality.
Vizio’s Quantum delivers stunning picture quality, whatever the content, and performs rather well whether you are in a light or dark room. Its low input lag is also every gamer’s dream to get the best possible gaming experience. We just hope in the future Vizio focuses on making more responsive features that will only improve the functionality of their products. Overall, this 4K TV is amazing value for money but be warned, you can’t compare it to a Samsung Q90R or LG C9. That would be comparing apples and bananas. Understand that when you buy this 4K TV you will be compromising on functionality and features and you should expect so when the price difference is so acute. That being said, the image quality in the Vizio is truly great for what you pay and on that price range, we can only recommend it as there is nothing better.
Not sure this is what you are looking for? Check out our 4K TV section where we review a wide range of TV sets. We are sure there is something in there for you.
