Reviews

Vizio 50″ Smart TV V-Series V505-G9 Review

Are you in the market for a new 50" Smart TV? The Vizio is one of the options available, and here's our complete review and overview of the product.

If you are looking into Smart TVs you might have come across the brand Vizio, a budget brand you can find in shops both online & offline. They offer a wide range of smart TVs, including this one, in particular, the 50″ V505-G9.

In this article we’ve looked into the brand Vizio’s reliability, if their V series is actually any good, a description of the V505-G9, technical overview and our review, as well as looking at a few alternatives.

You can quickly navigate through the article using the table of contents below:

Is Vizio a reliable brand?

Vizio are a company that is based in California, and if you’re in the market for a cheap 4K TV, the likelihood is that they’ve come up in your search as they are one of the top-selling TV brands in the US. The TVs are tempting, they offer a low price tag coupled with great features and specifications, putting them in the same breath of some of the largest names like Samsung & LG, but are they reliable?

Personally, we think they are well worth the investment, and we put them in a very similar boat to HiSense. They are well-reviewed and trusted, at the moment of checking there are currently 145 results for “Vizio TV” on popular selling site, Amazon, out of those 145, 104 of them have reviews that put them 4 stars and above, that’s a fair percentage for a budget brand!

Another reason we like and trust Vizio however, is simply that they’re willing to provide information about their TVs that a lot of other companies hide, such as contrast control zones. We also feel like they use less “salesy” wording in their product descriptions and are seemingly more transparent than other rivals.

 

Is the V series good?

The V series is an entry range 4k TV, which you need to keep in mind. They have a range of TVs from 40″ to 75″. There are two variations in the V series, the V(number)5 and V(number)6, the TV that we are reviewing and talking about falls into the 5 categories.

What about the performance of the V series in general? It’s a budget 4K TV, so you’ll never get the quality of a high-end device, so there are always pros and cons that you need to weigh up with a V series purchase.

The V Series TVs are great for having a whole load of features, a large variety of screen sizes, they upscale well and are importantly affordable. Where they fall down compared to the likes of Samsung or Sony is their contrast and saturation of images just aren’t quite up to that level.

Vizio V505-G9 product description

Vizio 50" Smart TV V-Series V505-G9 ReviewNow you know a little bit more about Vizio and the V-Series, it’s time to provide an overview of the V505-G9 as per the description provided by the brand themselves.

In summary, this 50″ TV is an Ultra HD, LED, Smart TV which is well priced compared to a lot of the other competition of the same, or similar specification. This VIZIO TV typically comes with a 1-year warranty, which shows that they have a lot of faith in their product, as well as a bundle that includes a few other accessories which we’ll touch on later. It boasts a 2160p screen which delivers a quality picture and makes it 4x the resolution of an inferior 1080p alternative, the high resolution also allows it to display an impressive 8 million pixels.

The stunning 4K partnered with the always impressive Dolby Vision HDR and the smart features it comes with makes this TV viewing experience fantastic. It offers an impressive range of colors with a remarkable level of contrast. This model is enhanced to provide a brighter picture in fantastic detail and deeper blacks with a full array of backlighting, which is not a feature you regularly get with budget smart TVs.

The additional features we keep mentioning and that VIZIO is known and regarded for includes hands-free voice control through Alexa and Google assistant, Vizio Watch Free which allows you to freely view 100+ channels, the ability to stream devices with Apple Airplay or the built-in Chromecast. Your favourite show, series or movie is just a simple voice command away.

So, you’ve ordered this TV and it’s come, but what exactly are you going to get in the box?

  • The 50″ 4K UHD smart TV, of course
  • Remote control specifically designed by VIZIP
  • TV Stand suitable for the TV
  • Fully detailed user manual
  • Warranty card for one year, which you have to register
  • 2x Cable ties for improved cable management
  • 6ft HDMI cable which is capable of delivering the 4K UHD picture
  • Premium microfiber cloth for cleaning those pesky finger prints

 

Vizio V505-G9 technical overview

Interested in the exact technical details for the Vizio V505-G9? We’ve looked into the complete specification and picked out the main technical elements that you should care about below:

  • Complete Unit Size: 50 Inches
  • Actual Screen Size: 49.50 Inches
  • Platform / Software: VIZIO software – platform referred to as SmartCast, it also has a built in Chromecast
  • Resolution: 3840 x 2160 in UHD (Ultra HD)
  • High Dyamic Range: HLG, HDR10, Dolby Vision
  • Processor: Octa-Core
  • Backlight Details: LED – Full Array
  • WiFi Capability: 802.11ac Dual Band

Our review of the V505-G9

Now it’s the time you’ve been waiting for, reading our article, so what is our opinion? Before digging into exactly why what we will say is that if you are looking for a Smart TV around this budget (currently priced at $449) the Vizio V505-G9 is a good purchase and you can’t go too far wrong with it.

It’s a perfect first 4K TV or if you’re a little strapped for budget, there are a few other TVs which we would also recommend around the exact same price point, and that we’ll talk about later in this article but in truth, there aren’t too many that can compete with this. Ultimately, you can’t go far wrong with the VIZIO V-Series 50-Inch 2160p 4K UHD LED Smart TV (V505-G9).

From unboxing the TV it took us around half an hour to actually set it up, which doesn’t include wall mounting, all in though it was all relatively easy and straight forward to get going and we where sat watching TV in no time. We have seen a lot of 4K TVs and we were impressed, the screen is crisp and clear, there was no ghosting and didn’t seem to be any issues in dealing with 4K gaming.

This TV gets a bit of a bad stick for its brightness, but in all honesty, we didn’t particularly notice it as an issue. The audio from the TV wasn’t bad either, although if you do want to play at louder volumes, just like any other Smart TV, the speakers can lack a little in the high range and we would recommend a soundbar.

Are there any negatives? In our opinion, the VIZIO interface was a little laggy, it wasn’t as smooth as you would expect but if you manage to navigate your way around the interface and get to your app then it runs fine.

As far as Vizio TVs go, and general budget TVs this particular model gets our seal of approval, we would choose it as our everyday TV.

Other people across the web generally have received the V505-G9 well, it’s had mostly positive reviews on Amazon, currently at 4.3 out of 5 stars from 97 reviews in total.

 

Are there better alternative 50″ Smart TVs?

We wouldn’t say that there are any “better” for the price point, in regards to a budget 50″ Smart 4K TV. There are however a few alternative options that you could consider which are around the same price point, by other budget brands, which are just as good as the featured Vizio.

TCL 50″ 5-Series 4K UHD Dolby Vision HDR QLED ROKU Smart TV

This model comes in cheaper than the VIZIO, you could even stretch to the 55″ for the same price point. TCL are another reputable budget brand and this TV is no exception as it also features a 4K Ultra HD screen with a lot of similar features that the VIZIO has, such as the voice assistant and it has an auto-game mode for in-game picture optimization. Another good budget option!

SAMSUNG 50-inch Class Crystal UHD TU-8000 Series 4K Smart TV

It’s rare that you will find a Samsung priced so low, as this 50″ 4K Smart TV comes in at a similar price to the VIZIO. It’s a UHD 4K Smart TV that delivers a picture you would expect from such a brand. This TV is a great budget choice, and if it’s important for you to go with a more reputable brand, this would be a good option. It does however lack a few of the features you can find in the VIZIO, such as backlighting.

So Nerdy Team

Hey, just the So Nerdy team here! We're the author you'll see most on this site. We're constantly researching new tech, games & more, and turning them into informative articles for your reading pleasure, so enjoy!

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button
Close
Close