Realme Smart TV 4K 43 review: Ticks the boxes most ignore in budget segment

The Realme Smart TV 4K 43 is one of the few smart televisions in the budget segment that cover a wide spectrum of features and services for a comprehensive smart TV experience, writes Khalid Anzar

It takes more than a good-quality display and audio for a smart television to justify its ‘smart’ moniker. Unfortunately, most products, especially in the budget segment, simply slip mediocrity on the pretext of smart experience. Thankfully, there are some smart televisions like the recently launched Realme Smart TV 4K (43-inch) that come close to meeting the expectations. It is one of the few smart televisions in the budget segment that cover a wide spectrum of features and services for a comprehensive smart TV experience.

For starters, the Realme Smart TV 4K 43 is powered by Android 10 TV, which gives it access to apps and services supported by the Google operating system for smart televisions. Therefore, you can navigate and explore the new-age content available on over-the-top platforms like YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, etc, or simply watch the conventional cable channels by plugging in a set-top box. Besides, the TV has Google Chromecast built in for easy transmission of content from supported smartphones, tablets, and PCs on the television’s screen. These are some basic features available with every smart television powered by the Android operating system. What gives the Realme Smart TV 4K an edge is the niche features coupled with wide connectivity options and I/O ports availability.

The Realme Smart TV 4K 43 is among the few with far-field microphones in the television itself for hands-free operation powered by Google Assistant. Though you cannot operate the TV entirely due to the limitations with Google Assistant, it proves immensely useful if you have other smart home devices like bulbs, plugs, fans, air conditioner, air purifier, cameras, etc.

The thing with smart TVs is that they heavily rely on the internet to render smart services. Therefore, the experience can go for a toss if the TV cuts corners on internet connectivity. Thankfully, the Realme Smart TV 4K 43 covers both wired and wireless connections right. Besides the RJ45 LAN port for wired internet connectivity, the Realme Smart TV 4K 43 supports dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4Ghz and 5GHz) – something rarely available in budget smart TVs. The 2.4GHz band is congested beyond hope and creates conflict with other wireless devices like Bluetooth speakers, soundbars, earbuds, etc. Dual-band Wi-Fi addresses this issue by allowing internet services over the 5GHz band, which is less congested. Important to note that the dual-band Wi-Fi is a router-specific service.

The Realme Smart TV 4K 43 is undoubtedly worthy of its ‘smart’ moniker, but how are the screen and audio quality? Well, these are certainly not its areas of strength. Not that the screen is bad or the speakers sound muffled, but they are not great either.

Starting with the screen, the Realme Smart TV 4K 43 sports a D-LED panel of 280 nits of peak average brightness. It supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision. There are not many 43-inch televisions with 4K UHD resolution screens, so the availability of one on the Realme Smart TV 4K impresses with its sharpness and detailing. The support for two most commonly used high dynamic range (HDR) standards also proves useful, especially while consuming supported content available on OTT platforms. But the otherwise dim panel, with no local dimming, makes the on-screen content, including HDR content, unrealistic because of the mediocre contrast ratio it manages to pull off. The bright parts of the screen look fine but the blacks look greyish and often marred with colour banding issues. Even on the SDR content, there is a greyish layer that covers the entire frame.

As for the sound, the 24W quad-speakers (two tweeters and two full-range speakers) fail to lift the audio experience despite being powered by Dolby Atmos and DTS Studio audio. Though loud, the speakers lack depth and clarity. They are certainly not enough to elevate the TV’s audio-visual experience.

Verdict

Priced at Rs 27,999, the Realme Smart TV 4K 43 is a comprehensive package that is better than most peers. It ticks all the right boxes to justify its ‘smart’ moniker by covering features and services that are usually ignored by most brands in their budget offerings. The TV’s screen and audio leave some room for improvement but its affordable price tag covers for these otherwise glaring compromises.

Specifications

Display
Type	LED
Size	43-inch
Resolution	4K UHD
Colours	1.07 bn
Aspect ratio	16:09
Viewing angle	178-degree
Picture technology	Dolby Vision, Chroma Boost
Audio
Output	24W
Configuration	Quad speakers
Technology	Dolby Atmos, DTS Studio
System
OS	Android 10 TV
Connectivity
Wi-Fi	2.4GHz/5GHz
Bluetooth	5
Infrared	Yes
Remote control	Bluetooth and IR
Ports
HDMI	3 x HDMI 2.0 (HDMI ARC)
AV	Yes
Tuner	Yes
USB	2
LAN	Yes
Audio Out	Optical
Power
Consumption	100W