Daiwa 4K 55-inch Smart LED TV review: Good performance, great features & value for money

Price: Rs 36,999

Rating: ****

Specifications: 55-inch A+ Grade panel, 3840 x 2160 pixels, 178 degree viewing angle, 6.5ms response time, 400 nits brightness, 3 x HDMI inputs, 2 x USB 2.0 ports, VGA & composite AV input, 3.5mm audio in, Ethernet, co-axial audio out, 10W x 2 speakers, 1.3Ghz dual core processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB storage (expandable, SD card slot), Android 4.4.4, WiFi, Bluetooth, 15.6kg


Pros: Stylish stand design, sleek bezels, bright panel with rich colours, smooth interface, radio frequency remote with qwerty keyboard

Cons: Sound tends to get boomy, upscaling not up to the mark, no Amazon Prime, only one free USB port

Budget big-screen TVs are suddenly hot property thanks to falling prices. 55-inch 4k TVs are in the sweet spot, with most newcomers setting prices between Rs 40,000 to 45,000. Daiwa’s wants to go one-up with their latest offering – a 55-inch LED TV with 4k panel and Android interface. At Rs 36,999, the Daiwa TV is cheaper than the popular MiTV 55 by a good margin (Rs 8,000).

Like us, you’re probably feeling that most TVs have started to look similar — they all have sleek bezels and a plastic body. The Daiwa is no different, but what gives it a slight edge is the unique table stand. Instead of the usual plastic/metal legs, this TV has a diamond shaped stand. This little change makes a big difference, making the TV appear premium even when switched off.



It has all the usual ports (2 x HDMI, composite/component and Ethernet) on the back, while the side has dual USB ports, another HDMI input and 3.5mm headphone jack. Although there are two USB ports, only one is usable because one port is permanently blocked by the USB dongle for the supplied remote. Daiwa should get extra credit for the multi-function remote it bundles. It has standard TV buttons and dedicated buttons for YouTube and Netflix on one side. On the other side is a full QWERTY keyboard for easy text input (great for searching, entering usernames/passwords). Plus, the remote can also work as an air-mouse. This kind of remote should be provided by all smart TVs in our opinion.

Coming to the performance, the TV’s 4k panel impressed us with high brightness, high viewing angles and vibrant colour. We used the TV with USB multimedia drive, Tata Sky HD box and an Xbox One. While it had no issue with full HD content, we found that the upscaling was not up to the mark with non HD content — there were visible artifacts and lack of details. The black levels are above average but we noticed there is significant light bleed from all sides when viewing a black screen. This is common issue with budget TVs but it must be noted that you don’t see this in normal operation. Audio output from the twin box speakers is loud but it becomes ‘boomy’ at louder volumes making it hard to hear the vocals. You will need external speakers or a soundbar for the best experience.

The smart interface is based on Android 4.4 and works well. Even though it has ‘only’ a dual core processor and 1GB RAM, we did not notice any sluggishness. Daiwa preloads various apps including YouTube, Netflix, Hotstar and an AirPlay Server app for Apple devices. There is no support for Amazon Prime and it won’t work if you try side-loading the app. As for additional apps, it has the Aptoide store. Its not a very rich interface like the MiTV or TCL’s iFFalcon range, but it gets the job done.

You should know that Daiwa is not really a new entrant in the TV segment. They have been offering value TVs and this new 4k smart TV is another great addition to their lineup. At the asking price, it is the cheapest 55-inch 4K smart TV around. If you can spend a little more, there are options available from Kodak, Cloudwalker and TCL with similar design, features and performance.