Realme Smart TV 4K 43″ Review: Delightful In The Right Doses

These days experiencing 4K visuals and Android TV smarts won’t cost you an arm and a leg thanks to the proliferation of TVs like this. Realme has upgraded the display resolution of the 43-inch model from HD to ultra HD and made a couple of changes based on customer feedback to previous models. For the last couple of days, I have been exploring this Realme Smart TV 4K 43-inch variant to see if it’s worth the ₹27,999 price tag.

That’s been the lede and now we begin the Smartprix review of the Realme Smart TV 4K.

Realme Smart TV 4K Unboxing

The box doesn’t weigh much showing how light the TV within it is. Unboxing is easy. The TV comes shielded by Styrofoam frames. Here’s what you get within the box:

• The TV (with detachable power cord)
• Table Top Stands with Screws (4)
• Remote
• Two AAA Batteries
• AV Converting Cable
• Installation and User Manual

Also Read:

• Sony A8H review
• Realme Smart TV SLED 4K 55-inch Review
• 7 Best 4K QLED TVs to Buy in India in 2021

Contents

• Realme Smart TV 4K Review: Design
• Realme Smart TV 4K Review: Audiovisual
• Realme Smart TV 4K Review: Smarts
• Realme Smart TV 4K Review: Connectivity

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Realme Smart TV 4K India price and specs

Dimension and Weight: 96×7.6×56.3cm(without stand); 9.5kg (gross)
Screen: 43-inch 4K, 1.07B colors, 178° FoV, Dolby Vision, 280 nits, DLED backlighting
Audio: 4-units, 24 watts, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Audio, DTS HD
Processor: 64-bit MediaTek Quad-core
RAM: 2GB
Storage: 16GB
OS: Android 10 TV
Wireless: Dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, Infrared
Ports: HDMI 1(ARC)/HDMI 2/HDMI 3, AV, Tuner, 2 USB-A, 1 LAN, Audio Output
Power Consumption: 100W
Price: 43″ at ₹27,999 and 50″ at ₹39,999

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As I have mentioned already, the TV is very light and hence very easy to deploy. The plastic base stands feel sturdy enough and are easy to mount using the supplied screws. Realme notes that the position of the stand has been brought inwards to ensure it doesn’t jut out of the TV’s dimensions. What all these mean is that the TV doesn’t take up huge space and most of you shouldn’t have a problem finding room for it in your home setup. Also, I suppose you could place a soundbar if required beneath the screen. More on the audio output in the next section.

Now, if you wish to mount it on a wall, note that the box doesn’t bundle thingies for this.

Design-wise, this Realme TV remote deserves praise. First of all, for how light and cozy it is to hold. Its broad-to-narrow shape is ergonomic. And although it isn’t riddled with buttons you may or may not know the function of, the necessary ones are here at your fingertip. Next to the shush button, there is the power button, force-pressing which lets you shut down the TV and a simple tap puts the TV on standby. In between these two buttons lie the microphone hole, which lets you shoot commands at Google. This means even if the remote doesn’t solve the poor typing experience on Android TV, gladly you can voice out your requirement to Google Assistant. There is a button for the latter between the volume toggles. The remote works over IR as well as Bluetooth. When paired over Bluetooth, you don’t have to point it in any particular direction.

Rest, you get hotkeys for Netflix, YouTube, and Prime Video, a navigation ring, a back button, a home button, a quick settings menu button, and an input source key on the remote.

The rear side of the TV feels flimsy but the company claims the Smart TV 4K has passed a range of national and international quality tests. Plus, it is covered under a one-year warranty and an additional year screen warranty too.

Here, by the back, besides the ports (which we will cover soon), there is a TV Control button, which can be an override/additional option to turn on/off the TV, configure the source list, tweak the volume, and switch channels or input source.

There is also a toggle button for enabling or disabling far field microphones (to access Google Assistant hands-free).

Now, the indicators for the far-field microphones’ status, the mics themselves, and the power indicator are present on the front within a narrow trapezoid beneath the bottom display bezel. BTW, the bezels are slim, endowing a sleek and minimal fascia.

Before we proceed to the screen examination, note that the pics shared here are taken from an iPhone camera and the actual visuals from the TV are better.

This Realme Smart TV checks almost all the table stakes of audiovisual experience that you would expect out of its price. You get 4K resolution, a 10-bit panel (1.07 billion colors) with HDR formats like Dolby Vision, up to 83% NTSC, and 90% DCI-P3 color accuracy. The petite bezels on the 43″ screen also contributed to a large screen-to-body ratio of 97.2-percent. The viewing angles were fine too by virtue of up to 178° field of view.

The dark scenes in a movie like Wrath of Man (2021) were perceptible. Although, for some reason, I couldn’t discern a thing in the dark indoor scenes in Without Remorse (2021). Both story and cinematography were too dim and dull in this flick. Anyways, the picture quality of HD content like Friends Reunion (2021) was pretty good too.

Further, you can toggle between various display modes like Standard, Vivid, Sport, Movie, Game, Energy Saving, and User depending on the content you consume. I had it set to Movie mode in regular HD and 4K HDR content ’cause it offers a truer color representation. This is something to note if you are a movie buff. Likewise, whilst playing Dolby Vision media on Netflix, I prefer the Dolby Vision Dark profile.

If I were to nitpick, I would like to point out the reflectivity of the panel, backlight bleeding, and muddled audio in certain content. But, the audio was enjoyable in content with Dolby Atmos and 5.1 sound. For instance, I had to constantly lower the volume beneath 30 or 20 levels while watching Jurassic World (2015). I didn’t want the Dinos to wake up my neighbors.

Realme Smart TV 4K is equipped with a 4-unit 24W speaker setup backed by Dolby Atmos and DTS HD. These are divided into two sets each consisting of a full-range speaker and a tweeter. The stated coverage is 183.3x46.8x45.2mm with a frequency ranging between 148Hz to 20,000Hz. The average bass response is the only quibble I have with sound delivery. Still, for some depth, use Music mode, preferably while you play Spotify and other audio platforms.

Moving on…

Realme Smart TV 4K ships with Android TV (v10) OS. The software is mostly vanilla with a handful of pre-installed apps. Among those, you get the popular OTT platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Further, there is Google’s Play Store library. So, you can install file managers like Sold Explorer, browsers like Puffin, and more. But, for gaming, titles like Asphalt 9 require a gamepad, and the box, unfortunately, doesn’t come with a controller.

You can also cast the content from the phone to the TV screen using Chromecast and AirPlay. For the latter, you may use the AirScreen app. The quality and latency depend on the network speed and strength though.

The presence of a hands-free smart assistant is also appreciated. I mostly use it to ask Google to play my favorite show or just to check the real-time weather. Sometimes, the assistant might take a second or two to trigger.

Talking about time, the TV takes about 35 to 40 seconds to cold boot and for the homescreen to appear. You may notice some UI jank in the loading of the thumbnails and navigation. Also as a one-time affair, the Netflix app had crashed. While I tried replaying the movie, it showed the message, “We’re having trouble playing this title right now. Please try again later or select a different title”. Now the hardware offering of 2gigs RAM and 64-bit MediaTek processor is rather standard. Perhaps, Realme needs to do more software tuning.

While I tried playing a 16GB file of MI Fallout (2018) in 4K HDR straight out of the external hard disk, there were some stutters. The onboard storage is up to 16GB off which some would be taken by the OS and the pre-built apps.

The TV can be used with gaming consoles without much issue but make sure to switch to the low latency game mode. 

Realme has armed the TV with 3 HDMI 2.0 ports out of which one supports ARC. HDMI 2.0 means you can play 4K60 gaming over the full 18Gbps available bandwidth. ARC (Audio Return Channel) means you can use a single cable to transmit both video and audio from the TV to the soundbar. This reduces the cable clutter.

Further, the array of ports includes 2 USB-A, 1 AV, A Tuner, 1 ANT, 1 LAN, and 1 Audio Output.

Wirelessly, you have stuff like dual-band WiFi, Infrared, and Bluetooth 5.0. The latter removes the need of you to be in front of the TV to control it.

Review Verdict: Should you buy Realme Smart TV 4K?

For the asking price of ₹27,999, the 43-inch model of Realme Smart TV 4K brings you a delightful visual experience with Dolby Vision enhancement. The sleekness of the design makes it look modern while its size should fit in most table arrangements. For me, the only irking quirk about the panel is its reflectiveness. Meanwhile, on the audio front, the Dolby Atmos and DTS HD handle the job rather well, save for the muddy bass and discernably low volume in certain content.

When it comes to smartness, the option to start major OTT platforms and Google Assistant right from the remote or just with your voice is nifty. The remote is in fact one of the best things about this TV – both for its accessibility and functionality. The presence of far-field mics makes things even more convenient and cool.

All in all, the Realme Smart TV 4K is very much on par with expectations. Even the issues I have with it like the UI jank, reflective panel, low volume, and muddy bass in some content don’t largely spoil the fun. If that sounds right for your money, you can buy the TV from Flipkart, the Realme website, and stores nearby you starting the 4th of June at 12 PM.