Vizio tv is it a smart tv

We've bought and tested more than 35 Vizio TVs. Vizio offers competitive performance in each price bracket their products cover. For many years, they were a leading brand for value compared to price as their TVs tend to perform great in dark rooms, but they've slowly lost their lead over the past few years.

Updates

• 10/19/2022 Vizio P Series Quantum 2021 updated
• 10/19/2022 Vizio M6 Series Quantum 2022 updated
• 10/19/2022 Vizio M Series Quantum X 2022 reviewed
• 10/11/2022 Vizio V5 Series 2021 updated
• 10/11/2022 Vizio V Series 2020 updated

1. Best Vizio TV

   Type OLED

   Sub-Type WOLED

   Resolution 4k

   Sizes 55" 65"

   The Vizio OLED 2020 is the best Vizio TV we've tested. It's their only OLED TV, and although it's a 2020 model, you can still find it for purchase in 2022. Like other OLEDs, its ability to turn pixels off individually results in a near-infinite contrast ratio and perfect, inky blacks in a dark room, with no distracting blooming around bright objects or subtitles. It also has extremely wide viewing angles, which is great for wide seating areas since the image doesn't lose accuracy from the side.

   It's fine for rooms with a few lights around because it has incredible reflection handling, but it doesn't get bright enough to fight glare. Unfortunately, like all OLED TVs, there's a risk of permanent burn-in with cumulative exposure to the same static elements over time, but it's fine if you watch varied content.

   See our review

2. Best Upper Mid-Range Vizio TV

   Type LED

   Sub-Type VA

   Resolution 4k

   Sizes 65" 75"

   The best upper mid-range Vizio TV we've tested is the Vizio P Series Quantum 2021. While OLEDs like the Vizio OLED 2020 are fantastic for dark rooms, go for an LED TV like this if you want something for a well-lit room. It has excellent SDR peak brightness and much better reflection handling than the Vizio M Series Quantum X 2022. Glare isn't an issue, even if you're in a bright room with lots of natural light. It displays a wide range of colors that look vivid thanks to the impressive HDR peak brightness.

   On the other hand, it isn't a good choice for watching SD channels or DVDs because it has trouble properly upscaling lower-resolution content. It also has some uniformity issues that can get distracting while watching sports or other types of content with large areas of uniform colors.

   See our review

3. Best Mid-Range Vizio TV

   Type LED

   Sub-Type VA

   Resolution 4k

   Sizes 50" 65" 75"

   The best mid-range Vizio TV we've tested is the Vizio M Series Quantum X 2022. It's a very good TV with high peak brightness and amazing contrast. Combined with its decent full array local dimming feature, HDR content looks great, as bright highlights stand out well and look the way the content creator intended. It also has an excellent wide color gamut and great color volume, so your favorite HDR content looks vivid and realistic.

   It's also a great gaming TV, with low input lag and a great response time, so there's very little blur behind fast-moving objects. It has a few gaming features, including FreeSync variable refresh rate technology to reduce screen tearing. It supports 4k @ 120Hz gaming, but sadly it only supports HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on one port, so you can't take full advantage of two consoles at once. Overall, it offers similar performance to the more expensive Vizio P Series Quantum 2021, but it has much worse reflection handling, so it's not as well-suited for a bright room.

   See our review

4. Best Budget Vizio TV

   Type LED

   Sub-Type VA

   Resolution 4k

   Sizes 43" 55" 65" 70" 75"

   The best Vizio TV in the budget category we've tested is the Vizio M6 Series Quantum 2022. It's an okay budget-friendly 4k TV that's surprisingly well-equipped for a budget model. It has many of the same features as the Vizio M Series Quantum X 2022, but it delivers worse picture quality overall, and it's limited to a 60Hz refresh rate. It's still great for gamers who want to enjoy a nice 4k image with the latest consoles but don't necessarily care about high-performance gaming.

   It has a high native contrast ratio, allowing it to display deep blacks next to bright whites in a dark room. Although it lacks a local dimming feature, it has good black uniformity overall, with very little cloudiness in dark scenes. It also has a fantastic color gamut, just as wide as the M Series Quantum X 2022, so HDR content looks surprisingly vivid, even though it's not that bright.

   See our review

Compared to other brands

• Competitively priced. For the same features, Vizio TVs are priced very competitively. In some cases, they're several hundred dollars cheaper than the competition.
• Great picture quality in a dark room. All their higher-end and mid-range models have a full-array local dimming backlight, which helps to produce deep blacks.
• Good gaming features. Vizio TVs usually include gaming features like FreeSync support, even in their budget-friendly models.

• Quality control issues. From firmware issues to a cheaper design/look, Vizio TVs feel like they cut some corners. A lot of the issues are eventually fixed with firmware updates, but not all of them.
• Sub-par upscaling. Low-quality content like DVDs or SD channels doesn't look as sharp as it does on other brands.
• HDR experience leaves a lot to be desired. Unless you get the flagship LED TVs, you likely won't get a satisfying HDR experience. Their low-to-mid-range TVs don't get bright enough to make highlights pop.
• Limited smart interface. The Vizio SmartCast interface feels laggy and often crashes, and you can't download any extra apps besides the pre-installed ones.

Vizio vs Samsung

Generally, high-end Samsung TVs outperform Vizio TVs but cost more. Some people might not like Vizio's SmartCast platform because it has a lot of bugs. Samsung TVs are more versatile when it comes to having options with wide viewing angles, and they tend to get brighter.

Vizio vs Sony

Unlike Sony, Vizio offers inexpensive entry-level TVs with good value. Sony TVs are usually brighter and have more polish in their construction. Plus, their Google-based smart features include Vizio's Chromecast capabilities and more. Sony TVs are usually more expensive, so they're not ideal if you're on a budget.

Overall, Vizio TVs are well-priced and have great picture quality. However, they don't have the high-end feel as some other brands, and their OS is laggy at times and not as full-featured as the competitors', as there are often a ton of bugs associated with their TVs that can even get worse over time. If you don't care about your TV's smart features, most Vizios offer good value overall.

Lineup

Vizio's lineup is fairly straightforward, as they have very few models, but they have made some changes that can be a bit confusing. Their entry-level 4k TV is the V Series, while the D Series has 1080p or 720p options. Moving up, they have the mid-range M Series Quantum, P Series Quantum, and finally, the flagship P Series Quantum X. Often, it's unclear from the model name which year it's from unless it's specified, but the model codes make it a bit more clear. For example, the 2021 TVs use J in the model code, and those from 2020 have H (M65Q7-J01 is a 2021 TV, while the M65Q-H1 is 2020).

Vizio names their TVs a bit differently from other manufacturers. Their current lineup was announced and released in the second half of 2021, and they call it their 2022 lineup. They have yet to announce new models for release in 2022.

Vizio Smart Features

Vizio TVs run the SmartCast platform, which is very basic, with a very limited selection of apps and no app store. Instead, it relies on its ability to receive apps that are cast from your smart device. While the platform is versatile and has considerably grown in support from app makers, Vizio's implementation is far from perfect. The SmartCast app Vizio provides to access content as well as adjust settings isn't the fastest and most stable, and not everything is available for casting.

Interface

SmartCast now features a more traditional home screen. Apps like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix are available, and there are featured links to content found on the online TV service Pluto TV. Unfortunately, there's no app store, and apps aren't installed on the TV; they're links to web-based interfaces.

Vizio's improved the set of options you can change from the TV itself. You don't need to touch the SmartCast app at all to get the TV going properly, and even complete calibration settings are available on the on-screen menus. However, we recommend using the app for more in-depth calibration since it's a lot more efficient for making a lot of adjustments.

Ad-free

For many years Vizio remained one of the few brands left to not sell their interface to advertisers. However, we noticed with the Vizio M7 Series Quantum 2021 and Vizio V5 Series 2021 that there's now suggested content on the home page.

Apps & Features

Current Vizio TVs don't have an app store, and there's no way to add additional apps. The included apps cover many of the more popular services. However, it might not be enough for some people, especially if you rely on streaming services instead of a traditional TV service.

Voice Controls

Vizio finally added support for voice controls with the release of their 2021 TVs that come with the new remote (see below). It's pretty basic and not as advanced as other brands, but you can still ask it to change inputs and open apps, but you can't ask it to search for specific content in apps.

Remote

Vizio released a new remote with their 2021 models. It's stripped-down compared to the past version, as it lacks a Numpad, but you still get the short buttons to popular streaming services. It's not too big, but it's very basic, and it doesn't have backlighting.

Remote App

The Vizio remote app is great. It supports all the remote's functions, and you can even use it to enter text into some apps, which is rare. The TV's settings can also be controlled and adjusted directly in the app, including the TV's calibration. You can now do this on the TV itself, but due to the slow interface, it's usually faster to change the settings through the remote app.

Known Issues

The SmartCast platform isn't the most versatile and can be very slow. On the 2020 and 2021 models, we've encountered a few bugs with the settings, meaning it can sometimes be frustrating. Vizio is generally pretty good with software updates, though, and hopefully, they'll fix most of these issues.

Recent Updates

1. Oct 19, 2022: Added the Vizio M Series Quantum X 2022 as the 'Best Mid-Range TV', and replaced the 'Best Budget' pick with the Vizio M6 Series Quantum 2022.

2. May 30, 2022: Renamed the Vizio OLED to the 'Best Vizio TV' to reflect user needs and renamed the Vizio P Series Quantum 2021 to the 'Best For Bright Rooms'.

3. Feb 14, 2022: Verified our picks for accuracy and refreshed the text throughout.

4. Nov 16, 2021: Replaced the Vizio P Series Quantum X 2020 with the newer Vizio P Series Quantum 2021 because it's easier to find; replaced the Vizio V5 Series 2021 with the Vizio M7 Series Quantum 2021 because its price dropped, making it a budget pick.

5. Aug 18, 2021: Replaced the Vizio M7 Series Quantum 2020 with the Vizio V5 Series 2021; renamed the Vizio OLED 2020 and P Series Quantum X 2020 to 'Best OLED' and 'Best LED' respectively; updated the smart features section.

Conclusion

In general, Vizio TVs have great picture quality for their price, offering good value for the picture quality. However, there are often a ton of bugs associated with their TVs, so you have to be prepared to face that if you want a Vizio. Their smart platform leaves a lot to be desired, though, and some people might want to consider upgrading to a set-top box like a Roku or NVIDIA Shield TV.

Test results

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