Early Verdict
The Philips OLED 804 has already proven itself one of the best TVs available, and it's finally coming to the United States, offering impressive picture quality, plenty of features and smart functionality that fits your connected lifestyle.
Pros
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OLED display has great color and clarity
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Android TV has rich app selection and smart features
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Google Assistant and Chromecast built in
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Philips Ambilight looks cool
Cons
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Though new to the US in 2020, this is a TV from late 2019
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LAS VEGAS — One of the most interesting TVs we've seen at CES is the Philips OLED 804, a 65-inch OLED TV that offers both excellent picture quality and sound along with an array of unique features as part of the Philips ecosystem. But the OLED 804 is exciting for other reasons — it's the first time that Philips' excellent OLED technology will be offered in the United States.
Unlike many of the companies announcing OLED TVs this year, few have the experience to match companies like LG and Sony. Philips does: it's been producing high performance OLED TVs for years, routinely earning high marks for picture quality and performance.
What we saw at CES 2020 makes it clear that that same level of quality is coming stateside with the Philips OLED 804. The 804 model line launched in other countries in 2019, and quickly earned high praise from reviewers. But with no US availability, the excellent OLED TV was out of reach for many shoppers.
Philips OLED 804 and HDR support
One more reason to be excited about the OLED 804? Philips offers broader HDR support than most TV makers, with support for both Dolby Vision and HDR10+ formats (the dueling standards from Dolby and Samsung, respectively). By putting support for both standards into its TV, Philips makes the OLED 804 a great choice for cinephiles that want the best HDR experience regardless of which production company churned out a particular movie.
In addition to great picture quality and broad HDR support, the Philips OLED also features some distinct capabilities, such as Philips Ambilight. This ambient light technology puts LEDs around and behind the TV to provide a subtle but distinct glow around the set that matches the color of the scene being displayed on screen. Out of context, it looks a little bit like underglow on a tricked-out car, but when watching a show or movie, the result is a more immersive experience as your living room is transformed into an extension of whatever you're watching.
Android TV and smart home integration
The OLED 804 uses the Android TV operating system, which offers the full range of the Google Play Store for apps and streaming services, along with a wide assortment of movies and shows to rent or buy. And with Google Chromecast capability built-in, you can easily share content and apps between smartphones and the TV.
The TV also integrates well into most gadget-filled homes with strong support for Philips IoT devices, such as smart plugs smart bulbs and others. Smart home integration covers a huge range of brands such as Ring doorbells, Arlo cameras, Nest thermostats, Yale smart locks, and much more. Philips offers its own assortment of connected home gadgetry, most notably the Philips Hue smart lights. The OLED 804 should work with all of it.
Because Android TV has Google Assistant built-in, you can also control these devices with your voice, just as you would through a Google Home smart speaker.
Outlook
Any smart TV offers plenty to get excited about, but the Philips OLED 804 offers an appealing blend of premium display quality and rich smart home integration. The result is one of the TVs we're most excited about for 2020.
The Philips OLED 804 will be available in the U.S. market sometime this year, and will be come in 55- and 65-inch models. Pricing has not yet been announced, but UK models are selling now for £1,289 for the 55-inch model and £1,849 for the 65-inch version, which works out to roughly $1,688 and $2,422 in US dollars. We'll have to wait and see how closely U.S. prices follow these numbers.
Check out our CES 2020 hub now to see all the latest news, hands-on impressions and videos from the world's biggest tech show.
