Philips OLED809 (650LED809)

The Philips OLED809 is a great mid-range OLED TV designed for the masses

Make no mistake, if you don’t care about getting next generation Micro Lens Array or QD-OLED screen tech that’s all the rage at the top end of the market, then the OLED809 is well worth considering.

The 809 doesn’t rock the boat with its design. A pedestal stand that neatly attaches to the TV’s rear has a swivel mechanism so you can quickly adjust the screen’s orientation. The fact the base is flat, rather than having an angled orientation makes it easy to neatly place a regular sized soundbar underneath.

Ambilight, Philips unique bias lighting feature, is also present. Its aim is to reduce eye strain when watching TV and make the screen feel larger and more immersive by matching the ambient conditions the set is playing in with what’s being shown on screen. For example, if you’re watching football, Ambilight will show hues of green, reflecting the colour of the pitch.

Ambilight remains a Marmite feature in general, even among the What Hi-Fi? team – with some finding the feature distracting and an unnecessary source of light pollution. Others love it, however.

The set features Philips’ new 8th Gen P5 AI processor, and uses the new chip’s improved processing prowess to try and intelligently optimise picture settings and output based on ambient light levels to improve HDR performance, even when watching TV in very bright conditions.

HDR support is solid, with the OLED809 working with HDR10+ Adaptive and Dolby Vision. For the more hardcore there’s also CalMAN calibration, an IMAX Enhanced preset and Filmmaker modes. These make it one of the most flexible sets in its price bracket for HDR-standard support and specialist film settings.