Finlux 55UX3EC320S review

Best known for its low cost 1080p tellies, Finlux has upscaled its offerings to 2160p (4K), in both flat and curved styles. The model here features that oh-so trendy curve, although it’s really not as svelte as you might expect. Viewed front-on it’s smart enough though, with a thin bezel and seamless metallic trim. The set ships with a substantial chromed stand. The set is manufactured by European OEM giant Vestel. See also: Panasonic CX802B review

Finlux 55UX3EC320S review: Price

The 55UX3EC320S replaces the outgoing 55UT3EC320S. It adds an HEVC decoder and all four HDMI inputs support HDCP 2.2. It also comes with the 4K version of Netflix. All are reasons to avoid the older model. Plus, you can  buy the 55UX3EC320S for just £799.

Finlux 55UX3EC320S review: Features

Connectivity includes four HDMIs. All HDCP 2.2 4K compliant. This means you’ll be able to connect a variety of 4K content sources, such as the Amazon Fire TV box, Sky 4K set top box or Ultra HD Blu-ray.

Other inputs include an analogue AV input for SCART (adaptor supplied), component video and phono stereo digital optical audio output and subwoofer output. There’s also a trio of USBs, PC VGA input and Ethernet LAN. Integrated Wi-Fi is dual band, so you can get connected either at 2.4GHz or 5GHz. The TV features a single DVB Freeview HD tuner. 3D support is of the Active variety.

Although Smart connected, the Finlux Smart platform is very first gen. Apps include BBC iPlayer, Netflix, YouTube plus BBC News & Sport, Flickr, Tunein Radio, Viewster and DailyMotion. There’s more secondary stuff, but the display lacks other key catch-up TV services. There’s an onboard HEVC decoder, so the Netflix app is 4K. As yet there’s no Amazon 4K, but discussions are ongoing.

The onboard media browser is good. The set will play content from any DLNA connected device, be it a NAS media server of PC, as well as local USB. The set found our networked Plex and Twonky Media servers, playing VOB files, AVIs, MKVs, MOVs, WMV, WMA, AAC and MP3s. However it turned a deaf ear to FLAC music files.

 Finlux 55UX3EC320S review: performance

Picture quality is better than you might expect. HD sources look crisp and smooth, while colours are vibrant. This set looks great with big explosions and luminous cinematography – Mad Max Fury Road (Blu-ray) is suitably spectacular.

In addition to all the usual image tweaks – Contrast, Brightness, Sharpness and Colour – there’s image interpolation as well as Dynamic Contrast. The Movie Sense mode is used to retain detail during fast motion when set High. However for most content, opt for Low, which reduces motion artefacts.

Image modes include Dynamic, Cinema, Game, Sports and Natural.

The TV struggles to deliver a deep black, which can detract from its depth. The edge-backlight is a little uneven too.

The panel really shines with 4K content though. Using a Fire TV box as a source, Netflix’s period drama Marco Polo looked positively epic in terms of detail and nuance.

The onboard sound system is solid. The TV employs a pair of downward firing speakers, but has volume and presence. The set is Active Shutter 3D acapable, with two pairs of specs provided in the box. While there is some double imaging crosstalk evident, this isn’t particularly bad.