OnePlus 55U1 is the best new TV you can’t buy

As expected, OnePlus has announced a range of new TVs and the 55U1 is particularly stunning and although it’s the television you probably want to buy but there’s bad news.

Sadly, the wait goes on for a OnePlus TV that’s available in the UK or US. The new 55U1, which follows on from the Q1 series, is launching in India.

OnePlus TV 55U1 price 

It’s particularly interesting because the OnePlus 55U1 costs ₹49,999 in India which converts to around £535 or US$670 – so it would compete with the big names in the TV market such as Samsung, LG and Sony.

Furthermore, OnePlus announced two new Y-series models that are both smaller and cheaper for those with space and/or budget issues. The 43Y1 is ₹22,999 (£250 or US$310) and the even more compact 31Y1 is just ₹12,999 (£140 or US$175).

If you are lucky enough to be in India you can get hold of them from 5 July at Amazon – with more info and full specs on the OnePlus site.

We’re sure OnePlus would get a lot of interest in the UK with these TVs so fingers crossed things change in the future, because here’s what you could get.

OnePlus Cinematic Display

We know OnePlus puts excellent displays on its smartphones and the 55U1 is no exception. A TV is mostly about the screen, after all.

It’s a 55in 4K panel with support for a range of HDR standards for starters – HDR10, HDR10+, HLG and Dolby Vision.

OnePlus then boasts that it can achieve 93% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut range which is used in cinema. For context, even the RU8000 and X850G can only manage 90.17% and 90.72% respectively.

The Gamma Engine then handles all sorts of things including dynamic contrast, noise reduction, anti-aliasing and colour space mapping. It has nine different picture modes including vivid, eye protection, film, sport and photo.

Burdenless Design

OnePlus has also brought design language from the flagship Q series including a 95% screen-to-body ratio, thin bezels and a frame that’s machined from a single piece of aluminium coming in at just 6.9mm thick.

At the back, the 55U1 sports an alloy complete with carbon fibre with no visible screws so it’s probably the nicest bit of tech design you’ll almost never see.

The ports are also hidden behind a cover and OnePlus has managed to fit in four speakers with Dolby Atmos support, too.

OnePlus Connect

Possibly even more interesting is the software on offer here as it’s not just standard Android TV. Like its phones, the firm adds extra value with its OnePlus Connect software.

This largely hinges around using your phone as a remote for the 55U1 including a sort of trackpad for navigation and keyboard for much faster text input.

You can also do handy things like screenshot what’s on the TV and the volume will automatically drop down if you receive a phone call.

You might think this is reserved for OnePlus phones like the 8 and 8 Pro, but the firm says you can do all this on an iPhone if you like. You can also connect up to five phones at the same time.

There’s also some useful features built into the TV such as a Kids Mode which lets you limit usage and a new Data Saver Plus which can set limits and send you alerts about usage.

Finally, Oxygen Play is the firm’s own video streaming platform of sorts. It’s touted as a way of browsing content from multiple services including Amazon Prime Video so you don’t have to laboriously switch apps to see what’s available.