I swapped my TV for BLACK+DECKER’s A Series 65-inch model – here’s how it stacks upnews24

BLACK+DECKER is a worldwide brand known specifically for its quality power tools. Now, the brand is venturing into the TV section with its latest A1 series 4K TVs. The brand offers compelling hardware and features at very competitive pricing. 

This 4K TV runs on the latest Android 14 TV OS with a Google TV skin. It starts from 43 inches to 65 inches for ₹52,999. The price is not super competitive, but let’s see if this TV will let me count off other brands at this price in this review.

BLACK+DECKER A1 series TV: Amazing brightness and natural colours

Let’s kick off this review with the picture quality because that is what matters most in a TV. This massive 65-inch TV is modern and boasts a bezel-less design. It features full 4K UHD performance with HDR and everything you would expect, but the one aspect that truly stood out when I powered it on was its brightness. After reviewing dozens of TVs, I can say that this is one of the brightest TVs I’ve used so far.

However, while watching the content, I realised that the colours were a bit off. There was a noticeable reddish overtone in all the HDR content I played. After fiddling with the settings for a few minutes, I discovered the culprit an AI feature that was boosting the colours, and it was not immediately obvious how to disable it. I recommend that BLACK+DECKER disable this feature by default so that non-expert users will not have to fiddle with settings or call support immediately.

After disabling this AI feature, I truly enjoyed the TV. The colours now appear natural and not over-boosted, especially in HDR content which looks fantastic on this display. There is another feature called Dynamic Contrast that enhances the dark parts in HDR content. Although this feature helps in some cases, it does not work well every time, so I decided to disable it completely.

I also turned off the Motion Smoothness (MEMC) feature, which smooths motion by adding intermediate frames. Personally, I am not a fan of this effect, but if you enjoy it then I recommend setting it to low or medium. Once I configured these settings, I thoroughly enjoyed every piece of content I played on the BLACK+DECKER A1 TV. The Dolby Vision support is a welcome bonus, making content look sharp and vibrant in all scenarios.

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Furthermore, since this TV comes with an HDMI 2.1 port, you can play games at 4K quality at higher refresh rates. I connected my gaming PC to the TV and ran a few games, and the VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) feature significantly contributed to delivering a smooth gaming experience. All of this at 4K UHD resolution is certainly worth mentioning.

Essentially, I loved the picture quality of the BLACK+DECKER A1 TV, but I recommend that the brand address the aforementioned issues with the picture quality settings.

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BLACK+DECKER A1 series TV: Sound that fills the room

The sound quality is good enough, I must say, since I do not expect much from TV speakers. It provides a 36 watt audio output delivered by two bottom-firing speakers. The speakers are loud and very clear in terms of sound quality, but as you would expect, there is not much bass. It supports Dolby Audio and comes with a dialogue enhancer feature which does its job, although you can only notice the difference at the highest settings.

One thing to note is that the TV speakers are very loud, and even at around 40% volume, they can easily fill an entire living room. I still recommend connecting external speakers to the TV to achieve better sound quality or any sort of surround sound effect.

BLACK+DECKER A series TV: A smooth Google TV experience

The TV runs on the latest Android TV OS 14 with the Google TV layout on top. The user interface looks modern and is very intuitive to use. It is also smooth and best of all, all the important features are just a few clicks away. For example, when you want to adjust any aspect of the picture quality, simply bring up the quick settings overlay and access the picture settings. This way, you do not need to close the playing content to try out different options.

The remote is also very useful and easy to learn, especially if you are coming from a Xiaomi TV. It includes all the best features, featuring four shortcuts to Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video and Disney Hotstar. It uses Bluetooth and connects to the TV seamlessly.

For the performance part, the TV is packed with DynamIQ Dual AI processor to support every demanding feature like AI upscaling, variable refresh rate, MEMC and more. It sports 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage, which is enough for an Android TV to run smoothly. You get approximately 8GB of free storage, sufficient to install multiple apps and even store a few media files on the TV itself.

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BLACK+DECKER A series TV: Connectivity

The AI series TV from Black+Decker offers a complete package for seamless connectivity. It comes with dual-band WiFi and two-way Bluetooth for wireless connections. For wired connectivity, the TV is equipped with three HDMI ports including an HDMI 2.1 port that supports 4K resolution at up to 240 Hz refresh rate. Two USB ports are also available for quick data access via external storage. Additionally, it sports an ethernet port, a port for antenna connection and AV ports.

Also read: Acer’s new 65 inch Mini LED TV is a sight to behold: A review of this QLED Google TV

• Brilliant brightness and natural colours once settings are adjusted

• Robust performance with powerful hardware and ample free storage

• Smooth, intuitive Android TV OS 14 with a seamless remote

• Versatile connectivity options including HDMI 2.1 and dual-band WiFi

• AI colour boosting enabled by default can be confusing

• Built-in speakers lack deep bass so external speakers are advisable

• Dynamic Contrast and MEMC may require manual adjustments

BLACK+DECKER A series TV: The verdict

Overall, the BLACK+DECKER A1 TV offers an impressive package with brilliant picture quality and robust performance. Its brightness and natural colours truly shine once the AI and dynamic contrast settings are adjusted. The sound is loud and clear, though lacking in bass, so I recommend considering external speakers for an enhanced experience. With versatile connectivity and an intuitive interface, this TV holds its own in a competitive market at its price point.

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