Philips - Philips 65OLED903

Philips

Philips 65OLED903: an Oled TV with Bowers & Wilkins audio system

Aprox. 3937€

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The Philips 65OLED903 television sets itself apart from the OLED803 model by integrating an audio system from Bowers & Wilkins, the famous British hi-fi brand. Let's see if this audio equipment really brings something to the sound ...

Positive points

Image quality.

Contrast.

Viewing angles.

P5 processor still as efficient (scaling and motion compensation motor).

Reactivity.

The originality of the Ambilight system.

The possibilities offered by Android TV (applications, Chromecast, etc.).

Bad points

Delay in display a little higher than among competitors.

Colorimetry in Game mode.

No cable passage at the rear.

No backlight on the remote control buttons.

Our review

Presentation

Big brother of the Philips OLED803, the Philips 65OLED903 uses the same 10-bit 100 Hz Oled panel provided by LG Display, displaying an Ultra HD definition (3,840 x 2,160 px) and covering 99% of the DCI-P3 space. It is a last generation panel that has been fitted to most Oled TVs since this summer. The Philips OLED903 stands out from the 803 model by the integration of speakers designed by the British brand Bowers & Wilkins. They are supposed to provide better quality sound. For the rest, the two televisions are identical. The Philips OLED903 is always animated by Android TV, integrates the Ambilight system which makes it possible to illuminate the wall behind the television set and is supplied with two remote controls including one equipped with a complete keyboard. Finally, the second generation Philips P5 processor is in charge of video processing.

The Philips 65OLED903 TV is sold for around € 3,300. It is also available in a 55-inch version for a price of € 2,300. In comparison, the Philips 55OLED803 and 65OLED803, without the B&W audio part, are sold for € 1,800 and € 2,800 respectively.


Image quality

The Philips 65OLED803 television offers the same image quality as the Philips 55OLED803 that we have already tested. We therefore refer you to the latter's test for image quality in SDR as well as in HDR.


Video games

The results are the same as those measured on the 65OLED803 television. On the other hand, we noted some problems with HDR management with the FIFA 19 game. The television sometimes seems to decrease the overall brightness of the image for several seconds, which gives the impression that the stadium lights are off. After a few seconds, the brightness returns to normal. This problem can occasionally occur several times in a game. On this point, the television therefore retains an average rating of 3 stars, especially since the colors delivered by the Game mode are far from satisfactory.


Ergonomics

The Philips 65OLED903 largely incorporates the minimalist design of the Philips 803. We thus find very fine feet which free up space on the TV stand, but the TV is no longer as low since the sound bar raises the image a few centimeters.

If one of the feet displays the Philips brand of the TV, the other is marked with the Bowers & Wilkins seal which refers to the audio system developed in partnership with the British brand.

The very airy design of the TV saves a lot of space on the TV stand. The feet of the 65 inch model are a little deeper (28 cm) than those of the 55 inch model (23 cm), but they are still as discreet. This 65 inch TV is comfortable on our reference TV stand measuring 160 cm wide by 40 cm deep.

The rear highlights the Ambilight lighting system on three sides. We can also see the connections on the right, the power supply on the left and the woofer associated with two passive radiators in the center. As with the OLED803, there is no cable passage, so you have to be tricky to hide them.

On the side, there are two HDMI 2.0a inputs (Ultra HD 60 fps, HDR, HDCP2.2), two USB ports including a USB 3.0, a PCMCIA port (CI + common interface) and a headphone output. On the back, two HDMI ports, optical digital audio output, Ethernet port, component input, and rake and satellite antenna connectors. The TV has a built-in dual DVB-T / T2 / T2-HD, DVB-S / S2 and DVB-C tuner. It also has 802.11a / b / g / n / ac Wi-Fi, as well as Bluetooth 4.0 for connection with a wireless audio device (headphones or speaker).

Exclusive to Philips televisions, the Ambilight system projects the colors of the image on the screen onto the rear wall, but not only. Indeed, Philips has improved over time by adding many modes offering to exploit it differently. The ambient light can thus vary depending on the sound (useful when the image is fixed, with Deezer or Spotify, for example). The Ambilight can also be integrated into a Philips Hue environment - Philips connected bulbs - to contribute to the ambiance of the room. It is also possible to choose personalized atmospheres that have nothing to do with the content (red, green, blue or white) or even display the flag of your favorite team during the World Cup ...

Still no Android TV 8.0 on this model which is content with version 7 of the Google operating system. The Android TV system is one of the most complete on the market and, above all, the one with the most applications, but not all of them are optimized for use on a television. All major applications for TVs are present (Netflix, YouTube, OCS, Canal +, Arte, Amazon Prime, etc.). The Android TV system also incorporates the Chromecast functionality which allows you to send a video stream from a smartphone, tablet or computer to the TV. The TV also has Google Assistant, but you have to go through the small remote control equipped with a microphone to start voice searches.

As with all Android TVs, the first boot takes longer. It takes about 45 seconds here. In any case, it is much longer than Tizen systems from Samsung or WebOS from LG which, themselves, start up in less than 5 seconds. Fortunately, the television comes out of standby in less than 5 seconds, while consuming less than one watt in standby after several minutes at 20 W. As often, the standby is instantaneous.

The Philips OLED903 comes with two remote controls. The first, classic, offers all the usual shortcuts (source, volume, numeric keypad, setting, multimedia keys) and even a Qwerty / Azerty keyboard on the back, very useful for searching or entering passwords. The second remote control, compact, in baguette format, has a microphone and a clickable mini touchpad placed under the thumb. Convenient, it allows you to easily navigate Android TV and perform voice searches, essential on a connected TV. The number of buttons is deliberately limited, but sufficient to provide the essentials. On both models, the keys are not backlit.


Audio

Bowers & Wilkins had to deal with the technical constraints of the television. Simply put, the speakers are very close to those of the Philips OLED803, but they use different materials to enhance the audio experience. The two silk dome tweeters associated with the mid-range paper cone speakers of the Philips OLED803 are replaced by two 19-millimeter titanium tweeters and two mediums with a fiberglass membrane, more rigid materials which allow greater precision in the restitution. The mid / treble speakers are combined in an integrated sound bar under the TV panel. It is covered with a dark gray fabric specially designed by the Danish Kvadrat to let the acoustic waves pass. These speakers are always supported by a "Triple Ring" woofer located at the back of the TV for bass reproduction. The design of the radiators was again modified by Bowers & Wilkins in order to improve the rendering. The total power of the system is always 50 watts.

In the end, it is quite difficult to decide between the two systems. If the Philips OLED903 offers better precision, especially on the midrange and treble, this system does not yet compete with the best on the market like that present on the Sony AF9 or even that of the Loewe Bild models.


Consumption

With a white calibrated at 150 cd / m², the Philips 65OLED903 consumes 117 W on our test pattern, ie a relative consumption of 100 W / m². Oled televisions always consume more than Edge Led LCD models, such as the Sony KD-65XE8505, record category in its category with its 56 W / m², the Samsung QE65Q9FNAT and its 61 W / m², or even the Samsung UE75NU8005 which peaks at 72 , 2 W / m². Finally, note that activating the Ambilight system increases consumption to 145 W, which is close to 125 W / m².


Conclusion

Like the Philips OLED803, the Philips 65OLED903 television is an excellent Oled model. It delivers an image perfectly calibrated for the cinema, with faithful colors and infinite contrast. The Oled technology has nothing more to prove and Philips stands out from the competition by some interesting features (the two remote controls, the minimalist design and the Ambilight system) as well as its Bowers & Wilkins audio system. If the latter is a little more precise than that of the Philips OLED803, it does not yet offer the best on a TV. Hopefully this partnership will give birth to other more successful models.


Specifications