Kogan 65 inch Smart HDR 4K LED TV Android TV Review: Just buy one

The name of the product is a bit ridiculous really “Kogan 65″ Smart HDR 4K LED TV Android TV” – I mean, Ruslan, could you get any more keywords into the title?

But it’s the price that’s really crackers. $799.

That price was the pre-order price, but now that these are in warehouse stock, it hasn’t gone up. Perhaps that’s because Aldi had a similar TV recently at this same price – Kogan wouldn’t look so flash pumping the price by $200 on this one.

So while it’s at $799 – jump at it. It’s $863 when you include delivery to my area in Sydney.

This TV is $300 cheaper than the last Kogan 65 Inch Android TV I reviewed just six months ago – that’s a huge price drop, yet the features are the same or better.

Dolby Vision, Dolby Audio and HDR – all strong features for any TV, let alone for a TV of this price.

Under the hood, this must pack an improved processor because the menu and navigation is snappier, plus getting into and out of Netflix is faster – something I notice on a lot of Android TV as a guide to how good the TV’s power unit is.

From the get-go, here’s something else I loved. One screw legs. The left and right stand legs have a unique fitting which means you can’t go wrong on the setup, plus it’s bloody easy and really fast.

The remote is less fancy this time around but still looks the part – with a Black Netflix button – something I’ve not seen before, and YouTube too.

However, Google Assistant on the remote is something I simply couldn’t get working. To be clear, I didn’t call their tech support to see if there was an easy fix, I just got over it and moved on – as I suspect most of us would – while Google Assistant is great, I’m still not a fan of talking to my TV.

Picture quality, excellent – impressive in fact. A good contrast between black and coloured areas, and very little glow into the black areas from the brighter colours.

HDR was evident most particularly when I was gaming, with the Playstation making the most of that and allowing me to fully adjust the output to suit the TV itself.

However at 60Hz the refresh rate is really low, and you might notice the jitter in faster moving scenes. Strangely, I noticed this most watching Godfather of Harlem on Stan – I did not notice it while playing Call of Duty – go figure. That may be more of a streaming vs HDMI issue for the refresh rate overall.

Sound wise, I think the Dolby Audio tag is overselling it a bit. I found the sound to be a touch hollow, and frankly at this size, at this price, I’d be looking to throw in even a basic soundbar to really create the right experience if you’re much of a movie watcher or gamer.

Because it’s an Android TV, you’re free to install all your favourite streaming apps – they all work a treat, and that’s what makes this TV so compelling.

I do love a Samsung or LG for their user interface, but when you step out of that market because your budget has you looking down the line – if it’s got Android TV – you’re going to really enjoy the experience.

There’s a 50 inch version at $449, 55 inch at $499, and a 65 inch version at $799.

On spec and usage, it’s a 7/10 TV – throw the price tag on it and it jumps to an 8.5 or 9 out of 10, no question.

Oh, and I will say, for anyone wondering about the buying experience getting such a Big TV “online”, Kogan TVs come really well packed. Double boxed, and with excellent screen and body support packaging inside. Better than some of the biggest brands frankly.

If you’ve gone to the trouble of looking for a review like this one, then you’re not so snobby that you wouldn’t dare consider a Kogan TV – in that case, buy this one.

Web: Kogan.com