Finlux 55UT3EC320S review

European TV giant Vestel, parent of Finlux, know how to make cost effective TVs.

They specialise in high volume, low cost panels, many of which appear under big brand names. So there's no question that this curved debutant doesn't deliver what's expected of it.

The design is ostensibly stylish (although viewed from the wrong angle it doesn't look quite so flattering, thanks to a deep back panel), it offers a fair amount of content via its Finlux Smart portal, and it won't break the bank.

While the screen really doesn't deliver any 4K upscaling magic for Full HD - HD sources look much like HD sources – it looks suitably terrific with native 4K. That said, the lack of HEVC support will obviously limit your UHD viewing options when it comes to OTT services - and given that the TV majors are aggressively driving down the costs of their own 4K offerings, this set doesn't really seem as cheap as it should be either.

We Liked

The 55UT3EC320's colour performance is Skittles good, images are lush and inviting.

With native 4K content, it also looks the business. The TV is also surprisingly able when it comes to motion resolution, keeping a lid on artefacts when interpolation is high. The design may be a curate's egg, but the audio implementation is quite effective.

We Disliked

The inability to deliver a convincingly deep black level, more a consistent grey, rather undermines overall dynamics and shadow detail.

The set's lack of a Netflix 4K client also reduces options when it comes to watching UHD.

While the cosmetics of the screen are OK, and there's no doubting the cleverness of the engineering behind this screen, we suspect the curve will ultimately prove divisive.

The final verdict

Finlux is shilling the 55UT3EC320S as a cheap 4K curved telly, so the first and probably most important question you need to have is: does the ticket price go low enough to gloss over any shortcomings?

If you want a curved UHD panel for the corner of your room that's not obviously cut-price, it's certainly worth a look.

With native 4K content, images look wondrously sharp and detailed. However the lack of 4K Netflix is a significant demerit, and both LG and Panasonic have comparatively priced low cost UHD models that have a significantly more appealing Smart solutions.

Get an audition certainly, but expect punters to be fighting in the aisles for this come Black Friday.