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Philips has kicked off its belated 2015 campaign in aggressive fashion with the 55PUT6400. It's the biggest 4K UHD TV we've seen for £749, and it backs that simple 'screen inches for your buck' appeal up by carrying both Google's latest Android TV operating system and one of Philips' renowned video processing engines.
The combination of this processing engine and the generally decent screen at the TV's heart ends up leaving pictures looking slightly unnatural a little too often for comfort, and requires you to revisit the picture set up menus pretty often.
The set is still good value, though - you just need to be prepared to commit to the set up legwork required to keep it looking its best.
We liked
The 55PUT6400 offers more screen inches per monetary pound than any other big brand 4K TV tested so far. It's also capable of delivering excellent pictures when it's set up right - especially with native 4K content.
It sounds better than you might expect from its slinky design too, and that design really is very easy on the eye.
We disliked
Various foibles with the TV's video processing engine mean you'll have to spend more time than usual tinkering with its settings. Also, no matter how much tinkering you do it's hard to stop pictures feeling just a little unnatural at times with anything other than the finest native 4K content.
Finally, while the Android TV interface introduces lots of apps, it's also cumbersome, dictatorial and lacking in focus.
Verdict
The 55PUT6400 is a striking debut for Philips' new TV range. It catches the eye with its price and size for a 4K UHD TV, and in many ways its pictures grab your attention too. Certainly it's capable of doing more justice to native 4K content than you might expect for its money.
In the end a few foibles with the TV's video processing make us think it might be a good idea to try and step up to one of Philips' slightly higher-end 4K TVs when they appear in the coming weeks.
But if £749 is your limit and you like your TVs big, then the 55PUT6400 at least warrants an audition.
