Polaroid P55D600 review

Budget 4K televisions are inevitably all about compromises and their success or failure is based on how the manufacturer balances these necessary feature-cuts.

And this Polaroid set actually does remarkably well at juggling its compromises.

The picture is the important part and even with a lack of image processing power inside it the P55D600 manages to display an impressive crisp 4K image.

We Liked

The P55D600 combines anonymous good looks with crisp, well saturated images. HD pictures benefit from the additional pixel density, and the set looks great with native 4K content.

We Disliked

The provision of a single HDCP 2.2-enabled HDMI input will limit your options when more 4K sources become available; no HEVC decoder means no onboard Netflix 4K.

Audio quality is thin, and the Smart platform is showing its age

The Final Verdict

Those looking for a cheap UHD television will find the Polaroid 6 Series ticks most of the right boxes.

It does a grand job with hi-def TV and Blu-ray, given the price, and looks as crisp as kettle chips with a native 4K source.

But there are, of course, catches.

The Smart platform looks dated, with limited catch-up options, and the 3D implementation is a bleary-eyed bore. And while four HDMIs seems generous, only one will serve you well with tomorrow's 4K UHD sources.

That said, come Black Friday, this will be a plum prize for big screen 4K bargain hunters. You might well want to camp out early.