Vizio recently announced are MQX Series 4K TVs, the new second-tier models in the budget set maker’s lineup. The MQX series is priced aggressively, with a 50-inch model selling for $629, followed by 65- and 75-inch screen sizes for $849 and $1,199 respectively.
For the money you’re looking at a fairly generous feature set, including Quantum Dots for enhanced color reproduction, a 32-zone full array local dimming LED backlighting and support for both the Dolby Vision and HDR10+ high dynamic range formats. Such features are usually found on some of the best 4K TVsso it’s a nice perk to get them at these prices, although competing budget TV makers like Hisense and TCL include similar ones in their sets.
Gaming features are also generous, with the MQX series featuring a 120Hz display, four HDMI 2.1 ports, FreeSync Premium, VRR, Auto Low Latency Mode, HGiG (HDR Gaming Interest Group) and Dolby Vision auto-gaming. All these features can be found on the best gaming TVsand the 50-inch MQX set additionally offers 1080p/240Hz video input support for PC gamers.
In addition to what I have already mentioned, the MQX series offers the following:
- New IQ Ultra Plus+ processor to improve image quality
- FreeTV+ streaming with 250 live channels and 5,000 on-demand channels without a subscription
- Wi-Fi 6E
- ATSC 1.0 tuner
- Bluetooth Headphone Output
- Casting via Apple AirPlay 2 and Chromecast built-in
- Ready for Alexa, Apple Home and Google Assistant
- Remote control with built-in microphone for voice control
- Dual-purpose stand (can be raised to accommodate a soundbar)
Vizio sent us a 65-inch MQX model ($849 at Amazon (opens in new tab)) to review, and after doing some initial testing, we already have a good idea of how it compares to its budget TV competition, as well as more expensive sets. A major competitor we see for the MQX series is TCL’s 6 Series TVs, which are slightly more expensive (a 65-inch model from the 6 Series costs $999) but offer a mini LED backlight as opposed to the regular ones. LED found on the new Vizio sets.
Keep an eye out for our upcoming full 65-inch MQX Series 4K TV review, but in the meantime, here are four key things we noticed about Vizio’s new set:
1. High Contrast Ratio
The 65-inch MQX set’s native contrast ratio of 4.511:1 (measured full on, full off on a 10% white window pattern) is pretty good for a budget TV. With the TV’s full array local dimming feature switched to the High setting, the contrast ratio becomes immeasurable as the set completely turns off the LED backlighting when an all-black input is detected.
Many other full array locally dimming TVs, including expensive ones, do the same, so the Vizio MQX is in good company here. At best, this means the TV can display a true, deep black. At worst, this means shadow details can be obscured – something we’ll be looking for in our full review.
2. High brightness
With a measured peak light output of 870 nits (on a 10% white window pattern) in Vivid mode with an HDR source, the 65-inch MQX can’t match the brightest 4K TVs, some exceeding 2000 nits on the same test. . But we were encouraged by the 680 nits that hit the Vizio with an HDR source in Dark Calibrated mode, which is good overall performance for a TV with the most accurate picture preset. (Skin tones in Vivid mode took on an unnatural purplish hue by comparison.)
As a point of reference, the TCL 6 Series TV mentioned above measured just over 1,000 nits in accurate movie mode, with higher peak HDR brightness being an advantage viewers can expect from a set with a mini LED backlight.
3. Wide color gamut
Vizio’s specifications for the MQX series quote coverage of DCI-P3, the color gamut used for mastering movies for digital cinema and 4K Blu-ray Disc, at 95.5%, and our measurements (taken using the Calman color calibration software from Portrait Displays) confirmed that exact number.
While this particular spec is lower than what we’ve seen on higher-performance TVs – Sony’s A80K OLED, a model that retails for $2,000, achieved full DCI-P3 coverage on the same test – it’s close for a budget TV. . What’s even more impressive is that Vizio doesn’t blow this spec – what’s claimed is what you get.
4. Low Input Delay
The MQX series is positioned as a gamer-friendly TV option and the many related features it includes support that strategy. Using a 4K 60Hz source, we measured the input lag at 58.8ms in dark calibrated mode and 13.2ms in low latency game mode enabled. That’s slightly more than what we measured on the same Sony OLED TV mentioned earlier, and is an excellent result overall.
MQX series TVs also offer a Game menu with additional setup options, making them quite an attractive cheap choice for gaming.
Vizio MQX Series: The Budget TV to Beat?
In addition to scoring well in our first set of tests, the 65-inch MQX’s image was easy to calibrate for accurate color and gamma performance. We’re looking forward to watching and watching some movies on this TV, especially 4K HDR movies that put its tone-mapping ability to the test.
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