Panasonic LS480: 32-inch 2K Android TV Panasonic - Review 🏆

The Panasonic LS480 is a new 2022 model 32-inch HD smart TV that runs on the Android TV operating system. This mid-range television offers a good balance of features and performance at an affordable price point.

With its 32-inch screen size, the LS480 is well-suited for smaller rooms like bedrooms, dorms, kitchens, and offices where a large screen isn't necessary. The TV has a sleek modern design with thin bezels and a black plastic finish on the back panel.

Some key features of the Panasonic LS480 include built-in Google Assistant, Chromecast support, HDR video, and a user-friendly smart TV interface powered by Android TV. This allows you to access popular apps like Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, and more directly on the television.

Overall, the LS480 aims to provide a solid smart TV experience and decent HD video performance without breaking the bank. This review will take a more in-depth look at the display quality, sound, smart features, design, and real-world performance of the Panasonic LS480.

Design and Build Quality

The Panasonic LS480 has an attractive design with thin bezels around the display that allow for a more immersive viewing experience. The TV has a plastic back and is not the thinnest option on the market at 77mm thick, but it still looks modern and sleek.

The stand has a brushed metal finish and feels very sturdy, supporting the TV well without any wobble. The stand feet are positioned towards the edges of the TV rather than directly in the middle, providing a stable base. Overall, the build quality feels solid and reliable.

While not the flashiest TV in terms of design, the Panasonic LS480 still looks great in any living room with its minimal bezels and strong stand. The construction seems durable enough for daily use. Those wanting an ultra-thin premium design may want to look elsewhere, but the LS480 offers good design and build for its price point.

In addition to the LS480, the Panasonic TX-32JS350B: 32-inch Smart HD Ready TV offers a compact option with a 32-inch screen, catering to smaller spaces while delivering smart capabilities and HD readiness. Its lightweight design makes it easy to mount or move, and it’s equipped with various streaming options, making it a versatile choice for those seeking convenience and quality in a smaller package. The combination of functionality and aesthetics ensures it fits seamlessly into any environment.

Display Quality

The Panasonic LS480 features a 32-inch LED screen with 2K resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels). The screen is bright and vibrant, with good color accuracy straight out of the box. Viewing angles are also decent, with only minor color shifting when viewed from the side.

2K resolution on a 32-inch screen strikes a nice balance between sharpness and screen real estate. Text looks crisp and easy to read, while images have good detail without looking overly sharp or unnatural. The resolution is well-suited for both TV/movie watching and productivity work.

One downside is that the display lacks advanced features like local dimming for deeper blacks, making it less ideal for dark room viewing. But for everyday TV watching in a bright room, the screen performs very well with rich colors and deep blacks for an LED panel.

Overall, the display quality is very good for the price and ideal for mixed usage as a TV in bright rooms and a PC monitor in home offices. The 2K resolution gives you the screen real estate to comfortably work on documents and web browse while also providing ample detail for streaming movies and shows.

In contrast, the Panasonic TX-43MX650B: 43-inch 4K Ultra HD LED Smart TV offers an impressive 4K resolution, providing even sharper images and more vivid colors. At 43 inches, it’s ideal for larger spaces and enhances the viewing experience with smart features, allowing users to stream their favorite content seamlessly. The 4K resolution means that even close-up views maintain clarity and detail, making it a great choice for movie enthusiasts and gamers alike.

Sound Quality

The Panasonic LS480 packs decent sound quality for a budget TV. It has two 10W built-in speakers that provide sufficient volume to fill a small to medium-sized room. While it lacks the audio fidelity of a dedicated soundbar, the speakers deliver clear dialogue and adequate bass response for most TV viewing and casual music listening.

The TV supports Dolby Atmos decoding, allowing you to experience immersive audio on compatible content. It also has DTS Virtual:X audio processing to create a wider, more spacious soundstage. The audio capabilities are fairly limited due to the lack of upward or side-firing speakers, but the LS480 still provides an enjoyable listening experience for everyday entertainment.

The speakers handle high volumes reasonably well without too much distortion. The audio doesn't get overly harsh or tinny at maximum volume like some budget TVs. However, to truly get room-filling, distortion-free sound for movies and music, connecting the TV to an external soundbar or speaker system is recommended. But for casual TV watching, the built-in speakers get the job done.

Overall, while audiophiles will want a more capable setup, the Panasonic LS480's built-in speakers provide decent audio quality for most non-critical listening and viewing. The sound is good enough for everyday entertainment in a small to medium-sized living room.

Smart TV Features

The Panasonic LS480 comes packed with smart TV features powered by Android TV. It provides quick access to popular streaming apps and services through the intuitive home screen interface.

One of the highlights is the built-in Google Assistant, which allows for hands-free voice control. You can search for content, get recommendations, control smart home devices and more using just your voice. The TV responds quickly and accurately to voice commands.

Chromecast is also built into the TV, enabling you to cast apps, videos, music and photos directly from your mobile device to the big screen. Setup is seamless and casting content is smooth and lag-free.

The Android TV interface provides customizable home screens, intelligent recommendations and access to the Google Play store for downloading new apps. Popular streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and more all have dedicated apps available.

Overall the smart TV capabilities are robust, intuitive and responsive. Key features like Google Assistant and Chromecast make accessing entertainment quick and hands-free. It's a great smart TV experience powered by Android TV.

Remote Control

The Panasonic LS480 comes with a simple yet functional remote control. It has a clean and minimalist design that makes it easy to use. The remote is lightweight and fits comfortably in your hand.

The remote has dedicated buttons for popular streaming apps like Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, and Google Play. This makes it quick and convenient to launch these apps. There are also dedicated buttons for Google Assistant and Netflix. The Google Assistant button allows you to use voice commands to control certain TV functions.

Volume and channel rockers are present on the remote to easily adjust the volume or switch channels. The remote uses IR, so you need to point it towards the TV's IR receiver for it to work. It would have been better if the remote supported Bluetooth connectivity.

Overall, the remote included with the Panasonic LS480 gets the job done. The dedicated streaming service buttons are handy. The minimal button layout also makes the remote uncomplicated to use.

Connectivity

The Panasonic LS480 features a decent array of connectivity options. On the rear of the TV you'll find 3 HDMI ports, which is typical for a TV of this size and price range. The HDMI ports support HDMI 2.0 so you can take advantage of 4K video and HDCP 2.2 copy protection. There's also an optical digital audio output, a LAN port, component input, composite input, and a headphone jack.

For USB connectivity, the LS480 has 2 USB ports - one USB 3.0 and one USB 2.0. This allows you to connect external devices like hard drives to play media files directly on the TV. The USB ports are also useful for plugging in wireless keyboards or other accessories.

Overall the connectivity options on the Panasonic LS480 provide all the essential ports needed for most users. The inclusion of 3 HDMI ports and USB 3.0 is great at this price point.

Performance

The Panasonic LS480 offers smooth and responsive performance thanks to its quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. The TV boots up quickly and navigates between menus and apps with ease.

Scrolling through the interface feels fluid and lag-free. Launching apps is also fast without any major delays. Even resource-intensive apps like Netflix or YouTube open up swiftly. The TV can handle most tasks without any hiccups or frame drops.

The built-in Chromecast allows for quick streaming and screen mirroring from compatible mobile devices. Connecting to the Chromecast is seamless, and streaming starts almost instantly. Even 4K video content starts playing rapidly with barely any buffering time.

Gaming performance is also solid thanks to the low input lag. Fast-paced action games feel responsive with minimal display lag. The TV can keep up with real-time gameplay without difficulty.

Overall, the Panasonic LS480 delivers excellent performance that enhances the viewing experience. The smooth and snappy interface coupled with robust streaming and gaming capabilities make this a great option for most users.

Pros and Cons

The Panasonic LS480 comes with some great features and capabilities as well as a few downsides to consider.

Pros

• 32-inch 2K display provides sharp, vibrant visuals
• Runs on Android TV OS for access to a wide variety of apps
• Built-in Google Assistant allows for hands-free voice control
• Supports Chromecast for easy streaming from mobile devices
• Dolby Atmos delivers an immersive audio experience
• Minimalist design looks great in any living space

Cons

• Only 60Hz refresh rate, lower than some competing models
• Mediocre built-in speakers may require a soundbar
• Can feel sluggish at times when navigating menus
• Lacks support for some advanced gaming features

Alternatives

Some alternatives to consider around the same price point include:

• Samsung 32-Inch Crystal UHD Smart TV
• Sony Bravia 32-inch HD Ready HDR Smart TV
• LG 32LM6370PLA 32-Inch Smart Full HD IPS TV

The Samsung offers better gaming performance while the Sony provides better sound quality out of the box. The LG is also a solid option with its bright IPS panel and webOS smart platform. Overall the Panasonic hits a nice sweet spot but it's worth comparing against some other models in your price range.

Conclusion

The Panasonic LS480 is an excellent 32-inch smart TV that offers great value for money. It has a sleek and minimalist design that will look good in any living room. The 2K HDR display is sharp and vibrant, perfect for watching movies and TV shows. The built-in Google Assistant allows for easy voice control, and Chromecast is great for streaming content from your mobile device.

The sound quality is decent but adding a soundbar can take it to the next level. Gaming performance is also smooth thanks to low input lag. Connectivity options like HDMI ARC and USB ports are ample. The smart TV platform is intuitive with quick access to popular apps like Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, etc.

Overall, the Panasonic LS480 provides an immersive viewing experience and smart connectivity at an affordable price point. It's highly recommended for those looking for a mid-range 32-inch Android TV with great features. The thoughtful design, vibrant display, and Google Assistant integration make this a compelling choice. For its price, the LS480 delivers excellent value and will meet the needs of most users looking for a feature-rich smart TV that doesn't break the bank.