Philips Ambilight PFS6908: 32 inches Philips - Review 🏆

The Philips Ambilight PFS6908 32-inch smart LED TV offers an immersive viewing experience in a compact package. With its Ambilight technology, sleek design, and smart capabilities, this Philips TV aims to enhance any living room.

Weighing just 5 kg, the PFS6908 features a 32-inch LED display in an attractive dark gray frame. Two feet are included for table mounting. As one of Philips' newer Ambilight models, it incorporates helpful smart features and an intuitive interface.

This review will examine the PFS6908's design, display quality, smart capabilities, sound, connectivity, remote, and overall performance. Both the pros and cons will be covered to help determine if this Philips TV is a good choice for your home entertainment needs.

Design & Build Quality

The Philips Ambilight PFS6908 has an attractive design with slim bezels and a sturdy stand. It measures 32 inches diagonally with dimensions of 73.2 x 45.8 x 7.9 cm and weighs 5.8 kg without the stand. The TV has a plastic frame with thin black bezels around the display measuring just 0.9 cm thick.

The included stand has a cross-foot design made of plastic. It feels sturdy and provides good support for the TV. The stand's legs are positioned towards the edges of the TV rather than directly underneath the middle. This helps keep the stand footprint compact on a TV stand or table.

Overall, the design is modern and minimalist. The dark frame with slim bezels keeps the focus on the screen. The plastic build feels decent but not premium. However, the TV still looks good for its price range.

The Philips Ambilight PUS8108: 43 inches offers a step-up in terms of both size and features. With its 43-inch display, this model provides a more immersive viewing experience while maintaining the sleek design language of the Philips Ambilight series. The larger screen size is ideal for living rooms and delivers enhanced picture quality with the same minimalistic bezel design. The build quality remains robust, making it a stylish and reliable option for those looking to upgrade their home entertainment system.

Display & Picture Quality

The Philips Ambilight PFS6908 comes with a 32-inch LED-backlit LCD panel. It has a native resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, which is standard for 32-inch HD Ready TVs.

The display uses Philips' Pixel Plus HD technology which helps optimize picture quality by reducing noise and enhancing details. It also supports HDR10 for improved contrast and wider color gamut when playing HDR content.

Brightness is rated at 220 nits which is decent but not very high compared to some other TVs in this price range. It would have been better if the TV could reach 300+ nits for better HDR performance.

Overall the display quality is quite good for the price. The HD resolution is sharp enough for a 32-inch screen size. Colors look natural and vibrant thanks to the LED backlighting. HDR support further helps in reproducing a wider color range and makes images come alive. But limited brightness means HDR content doesn't quite have the same visual impact as on higher end TVs. Still, for the price the picture performance is very competitive.

For a larger and more immersive experience, consider Philips PUS7608: 65 inches. This model features a massive 65-inch screen with 4K Ultra HD resolution, offering stunning clarity and vivid detail. It also incorporates Philips' advanced picture processing technologies to enhance sharpness, contrast, and color reproduction. Additionally, the PUS7608 supports multiple HDR formats, providing a superior viewing experience with heightened brightness and an expanded color palette.

Smart TV Features

The Philips PFS6908 32-inch Smart LED TV runs on Philips' own Saphi operating system. Saphi provides quick access to popular streaming apps and services.

Some of the key apps and features include:

• Netflix - The popular on-demand video streaming service with thousands of movies and TV shows.

• YouTube - Watch videos and clips from YouTube's massive library.

• BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, My5 - Catch up on shows from the UK's top broadcasters.

• Apps - Additional apps available such as Disney+, Prime Video, Spotify, Rakuten TV.

• App Gallery - Easily find and add new apps.

• Voice Assistants - The TV works with both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa enabled devices. You can change channels, adjust volume, launch apps, and more with just your voice.

• Chromecast Built-in - Wirelessly cast content from your mobile device or laptop to the TV.

The Saphi OS provides smooth and lag-free performance. The interface is intuitive with easy access to settings and features. Overall, it provides a great smart TV experience.

Sound Quality

The Philips PFS6908 comes with a decent 12W speaker output, capable of filling a small to medium-sized room with sound. While it won't match the audio quality of a dedicated soundbar, the built-in speakers are suitable for everyday TV watching.

For sound formats, the PFS6908 supports the latest Dolby Atmos technology. Dolby Atmos provides an immersive listening experience by adding height and surround sound channels. This allows audio effects to be precisely placed and moved around the room.

In testing, dialogue came through clearly and sound effects had decent impact. The speakers can get reasonably loud without too much distortion. Bass performance is understandably limited due to the slim TV profile. Those looking for deeper bass or louder volumes may want to pair the TV with a soundbar or speaker system.

Overall, the sound capabilities are solid for a modern slimline LED TV. Dolby Atmos support and 12W power provide an enjoyable audio experience for TV shows, movies and gaming. Those seeking premium sound will need a dedicated home theater setup. But for everyday entertainment, the PFS6908's speakers will satisfy.

Connectivity

The Philips Ambilight PFS6908 32 inch Smart LED TV comes with a decent selection of ports and connectivity options.

For HDMI, it has 3 HDMI ports which is fairly standard at this price point. The HDMI ports support HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2, allowing you to connect 4K HDR devices like game consoles and 4K Blu-ray players.

For USB, there are 2 USB ports provided - 1 USB 2.0 and 1 USB 3.0. The USB ports allow you to play media files directly from USB drives, as well as recording live TV if you attach an external hard drive.

For wired connectivity, the TV has an Ethernet port for connecting to your home network with a wired connection. This can provide faster and more stable internet compared to WiFi if your router is close by.

For wireless connectivity, the Ambilight PFS6908 has built-in WiFi supporting the latest WiFi standards (802.11ac dual band) for fast and reliable wireless performance. It connects quickly and easily to your home WiFi network.

Finally, the TV has Bluetooth 4.2 built-in. This allows you to pair wireless headphones, speakers, game controllers and other Bluetooth accessories with the TV.

Overall, with 3 HDMI ports, 2 USB ports, Ethernet, dual band WiFi and Bluetooth 4.2, the Philips Ambilight PFS6908 offers a solid range of connectivity options for your devices. The inclusion of HDMI 2.0 and USB 3.0 ensures you can utilize the latest high bandwidth peripherals and accessories.

Remote Control

The Philips Ambilight PFS6908 comes with a well-designed remote control that makes navigating the TV's features intuitive and easy. The remote is slim and lightweight, with buttons that are responsive and clearly labeled.

The most frequently used buttons like power, volume, channel change, and source selection are all located within easy reach near the top. The lower half of the remote has quick access buttons for popular streaming apps like Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, and Google Play. There's also a dedicated button for Google Assistant voice control.

Speaking of voice control, the remote has a built-in microphone that allows you to use your voice to search for content, change settings, get answers from Google Assistant, and more. The voice recognition works very well.

One handy feature is that the remote has a dedicated button to make the remote beep, which helps you find it if you've misplaced it in your sofa or room. The remote feels solid and durable too.

Overall, the remote control design is ergonomic and packed with useful features that make it easy to operate the Ambilight TV. The well-placed buttons, voice control, and remote finder feature make this a great remote.

Performance

The Philips PFS6908 delivers excellent overall performance for its price range. The picture quality is quite good with deep blacks, vibrant colors, and great contrast. It can display a wide color gamut and handles HDR content very well.

The 4K upscaling engine does a decent job at upscaling lower resolution content to 4K. It adds additional details and sharpness to HD content. While not as good as native 4K, upscaled content still looks quite sharp and detailed on this TV.

Motion handling is also good thanks to Philips' Pixel Precise HD processing. Fast motion scenes in sports, action movies or video games look smooth and fluid with minimal motion blur. The TV has a native 60Hz refresh rate which is typical for TVs in this price range.

Overall, the picture performance of the PFS6908 is excellent. It delivers vibrant, accurate colors, deep blacks, great contrast and does a good job with upscaling and motion handling. For the price, it's hard to find a 4K TV that can match the Philips in terms of sheer picture quality and performance.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Beautiful Ambilight feature creates immersive viewing experience
• Sharp picture quality with 4K resolution and HDR 10 support
• Good smart TV platform with Android TV and built-in Google Assistant/Alexa
• Decent sound with 2.1 channel speakers and Dolby Atmos
• Slim design that looks great in any room

Cons:

• Only 60Hz refresh rate, not best for gaming
• Limited HDMI ports (2)
• Remote control feels cheap and plasticky
• Mediocre off-angle viewing angles
• Lacks some advanced features like local dimming

Overall, the Philips Ambilight PFS6908 32-inch LED TV offers an excellent viewing experience for the price. The Ambilight feature bathes the wall behind in dynamic colored light matched to the TV picture, making shows and movies more immersive. Picture quality is sharp and detailed with support for 4K and HDR10. The Android TV platform is straightforward to use and has Chromecast built-in, plus hands-free Google Assistant and Alexa support. Audio quality is decent thanks to the 2.1 speaker system and Dolby Atmos. Downsides are the basic 60Hz refresh rate and limited connectivity options. But for the price, it's hard to beat the Ambilight experience this Philips TV delivers.

Conclusion

Overall, the Philips Ambilight PFS6908 is a great mid-range LED TV that offers good value for money. The Ambilight feature creates an immersive viewing experience by projecting colored lights onto the wall behind the TV. The picture quality is sharp and vibrant thanks to the HDR10 support and Pixel Plus HD technology. Gaming performance is also smooth due to the low input lag.

The smart TV platform is easy to use with quick access to popular apps like Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video etc. Built-in Google Assistant and Alexa allows hands-free voice control. Connectivity options like HDMI ARC, USB, and Bluetooth are sufficient for most needs. The 12W speaker output delivers decent audio quality but adding a soundbar can enhance the listening experience.

Some downsides are the 60Hz refresh rate which isn't ideal for fast action scenes. The plastic build quality also feels a bit cheap but that's expected for this price range. Lack of local dimming leads to average contrast levels.

Overall, the Philips PFS6908 strikes a great balance between features and affordability. If you want Ambilight, smart connectivity, and good picture quality on a budget, this LED TV comes highly recommended. The viewing experience is far more immersive compared to regular LED TVs. So if you aren't too fussed about higher refresh rates or premium build quality, the Philips PFS6908 offers great value as an Ambilight 4K TV option under £500.