Philips has just announced that its 2024 OLED TVs have officially gone on sale, which can mean only one thing. That's right, the older models' prices are in free fall, so it's the perfect time to snag a bargain if you're not fussed about having the very latest model.
Case in point we have the 55OLED708, Philips' entry-level OLED model from 2023. Originally priced at £1500, it can be yours currently for just £849 if you purchase it from John Lewis. The retailer has marked this TV as reduced to clear, which means that stock is probably dwindling, and with a scrumptious saving of £651, we don't expect it to stick around for much longer.
While this exact model hasn't graced our AV testing rooms, we did test the step-up model last year, with which this TV shares a lot of features and specs. The OLED808 was (and still is) an excellent TV, so considering the OLED708 shares some similar DNA, we're willing to bet this TV is also a strong performer.
This is a 4K OLED TV with HDR support; Philips is one of the special few manufacturers that supports all of the current formats including both Dolby Vision and HDR10+, as well as HDR10 and HLG. As it's an OLED set, you also get deep inky blacks and supreme contrast thanks to the self-emissive display technology.
It's also a 120Hz panel, meaning PS5 and Xbox Series X gamers can look forward to buttery smooth gameplay with VRR and ALLM further enhancing your gaming experience. HDMI 2.1 is, of course, required to access 4K/120Hz gaming with these features, and this TV has two of them, which is perfectly acceptable considering the price. Bear in mind that one of these sockets also serves the purpose of eARC, so be prepared to sacrifice some gaming performance if you have both current-generation consoles and a soundbar or AVR.
On the subject of sound, the OLED708 features a 2.0-channel sound system with four 10W speakers, totalling 40W of power overall. This TV supports both DTS:X and Dolby Atmos, plus the aforementioned eARC port, meaning you can always use some of the money you've saved to invest in a Dolby Atmos soundbar if you want to level up the audio performance.
As this is a Philips TV, there are a few Philips-specific features that you get access to on this model. It features the P5 Picture Perfect Engine which will adapt the picture with the power of AI to achieve "lifelike detail and contrast, rich colour and smooth motion", according to Philips. There is also the iconic Ambilight feature, which will create a lovely light show on the wall behind your TV that extends the picture past the borders of the screen – or you can set it to a static light which supposedly boosts perceived contrast if you'd prefer. You can also switch it off entirely if you dislike it, although we think Ambilight is a pretty great feature.
Rounding out the smart features on this set, it's running Google TV and supports a wide range of global streaming apps including Netflix, Apple TV, Disney Plus and Amazon Prime Video (as well as many more apps). There is a slight hitch for UK users as Freeview Play apps are missing, meaning there is no direct access to BBC iPlayer, Channel 4, ITV X or Channel 5; however, this can be rectified by attaching an external media streamer.
At just £849, this OLED TV deal is an absolute steal. While we have seen a few stellar sales on the LG G2 and Samsung S90C recently, this sub £1000 OLED TV is easily one of the most appealing deals we've seen as of late. While the S90C deal we reported on recently is around £50 cheaper, this Philips offers Dolby Vision support. Ambilight and (in our opinion) the more intuitive Google TV operating system for a very close price.
However, gamers may prefer the four HDMI 2.1 sockets of the Samsung, and we can't argue with the brightness-boosting qualities of QD-OLED. Either way, this Philips deal is certainly worth a look if you're looking for an excellent-value OLED TV, just don't miss out as stock is presumably limited.
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Read our full Philips OLED908 review
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