One minute review
What to say about the Huawei Vision S? Huawei has been keen to launch a 4K TV in the UK for some time now, and although the Vision S has yet to land on UK shores – at some point – this version from Malaysia we reviewed should be the same. offers in each significant way.
A lack of TV tuners (which will also be the case with the UK specific model) means the Vision S is not a TV at all. But it is otherwise specified as one, looks like one, and functions as one too.
And in some ways, it surpasses its expected price. The on-screen contrasts and levels of detail are pretty impressive, and the speakers don’t sound as rough as any “affordable” big screen. It has a very decent operating system – all the more remarkable considering that it is a) bespoke and b) Huawei’s first effort – with some pretty thoughtful features. However, it struggles to capture movement onscreen, and visually it’s a throwback to the very early days of flat-screen TV.
However, we’re not suggesting for a moment that Huawei isn’t serious about making inroads into the TV market. On the contrary, the Vision S only makes us more interested in what the company will do next.
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Pricing and availability
- 65-inch waist estimated at £ 550
- Date of sale to be determined
- Seems certain to be price aggressively
First up: The Vision S is coming to the UK, but the model we tested here was technically a Malaysian model, before a UK release. Still, the company is confident that the 65in version (there will likely be a 55in variant as well) will cost around £ 550 – and if it fulfills that desire, then the Vision S will be one of the more affordable displays in the world. its size in the market.
It follows that, with the best will in the world, we have no idea what the Vision S is going to cost in other markets. In fact, we don’t know exactly which markets will get it and which won’t. Once we know more, of course, we’ll update that information.
Design
- More than 7 cm deep
- LED edge-lit LCD display
- No HDR dynamic metadata
Seen from the front, the Vision S is a tidy, albeit unremarkable display with pretty narrow edges and a very discreet branding at the bottom. At a touch of more than 3 inches in depth, however, it’s not the flattest flat screen ever made (so the wall hanger won’t be the most decorative design statement), and its blade are set far enough apart (so any surface it sits on will have to be wide enough).
The build quality is perfectly acceptable – in fact, if Huawei delivers on its promise of an asking price of £ 550, this will be one of the most rugged displays for that kind of money. The plastics from which it is primarily constructed are pleasant to the touch and do not crack.
When it comes to the feature set, there’s a headline: It’s not, in absolute terms, a TV. It doesn’t have TV tuners, so it’s actually just a colossal monitor. And that’s not a quirk of the Malaysian market – when the Vision S finally arrives in the UK, it will also be tuner-less.
Of course, in many ways it’s neither here nor there. The way everyone consumes video content has fundamentally changed over the last 10 years or so, and given that the Huawei has three HDMI 2.0 inputs, one USB 2.0 input, one Ethernet jack (with Wi -fi, of course), an analog 3.5mm. AV ‘and a digital coaxial input, it should be fairly easy to access the content you want.
Bluetooth connectivity is also available. And by the time the Huawei Vision S arrives in the UK, it will apparently be tricked with apps for iPlayer, Netflix and everything in between – so whether or not it’s a TV, technically speaking, shouldn’t. not really matter. You will still need a TV license, mind you.
Also, there are a few TV elements in the specifications of the Huawei Vision S – it’s just that they’re not that impressive. It’s a 4K 120Hz LCD display backlit with LEDs arranged around its edge, and it supports HLG and HDR10 HDR standards – but it doesn’t support dynamic metadata equivalents.
As far as sound is concerned, the Vision S is equipped with four horn speakers (two managing the entire frequency range and two high frequency tweeters) powered by 10 watts each. Huawei made the most of the noticeable depth of the Vision S chassis by creating a sound cavity of over a liter, which is little more than most current TVs can handle.
Smart TV (Harmony operating system)
- Minimalist remote control
- Custom Harmony operating system
- Removable 13MP camera
The handling of the Vision S is mainly done using the remote control. It’s small and well made, with just enough buttons, making it one of the best handsets to feature an affordable display. There’s a “mic” button there – the Huawei proves to be responsive and reliable when responding to voice commands – and there’s an NFC patch as well. This allows Huawei phones to send their content to the Vision S without having to be on a common network.
Huawei prides itself on its Harmony operating system – and when it comes to the Malaysian version, it’s simple and straightforward. We imagine the UK version will be a bit more extensive, but hopefully it doesn’t lose any of the logical and clean layouts of the version we saw.
The setup is straightforward, if only for another reason that there aren’t so many options. Picture presets, for example, bustle around picture quality without making a big difference – adjust the brightness or contrast to your liking, but the difference you make will be minimal. The same goes for the sound equalizers: there are six of them, and they are all variations close to a theme.
The Vision S comes with a small 13MP camera – it snaps into a small magnetic area at the top of the back of the screen. Huawei smartphone owners (and anyone using Android 8.0 or higher) can download the “MeeTime” app and make video calls to other “MeeTime” users, then stream them to the screen. Arguably, video calling at 1920 x 1080 on a 65 inch screen has a bit more impact than Zoom calling on a laptop.
Image quality
- Good balance of colors and levels of detail
- Respectable contrasts and backlight control
- Has trouble with on-screen movements
So without tuners or catch-up or on-demand UK-centric apps on board, the Huawei’s picture quality test relies on a 4K Blu-ray player (luckily with apps like iPlayer on Netflix on board. ) and a game console.
With a 4K disc by Christopher Nolan Principle play, the Huawei looks undeniably good. The color balance is convincing, and despite a low peak brightness of less than 350 nits, the contrasts are also good – this is thanks to the sharpness and detail of the white and black tones. The backlight control is also quite powerful, with the halo only really evident in the most difficult circumstances. There is enough general detail for the skin tones to be convincing, and the Huawei manages to control even the fairly delicate patterns without too many alarms.
Controlling the movement, however, is another story. Slow pans and fast movements will struggle here – and at its highest panic level, the Vision S can blur and double frames quite significantly.
It’s a similar issue when it comes to scaling too. Using the disc player’s Netflix app to stream a Full HD version of Yesterday On the Vision S’s 4K display, we found that movement struggled even though detail and color fidelity were well preserved. The edges are a bit less defined and the overall picture is also a bit softer, of course, but that’s really to be expected.
Audio performance
- Its fairly large and robust
- Good detail of mids
- Can easily be upgraded by a half decent soundbar
As with image performance, the Vision S is a bit better than the (likely) price you might think, without being really good. It’s utterly louder listening than many alternatives, and casts its sound wide enough to escape the confines of the screen itself. It also has pretty decent midrange clarity and will tolerate fairly high volumes without losing too much coolness. (It’s still not as good as a nice affordable soundbar, mind you.)
Should I buy the Huawei Vision S?
Buy it if …
You want as much screen as your money will buy
If Huawei is even close to selling that 65in screen for £ 550, that will amount to a lot of the screen for the money.
You are a fan of video calls
The MeeTime app and 13MP camera make video calling a lot less of a challenge than it can be on a laptop or tablet.
You admire a well-designed user interface
For a first try, the Harmony OS is really quite impressive here.
Don’t buy it if …
You want to watch live TV
There are no TV tuners here – so therefore it’s not really a TV.
You are prone to motion sickness
This Huawei display struggles with slow fades and fast movements – so we wouldn’t recommend it for those who want crisp, smooth movement at all times.
You want to hang your new screen on the wall
At more than 3 inches deep, the Vision S isn’t what you’d call low-key, and it’s best placed on a counter, in a corner, where its sides aren’t too visible.
Can’t wait for the release of the Huawei Vision S? Check out these affordable Hisense TVs:
