Philips OLED803From real comments

Name: Philips OLED803
Rating: 2.7 (27 reviews)

Verdict distilled from 27 mentions across 12 aspects in comments under product review videos.

Positive sentiment52%

PROS 52%

CONS 48%

Rank based on 27 mentions across 12 aspects

View the verdict as

Buy this if...

You're upgrading from an older plasma or LCD and want a big leap in black levels and contrast
You value Ambilight and smooth motion interpolation for everyday TV and movie viewing
You mainly play casual or slower-paced games rather than competitive fast-twitch titles

What users love

Big picture quality upgradeNotable0 mentions

Strongly positive

Ambilight feature0 mentions

Widely praised

Excellent black levels0 mentions

Strongly positive

Good motion handling for casual gaming and older titles0 mentions

Widely praised

Improvement over predecessor POS90020 mentions

Widely praised

Skip this if...

You need HDMI 2.1, more than two full-featured HDMI ports, or Bluetooth headphone support
You're a competitive gamer sensitive to 39-55ms input lag
You watch a lot of HDR content with gradient skies and are sensitive to banding/posterization

What users complain about

Input lag concerns for gaming0 mentions

Frequently criticized

Artifacting without motion smoothing0 mentions

Generally negative

HDMI ARC and Dolby Atmos pass-through problems0 mentions

Frequently criticized

Limited HDMI ports and no HDMI 2.10 mentions

Frequently criticized

HDR banding and posterization0 mentions

Frequently criticized

Inconsistent brightness needs constant adjustment0 mentions

Frequently criticized

No Bluetooth headphone support0 mentions

Generally negative

Compare in seconds

Based on user comments

Best choice

1Premium

LG OLED G3

Major brightness improvement

LG OLED G3

Major brightness improvement

2Mid

Panasonic Z85A

Accurate, natural picture quality

Panasonic Z85A

Accurate, natural picture quality

Best value

3Mid

LG OLED C1

Top-tier gaming featuresBurn-in is a non-issue with normal useExceptional picture quality and black levelsLower brightness than some competitorsLaggy or cluttered home menuOccasional burn-in with heavy or static use

LG OLED C1

Top-tier gaming features

Burn-in is a non-issue with normal use

Exceptional picture quality and black levels

Lower brightness than some competitors

Laggy or cluttered home menu

Occasional burn-in with heavy or static use

4Budget

LG OLED B2

Outstanding value vs C1/C2Frequent steep discounts and dealsPicture quality rivals pricier modelsLimited full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 portsHDR/Dolby Vision playback inconsistenciesLower peak brightness in bright rooms

LG OLED B2

Outstanding value vs C1/C2

Frequent steep discounts and deals

Picture quality rivals pricier models

Limited full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports

HDR/Dolby Vision playback inconsistencies

Lower peak brightness in bright rooms

5Mid

LG OLED C3

Outstanding picture qualityStrong gaming performanceGreat value with dealsReliability concerns after warrantyBurn-in risk with static PC useRemote lacks backlighting and buttons

LG OLED C3

Outstanding picture quality

Strong gaming performance

Great value with deals

Reliability concerns after warranty

Burn-in risk with static PC use

Remote lacks backlighting and buttons

Philips OLED951

Mediatek Pentonic 800 processorAmbilight plus Dolby Vision 2Builds on Philips' picture tuning reputationLacks Sony-level anti-glare coatingNo 83-inch size availableUnclear release timing

Philips OLED951

Mediatek Pentonic 800 processor

Ambilight plus Dolby Vision 2

Builds on Philips' picture tuning reputation

Lacks Sony-level anti-glare coating

No 83-inch size available

Unclear release timing

7Mid

LG OLED B5

Deep blacks and strong contrastExcellent value for moneyGreat for gamingDisliked remote controlGaming picture needs tweakingBrightness limitations debated

LG OLED B5

Deep blacks and strong contrast

Excellent value for money

Great for gaming

Disliked remote control

Gaming picture needs tweaking

Brightness limitations debated

8Premium

LG OLED G4

Exceptional picture quality and brightnessStrong upgrade over older LG modelsGood upscaling of lower-quality contentDistracting silver bezelRandom audio cutouts and soundbar issuesBurn-in and gaming heat concerns

LG OLED G4

Exceptional picture quality and brightness

Strong upgrade over older LG models

Good upscaling of lower-quality content

Distracting silver bezel

Random audio cutouts and soundbar issues

Burn-in and gaming heat concerns

9Premium

LG OLED C2

Exceptional picture quality and contrastGreat gaming performanceHigh long-term owner satisfactionBurn-in risk with static contentLoss of 120Hz black frame insertionHDR/brightness inconsistencies

LG OLED C2

Exceptional picture quality and contrast

Great gaming performance

High long-term owner satisfaction

Burn-in risk with static content

Loss of 120Hz black frame insertion

HDR/brightness inconsistencies

10Premium

Sony A90J

Exceptional picture processing and upscalingImpressive built-in soundExcellent center-channel speaker useHigh priceDelayed or missing VRR supportLimited usable HDMI 2.1 bandwidth

Sony A90J

Exceptional picture processing and upscaling

Impressive built-in sound

Excellent center-channel speaker use

High price

Delayed or missing VRR support

Limited usable HDMI 2.1 bandwidth

You are here

31Premium

Philips OLED803

Big picture quality upgradeAmbilight featureExcellent black levelsInput lag concerns for gamingArtifacting without motion smoothingHDMI ARC and Dolby Atmos pass-through problems

Philips OLED803

Big picture quality upgrade

Ambilight feature

Excellent black levels

Input lag concerns for gaming

Artifacting without motion smoothing

HDMI ARC and Dolby Atmos pass-through problems

Picture quality
1. LG OLED C3arrow_upward15
2. LG OLED G4arrow_upward12
3. Sony A90Jarrow_upward8
Gaming performance
1. LG OLED C1arrow_upward10
2. LG OLED C3arrow_upward9
3. LG OLED C2arrow_upward8
Great value
1. LG OLED B2arrow_upward18
2. LG OLED B5arrow_upward8
Brightness
1. LG OLED G4arrow_upward8
2. Sony A90Jarrow_upward5
3. LG OLED C3arrow_upward4
Value for money
1. LG OLED C3arrow_upward8
2. LG OLED C1arrow_upward6
Burn in risk
1. LG OLED C1arrow_downward2
2. LG OLED C3arrow_downward2
3. LG OLED G4arrow_downward2

Overall Impression

A dramatic picture-quality upgrade over older plasma and LCD sets. Multiple owners moving from Panasonic plasmas or older Philips LCDs describe the jump in black levels and detail as enormous, with one calling the difference between old and new 'galaxies apart.' Ambilight adds to the experience for fans, and Perfect Natural Motion is praised for smoothing 30fps sports and movie content, though ghosting on fast-moving sports like football via streaming apps was noted as source-dependent rather than a TV flaw.

HDR handling shows inconsistency that bothers some viewers. One user documented visible posterization and banding in HDR skies across multiple films, comparing unfavorably to an LG C8 on identical scenes. Others report having to manually readjust brightness between dark and bright scenes within the same movie, calling the experience frustrating. Lack of Dolby Vision support is mentioned repeatedly but generally accepted rather than treated as a dealbreaker by buyers.

Gaming and connectivity limitations frustrate power users. Reported input lag figures range from 39ms to 55ms depending on mode, concerning users coming from lower-lag monitors or the LG C8. Only two full-featured HDMI 2.0 ports, no HDMI 2.1, and no Bluetooth headphone support are cited as shortcomings. Dolby Atmos pass-through via ARC to AVRs was confirmed broken in follow-up testing, and soundbar users reported crackling or dropped audio via ARC with game consoles.

Outdated / Not-accurate data?

visibilityBig picture quality upgradeNotable

5 mentions

Strongly positive

Users upgrading from Panasonic plasmas or older Philips models describe a massive leap in image quality, calling it a quantum leap with far better black levels and colors. One owner said there were 'galaxies' between the old and new picture.

@Dakota1812

I'll just order a new TV. NO. Not today. After so many reviews in English and German I bought the Philips 65OLED803. I'm coming from a Panasonic TX-L42ETW60. The difference is huge. Of course it's in the size, but the picture. There are galaxies between them. I was looking for a TV that doesn't fail with football, whose motion interpolation (ZBB) works flawlessly, that has a good upscaler, that has good input lag, whose software isn't completely sluggish. Despite Android TV, the TV is fast. I use external devices, but the menus should still be reasonable to navigate. They definitely are. Before the update it was slow, but after the update it's normal. Fast is something else. Fast are our smartphones. Mostly. Football is of course tricky. I could only test DAZN and DAZN suffers massively from ghosting. The ball leaves trails and in contrast to the rest of the image the ball looks jerky in its movement. But since this is due to the source material it doesn't matter which TV I buy. That's probably the case everywhere. The ZBB works flawlessly. I tested movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime via the Fire TV 4k stick. I also played a .mkv file at 2160p. A dream. What a real black gives to image quality is enormous. The colors also all look much more precise and not so soft compared to the old Panasonic. TV material from a Vu+ Zero 4k also looks very good. Input lag was tested with a Switch and Mario Kart 8. I couldn't detect any disturbing lag. It's there, but it doesn't bother me. Only HDR is tricky. Dolby Vision is not supported. But that doesn't matter to me personally. There's always something and I didn't want to wait another year. You always keep waiting. All these HDR formats are to the customer's disadvantage. It's a shame that such a path was taken. Ambilight is of course nice to look at. However, I've set it to 'Comfort' so it's not too hectic. On gaming one more time. I'm a PC gamer. I have a 144hz monitor with Gsync and 1ms response time. I'm really very sensitive and can still make a recommendation.

smart_displayTranslated from German

August 30, 2019

@impactgamesYT

I have the \"pos9002\". Now I have the \"65oled803\" here for testing and must say the picture looks better than on the 2017 model! Maybe it was just the 65 inch version though... In 16:9 mode the \"65\" is too big for me, in 21:9 just right... But I'm still considering whether an Epson tw9400 might not be the better choice...

smart_displayTranslated from German

August 11, 2019

@superkuzi1

So I've had the box for 2 weeks now and I've set it perfectly for myself and the picture is bombastically good a bit unusual for a former LED TV fan the extremely crazy black levels I'm still amazed today 😋

smart_displayTranslated from German

January 20, 2019

@ujmoskito

Thank you very much for the detailed review as always! In the end it convinced me to buy this TV. Admittedly the price was extremely attractive at 2499.- euros. It has replaced my Philips 60PFL9607S/12 after six years and of course it feels like a quantum leap in picture quality for me. This applies both to native UHD material and when upscaling full HD images. Ambilight (if you like it) puts the crown on the whole thing. The (currently) missing support for Dolby Vision may be a purchasing obstacle for many, but other factors were decisive for me and this device fulfills them 100%.

smart_displayTranslated from German

November 4, 2018

lightbulbAmbilight feature

3 mentions

Widely praised

Ambilight is repeatedly cited as a beloved feature, with one user saying their eyes have become so used to it they struggle watching TVs without it, and another praising it as the finishing touch on picture quality.

@Dakota1812

smart_displayTranslated from German

August 30, 2019

@ujmoskito

smart_displayTranslated from German

November 4, 2018

@sebbo9481

Is OLED good for gaming at all? I have the Philips 9002 and I can't get rid of this strong artifacting, as soon as you watch without Perfect Natural Motion the image is mega choppy and with it you have strong artifacting. Really don't know what to do anymore :( Is there anything else you can adjust? To be honest I'm only still with Philips because of Ambilight because my eyes have gotten so used to it that I can hardly watch TV without it, as it strains my eyes so much that they literally burn...

smart_displayTranslated from German

October 8, 2018

brightnessExcellent black levels

2 mentions

Strongly positive

Multiple owners specifically highlight the deep, real black levels as a standout improvement over their previous LED or plasma TVs, with one still amazed weeks after purchase.

@Dakota1812

smart_displayTranslated from German

August 30, 2019

@superkuzi1

smart_displayTranslated from German

January 20, 2019

sports_esportsGood motion handling for casual gaming and older titles

2 mentions

Widely praised

Natural Motion processing works well for older or slower-paced games like Fallout, and input lag on a Switch with Mario Kart 8 was not disturbing to one sensitive PC gamer.

@Dakota1812

smart_displayTranslated from German

August 30, 2019

@tom-sn999

Natural Motion is great for games, except for very fast games like Battlefield V, where I prefer the better input lag. But for older games like Fallout 3, 4 and New Vegas, Perfect Natural Motion is very good.

smart_displayTranslated from German

May 29, 2019

trending_upImprovement over predecessor POS9002

2 mentions

Widely praised

Testers and owners comparing side-by-side found the 803's picture better than the older POS9002 model.

@impactgamesYT

@digitalfernsehende Can you also confirm that the \"803\" delivers a better picture than the \"pos9002\"!? In my opinion, with the right settings, the \"803\" is ahead...

smart_displayTranslated from German

August 11, 2019

@impactgamesYT

smart_displayTranslated from German

August 11, 2019

timerInput lag concerns for gaming

4 mentions

Frequently criticized

Reported input lag figures ranging from 39ms to 55ms worry users switching from lower-latency monitors or the LG C8, especially for fast-paced competitive games.

@mainswitch1374

It reads like the Philips 803 isn't suitable for gaming games like Doom Fortnite or CoD. To what extent do you notice the input lag? I don't play online CoD and Co. that often. Is the input lag really noticeable? I namely don't want to buy a TV that visibly works with a delay during fast games.... For example CoD with 60 FPS in 4K. Will I notice that then visibly when I press a button or change direction, that it comes delayed? Regards

smart_displayTranslated from German

June 9, 2019

@plasmaman5219

Can I also turn on this true motion 60-120hz FPS look in game mode? 55 MS input lag is very high. Other important questions: is it like it used to be with old devices where nothing is adjustable in game mode color wise? And I read that the 903 which should supposedly be the same design has 22 MS input lag in game mode vs 803 39 MS was a major review website???

smart_displayTranslated from German

April 21, 2019

@Dave_Austria

4 full-fat \"HDMI ports\", game mode from: 20-25ms monitor = get with the program and patch it and I'll buy the thing.... (current LG C8 65\" owner).

smart_displayTranslated from German

November 16, 2018

@Percilator

And again I ask myself whether it's worth accepting the higher input lag to play 30 FPS games in 60 FPS look or rather get a C8 with less lag but also no 60 FPS look option...I continue to be torn. But as always a great test!

smart_displayTranslated from German

September 27, 2018

warningArtifacting without motion smoothing

2 mentions

Generally negative

At least two comments (from the same or similar issue) describe the image being mega choppy without Perfect Natural Motion enabled, and strong artifacting when it is, on a related Philips model.

@Florianmo_

I have the POS9002 and I just can't get rid of this strong artifacting. As soon as you watch without Perfect Natural Motion the image is mega choppy and with it you have strong artifacting. Really don't know what to do anymore :( can you adjust anything else?

smart_displayTranslated from German

January 16, 2019

@sebbo9481

smart_displayTranslated from German

October 8, 2018

surround_soundHDMI ARC and Dolby Atmos pass-through problems

2 mentions

Frequently criticized

Testing confirmed Dolby Atmos could not be forwarded via ARC to an AVR, and a soundbar user experienced crackling, dropped audio, and sync issues with game consoles connected via ARC.

@Dave_Austria

I'm having major problems with the 803 and my Bose SoundTouch 300 - 5.1 soundbar.... it's connected via ARC on HDMI 3. When watching TV the sound comes through nicely (I imagine with slight delay, doesn't match perfectly with sound). But the bigger problem is the Xbox and PS4, the sound only comes through by luck, sometimes it then doesn't work again (just crackling and crunching). I've set the 803 to sound HDMI and tried multiple channels. I don't know what to do anymore, today I tested everything for 5 hours, no solution. I don't have an optical cable at home and can only get it next week.... maybe someone knows what the problem is? Doesn't it get along with the Bose or ARC? Thanks a lot and regards David

smart_displayTranslated from German

November 24, 2018

@digitalfernsehende

Test update 2 on Dolby Atmos: Philips was able to demonstrate playback of Dolby Atmos source (DD+ and TrueHD) and with Philips soundbar connected via HDMI-ARC to OLED803 and OLED903, however the Dolby Atmos-ARC function didn't work with an AVR. Philips reproduced our setup and also couldn't forward an Atmos signal via ARC. Currently they are working to optimize the HDMI ARC interaction with other devices, future updates will improve the ARC interaction with Dolby Atmos sources.

smart_displayTranslated from German

November 8, 2018

cableLimited HDMI ports and no HDMI 2.1

2 mentions

Frequently criticized

Users criticize the TV for having only two full-featured HDMI 2.0 ports and lacking HDMI 2.1, limiting future-proofing for 4K@120Hz sources.

@_Gabba_Gandalf

Hello DF editorial team, again a very good and informative test! I've been watching the OLED market for a while and want one... The only thing holding me back from buying is the lack of HDMI 2.1. I don't need 8K. 4K@120hz for my PC and Xbox One X (which does support some HDMI 2.1 functions). I was hoping at IFA 2017 and CES 2017 where it was demonstrated that it would come this year. Do you have any information from manufacturers about when that will be the case? Until then I'll continue to use my beloved Panasonic TX-P60ZT60E plasma (have to).

smart_displayTranslated from German

September 28, 2018

@onemorethingmakestheworldb9489

What bothers me about the 803 are: Only 2 full-featured HDMI 2.0 connections Android

smart_displayTranslated from German

September 27, 2018

gradientHDR banding and posterization

1 mentions

Frequently criticized

One detailed report documents visible banding and posterization in HDR skies across several films, with side-by-side comparison showing the LG C8 does not have the same issue in identical scenes.

@AVPasion

Hi \rdigitalfernsehende,\n\nSorry for speak in english, I'm from Spain. I am a happy owner of a 65 OLED803 but in HDR I see posterization and banding (especially in the sky) in many movies. One that you can most easily see is Miss Peregrine (Min 17:40, in the scene where the father and the boy are on the boat) and at 28:55 when planes fly out in the sky. Look (original Remux UHD, in HDR):\r\n\r\nhttps://i.imgur.com/s8EqxtM.jpg\r\n\r\nThe problem it's not present in the LG C8, same scene:\r\n\r\nhttps://i.imgur.com/L6WUe1w.jpg\r\n\r\nAs I said, there are many movie scenes where the problem appears, especially in scenes with a single color and different tones (and only in HDR) for example The Revenant or many others. Maybe in the next update Philips will fix completely the problem...\r\n\nHave you noticed this? If not, what's the firmware version of your Philips when you recorded the video?\n\nThanks!

smart_display

December 9, 2018

brightnessInconsistent brightness needs constant adjustment

1 mentions

Frequently criticized

Viewers report needing to manually adjust brightness settings between dark and bright scenes within the same movie, calling it frustrating and confusing technology.

@ichheienomad2494

My head is smoking...With dark scenes you have to adjust the brightness and with bright scenes likewise...So I have to constantly adjust the TV when I want to watch a movie...What kind of technology is that?

smart_displayTranslated from German

September 29, 2018

bluetooth_disabledNo Bluetooth headphone support

1 mentions

Generally negative

A user reports reading in the manual that Bluetooth headphone output is not supported, contrary to expectations for a modern smart TV.

@Kaihoro13

No support for Bluetooth headphones? I thought that would be standard and I read in the manual that it doesn't work...? Can someone confirm that?

smart_displayTranslated from German

October 3, 2018

Philips OLED803chat_bubble_outlineFrom real comments

thumb_up_off_altBuy this if...

What users lovefavorite_border

thumb_down_off_altSkip this if...

What users complain aboutheart_broken

Compare in seconds

Who wins on what

Picture quality

Gaming performance

Great value

Brightness

Value for money

Burn in risk

auto_awesomeOverall Impression

Philips OLED803From real comments

Buy this if...

What users love

Skip this if...

What users complain about

Overall Impression