S21Click for drop down menuClick to searchReview of mobile phones and smartphonesReviews of tabletsReviews of TVs, DVD players, Blu-Ray players, Freeview, & games consolesReviews of home appliancesReviews of services and companiesReviews of mobile phone networksReviews of broadband internet & phone providersReviews of electricity & gas suppliers

Panasonic TX-49EX600B review

 Review: May 2017  
 

Last updated August 2017

Rating: 3 stars

In a nutshell: The Panasonic TX-49EX600B is one of the cheapest 49-50 inch TVs available in 2017, but there are good reasons for that. Picture quality is poor, with little contrast in evidence despite this being a HDR model. Motion blur is a problem too. We'd avoid this TV and look elsewhere.



 

Design & looks

The Panasonic EX600B is the bargain basement model in the company's 2017 range of 4K HDR televisions, and it has looks to match. It's about twice as deep as the EX700, with a thick plastic frame around the screen. The base is rather flimsy, but does have the advantage of being adjustable to fit the size of your furniture.

Picture quality

Unfortunately the cheap-looking exterior is a sign of worse to come, as the same cost-slashing procedure has been applied to the screen and the processor. While the screen has 4K resolution and supports the new HDR standard, it doesn't do much with it. The LCD panel lacks brightness, and with no kind of local dimming available, it's unable to reproduce blacks adequately either. HDR may be written on the box, but the dynamic range of this screen is anything but high.

Upscaling from the entry-level processor is weak, so terrestrial TV channels can look very blocky.

Things get worse when the picture starts moving. The slow screen shows a lot of motion blur, especially during action or sports, and even when watching dramas. Watching football on Freeview actually made us feel queasy, and that wasn't because our team lost.

Audio quality

Sound comes from a pair of 10W full-range speakers with simulated surround sound. Let's be generous and describe the audio quality as average.

Smart TV

This is one area where we can say we're happy. Panasonic's Smart TV system for 2017 is called my Home Screen 2.0, and it's reasonably comprehensive, with support for BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, All 4, My5, Netflix 4K, Amazon Instant Video 4K, and YouTube 4K, with HDR support for streaming.

The remote control includes a handy Netflix button.

Connectivity

The EX600B has more limited connectivity options than Panasonic's more expensive TVs, but it has all the basics covered - Wi-Fi and ethernet for connecting to the internet and your home network, 3 HDMI ports, 2 USBs (including one USB 3.0), a combined component/composite input and a digital audio optical output.

A Freeview tuner is included, but not Freesat.

The TV can also stream content from connected phones and tablets.

Conclusion - not recommended

The Panasonic EX600 is one of the cheapest 49/50 inch TVs with HDR support, but it's not one we can recommend. The price has already fallen significantly since we first reviewed the TV in May, but even at £630 you can find better elsewhere. The Samsung UE50MU6100 costs less but is a better option all round.

Alternatively if you want to stick to Panasonic, we'd recommend spending a little more on the Panasonic EX700B, which is definitely a better option.


Panasonic TX-49EX600B features include:

User questions

Sorry - questions and comments on this page are now closed.

I interest input lag. Please help me. Thank you.

Asked by Peter from Magyarország on 25th Nov 2017

Why my panasonic 49ex600 cant connect to hdmi and i cant play video?

Asked by Cherries baltazar from United kingdom on 24th Sep 2017



Panasonic TX-49EX600B user reviews

Sorry - reviews and comments on this page are now closed.