We were hard pressed to find a better TV than the Philips OLED+ 903 last year – but it came at a hefty premium. As 2019 kicks off, Philips is looking to bring some of the flagship specs of its best set to a lower level of the range with the new OLED 804 and OLED 854 screens.
Separated only by stand designs, the 804 and 854 are built from the same DNA as last year’s OLED showstopper, but have dropped the impressive Bowers and Wilkins soundsystem that wowed us. Can their superb 4K visuals pull them through?
Pricing and availability
Philips hasn’t set pricing and release date information for the Philips OLED 804 and 854 screens yet, though we’ve been told to expect to see them hit shops around May.
For reference, the Philips OLED+ 903 launched at £2,499 ($3,270 / AU$4,590). It now costs closer to £2,000, so we’d hope to see these screens come in around that price, and possibly a little lower.
The Philips OLED 804 and OLED 854 screens are, essentially, the same TV with only one slight difference – the design of their stands.
While both have an ultra-slim chrome frame, the OLED 804 sits on metal feet towards the edges of the display, while the OLED 854 sits on a centrally positioned metal stand with a T-bar shape that lets it turn.
They’re both attractive, with the OLED 854 sitting slightly higher off the surface. It’s just a matter of taste and viewing requirements then (though we’d expect the more complex stand of the 854 to eventually cause a pricing premium between the two).
Other than that, you’re looking at almost identical screens. Both 4K OLEDs, they will each come in 55- and 65-inch sizes.
From our first eyes-on impressions with the Philips OLED 804 and OLED 854 screens, Philips has done a fantastic job of not only bringing the OLED+ 903’s top-notch image quality to what is expected to be more affordable screens, but also further refining its image processing techniques.
We’ll no doubt miss the inclusion of Bowers and Wilkins sound systems, but if the price is right, and you happen to be the proud owner of your own home cinema sound system, the 804 and 854 are looking very promising televisions indeed.