Vizio 70 Class V-Series 4K UHD LED Smart TV V705X-J03 Review: Is the Performance as Compelling as The Price?

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Read this Vizio 70 Class V-Series 4K UHD LED Smart TV V705X-J03 review to learn about the highlights of an affordable widescreen. It’s one of the top-selling TVs in 2022, and its quickly garnered lots of hype.

Let’s dive into our Vizio 70 Class V-Series 4K UHD LED Smart TV V705X-J03 review to see if a bargain television can come through for the gamer, the sports fan, the film buff, and the streaming enthusiast.

Vizio 70 Class V-Series 4K UHD LED Smart TV V705X-J03 review: Market Segment

The opening sales pitch of the Vizio V-series product line is irresistible prices. With minimal legwork, you can find a 70-inch 4K V-series for under $500, with smaller displays costing even less.

Vizio’s vision for the V705X-J03 is a large, entry-level display that provides a smart TV experience on a budget. The vendor also attempts to deliver good picture quality with 4K resolution and good motion handling. We check out the performance of the Vizio V705X-J03 Smart TV to see if the exciting bargain retains its shine with daily use.

First looks

Unboxing the Vizio V705X-J03 4K TV reveals a large display with a simple aesthetic. A charcoal-black cabinet forms the exterior of the Vizio V705X-J03, with ultra-thin bezels framing the vast expanse of this 70-inch screen. The Vizio V-series boasts a sturdy build for a budget TV, thanks to a chassis that combines metal and solid plastic.

At 2.7 inches thick, this 70-inch Vizio V-series is slim enough to hug your wall if you mount it. This option requires a mounting bracket that matches the 400mmx200mm VESA mount pattern on the back panel. The only issue with a wall-mount install is a set of rear-facing ports. These ports would be hard to reach if you put the Vizio V705x-J03 on a wall, and TV manufacturers should take note. Thoughtful TV designers favor outward-facing ports that sit near the edge of a TV.

Placing this 70-inch panel on an entertainment stand is an option that requires large furniture. You need a surface that can accommodate TV feet with a 38.4″ x13.00″ footprint.

Vizio 70 Class V-Series 4K UHD LED Smart TV V705X-J03 review: Connectivity

Three HDMI ports and one USB port form a column of accessible, outward-facing ports. HDMI1 has an audio return channel that allows the Vizio V-series to pass audio between two devices. This means that audio from a gaming console or Blu-ray player can pass through the TV and exit through any sound device connected to HDMI1. The TV only displays media from USB devices with a FAT32 file system, which is limiting.

The rear-facing ports include a digital optical output, an analog (RCA) audio output, an Ethernet port, and an RF connector. You also get a wireless adapter that takes care of WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity.

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Smart TV interface: Vizio SmartCast

Vizio uses its proprietary smart TV platform for many of its products. At first glance, the SmartCast interface has a simple layout that puts everything you need within reach. It only takes one or two clicks to reach whatever streaming app, over-the-air channel, or input source you want.

Now we peel back first impressions to look at the actual working of Vizio SmartCast. The platform has a decent selection of streaming apps, but it is no match for the likes of Roku and Google TV.  For whatever reason, Vizio’s smart TV platform lacks an app store, so you have to work with the apps that ship with the TV.

You may also experience glitches with SmartCast, right down to firmware-level lag when using the remote. This is why you need to run a software update soon after you set up the Vizio V705x-J03. The update will go a long way toward stabilizing the SmartCast platform. Here are some of the features that the platform offers:

• Support of Chromecast and Apple Airplay
• Compatible with Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant
• SmartCast companion app that transforms your mobile device into a powerful controller for the Vizio V-series

The on-screen display of the Vizio V705X-J03 is the shining light of this smart TV. It carries an expansive menu that lets you make all kinds of adjustments to the TV’s input, sound and picture settings.

Vizio 70 Class V-Series 4K UHD LED Smart TV V705X-J03 review: Hardware and picture quality

The Vizio V-series is a 60Hz VA panel with 4K resolution, direct-array backlights, and no local dimming. A peak brightness level of 230cd/m² provides adequate lighting for passable HDR content.

It bears mentioning that HDR content truly comes alive in displays that can deliver at least 400cd/m² worth of luminance. Still, the processing power of the Vizio V705x-J03 makes full use of the panel’s native brightness to render convincing highlights and detail.

The native color space of the Vizio V-series is wide enough for decent HDR pictures. While the panel fails to cover the full range of each primary color, a capable processor picks up the slack. The TV circuitry uses the available luminance and color space to expand the palette available to the V-series.

Motion handling is a mixed bag with the 70-inch Vizio V-series. On the one hand, the TV has low input lag, which makes for enjoyable gameplay. Low input lag allows you to duck or raise your shield to counter an attack. Fast-paced content like sports and action movies also renders better with low lag. 

On the other hand, the Vizio V705x-J03 has a slow response time that can cause motion blur. Rapid pixel transitions from dark colors to light colors result in noticeable trailing. This is only an issue with fast-moving objects.

1.       Picture quality: Color accuracy

The Vizio V705x-J03 renders accurate colors; right out of the box. There may be a few minor issues with paler colors that contain yellow elements. Overall the colors that come out of the Vizio V705x-J03 are vivid, with enough saturation to mimic real-life hues.

2.       Picture quality: Contrast, detail, and HDR content

This is another area where the 70-inch Vizio V-series shines. The panel boasts deep, inky blacks that deliver stark contrast when combined with bright colors. A lack of local dimming doesn’t take away from the panel’s excellent contrast ratio. The TV still manages to deliver fine detail that manages to remain visible in dark scenes. Texture and 3D effects also look realistic after the Vizio V-series works its magic.

Limits to the panel’s peak brightness levels means that HDR content lacks the brilliant highlights you’d observe with brighter TV sets.

3.       Picture quality: Viewing angles

Being a VA panel, the Vizio V-series has narrow viewing angles. Colors start to wash out at an angle of 30 degrees from the center.

4.       Picture quality: Screen uniformity

You may notice slight backlight bleedthrough that causes dark and light patches on a gray screen. From a viewer’s perspective, the lack of uniformity causes brown patches on a football field. Black screens are far more uniform, making good picture quality in most movie scenes.

5.       Picture quality: Motion handling and gaming

Low input lag allows you enough time to react to your opponent’s moves during gameplay. The low lag also improves your user experience as you browse through the SmartCast interface. This panel’s response time could be better, and you may notice motion blur with fast-moving objects. Blurring is more visible with fast-action content with lots of dark scenes.

The Vizio V-series offers gaming features that add to your gaming experience. VRR and AMD FreeSync adjust the TV refresh rate to match the frame rate of PC and console games. However, the Vizio V705x-J03 can only vary its refresh rate between 48Hz and 60Hz. It’s also worth noting that the V-series is a 60Hz panel, meaning that the TV is underpowered for the latest gaming console titles.

Pros

• The on-screen menu is comprehensive and easy to use
• User-friendly smart TV interface with an excellent home page layout
• SmartCast Home supports Apple Airplay and Google Chromecast; features that help you share content from your mobile devices
• This smart TV interface is also compatible with Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant
• Good native contrast and black levels
• Impressive motion handling
• Low input lag
• ALLM (Auto Low-Latency Mode) automatically lowers input lag when the TV detects a gaming rig
• AMD FreeSync VRR support prevents screen tearing in PC and console games

Cons

• No local dimming
• Narrow viewing angles
• Low peak brightness and narrow color gamut limit the quality of HDR content
• Glitchy OS that could use a software update
• You may experience a shaky connection to external audio devices on HDMI-eARC and optical ports
• Vizio needs to do a better job with quality control, both with hardware and software

Vizio 70 Class V-Series 4K UHD LED Smart TV V705X-J03 review: A general-purpose TV for a reasonable price

This Vizio 70 Class V-Series 4K UHD LED Smart TV V705X-J03 review finds a budget TV that covers the basics. For a small sum, you get a 4K TV with a good selection of smart features and good picture quality. You also get support and gaming features for many PC and console game titles. Click here to learn more about this television.

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