Kodak 55-inch 4K UHD Smart TV (55UHDXSMART) Review
  • Editor Rating
  • Rated 4 stars
₹43999
  • 80%


Kodak, the iconic photography-centric brand has now moved to other stuff, like smartphones and TVs, and Kodak recently introduced the Kodak 55-inch 4K UHD Smart TV (UHDXSMART) in India at an introductory price of Rs. 43,990. And, they sent one to us so that we could try it for a while and share what we think about it. So, here’s the full review of the Kodak 55-inch 4K UHD Smart TV.

Kodak 55-inch 4K UHD Smart TV (55UHDXSMART) Review

Design and Hardware

The Kodak 55UHDXSMART is a sleek looking 4K UHD Smart TV out there, even though it has got some bezels around the display panel, overall looks of the TV is impressive. There are 2 stands which are placed on each side of the TV to make it stand on the flat surface. On standing position, TV is quite stable, still, we recommend to fix a fall protector behind every big sized TV. Fall protector doesn’t come with the TV, so you’ll have to buy that from outside. At the bottom, the logo has been placed in the center and the infrared sensor and buttons have been placed on the right side.

Kodak 55-inch 4K UHD Smart TV (55UHDXSMART)
Kodak 55-inch 4K UHD Smart TV (55UHDXSMART)

The ports are at the back and well, and if you mount it on a wall, all of them aren’t placed in positions where you can reach easily.

Kodak 55-inch 4K UHD Smart TV (55UHDXSMART) Back

But there is a reasonable number of options to choose from – Two HDMI ports, Ethernet, and also composite and component cable hookups at the back, all facing downwards. On the left side, there is a 3.5mm audio output, two USB ports, an SD card slot, a coaxial TV antenna terminal, and a single HDMI port.

Kodak 55-inch 4K UHD Smart TV (55UHDXSMART) Ports
Kodak 55-inch 4K UHD Smart TV (55UHDXSMART) Ports

There are the following ports for connectivity:

  1. HDMI
  2. USB
  3. Component In (RGB Cable) or Y Pb (Cb ) Pr (Cr )
  4. Headphone Jack
  5. RF Connectivity Input
  6. Digital Coaxial Audio output
  7. RJ45 port
  8. SDcard slot
  9. Built-In Wi-Fi
  10. 3G Dongle Plug and Play
  11. Miracast

Overall, it is one of the best in the market providing features at this price, so some hurdles can be neglected for sure. The design is not the best, but it is neither too heavy or bulky that it completely lacks mobility.

Display

Kodak 55-inch 4K UHD Smart TV (55UHDXSMART) has a display panel from Samsung having a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. The maximum brightness goes up to 550 nits. As mentioned, the panel is manufactured by Samsung and provides a high contrast ratio of 6000000:1. The brightness level is good, and it doesn’t create any issue at all while you watch some horror movies or maybe movies like Batman. In terms of color reproduction, it is good enough. The sharpness levels are excellent and we tested it completely, thanks to Netflix and YouTube. The sharpness level at 4K is damn good and matches the expectation.

Kodak claimed that the TV offers a 178-degrees viewing angle and, well it matches the statement well. There is no issue like color shift or blue tint while watching from kinda weird angles. Overall, at this price, this is a good 4K Smart TV to satisfy your hunger for movies and TV Shows from Netflix and HBO.

Software and smart features

Kodak 55-inch 4K UHD Smart TV (55UHDXSMART) runs a custom version of Android 4.4 and it’s definitely not close to what LG or Sony BRAVIA offers. But the UI is good enough and not too complicated, also it’s fluid and we didn’t face any random lags and glitches. It’s powered by a 1.4GHz processor, coupled with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. This is enough for you to run streaming apps, watch YouTube videos and enjoy digital content.  Netflix, Youtube, and Hotstar app comes pre-installed and are optimized to run smoothly, however, we couldn’t play any video on Amazon Prime video app, it just kept crashing when we tried to play any video, hence that’s where a system update or an app update is needed from Kodak in their app marketplace.

Wi-Fi and Ethernet are the two connectivity options that are the easiest and well known. We just plugged in the RJ45 cable (Ethernet) to the TV from the router and it went online within seconds. Unfortunately, there is no Google Play store but the TV comes with a third party app-store called Aptoide, which has got some apps, including Amazon Prime Video, Spuul, Eros Now, Saavn, Gaana. The Smart TV also comes with some pre-installed apps like Netflix, Hotstar, YouTube, a browser app and Facebook.

Kodak 55-inch 4K UHD Smart TV (55UHDXSMART) Remote
Kodak 55-inch 4K UHD Smart TV (55UHDXSMART) Remote

The remote comes with dedicated buttons to launch YouTube, Netflix, and Hotstar and this is quite a handy feature. The remote also has additional buttons for media playback. There is a file manager to view and play media from SD card.

The Smart TV also supports HDMI-CEC, which is quite handy if you are using a TV Box like Amazon Fire TV. This lets you switch to HDMI and control everything using the same remote.

Audio

In terms of audio, this smart TV performs fine for its price. The 20W speaker output of this TV is enough loud to fill the room very easily. In terms of audio range, the treble and vocal levels are good, but it lacks bass. Though, you can try switch between some predefined audio modes – User, Music, Standard, Movie, and Sports. However, if you want a great audio experience you may need to add a home theatre or some extra soundbar.

Final Verdict

The Kodak 55-inch 4K UHD Smart TV (55UHDXSMART) is a good choice for the display and features it offers at this price. The Smart TV lets you stream from many services, but it doesn’t come with Google Play Store, instead of this they are using a custom app store. The display quality is great and audio quality is good. LG, Sony BRAVIA, and Samsung are the leaders right now, especially LG, but they also charge a lot higher so compared to the price vs. performance, the Kodak 55-inch 4K UHD Smart TV (55UHDXSMART) seems to be a good deal. It’s available for just Rs. 43,999, so if you’re planning to buy one today, however, the price keeps fluctuating between 41K to 43K.

Pros

  • Brightness level and viewing angles are good
  • Value for money
  • Dedicated buttons to Netflix, YouTube, and Hostar
  • Cons

  • You need to point the remote in the right direction every single time
  • Blacks could be a bit deeper
  • An optimist to the core, I always see the glass half full. I like to take life as it comes and not to become too serious on the harsher aspects of it. Apart from this, I am an Engineer, a Blogger & a Researcher....

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    1 Comment

    1. Smart TV with great picture quality. Sound quality is mind blowing in this budget. Nice Features like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video,, Hot star, etc. USB Drive and HDMI Ports are Support Well. Thank you.

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