OnePlus’s journey in the Indian TV market is just over 2 years old now, and the company has found a good amount of success. They first entered the high-end TV market with the Q1 series in 2019, but it was the OnePlus U1 and Y series that launched last year that became really popular. This year, OnePlus has improved upon the U1 series and introduced the U1S series for the Indian market, launching it in three sizes – 50, 55 and 65-inch options. These 4K TVs come with a couple of new features and upgrades over the previous generation, and they start at a price of Rs. 39999. Here is our review of the OnePlus U1S 65-inch model.
Design and build quality
The OnePlus U1S has a simple design overall, with a plastic build for the most of the exterior. The bezels are quite minimal, resulting in a screen-to-body ratio of 95.7% for all models, which supports the good viewing experience offered by the TV.
The bottom bezel alone is a bit thicker and grey in colour with a OnePlus logo in the center. Right underneath the bottom bezel are the LED indicators for the Google Assistant, along with a toggle for the far-field mics.
The back panel is entirely made out of plastic and while it does feel good, it does not necessarily feel premium. The ports are entirely found on the back side too, and they are all to one side.
OnePlus includes two metal stands in the box that allow the TV to be set on a table or any surface. They feel high quality and I feel confident in the stability they offer when using them for the larger 65-inch model.
The remote is similar to previous OnePlus TVs, with the typical control buttons, a Google Assistant button and shortcut keys for Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
Picture and audio quality
The OnePlus U1S comes in three size variants – a 50-inch, a 55-inch and a 65-inch. They all feature a 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels) LED-backlit, LCD, 60HZ panel with support for 10-bit colours. The TV is certified for HDR10, HLG and HDR10+, which means that the TV supports 4K HDR streaming on various services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and of course, YouTube.
It offers a wide colour gamut, with 93% DCI-P3 coverage as well as a Delta E<2, that results in good colour reproduction and subsequently, a better viewing experience. In addition to this, the OnePlus U1S supports Color Space Mapping technology that will ensure lower discrepancies when mapping colours and tone across different colour spaces.
The TV’s Gamma Engine has more than 50 algorithms that are supposed to offer real-time image quality optimization, and it has another feature called AI Picture Quality that adjusts the Gamma curve to ensure that the details of darker visuals are clearer and more visible. Other features supported by the U1S include Advanced motion estimation, motion compensation
(MEMC) algorithms and Anti-Aliasing technology, which ensure smoother, yet sharper images for a natural viewing experience.
Regarding audio, the TV comes with a 4-unit (two full-range box speakers and double tweeters), 2-channel, downward-firing speaker system with a total power output of 30W. The speakers are co-tuned with Dynaudio, and they support Dolby Audio processing technology. Thanks to HDMI eARC support, you can connect a Dolby Atmos compatible speaker and enjoy a very good listening experience. The TV also features a built-in optical output if you need it for your soundbar or AV receiver.
With a total output of 30W, the built-in speakers do get loud, and at reasonable volumes there is no distortion. From my experience, the speakers do a good job in the mid-frequencies and output reasonably detailed high frequencies, and the drawback is its lacklustre bass. While it very much present, it feels impact-less and does not compliment the higher frequencies well enough. That said, overall, the speakers of the OnePlus U1S do a good enough job for built-in speakers.
Software and features
The OnePlus U1S runs their custom OxygenPlay 2.0 operating system that is based on Android 10. As is with all Android TVs, you get access to the Google Assistant, Built-in Chromecast and of course, the Google Play Store and all of its downloadable apps.
With its Speak Now feature, users can take advantage of the far-field microphones and trigger the Google Assistant easily from afar. In our usage, the mics did a good job of picking up my voice and understanding what I was saying.
OnePlus has added a number of features with OxygenPlay 2.0 such as Sports Zone and Live News Zone which are dedicated sections for each category respectively. There are 16 content providers preloaded in OxygenPlay 2.0, and users can add content from each of these apps to the Watchlist to easily keep track of them. When playing games via a console over HDMI, the TV will automatically switch into Game Mode and activate Low Latency, and there is a Data Saver feature that provides users with more control over their data usage.
A whole set of smart features unlock when you connect the TV with the OnePlus Connect 2.0 app for an Android or iOS smartphone. Some of the basic capabilities include:
- Trackpad
- Type Sync
- Quick App Switch
- File Transfer
- User Metrics
Along with this, the app also enables a lot of other smart features, including:
- A Timer to automatically turn off the OnePlus TV U1S at a set hour.
- Remotely manage the TV’s built-in Kids Mode.
- One Click Cleanup, which will clear out apps from the TV’s RAM
- Multicast, which allows users to cast up to two smartphone screens at once in a split view.
OnePlus also provides extra functionality with their ecosystem of products, like for example, you can connect a OnePlus smartwatch and control basic functionalities of the TV straight from your wrist. The OnePlus Watch can also detect when you go to sleep and automatically turn off the TV with it. When using the OnePlus Buds, there will be a connection prompt on the TV for seamless connection.
Performance
The OnePlus U1S comes with a quad-core processor that consists of 4 ARM Cortex A55 cores clocked at a maximum of 1500MHz. It is complemented by 2GB of RAM and 16GB of built-in storage.
Regarding the performance, this is one area where I feel the OnePlus U1S struggled a bit. At first, I would notice hiccups and slowdowns when navigating through the software, but to OnePlus’ credit, they have released a number of software updates that have fixed most of the issues.
Connectivity
All of the physical ports can be found on the back panel on one side. The TV comes with 3 HDMI 2.1 compatible ports of which one supports HDMI ARC, 1 RJ45 port, 1 AV input, 1 Optical audio output, 1 RF input and 2 USB 2.0 ports. For wireless connectivity, the TV supports Wi-Fi 5 802.11ac and Bluetooth 5.0.
Conclusion
At Rs. 66,999 for the 65-inch model, the OnePlus U1S does offer a good experience for the price. It has a simple design with acceptable build quality, has a good 4K HDR-capable panel, comes loaded with a lot of smart features, and the 30W speakers with Dynaudio tuning are decent. It features support for HDMI 2.1, HDMI ARC, ALLM, Dolby Audio and the far-field mics enable the ‘Speak Now’ feature for hand-free Google Assistant control.
The value of the OnePlus U1S is a lot more if you are deep in the OnePlus ecosystem, specifically the OnePlus Watch and OnePlus Buds. Especially if you are deep in the OnePlus ecosystem, the value of the U1S increases significantly.
The OnePlus U1S is available for purchase Flipkart, Amazon.in and the OnePlus Store at the following prices –
- 65-inch: Rs. 66,999
- 55-inch: Rs. 49,999
- 50-inch: Rs. 43,999