If you’re looking for a TV with a budget of 20,000 20,000 to 25 25,000 and the size of the 43-inch screen is right, there are plenty of options to choose from. We have TVs at this price for Xiaomi, TCL, Cloudwakler, iFFALCON, Thompson and many more. Some of these TVs run on Android TV, others on AOSP. Even Android TV does not necessarily support Prime Video and Netflix in some cases. Today we have a TV from Onida. Yes, if you were a kid in the 1990’s, this brand name will immediately remind you of the devil that will appear in Onida TV commercials. The brand is still alive today and we have the Onida 43-inch Full HD Smart IPS LED TV – the Fire TV version. For the first time, we have a TV that comes with a built-in Fire TV. It comes with an Alexa-enabled voice remote control. Is it the best budget smart TV? Read on to find out.

Original specification at a glance

Panel size: 43-inch (also available in 32-inch)
Panel type: IPS
Panel resolution: 1920 x 1080 Full HD
Panel refresh rate: 60Hz
HDR 10 support: no
Dolby Vision Support: No.
HDMI port: 3
USB port: 1
Bluetooth: Yes
Wi-Fi: Yes
Ethernet: Yes
Speaker: 2 x 8W
RAM: 1GB
Built-in storage: 4.17 GB available to the user
OS: Fire TV
Price: Rs

Construction and design

In terms of design, the price range and screen size of the TV we have seen is just like any other TV. It’s simple, has a plastic shell and when placed on a table, stands on two ordinary plastic legs. The legs face outwards and hold the TV well. The TV’s exterior-facing design gives you enough space to place a set-top-box underneath the soundbar or a gaming console, or without interfering with the viewing experience. Traditionally, the TV holds the TV using two screws per foot. In the case of this TV, we have one screw per foot. At first, I thought it could lead to a stability problem but after setting up the TV I realized that it holds the TV well.

The TV is surrounded by black plastic glossy borders, again, something we are very accustomed to at this price point. One thing we’re not used to is that you don’t need to point the remote control at the TV’s IR receiver (except when you need to turn the TV on and off). The only other TV to do this is the Xiaomi TV and the fact that I can point the remote control in any direction and control the TV is a blessing. But more so when we talk about remote control. The construction of Onida TV is traditional and strong and the design allows it to be lost in the crowd.

Ports and connections

In terms of connectivity, the Onida Fire TV Edition has 3 HDMI ports, 1 USB port, optical and headphones. HDMI 1 ARC enabled. On the back, it has Ethernet port, composite in and antenna port. We’d like to see 2 USB ports at this price point, but for obvious reasons we’re not recommending a streaming device like the Fire TV Stick with this TV, let alone slide 1 USB port. The TV also supports Bluetooth. Overall, we’re happy with the connection options for the TV.

Remote control

Using this remote control is really a treat. It’s just like the Fire TV remote control, but it controls everything about your TV and brings hotkeys to services like Netflix, Prime Video, Zee 5 and Sony Liv. When you see this remote, you must remember the Fire TV remote control. At the top, you have a power button at the bottom that is above the voice button. You will then have the back, home and a menu button with the navigation buttons and selection buttons at the bottom. Next is the playback control, below which we have the volume rocker mute button and a dedicated button to control your analog (antenna) TV. After all, we have OTT hotkeys. I hope the Zee5 and SonyLiv hotkeys are programmable for whatever the OTT or app wants. This will make it a very perfect remote control. Since I personally do not use these 2 services, I will reuse them on Hotstar and YouTube. But then again, it’s just me nitpicking at the remote control. Its effectiveness when using TV is superfluous. The remote control is well made, easy to use and anyone who has used a Fire TV stick in the past will feel at home here.

Display panel and image quality

The display panel of the Onida TV Fire Edition is an IPS panel with a resolution of 1080p. The TV is not proud of the HDR, and really, it works well for the TV because the overall picture quality is quite good. Let’s go deeper.

1080P content

Since the TV has a 1080p resolution, all the content we use as part of our 4K testing is available on this TV in HD or FHD. So the scene of the warehouse fight kicking things off with the modified Carbon, Season 1 Episode 7 is one that has better details than what we saw on a budget HDR TV. From the chinchillas and details of the hero’s armor to the brightness of the house, everything is clear. Of course, we have some swallows with contrast and saturation but it has helped to change the preset from standard to dynamic. Even on a show like Grand Tour Season 1 Episode 1 where lots of cars are running through your desert, each scene had really good color reproduction and detail. Even the skin tone looks natural and detailed.

Even a show like the opening ceremony of Hour Planet Season 1 Episode 1, where the sun’s rays pass through the trees like the rays of God with a green forest that looks detailed and rich. Of course, the contrast isn’t what we’ve seen on some high-end TVs, but the fact that we’re comparing it to a more expensive TV to explain its quality is proof of how beautiful the picture looks. Even fast-paced content like Mission: Impossible Fight Sequence is immersed in this TV. Fortunately, there is no artificial smoothing or motion flow setting on the TV and the action in the movies looks exactly as it should.

Gaming

When it comes to gaming, the TV has a dedicated game mode and switching on it helps reduce the input lag a bit. We played some Assassins Creed Odyssey on this TV and the game looks beautiful. Close-up battles from the open world and even the animation details of the characters were good enough to immerse us. We also played some Forza Horizon 4 on this TV and the winter weather was chilly with white snow and the cockpit view from the Ferrari game we were driving was detailed enough to remind us that it was a simulation. If gaming is something you would do using a PS4 or an Xbox One, then this TV should be just right for your needs. Overall, the picture quality of the TV is definitely worth considering. It has nice color saturation, good details and enough control over the settings to get the content to look like your choice.

Built-in service and UI

The TV runs on the Fire TV OS and is almost identical to the UI found on the Fire TV Stick. From the home screen to settings to the App Store, everything is like a Fire TV stick, with the fluidity with which it works. The UI has just receded or hung, making me feel like I have a Fire TV stick attached to the TV. When I tried to access the TV settings, I reminded myself that there was no external device attached to it. In addition to changing the source, controlling the image settings, the UI of this TV is like a fire TV stick. One thing to note is that the Apple TV + app is available on the Fire TV stick but not on this TV

Another thing to note is that if you want to change the image or sound settings, there is no menu button on the remote control. All you have to do is press the home button for a long time and a small menu pops up at the bottom right of the screen to give you access to image settings, sound settings, info and more. It may not be something that is known in advance, and it would be nice to have a settings button on the remote control.

Coming to Smart Services, you’ll get an Alexa-enabled remote control. You can press the voice button on the remote control and say something like “Play Stranger Things from Netflix” and the TV will launch the app and start the show. You can also say things like “run cyberpunk trailer from youtube” and it will give you search results in youtube app. It is even possible for you to say “HDMI 2” and the TV source will change If you have a smart home appliance that works with Alexa, you can control them too. Overall, the UI is the most powerful component of this TV and it not only distinguishes itself from its counterparts but also makes it a great TV for the cordless generation who want a great performing TV on a budget, as far as image quality and UI are concerned. .

Myth

If there is one place where the TV is lacking and not solid, it is the audio output from the built-in speaker. It’s scary and only acceptable to watch the news. Changing audio presets doesn’t change much, and when you turn on a movie or a TV show, you don’t want anything more. Fortunately, the TV supports Bluetooth, so you can literally connect a Bluetooth speaker or a pair of Bluetooth headphones to this TV to get a better audio experience. If you have a pair of speakers or a soundbar, you can connect to the TV via a 3.5mm cable or optical or ARC to get better audio output from the TV. As impressive as the TV is with its picture and UI, the audio performance is equally bad.

The last row

If the TV didn’t have poor audio performance, I’d go out and say that it’s one of the best TVs you can get at a price of 20k-25k. But if you can invest in speakers, yes, for features, UI and most importantly, picture quality, this is a very good TV. It has a smooth, easy to use UI, good image quality and ample connectivity options. Where there is a lack of audio. If you still have doubts about this TV, you may want to check out the Mi LED Smart TV 4X (43-inch) variant. We haven’t reviewed this Mi TV, but on paper, it’s one of the few to run Onida TV for a fee.