In the last few months, we’ve seen a bunch of 43-inch TV launches. It is the only screen size that offers both FHD and a 4K option in resolution. We recently reviewed the Redmi Smart TV 43 (Review) which is a 43-inch FHD SDR TV and also the Redmi Smart TV X43 (Review) which is a 4K TV with HDR support. Today we have OnePlus Y1S Edge. OnePlus has launched a 32-inch HD Ready and 43-inch FHD HDR TV in its Y1S and Y1S Edge portfolio. The difference between the Edge and non-Edge versions of the TV is that the Edge TUV does not support the Rhineland certification and the Edge comes with 24W sound output while the Y1S comes with 20W sound output. The 43-inch OnePlus Y1S Edge is priced at Rs 27,999. To put it bluntly, the Redmi Smart TV X43 is priced at Rs 28,999 whereas the Redmi Smart TV 43 (FHD SDR TV) is priced at Rs 23,999 at the time of writing this review. So how does the OnePlus Y1S Edge compare to the two Redmi offerings?

OnePlus Y1S Edge specs at a glance

Panel size: 43-inch (also available in 32-inch screen size)
Panel resolution: 1920 x 1080p – FHD
Panel refresh rate: 60Hz
HDR 10 support: Yes
HDR 10+ support: no
Dolby Vision Support: No.
Weight: 6.1 kg
HDMI port: 2
USB port: 2
Bluetooth: Yes, 5.0
Wi-Fi: Yes, dual-band
Ethernet: Yes
Speaker: 24W
Built-in storage: 8GB
RAM: 1GB
Price: MRP: 27,999

OnePlus Y1S Edge display panel and image quality

OnePlus Y1S Edge has D-LED backlighting. As far as the maximum brightness in our experiments the TV clock at around 250 nit which is quite low for HDR content. To put things in perspective, the Redmi Smart TV X43 can hit a maximum brightness of around 280 nits. However, in our Colorchecker analysis we found that the TV has an average delta error of 2.7 which is less than the Redmi Smart TV X43 and that is a good thing. Overall, in our Calman analysis, we found that the TV has good color but low peak brightness for HDR. So how does it translate into real-world performance?

Above: Saturation sweeps

Above: Color gamut coverage

HDR

The TV’s maximum brightness is too low to truly enjoy the specular highlight when using HDR content. On budget TV, we saw that 400 nits is still somewhat acceptable for enjoying HDR content. However, the colors on the TV do a decent job of making HDR content enjoyable. So, you won’t see the real specular highlights of some HDR sequences in Ready Player One, for example, you’ll be able to enjoy the colors on offer. We’ve also noticed this across the board with content on Netflix and Prime Video. Even on a show like Jack Ryan’s, we found that the performance of our test sequence is almost equal to that of the Redmi Smart TV X43 in terms of color. The downside of the OnePlus Y1S Edge is that it supports HDR 10 without any support for Dolby Vision only.

One unique thing about the OnePlus Y1S Edge is that you can turn HDR on and off from the settings menu.

There are no specific HDR image presets for image presets. Instead, you’ll find preset standards, like movies, AI, games, sports, and more. We noticed that AI Picture Mode is the default in standard picture preset settings, so you can avoid this. The movie preset worked well for most of the content we used in HDR on this TV.

SDR

SDR playback on the OnePlus Y1S Edge is on par with other budget 43-inch TVs we’ve tested and that’s a good thing. Remember, SDR content and SDR TVs are much longer than HDR and the technology is at a level that even budget TVs give a good SDR experience and the same thing happens here. Whether it was a show like Young Sheldon or a movie like Mission Impossible or Spider-Man Far From Home, the skin tone and color looked stunning. You can see some hallowing and blooming on the TV but it’s nothing, just a little bit of biased lighting can’t fix it.

Gaming

We had the same problem with the OnePlus Y1S Edge as we did with the Redmi Smart TV X43 – HDR calibration. When you first connect a PS5 (review) to the TV, you are asked to calibrate the brightness. After calibration, we left Dart 5 (review) and found the content quite burnt. We need to go into game settings and reduce all HDR settings to get the best output. Again, we’ve seen it on many budget HDR TVs. OnePlus TV has created good color with decent details appearing in a Spider-Man suit in a game like Spider-Man Miles Morales.

One thing to note is that when you connect an external device, such as a PS5 or a streaming stick, to the TV, you get access to a quick-select menu on the left. This menu helps navigate settings like input, brightness, image mode, sound mode and signal format. I hope this quick menu stays there when navigating native streaming apps as it will change the image preset and audio settings.

Audio performance

From the Redmi Smart TV X43 where the TV works better and better is its sound output. On paper, it is 6W less than the Redmi Smart TV X43 but in real-world use, the speakers sound good. There is a lack of channel separation and you will miss the thump in an action movie but the overall sound is quite acceptable. The dialogues are clear, and the high octave action sequence has a good separation between the background score and the vocals.

Where a bunch of audio presets are available on the TV, I recommend leaving the TV’s sound mode to Dolby Audio because it gives the best output overall. There are also options to improve the dialogs you need.

UI

The OnePlus Y1S Edge runs on Android TV 11 and comes with OnePlus’ own OnePlus OxygenPlay UI. Like the Xiaomi TV, it gives you the option to switch between 2 UIs with a dedicated button on the remote control. The content of the OnePlus OxygenPlay UI is like a patchwall in the first instance. However, OnePlus has added the ability to seamlessly connect your OnePlus bands to a TV just like you would on a phone. There’s also a companion app that lets you navigate the pass on TV, take screenshots, and more. Needless to say, the OnePlus ecosystem has a decent feature to absorb on those TVs.

Remote control

Although the ergonomics of the remote control are similar to what we saw in the OnePlus U1S (review), the button placement has changed slightly. The mute button has been replaced by the menu button and the menu button has been replaced by the Disney + Hotstar dedicated button. The remote control is overall well-designed and ergonomic. Just like U1S, you need to long press the menu button to bring up the settings options.

Construction and design

The build and design of the OnePlus Y1S Edge also draws inspiration from the U1S. The bottom bezel of the OnePlus Y1S Edge has a metallic finish that gives it a premium look. The legs have a sharp angular design and hold the TV quite well.

For connectivity, we have an Ethernet port with 2 HDMI ports, 2 USB ports, an optical port, a mini-AV in and an antenna port. There is also Bluetooth 5.0 and dual-band Wi-Fi.

The last row

Overall, the OnePlus Y1S Edge produces some good colors for SDR and HDR content and has good sound output. It has a full HD resolution and the UI can be easily navigated with minimal lag and stuttering. The design is also excellent. Those who are in the OnePlus ecosystem can also take advantage of some features like easy pairing with OnePlus Bud. The companion smartphone app is also feature rich. However, for just Rs 1,000 you get the Redmi Smart TV X43 which has an additional HDMI port, support for Dolby Vision and a 4K resolution which makes the OnePlus Y1S Edge a bit difficult to recommend.