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Sharp LE653U TV Review

Tested using Methodology v1.0
Review updated Mar 01, 2017 at 06:31 am
Sharp LE653U Picture
6.4
Mixed Usage
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
6.2
Movies
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
6.3
TV Shows
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
6.6
Sports
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.2
Video Games
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
5.1
HDR Movies
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
4.1
HDR Gaming
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
4.6
PC Monitor
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
This TV has been discontinued.

The Sharp LE653U LED TV is a good basic TV with a great contrast ratio and good black screen uniformity. The main downsides are the loss of color saturation at an angle and the poor gray uniformity.

Our Verdict

6.4 Mixed Usage

The Sharp LE635U is a good budget TV. It is pretty basic, both in terms of design and functionality. The picture quality is quite good, especially in terms of the contrast ratio, but the viewing angle is quite narrow, and it has noticeable dirty screen effect due to its direct-lit backlight.

Pros
  • Great contrast ratio.
Cons
  • Limited viewing angle, with poor colors off-axis.
  • Poor gray uniformity.
  • 6.4 Mixed Usage
  • 6.2 Movies
  • 6.3 TV Shows
  • 6.6 Sports
  • 7.2 Video Games
  • 5.1 HDR Movies
  • 4.1 HDR Gaming
  • 4.6 PC Monitor
  1. Updated Mar 01, 2017: Review published.
  2. Updated May 30, 2015: Our testers have started testing this product.

Test Results

Design
7.5
Design
Style
Curved No

Design
Stand

The center stand is quite stable. The dimensions of the stand are 19.5" x 13.5".

Design
Back

The Sharp LE653U looks like a budget TV. The plastic feels cheap and the TV is thick.

Design
Borders
Borders 0.59" (1.5 cm)

Design
Thickness
Max Thickness 2.36" (6 cm)

Picture Quality
8.8
Picture Quality
Contrast
Native Contrast
5,239 : 1

The contrast ratio is really great. The blacks will look nice and deep in a dark room.

0
Picture Quality
Local Dimming
Local Dimming
No
Backlight
Direct

5.7
Picture Quality
SDR Peak Brightness
SDR Peak 2% Window
233 cd/m²
SDR Peak 50% Window
233 cd/m²

6.3
Picture Quality
Gray Uniformity
50% Std. Dev.
4.382%
50% DSE
0.228%

The gray uniformity is always a bit more problematic with direct lit LED TVs like the Sharp LE653. The LEDs behind the screen create a grid, which produces the dirty screen effect.

4.2
Picture Quality
Viewing Angle
LCD Type
VA
Color Shift
20°
Brightness
30°
Black Level
15°

The colors shift rapidly as soon as you move out of axis. You shouldn't buy this TV if you have multiple seating positions.

Update 01/06/2017: We have changed the methodology of testing. Since this is an old TV which we don't have anymore, we extrapolated the results from 2016 TVs.

9.7
Picture Quality
Black Uniformity
Native Std. Dev.
0.591%

The black uniformity is great. It doesn't have any real issues.

8.6
Picture Quality
Pre Calibration
White Balance dE
3.08
Color dE
2.2246
Gamma
2.33

9.5
Picture Quality
Post Calibration
White Balance dE
0.67
Color dE
1.2917
Gamma
2.24

7.0
Picture Quality
480p Input

480p content looks a bit too soft on this TV.

7.0
Picture Quality
720p Input

Cable TV and other 720p content also looks a bit soft.

10
Picture Quality
1080p Input

Native 1080p content like Blu-rays looks good on the Sharp LE653U.

0
Picture Quality
4k Input

6.9
Picture Quality
Color Gamut
Wide Color Gamut
No
DCI P3 xy
77.05%
DCI P3 uv
81.25%
Rec 2020 xy
55.52%
Rec 2020 uv
60.31%

8.0
Picture Quality
Reflections
Reflection
1.8%
Screen Finish
Semi-gloss

Its semi-gloss finish doesn't reflect a lot of light, which is good if you have a few lights on.
It doesn't get very bright, with a maximum luminosity of 233 cd/m2. It should be good enough for one or two windows, but not ideal for more than that.

0
Picture Quality
3D
3D
No
3D Type
No

Picture Quality
Pixels
Type LED

Motion
7.1
Motion
Motion Blur
Refresh Rate 60 Hz
Response Time
21.9 ms
Overshoot
0 ms

The amount of motion blur is pretty poor on this Sharp LE653. It is a 60Hz TV without motion interpolation.

6.0
Motion
Image Flicker
PWM Dimming Frequency
240 Hz

7.1
Motion
24p Playback
Judder-free 24p
Yes
Judder-free 24p via 60p
No
Judder-free 24p via 60i
No

0
Motion
Motion Interpolation
Motion Interpolation (30 fps)
No
Motion Interpolation (60 fps)
No

Inputs
8.1
Inputs
Input Lag
1080p @ 60Hz
34.7 ms
1080p With Interpolation
N/A
1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
34.7 ms
1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
N/A
4k @ 60Hz
N/A
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
N/A
4k @ 60Hz + HDR
N/A
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 + 8 bit HDR
N/A

The input lag varied a lot on the Sharp LE653U LED TV, from 30 ms to 40 ms. It was more often than not in the mid-30 range, hence our 34.7 ms measurement. Overall, it is a good gaming TV.

0
Inputs
Supported Resolutions
Resolution 1080p
1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
No
1080p @ 120Hz
No
4k @ 30Hz @ 4:4:4
No
4k @ 60Hz
No
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
No

Inputs
Side Inputs

Inputs
Rear Inputs

Inputs
Total Inputs
HDMI 3
USB 1
Digital Optical Audio Out 1
Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 0
Analog Audio Out RCA 1
Component In 1 (shared)
Composite In 1 (shared)
Tuner (Cable/Ant) 1
Ethernet 1
DisplayPort 0
IR In 0
SD/SDHC 0

Inputs
Inputs Specifications
HDR10
No
5.1 Passthrough ARC Dolby Digital
Yes
Dolby Vision
No
5.1 Passthrough ARC DTS
Yes
5.1 Passthrough Optical Dolby Digital
Yes
5.1 Passthrough Optical DTS
Yes
HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwidth No
ARC Yes (HDMI 1)
USB 3 No
HDCP 2.2 No
CEC Yes
MHL Yes (HDMI 3)
Variable Analog Audio Out Yes

Sound Quality
6.7
Sound Quality
Frequency Response
Std. Dev. @ 70
4.98 dB SPL
Std. Dev. @ 80
5.01 dB SPL
Std. Dev. @ Max
6.13 dB SPL
Max
92.2 dB SPL
Low-end Cutoff
106 Hz

This TV does get relatively loud, but the frequency response suffers as the volume increases. There will be noticeable pumping at higher volumes. The bass extension is rather poor.

5.0
Sound Quality
Total Harmonic Distortion
Distortion @ 70
0.03
Distortion @ 80
0.136
Distortion @ Max
0.294

This TV sounds clean at very low volumes, but there will be a significant increase in distortion at moderate volumes and higher. Especially in the Mid-Bass range.

Smart Features
Smart Features
Apps

The Sharp LE653U is a smart TV, but one with very limited app selection.

6.0
Smart Features
Interface
Smart OS Basic

Smart Features
Remote
Remote Basic

The basic remote gets the job done, and it is better than the one included with the pricier Sharp UB30U.

Smart Features
Misc
Power Consumption 63 W
Power Consumption (Max) 128 W
Firmware 2.13.1