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To try to better understand how long a TV should last, we're running 100 TVs through an accelerated longevity test for the next two years. We've just posted our 1-year video update with our latest findings on temporary image retention, burn-in, and more!

Vizio E Series 2018 TV Review

Tested using Methodology v1.5
Reviewed Jun 22, 2018 at 11:28 am
Latest change: Test bench update May 21, 2020 at 08:51 am
Vizio E Series 2018 Picture
7.2
Mixed Usage
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.3
Movies
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.2
TV Shows
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.2
Sports
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.5
Video Games
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.0
HDR Movies
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.2
HDR Gaming
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.3
PC Monitor
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
This TV was replaced by the Vizio V Series 2019

The Vizio E Series is a good 4k UHD TV. It can produce deep dark scenes due to the excellent native contrast ratio and black uniformity. It also has good motion handling with a fast response time, so only a short blur trail can be seen when watching sports or gaming. Unfortunately, the picture quality degrades when viewed at an angle and the local dimming doesn't work well to improve the picture quality further.

Our Verdict

7.2 Mixed Usage

Good TV for mixed usage. The Vizio E Series 2018 is best suited for dark room settings where you'll enjoy the deep blacks. It has a great low input lag and fast response time that make it great for gaming, but the color volume is limited and HDR content doesn't pop as it should. The viewing angle isn't very wide, so it's better to sit in front of the TV.

Pros
  • Deep and uniform blacks.
  • Excellent low input lag.
Cons
  • Image degrades when viewed at an angle.
  • Can't get very bright.
7.3 Movies

The Vizio E Series is good for watching movies. It has good contrast ratio and can show deep blacks even though the local dimming feature isn't very effective at further boosting the black levels. Black uniformity is good with very little clouding, and color accuracy is great.

7.2 TV Shows

The Vizio E Series 2018 is decent for watching TV shows in a bright room. It has good reflection handling but can't overcome glare in a very bright room. It has bad viewing angles and isn't well-suited for a wide room or for watching while moving around in the house.

7.2 Sports

Decent for watching sports. The Vizio E Series 2018 has a really quick response time and there's a black frame insertion feature to help reduce motion blur. Unfortunately, there's some dirty screen effect, which is visible during sports, and the viewing angles are poor, so you'll lose some image accuracy when viewed from the side. However, it handles reflections well if you place it in a bright room.

7.5 Video Games

The Vizio E Series 2018 is very good for playing video games. Excellent low input lag across all supported resolutions and modes as long as Game Low Latency is used. It has little motion blur and can improve it by flickering the backlight, without sacrificing brightness.

7.0 HDR Movies

This is a good TV for watching HDR movies. The Vizio E Series 2018 can display panning shots without banding, but it lacks a wide color gamut, can't show saturated colors, compresses bright HDR signals, and fails to brighten highlights by much, even though its black levels are remarkable.

7.2 HDR Gaming

The Vizio E Series is a great TV for gaming in HDR. It has excellent low input lag and very little motion blur due to the fast pixel response time. HDR content doesn't look great unless you're in a dark room and the lack of wide color gamut doesn't allow the TV to produce nice saturated colors, especially in dark scenes.

7.3 PC Monitor

Great TV to use as a PC monitor. The Vizio E Series 2018 can display proper 4:4:4 chroma, which is important for reading text. The input lag is incredibly low, responding quickly to your actions. Unfortunately, it has poor viewing angles, so it's not a good TV to put in a meeting room. However, since it's an LED TV, it doesn't have a risk for permanent burn-in from static displays.

  • 7.2 Mixed Usage
  • 7.3 Movies
  • 7.2 TV Shows
  • 7.2 Sports
  • 7.5 Video Games
  • 7.0 HDR Movies
  • 7.2 HDR Gaming
  • 7.3 PC Monitor
  1. Updated May 21, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
  2. Updated Feb 21, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
  3. Updated Feb 28, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
  4. Updated Dec 13, 2018: We've corrected the number of HDMI inputs on the E55-F1.
  5. Updated Aug 16, 2018: We have retested the SDR Peak Brightness on the latest firmware (1.0.18.4) and it remains the same.
  6. Updated Jun 22, 2018: Review published.
  7. Updated Jun 20, 2018: Our testers have started testing this product.
  8. Updated Jun 20, 2018: Early access published.
  9. Updated Jun 18, 2018: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  10. Updated May 25, 2018: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

The Vizio E Series 2018 4k TV that we bought is the 65" with SKU E65-F0. Different sizes have different panel provenances, so it's possible our review doesn't represent all sizes. If someone's Vizio E Series 2018 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review.

Size Model Alternative Name Clear Action Effective Refresh Rate Real Refresh Rate Local Dimming Zones HDMI Inputs
43" E43-F1 E Series 43 240 120 Hz 60 Hz 10 3
50" E50-F2 E Series 50 240 120 Hz 60 Hz 10 3
55" E55-F1 E Series 55 240 120 Hz 60 Hz 10 3
65" E65-F0 E Series 65 240 120 Hz 60 Hz 12 4
65" E65-F1 E Series 65 240 120 Hz 60 Hz 12 4
70" E70-F3 E Series 70 240 120 Hz 60 Hz 12 4
75" E75-F1 E Series 75 240 120 Hz 60 Hz 16 4

Note: The E65-F1 variant comes equipped with 10-watt speakers whereas the E65-F0 with 15-watt ones.

Update 7/26/2018: The table has been updated to include the number of HDMI inputs in the various models.

Update 10/09/2018: Vizio has released the E75-F2 variant of the 75" 2018 E Series. The 75" F2 variant is available with either IPS or VA panels, depending on the serial number. If the 4th digit of the serial number is a '2', it's a VA panel, if it's a 'J', it's an IPS panel.

Update 12/13/2018: The E55-F1 was incorrectly listed as having 4 HDMI inputs.

Compared To Other TVs

Comparison picture

Top left: Vizio M-Series 2018 (M65-F0). Bottom left: TCL R617 (55R617). Middle: Vizio E-Series 2018 (E65-F0). Top right: Vizio E Series 2017 (E65-E1). Bottom right: Samsung NU7100 (UN55NU7100FXZA ).

The Vizio E Series 2018 is a good low-mid-range 4k TV with a few minor flaws. It's a good improvement over the 2017 E Series. See our recommendations for the best cheap TVs and the best TVs under $500.

Element Amazon Fire TV
43" 50" 55" 65"

The Vizio E Series 2018 is much better than the Element Fire TV. The E Series 2018 delivers better picture quality, including support for the latest HDR formats. The E Series has much lower input lag, great for gaming, and has an optional black frame insertion feature that can improve motion clarity. The Element Fire TV can interpolate lower frame rate content to help motion appear smoother.

Samsung NU7100
40" 43" 50" 55" 58" 65" 75"

The Vizio E Series 2018 is somewhat better than the Samsung NU7100.  The Vizio E has better reflection handling, and supports local dimming, even though it isn't very effective. The Vizio produces clearer motion with less blur thanks to the faster response time, and it's more effective at removing judder from 24p sources. The Samsung NU7100 has an optional motion interpolation feature, which is great if you enjoy the soap opera effect.

Vizio D Series 4k 2018
43" 55" 60" 65" 70"

The Vizio E Series 2018 is a bit better than the Vizio D Series 4k 2018. The Vizio E Series has a local dimming feature, although it isn't very effective. The E series has an optional Black Frame Insertion feature that can help clear up motion. The E series also supports Dolby Vision, which doesn't add much but is a nice extra. The Vizio D Series 4k 2018 has wider viewing angles, good if you have a large seating area.

TCL 6 Series 2018
55" 65" 75"

The TCL 6 Series R617 is better than the Vizio E Series 2018. The TCL R617 can get brighter and is more suitable if you have a bright room. The R617 can deliver better dark room performance thanks to its local dimming support and has an optional motion interpolation feature to please the Soap Opera Effect fans. Finally, the TCL R617 has a wide color gamut, so HDR content looks much better.

TCL 5 Series 2018
43" 49" 55" 65"

The Vizio E Series 2018 4k TV is a bit better than the TCL 5 Series S517. The Vizio E Series has better dark room performance thanks to the better black uniformity and the local dimming feature. The Vizio also has better reflection handling and better black frame insertion feature that can help clear blur. The TCL S517 has an optional motion interpolation feature, which is great if you enjoy the soap opera effect.

Vizio M Series 2018
55" 65" 70"

The Vizio M Series 2018 is a bit better than the Vizio E Series 2018. The Vizio M Series 2018 has better local dimming which allows it to display better blacks in a dark room, and at the same time, it can get brighter so that you can also place it in a bright room without any issues. The M Series 2018 also has better HDR performance, whereas the Vizio E Series 2018 has slightly better reflection handling, which is great if you watch TV shows.

Vizio P Series 2018
55" 65" 75"

The Vizio P Series 2018 is much better than the Vizio E Series 2018. The P Series has a much better local dimming feature that greatly improves dark room viewing as it can dim darker areas of the screen. The P Series also performs better in a bright room as it's brighter and better able to overcome glare. Motion looks smoother on the Vizio P Series 2018 thanks to the better response time, as well as an optional motion interpolation feature.

LG UK7700
55" 65"

The two TVs have different panel types. The LG UK7700 has better viewing angles, better reflection handling and is more appropriate for watching sports or TV shows in a room with many light sources and wide seating arrangement. The Vizio E Series 2018, on the other hand, is a better choice for a dark room where you will be sitting right in front. It has better contrast ratio, better black uniformity, and will provide a better movie experience in a dark room and better HDR performance.

Toshiba Amazon Fire TV 2018
43" 50" 55"

The Vizio E Series 2018 is much better than the Toshiba Fire TV 2018. The Vizio has local dimming and Dolby Vision support, it also has better color gamut and color volume and thus, it can display HDR content slightly better. The Vizio has lower input lag, which is great if you play video games or use the TV as a PC monitor. Finally, the Vizio has a faster response time so it can display fast-moving content with less blur. The Toshiba Fire TV 2018, on the other hand, supports motion interpolation for the soap opera effect enthusiasts and can upscale better cable input, which is important if you watch a lot of TV shows or sports.

LG UK6570
70" 75" 86"

Overall, the Vizio E Series 2018 and LG UK6570 are very similar. The Vizio E Series 2018 has a VA panel and is better suited for dark room viewing sitting directly in front. The LG UK6570 has an IPS panel and is better suited for a bright room with side seating. The UK6570 has an optional motion interpolation feature, great for fans of the soap opera effect. The LG also has lower input lag, great for gaming or use as a PC monitor.

Vizio V Series 2019
40" 43" 43" 50" 55" 55" 60" 65" 65" 70" 75"

The Vizio E Series 2018 is better than the Vizio V Series 2019. The E Series 2018 has a local dimming feature that enhances dark room performance. It also has a faster response time that leaves less blur trail behind fast-moving content. The E Series also includes a Black Frame Insertion feature that helps make motion even crisper. The Vizio V Series 2019 has slightly wider viewing angles.

Samsung RU7100
43" 50" 55" 58" 65" 75"

The Vizio E Series 2018 is a bit better than the Samsung RU7100. The Vizio has a local dimming feature that further improves dark room performance and can remove 24p judder from some sources. The Vizio has a faster response time and better reflection handling. The Samsung RU7100 has a lower input lag, great for gaming, and a motion interpolation feature.

Samsung RU7300
55" 65"

The Vizio E Series 2018 is a bit better than the Samsung RU7300. The E Series has a local dimming feature, although this doesn't add much, and it has a much faster response time. The Vizio can also remove judder from most sources, but lacks a motion interpolation feature. The Samsung has a curved screen, a motion interpolation feature, and lower input lag.

TCL 4 Series 2019
43" 49" 50" 55" 65" 75"

The Vizio E Series 2018 is better than the TCL S425. The Vizio can get much brighter and has a local dimming feature to improve dark room performance. It also includes an optional black frame insertion feature that can help make motion crisper. The TCL S425 has a lower input lag which is great for playing video games.

+ Show more

Video

Test Results

Design
7.0
Design
Style
Curved No

The design of the Vizio is decent. The TV comes with the usual wide but sturdy stand, a thick brushed bezel finish, and a metal trim on the bottom, which gives the TV a more premium look. When looking at the TV from the side, its structure looks very much like the higher-end 2018 P Series and M Series. The build quality is decent and shouldn't cause any issues.

Design
Stand

The stand is wide. It's made of plastic and supports the TV well. It won't wobble much if moved.

Footprint of the 65" TV stand: 51.8" x 11.3"

Design
Back
Wall Mount VESA 400x200

The back of the TV is plastic. It has a more sleek look and the inputs are still split between the side and the bottom edge, easily accessible if you wall-mount the TV. There's no planning for cable management.

Design
Borders
Borders 0.63" (1.6 cm)

The borders of the E Series 2018 are thick and made of plastic. There's also a thick brushed bezel finish that traverses around the screen. There's metal trim on the bottom that makes the TV look more premium.

Design
Thickness
Max Thickness 3.35" (8.5 cm)

The maximum thickness is similar to 2017 E Series. Like some other Vizio models, the structure of the TV (screen and electronics compartment) is more apparent when the TV is viewed from the side.

7.0
Design
Build Quality

Decent build quality. All the parts on the E Series 2018 are made of plastic. This is expected for a mid-low range TV. There are no gaps and the build quality won't cause issues for normal use.

Picture Quality
9.0
Picture Quality
Contrast
Native Contrast
5,811 : 1
Contrast with local dimming
5,918 : 1

Outstanding contrast ratio. This TV can display deep blacks when viewed in the dark. The contrast ratio is an improvement over the Vizio E Series 2017, and its successor, the Vizio V Series 2019, has an even better contrast ratio.

With local dimming turned on, the contrast ratio improves, but not by much.

2.0
Picture Quality
Local Dimming
Local Dimming
Yes
Backlight
Full-Array

The local dimming feature is terrible. There's noticeable blooming around bright objects and it fails to deepen any blacks. However, this is an improvement over the E Series 2017 since there's less visible blooming around bright objects compared to the previous model, and highlights transition better from one dimming zone to the next.

6.7
Picture Quality
SDR Peak Brightness
SDR Real Scene Peak Brightness
282 cd/m²
SDR Peak 2% Window
336 cd/m²
SDR Peak 10% Window
370 cd/m²
SDR Peak 25% Window
365 cd/m²
SDR Peak 50% Window
320 cd/m²
SDR Peak 100% Window
288 cd/m²
SDR Sustained 2% Window
333 cd/m²
SDR Sustained 10% Window
367 cd/m²
SDR Sustained 25% Window
363 cd/m²
SDR Sustained 50% Window
320 cd/m²
SDR Sustained 100% Window
287 cd/m²
SDR ABL
0.015

The SDR peak brightness is good. The TV reaches and maintains a brightness level that's okay for darker rooms, but in bright rooms, this might just not be enough.

Update 08/15/2018: We've retested the SDR Peak Brightness on the latest firmware (1.0.18.4) and it remains the same.

5.3
Picture Quality
HDR Peak Brightness
HDR Real Scene Peak Brightness
290 cd/m²
HDR Peak 2% Window
373 cd/m²
HDR Peak 10% Window
354 cd/m²
HDR Peak 25% Window
292 cd/m²
HDR Peak 50% Window
345 cd/m²
HDR Peak 100% Window
311 cd/m²
HDR Sustained 2% Window
348 cd/m²
HDR Sustained 10% Window
312 cd/m²
HDR Sustained 25% Window
370 cd/m²
HDR Sustained 50% Window
352 cd/m²
HDR Sustained 100% Window
291 cd/m²
HDR ABL
0.015

Mediocre HDR peak brightness. It gets bright with small highlights, but it doesn't maintain its consistency across varied content and it doesn't get bright enough to combat glare in most rooms. With HDR content, this TV won't make any highlights pop the way the creator intended them to be.

Update 08/15/2018: We have retested the HDR Peak Brightness on the latest firmware (1.0.18.4) and it remains the same.

6.8
Picture Quality
Gray Uniformity
50% Std. Dev.
4.079%
50% DSE
0.219%
5% Std. Dev.
0.699%
5% DSE
0.123%

The gray uniformity is okay. There's fairly noticeable clouding at the 50% gray level, especially towards the edges of the screen. Some dirty screen effect is visible during panning and sports shots.

The results are much better at 5% gray level, where it becomes harder to notice clouding.

5.3
Picture Quality
Viewing Angle
Color Washout
25°
Color Shift
27°
Brightness Loss
31°
Black Level Raise
15°
Gamma Shift
16°

As is the case with most VA panel TVs, the viewing angles are poor. The image loses accuracy when viewed from the side, so this TV isn't suited for a wide seating arrangement.

9.3
Picture Quality
Black Uniformity
Native Std. Dev.
0.402%
Std. Dev. w/ L.D.
1.166%

Excellent black uniformity and it's an improvement to the already great E Series 2017. There's minimal clouding and blacks look very uniform, resulting in great looking dark scenes in movies.

7.5
Picture Quality
Reflections
Screen Finish
Semi-gloss
Total Reflections
5.1%
Indirect Reflections
0.4%
Calculated Direct Reflections
4.6%

The Vizio E Series 2018 has good reflection handling. However, it cannot handle direct reflections with the same efficiency as some higher-end TVs with better anti-reflective coatings.

7.6
Picture Quality
Pre Calibration
White Balance dE
3.81
Color dE
2.07
Gamma
2.16
Color Temperature
6,211 K
Picture Mode
Calibrated Dark
Color Temp Setting
Normal
Gamma Setting
2.1

The Vizio E Series 2018 has good out of the box color accuracy. When the picture mode is set to Calibrated Dark, the color dE is well below 3, so most people won't notice any imperfections, The white balance dE is just above 3 so some might pick up the slight gray inaccuracies.

The gamma is just slightly below target. This makes shadows look darker, but not many people will notice. The colors are a little warm but nothing too annoying.

9.7
Picture Quality
Post Calibration
White Balance dE
0.10
Color dE
0.80
Gamma
2.20
Color Temperature
6,503 K
White Balance Calibration
11 point
Color Calibration
Yes
Auto-Calibration Function
No

The results after calibration are amazing. The accuracy is almost perfect in all aspects of our measurements. Color dE and white balance dE are very small, the gamma curve follows perfectly at 2.2, and the color temperature is almost perfect at 6503K.

Note: Calibration can be performed very easily with the help of the Smartcast app, as no on-screen menu is necessary.

You can see our recommended settings here.

7.0
Picture Quality
480p Input

Upscaling of low-quality content is slightly worse than average. Similar to other Vizio TVs, DVDs appear a bit soft but there's some choppiness to the image.

7.0
Picture Quality
720p Input

Upscaling of 720p content such as cable is a bit worse than most other TVs.

9.0
Picture Quality
1080p Input

1080p content, such as Blu-rays, looks excellent. The image remains clear and sharp.

10
Picture Quality
4k Input

No issues can be seen with native 4k content.

Note that we've had one reader report crosshatching visible on their 43" E Series (E43-F1).

0
Picture Quality
8k Input

This is a 4k TV that doesn't support 8k content.

Picture Quality
Pixels
Type LED
Sub-Type
VA
6.9
Picture Quality
Color Gamut
Wide Color Gamut
No
DCI P3 xy
76.56%
DCI P3 uv
82.45%
Rec 2020 xy
54.95%
Rec 2020 uv
60.17%

The color gamut is decent, but the TV fails to be classified as having a wide color gamut.

In the Calibrated Dark picture mode the TV's HDR EOTF doesn't follow the target PQ curve well; this results in a perceived loss of contrast in HDR scenes because dim shades are too bright and bright shades are too dim. The TV's EOTF remains nearly unchanged when Game Low Latency is enabled when gaming, and in the Computer picture mode during computer use. If users find HDR content too dim, raising the Backlight setting from the default 50 to 100 raises the EOTF and brightens most of an HDR scene.

6.4
Picture Quality
Color Volume
Normalized DCI P3 Coverage ITP
73.0%
10,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage ITP
31.7%
Normalized Rec 2020 Coverage ITP
53.7%
10,000 cd/m² Rec 2020 Coverage ITP
23.4%

Mediocre color volume. Without a wide color gamut, it has trouble displaying a wide range of colors at different brightness levels.

8.6
Picture Quality
Gradient
Color Depth
10 Bit
Red (Std. Dev.)
0.095
Green (Std. Dev.)
0.107
Blue (Std. Dev.)
0.082
Gray (Std. Dev.)
0.083

The gradient performance is fantastic. There's some micro-banding almost everywhere, but just in the dark green you might be able to spot a little more.

The TV has a Reduce Noise feature that may help reduce banding in low-quality content at the cost of some fine details.

10
Picture Quality
Temporary Image Retention
IR after 0 min recovery
0.00%
IR after 2 min recovery
0.00%
IR after 4 min recovery
0.00%
IR after 6 min recovery
0.00%
IR after 8 min recovery
0.00%
IR after 10 min recovery
0.00%

No image retention for this TV. This is in line with TVs that use VA panels.

10
Picture Quality
Permanent Burn-In Risk
Permanent Burn-In Risk
No

We don't expect VA panels to experience permanent image retention, as the VA panel in our long-term test appears immune.

Motion
7.7
Motion
Response Time
80% Response Time
6.0 ms
100% Response Time
12.2 ms

Excellent response time on this TV. There's minimal blur motion trail behind fast-moving objects that most people shouldn't notice. It's an improvement over the E Series 2017 and it's even better than the V Series 2019.

7.9
Motion
Flicker-Free
Flicker-Free
No
PWM Dimming Frequency
480 Hz

With Backlight settings at '100', this TV is flicker-free. However, at any setting lower than '100', it flickers at a frequency of 480Hz, which is high enough that it shouldn't bother most people.

10
Motion
Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
Optional BFI
Yes
Min Flicker for 60 fps
60 Hz
60 Hz for 60 fps
Yes
120 Hz for 120 fps
N/A
Min Flicker for 60 fps in Game Mode
60 Hz

To activate the BFI mode, set Clear Action to On. When BFI is enabled, the brightness spikes higher to compensate for the off cycles, so the perceived brightness isn't reduced. With BFI enabled, the backlight flickers constantly at 60 Hz.

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

This TV doesn't have a motion interpolation feature.

7.2
Motion
Stutter
Frame Hold Time @ 24 fps
29.5 ms
Frame Hold Time @ 60 fps
4.5 ms

Some stutter in 24p is noticeable, especially with wide panning shots. Since there's no motion interpolation to reduce it, you can only rely on the blur created by the response time to smooth it out.

7.8
Motion
24p Judder
Judder-Free 24p
Yes
Judder-Free 24p via 60p
No
Judder-Free 24p via 60i
No
Judder-Free 24p via Native Apps
Yes

It can play 24p content without judder, but only when played from a native 24p source like a Blu-ray player or from the native apps. To remove judder set Film mode to on.

When the 24fps is coming through 60i or 60p, then the TV isn't able to remove it.

0
Motion
Variable Refresh Rate
Native Refresh Rate
60 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
No
HDMI Forum VRR
No
FreeSync
No
G-SYNC Compatible
No
4k VRR Maximum
N/A
4k VRR Minimum
No VRR support
1080p VRR Maximum
N/A
1080p VRR Minimum
No VRR support
1440p VRR Maximum
N/A
1440p VRR Minimum
No VRR support
VRR Supported Connectors
No VRR support

This TV doesn't support any variable refresh rate features.

Inputs
7.8
Inputs
Input Lag
1080p @ 60 Hz
22.2 ms
1080p @ 60 Hz Outside Game Mode
65.9 ms
1440p @ 60 Hz
N/A
4k @ 60 Hz
22.3 ms
4k @ 60 Hz + 10 bit HDR
22.1 ms
4k @ 60 Hz @ 4:4:4
22.2 ms
4k @ 60 Hz Outside Game Mode
66.0 ms
4k @ 60 Hz With Interpolation
N/A
8k @ 60 Hz
N/A
1080p @ 120 Hz
N/A
1440p @ 120 Hz
N/A
4k @ 120 Hz
N/A
1080p with Variable Refresh Rate
N/A
1440p with VRR
N/A
4k with VRR
N/A
8k with VRR
N/A
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
No

The input lag is excellent. To achieve low input lag you must set the Game Low Latency to on as it's the only setting that's necessary for low input lag.

4:4:4 is only shown properly in the Computer picture mode and the Game Low Latency toggle is still necessary for low input lag, but when a chroma 4:4:4 signal is sent Game Low Latency is activated by default and grayed out.

7.5
Inputs
Supported Resolutions
Resolution 4k
1080p @ 60 Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
1080p @ 120 Hz
No
1440p @ 60 Hz
No
1440p @ 120 Hz
No
4k @ 60 Hz
Yes
4k @ 60 Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
4k @ 120 Hz
No
8k @ 30 Hz or 24 Hz
No
8k @ 60 Hz
No

Most common resolutions are supported at 60Hz except 1440p. Also there's no support for 120Hz.

Only in Computer picture mode can 4:4:4 color be displayed properly. In this mode Sharpness is set to 0 which means no added sharpness, and it's grayed out.

This year's model can support 4k @ 60 Hz @ 4:2:2 or 4:4:4 color on all ports, but it works only when Full UHD Color is enabled for that port.

4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 + HDR is also supported.

Update 10/24/2018: We've received a few reports that the 43" model does not properly display chroma 4:4:4.

Inputs
Input Photos

There's a shared component/composite input on the side inputs.

Inputs
Total Inputs
HDMI 4
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

Update 7/26/2018: The 43-inch model E43-F1 and the 50-inch model E50-F2, have only three HDMI inputs (two on the bottom and one on the side).

Inputs
Inputs Specifications
HDR10
Yes
HDR10+
No
Dolby Vision
Yes
HLG
Yes
3D
No
HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwidth
Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)
HDMI 2.1
No
CEC Yes
HDCP 2.2 Yes (HDMI 1,2,3,4)
USB 3.0
No
Variable Analog Audio Out Yes
Wi-Fi Support Yes (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)

The 2018 model supports HDR in all four HDMI ports so there will be no conflict with HDR and ARC like in the Vizio E Series 2017.

Just like the other 2018 Vizio models, the Digital Audio Out had to be manually set to Bitstream for DTS passthrough (Optical and ARC) to work. If set to Auto it stays in PCM.

Inputs
Audio Passthrough
ARC
Yes (HDMI 1)
eARC support
No
Dolby Atmos via TrueHD via eARC
No
DTS:X via DTS-HD MA via eARC
No
5.1 Dolby Digital via ARC
Yes
5.1 DTS via ARC
Yes
5.1 Dolby Digital via Optical
Yes
5.1 DTS via Optical
Yes
Sound Quality
6.1
Sound Quality
Frequency Response
Low-Frequency Extension
126.99 Hz
Std. Dev. @ 70
3.67 dB
Std. Dev. @ 80
3.68 dB
Std. Dev. @ Max
4.91 dB
Max
84.5 dB SPL
Dynamic Range Compression
3.07 dB

Sub-par frequency response. The low-frequency extension (LFE) is bad, meaning it doesn't have much power to its bass and can't produce any rumbles or thumps. It performs well above the LFE, so dialogue, such as in TV shows, is clear. This TV doesn't get very loud and there are some noticeable compression artifacts at its max volume.

7.0
Sound Quality
Distortion
Weighted THD @ 80
0.531
Weighted THD @ Max
0.826
IMD @ 80
2.00%
IMD @ Max
3.92%

Decent distortion. The sound is a bit more clear at moderate listening levels than at its max volume, but there's noticeable distortion at loud listening levels.

Smart Features
7.0
Smart Features
Interface
Smart OS SmartCast
Version 1.27
Ease of Use
Easy
Smoothness
Not Smooth
Time Taken to Select YouTube
16 s
Time Taken to Change Backlight
2 s
Advanced Options
Many

The interface is slow and basic, with no animations. There's a noticeable lag when browsing the TV shows and movies tabs, but no other bugs were encountered.

10
Smart Features
Ad-Free
Ads
No
Opt-out
No Add
Suggested Content in Home
Yes
Opt-out of Suggested Content
No

There are no ads on the interface, and this is great, but there's a large banner of suggested content that can't be disabled.

6.5
Smart Features
Apps and Features
App Selection
Great
App Smoothness
Not Smooth
Cast Capable
Yes
USB Drive Playback
Yes
USB Drive HDR Playback
Yes
HDR in Netflix
Yes
HDR in YouTube
Yes

Limited selection of apps and smart features. On our Vizio, there were the following 18 apps: Netflix, Prime Video, Crackle, VUDU, iHeart Radio, YouTube, Newsy, Dove Channel, Curiosity stream, Con TV, Pluto TV, Haystack TV, Xumo, Plex, Fandango Now, NBC, YouTube TV and Hulu.

Note: These are the US Region apps. Other regions might have different apps installed.

There's no app store but Google cast is supported.

Update 11/15/2018: Vizio has added a 'WatchFree' input via a firmware update. This uses the free Pluto TV service on the backend and is well-integrated.

6.0
Smart Features
Remote
Size
Medium
Voice Control
No
CEC Menu Control
Yes
Other Smart Features
No
Remote App Vizio SmartCast Mobile

Very basic and lightweight remote, same as Vizio M Series 2018. Small buttons, hard to read for some, but intuitive layout and easy to use. Six button shortcuts for various streaming services are found at the top of the remote.

There's no voice control built into the remote or on the TV, but if you have a separate Google Home or Amazon Alexa device they can interface with and control the TV.

Smart Features
TV Controls

Basic TV controls at the back of the TV. There's a power button, an input button, and a volume rocker.

Smart Features
In The Box

  • Batteries
  • Remote
  • Manual
Not Shown:
  • 59.5" Power Cable

Smart Features
Misc
Power Consumption 68 W
Power Consumption (Max) 127 W
Firmware 1.0.15.1