We’ve all been there – ready patiently (or impatiently) as our supposedly “sensible” TV takes its candy time booting up, sluggishly navigating menus, or buffering endlessly whereas attempting to launch an app. For a lot too lengthy, the Good TV expertise, particularly exterior the premium tier, has felt like a compromise, lagging considerably behind the fluid responsiveness we demand from our smartphones. Lumio, a brand new model from Circuit Home Applied sciences, enters the Indian market with a daring declare: to repair gradual TVs. Their Imaginative and prescient collection, positioned as “flagship killers,” guarantees pace, optimization, and a consumer expertise that doesn’t take a look at your endurance.

We acquired the Lumio Imaginative and prescient 7 50-inch 4K QLED TV for evaluate, a mannequin squarely aimed on the aggressive mid-range section. Priced at ₹34,999 at launch, it boasts a QLED panel, a supposedly highly effective “BOSS Flagship Processor” with 3GB of RAM, Google TV, and distinctive options just like the TLDR content material dashboard. However does it stay as much as the hype? Can it really provide a easy, frustration-free expertise that challenges the established order? Let’s dive deep into our hands-on expertise.

Meet Lumio: A New Model with a Mission

Earlier than we get into the TV itself, who precisely is Lumio? They’re a recent face within the Indian client tech scene, launched by Circuit Home Applied sciences, an organization based only a 12 months in the past with the formidable objective of constructing India’s next-generation tech model. Their mission, as acknowledged of their information, isn’t simply to make merchandise, however to “problem the established order, reimagine residence leisure, and create merchandise that spark pleasure.”

So, why begin with TVs? Lumio highlights a vital ache level many people have felt. After analyzing a staggering 50,000 consumer evaluations, they discovered {that a} majority (66%) have been sad with their TV’s efficiency, citing laggy interfaces and gradual app launches as main frustrations. The machine meant to be the centerpiece of leisure was typically inflicting annoyance. Lumio believes TVs decelerate as a result of software program evolves sooner than the {hardware}, resulting in limitations in storage, RAM, and processing energy over time. Their acknowledged method with the Imaginative and prescient collection is totally different: give attention to high-performance {hardware}, sensible software program optimization (working intently with Google), and a relentless give attention to pace, aiming to construct TVs that keep quick not simply at the moment, however for the long term. It’s a compelling mission assertion that units excessive expectations for the Imaginative and prescient 7.

Design and Construct High quality: Surprisingly Premium

First impressions matter, and the Lumio Imaginative and prescient 7 makes a powerful one, largely exceeding expectations for its worth bracket. Whereas constructed primarily from plastic, it makes use of high-quality supplies that really feel surprisingly stable and durable. There’s not one of the creakiness or extreme flex typically discovered on finances TVs. It provides off a genuinely premium vibe, suggesting Lumio hasn’t reduce corners on the bodily building.

The design itself is clear and trendy, characterised by very minimal bezels on three sides, permitting the image to dominate and offering an immersive viewing expertise. One significantly considerate contact is the design of the again panel – it appears to be like clear and regarded, an space typically neglected. Much more spectacular is the I/O port space; as an alternative of the standard black plastic recess the place discovering ports requires a flashlight, Lumio has used a reflective movie or plate. This straightforward addition makes the ports simply seen even in low mild – a implausible, user-friendly element.

The TV rests on two feet-style stands which really feel inflexible and supply a really passable stable base, extra reassuring than many opponents. For this 50-inch mannequin, they’re spaced 99cm aside, requiring a fairly vast desk floor. Whereas we didn’t take a look at wall mounting (VESA help is confirmed, however a mount wasn’t supplied), the simply seen ports recommend entry shouldn’t be too tough. Dealing with the TV throughout setup was additionally surprisingly manageable. Regardless of being a 50-inch panel, its 13.5kg weight (with stand) felt balanced, and one individual might comfortably connect the stands, place it on a desk, and even carry it up a flight of stairs. It doesn’t really feel unwieldy, although bigger display sizes within the lineup would seemingly necessitate two folks. Cable administration is fundamental, counting on the flexibleness provided by a removable SMPS-style energy cable slightly than built-in clips or channels. Total, the design and construct high quality punch above their weight, delivering a stable, premium-feeling package deal with considerate user-centric particulars.

Show & Image High quality: Succesful QLED with Caveats

The Imaginative and prescient 7 boasts a 50-inch 4K UHD (3840×2160) QLED panel, using a Quantum Dot layer over a typical Blue LED backlight. Out of the field, significantly in commonplace image modes, the picture high quality is spectacular for the worth. Native 4K content material seems sharp, detailed, and pleasingly contrasty. Colours, benefiting from the QLED expertise and vast gamut protection (claimed 114% DCI-P3 for the 50-inch), look vibrant but pure, avoiding the oversaturation typically seen on lower-end panels. The TV helps Dolby Imaginative and prescient, HDR10, and HLG, and the HDR presentation is sweet, preserving element nicely in highlights and shadows throughout the panel’s limits. It delivers a noticeable step up from SDR, providing a nice and balanced HDR expertise, even when it lacks the retina-searing peak brightness or absolute blacks of high-end OLED or Mini-LED shows (like Lumio’s personal Imaginative and prescient 9). For HDR lovers looking for most affect, expectations must be tempered by the worth level and the inherent capabilities of this panel expertise (rated as much as 400 nits).

Brightness is enough to deal with viewing in brightly lit rooms, the place the image stays simply watchable. The display contains a shiny end, widespread on most TVs, however incorporates an efficient anti-reflective layer. This doesn’t eradicate reflections fully however diffuses them considerably, making them seem blurry and far much less distracting than sharp mirror-like reflections, particularly for mild sources additional away.

As anticipated from a typical QLED with out native dimming, black ranges aren’t good, showing extra as a really darkish grey in utterly black scenes. Distinction and colour uniformity additionally visibly degrade when seen from wider off-angles (past roughly 70 levels off-center, or 140 levels whole), although brightness and sharpness maintain up higher. Head-on viewing supplies the optimum expertise. Whereas the underlying backlight construction can typically be subtly perceived on uniform grey screens, particularly off-axis, that is attribute of the expertise and wasn’t distracting throughout regular content material viewing. Blooming round shiny objects additionally wasn’t a major challenge.

The DOPE Image Engine handles upscaling surprisingly nicely. We watched 720p content material on Netflix (like Oppenheimer), and it seemed remarkably clear and sharp on the 4K panel, indicating efficient processing that enhances element with out introducing extreme synthetic sharpening. Decrease-resolution content material is definitely watchable and appears “ok.” The panel’s native refresh price is 60Hz. Whereas this implies no help for 120Hz gaming, movement dealing with for traditional 50/60fps content material (like IPL matches) appeared easy and regular, with out extreme judder or blur. MEMC (movement smoothing) is out there and appears improved over older variations, however like most implementations, it may introduce the ‘cleaning soap opera impact’ and visual artifacts round very fast-moving objects (e.g., a cricket ball throughout a boundary shot). Most customers, ourselves included, most well-liked disabling MEMC for essentially the most pure look.

Total, the Imaginative and prescient 7’s QLED panel delivers a high-quality image for its worth section, with good brightness, vibrant colours, sharp 4K element, and efficient upscaling. Its essential limitations are the usual 60Hz refresh price and the everyday off-angle viewing/black stage efficiency of non-local dimming QLEDs.

Audio High quality: Surprisingly Good, Bass Apart

Built-in TV audio is commonly an afterthought, however Lumio appears to have paid consideration right here. The 50-inch Imaginative and prescient 7 contains a 30W quad-driver speaker system (2 tweeters + 2 full vary) with “DGS Audio” tuning and help for Dolby Atmos. The outcomes are surprisingly spectacular.

Probably the most notable energy is readability. Dialogue in films and TV exhibits comes via clearly and distinctly, even at decrease volumes. The general sound signature is well-balanced throughout mids and highs, avoiding the tinny or muffled sound widespread on many TVs. It will probably additionally attain excessive volumes with out noticeable distortion. The truth is, the general audio efficiency feels akin to, and even higher than, many mid-range soundbars, which is excessive reward for built-in audio system. Dolby Atmos processing provides a level of spaciousness, although its effectiveness depends on the supply content material and room acoustics. We discovered that in a smaller room, disabling encompass results and utilizing a customized EQ supplied a extra targeted and preferable sound.

The primary weak spot, nevertheless, is the bass response. Low frequencies lack punch and affect, feeling subdued in comparison with the clear mids and highs, particularly when listening to music. Whereas sufficient for informal viewing, the dearth of deep bass means an exterior soundbar with a subwoofer continues to be really useful for customers wanting a very cinematic or immersive music expertise. Fortunately, eARC help on HDMI 1 makes connecting such a system easy.

Good TV Efficiency & Options: Pace is the Title of the Sport

That is the place Lumio makes its greatest claims, and largely delivers. The mix of the “BOSS Flagship Processor” and a beneficiant 3GB of DDR4 RAM ends in a remarkably easy and responsive Google TV expertise. Navigating the interface, scrolling via suggestions, opening apps, and switching between them feels fluid and snappy, a stark distinction to the lag typically skilled on different TVs on this worth vary. The declare of being “2x sooner” feels substantiated in real-world use – boot occasions are fast, and apps like Netflix load quickly. The TV additionally wakes immediately from standby, including to the seamless really feel. This stage of efficiency is akin to flagship TVs and is a significant energy.

The Google TV working system (primarily based on Android 11) supplies entry to the huge Google Play Retailer ecosystem. Key Indian streaming apps like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, SonyLIV, ZEE5, and JioCinema all put in and ran with out points. The 16GB of inside storage proved enough for putting in a wide selection of important apps.

Lumio’s customized TLDR dashboard affords a recent method to content material discovery, presently specializing in Sports activities and Music. It presents suggestions and classes in an intuitive vertical-scrolling web page structure with horizontal content material playing cards, adhering to Lumio’s branding. It’s a easy and visually nice interface, although its long-term utility will rely upon what number of content material classes are added past the preliminary two. Google Assistant voice management, accessed through the distant’s microphone, labored very well, understanding instructions precisely and responding shortly.

Different options just like the DOPE image engine, DGS audio tuning, and fundamental ambient modes perform as anticipated. The primary uncertainty is Lumio’s long-term software program replace dedication; whereas an replace was supplied throughout the evaluate interval (suggesting lively growth), no official coverage on OS model upgrades or safety patch frequency was out there.

Distant Management: Small Dimension, Massive Satisfaction

Usually neglected, the distant management (“Minion” distant) is one other standout function. It’s apparently well-designed – compact, glossy, mild, but feeling sturdy because of high-quality plastics. The ergonomics are wonderful, becoming comfortably within the hand. However the actual spotlight is the button really feel, which is phenomenal: tactile, easy, but grippy, offering satisfying suggestions with every press.

The distant makes use of each IR and Bluetooth, guaranteeing dependable operation without having direct line-of-sight for many capabilities. The built-in microphone for Google Assistant works completely. It contains related shortcut buttons for the Indian market: Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, and the customized TLDR button. Whereas it lacks superior options like a quantity pad, air mouse pointer, or photo voltaic charging, these omissions weren’t strongly felt, and the core expertise of utilizing this distant is very satisfying because of its design and responsiveness.

Gaming Options: Primary however Practical

The Lumio Imaginative and prescient 7 isn’t positioned as a high-end gaming TV, primarily because of its 60Hz panel. This limits gaming to a most of 60fps and means options like VRR (Variable Refresh Charge) are absent. Nonetheless, it does help ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) through its HDMI 2.1 ports. In testing, ALLM labored successfully, robotically switching the TV to its lowest latency setting when a appropriate console (like a PS5) was related. Enter lag felt noticeably excessive with Sport Mode off, however vanished as soon as Sport Mode was enabled (both robotically through ALLM or manually when connecting a PC), offering a easy and responsive really feel appropriate for informal and much more severe 60Hz gaming. HDR gaming can also be supported through the WCG setting. There isn’t a devoted on-screen Sport Bar for fast entry to settings.

Conclusion: A Refreshingly Quick and Premium Mid-Ranger

The Lumio Imaginative and prescient 7 50-inch QLED TV efficiently delivers on its core promise of combating the sluggishness typically present in mid-range Good TVs. Its standout strengths are its exceptionally easy and responsive efficiency, the premium really feel of its design and construct high quality (particularly contemplating the worth), and the surprisingly good built-in audio readability. The QLED panel affords a vibrant and sharp image appropriate for many viewers, and the well-designed distant enhances the every day consumer expertise.

Nonetheless, potential patrons should weigh these positives in opposition to clear limitations. The 60Hz panel restricts movement dealing with and gaming capabilities (no VRR/120Hz). As a typical QLED with out native dimming, black ranges and viewing angles are common, falling wanting OLED/Mini-LED requirements. The bass response from the audio system is weak, necessitating a soundbar for impactful audio.

Who’s it for? This TV is a superb selection for customers prioritizing a quick, fluid, user-friendly Good TV interface above all else. For those who’re bored with laggy menus and gradual apps on different TVs on this worth vary, the Lumio Imaginative and prescient 7 will really feel like a breath of recent air. It’s additionally nice for individuals who respect good design, stable construct high quality, clear dialogue, and an excellent distant. Informal avid gamers will respect the low enter lag supplied by ALLM.

Worth Proposition: At ₹34,999, the Lumio Imaginative and prescient 7 affords compelling worth by delivering a easy efficiency and premium really feel typically related to costlier TVs. The trade-offs (60Hz panel, common blacks, weak bass) are arguably acceptable compromises for reaching this stage of responsiveness and construct high quality at this worth level.

Advice: Sure, the Lumio Imaginative and prescient 7 is really useful, particularly for customers annoyed with gradual Good TVs who worth a easy interface, good image high quality for normal viewing, clear audio, and a premium design really feel with out breaking the financial institution. Simply pay attention to the 60Hz panel limitations for movement and gaming, and take into account budgeting for a soundbar if impactful bass is vital to you.

Execs:

• Exceptionally easy and responsive Google TV efficiency
• Premium construct high quality and design really feel for the worth
• Minimal bezels and considerate design touches (e.g., seen ports)
• Brilliant, sharp, and vibrant QLED image high quality
• Good out-of-box colour accuracy
• Efficient 4K upscaling (DOPE Engine)
• Surprisingly clear, balanced, and loud built-in audio (DGS Tuning)
• Excellent distant management design and button really feel
• Efficient voice management (Google Assistant)
• Good app compatibility and efficiency
• ALLM help for low-latency gaming

Cons:

• 60Hz refresh price limits movement dealing with and gaming (no VRR/120Hz)
• Viewing angles restricted for distinction and colour accuracy
• Black ranges should not absolute (typical for non-local dimming QLED)
• Weak bass response from built-in audio system
• No devoted Sport Bar interface
• Lengthy-term software program replace coverage unclear
• Shiny display, although anti-reflective layer helps