Vizio V Series V4K43M-0801 43"

The Vizio V4K43M-0801 has HDR support in the 96th percentile, which is outstanding for a $300 TV. But the display itself ranks in the 13th percentile and the smart platform is in the 7th, so the great HDR formats are stuck on a weak panel. It's a budget set with premium format support and budget everything else.

Let's talk about that HDR score first because it's the headline. 96th percentile means this Vizio supports HDR formats better than almost anything else we've tested at this size. Dolby Vision and HDR10+ both being present is genuinely uncommon at $300. Most budget TVs pick one or the other. HLG rounds out the trio. The catch is that the panel itself is a basic 43-inch LED with a 60Hz refresh rate, and picture quality overall is only at the 36th percentile. So the TV can accept all these fancy HDR signals, but it doesn't have the brightness or contrast hardware to make them look dramatically better than standard content.

Gaming is a 50th percentile story. You get HDMI VRR, ALLM, and a Game Mode, which sounds great on paper. But it's a 60Hz panel with no mention of high refresh rate support, so you're capped at 60 frames per second. For casual console gaming on a PS5 or Xbox Series S, that's fine. For competitive PC gaming or anyone wanting 120Hz, this isn't the set. Audio sits at the 64th percentile thanks to Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual X support, though the built-in speakers are still TV speakers. The Wi-Fi 6 support is nice for streaming stability, but the smart platform itself ranks in the 7th percentile, which means the software experience is likely sluggish and frustrating.

Against the competition, this Vizio is in a different weight class entirely. The Samsung Neo QLED QN70F, Hisense U8 Series 65U8QG, Sony BRAVIA 5 K55XR50, TCL QM6K Series 55QM6K, and LG OLED evo C6 series are all mid-range to premium sets with larger screens and better panels. The Vizio's 96th percentile HDR score is genuinely competitive with those sets on paper, but its 13th percentile display and 7th percentile smart platform put it far behind in real-world use. The TCL QM6K and Hisense U8 are both known for strong budget-to-midrange picture quality, and they'd likely embarrass this Vizio in a side-by-side. The LG OLED is in a completely different universe. If you're cross-shopping these, the Vizio only makes sense if your budget is hard-capped at $300 and you specifically want Dolby Vision plus HDR10+ in one box.

At $300, the value proposition is complicated. You're getting HDR format support that belongs on a much more expensive TV, plus Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth. That's a real feature set for the money. But you're also getting a display that ranks in the 13th percentile and a smart platform in the 7th. The single US listing at $300 makes price comparison easy, but it also means you can't shop around much. If HDR format compatibility is your top priority and you don't care about smart features or panel quality, this is a decent deal. If you want a TV that actually looks good, you'll probably want to spend a bit more elsewhere.

The Vizio V4K43M-0801 is a 43-inch 4K TV that punches way above its weight in one specific area: HDR. Its HDR support sits in the 96th percentile of our database, which is wild for a budget set. Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and HLG are all here, so you're getting format coverage that some TVs twice the price don't offer. But that's where the excitement mostly ends. Picture quality overall lands at the 36th percentile, and the display itself is down at the 13th percentile. So you're getting great HDR format support on a panel that can't fully show it off.

At $300, this is a classic budget TV story. Vizio packed the spec sheet with buzzwords like Dolby Atmos, DTS Virtual X, HDMI VRR, and Wi-Fi 6, but the underlying hardware is entry-level LED. The smart platform ranks in the 7th percentile, which is rough. Gaming sits dead center at the 50th percentile, audio is a bit above average at 64th, and connectivity is below average at 28th. It's a mixed bag, and whether it works for you depends entirely on what you actually watch.

Skip this if you care about picture quality or smart features. The display ranks in the 13th percentile and the smart platform in the 7th, which means a dim, washed-out panel and a sluggish interface. If you're buying a main TV for a living room and you watch movies or sports regularly, the 36th percentile picture quality will disappoint. Anyone wanting 120Hz gaming should also look elsewhere, since this is a 60Hz panel. And if you're comparing against the TCL QM6K or Hisense U8, those sets are in a different league for not much more money.

The Vizio V4K43M-0801 is a $300 TV with a premium HDR feature list bolted onto a budget panel. The 96th percentile HDR support is the real deal, and Dolby Vision plus HDR10+ at this price is genuinely impressive. But the 13th percentile display and 7th percentile smart platform are hard to ignore. This is a TV for someone who wants format compatibility and streaming stability above all else, and is willing to accept a mediocre picture and a clunky interface to get it. For a bedroom TV or a secondary set, it's fine. For a main living room TV, you can do better.