Review: Getting The Big Picture with the PRISM+ Alpha (AL) TV Series

When local tech brand, PRISM+ came onto the market with their ridiculously affordable TVs, their products were snapped up and constantly sold out. The brand was able to keep prices low by cutting out the “middle man” (ie. distribution channels like physical stores), and creating a basic product with their own proprietary system. Now that PRISM+ has established themselves as a reliable and well-known household name, they’ve expanded their line of televisions to include Android TVs, which allow users to download apps from the vast Google Play Store (there’s more than 5,000 Android apps); and this gamble has paid off — their Q-Series appears to be their most popular line yet, with the largest size (the Q75) being sold out at the time of writing.

Above: An Android TV means you can tap into the Google Play Store to download all your favourite entertainment apps. There’s HBO Go as well (not shown in the pic above). photo courtesy prism+.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE DISPLAY

While the Q-Series offers a 4K viewing experience, PRISM+ took this TV line a step further and released the Alpha (AL) Series, which stands out with an OLED screen. The result is a stunning display that’s remarkably clear, vivid, vibrant and life-like. Check out the swanky ad for the AL-Series:

Watching movies and shows on this gorgeous 4K OLED display is a glorious experience; the colour reproduction is precise, with no traces of backlight blooming, while the motion visuals are super smooth, owing to the Real Motion technology that plays each scene at the highest frame rate possible.

Above: Standard dynamic range vs. high dynamic range. photo courtesy prism+.

I love how slim this new screen is as well; it has what the brand calls a ZeroBezel design, so there’s hardly any bezel at all, which leads to a truly sleek design. The entire TV has a side profile of just 4mm, which allows it to sit flat against the wall and be discreet. I opted for the fixed wall mount which occupies less space than the swivel mount that allows you to turn the TV at various angles (I don’t foresee myself needing this). There are also the standard legs that come packed in the box, so the TV can sit on a console if you have one and prefer not to drill holes in your wall.

Above: PRISM+ AL55 TV on legs. photo courtesy prism+.

And because this TV is so beautiful, if you have the floor space, I’d recommend placing it on the brand’s Kanva Stand, which is a premium metal frame set on tapered beechwood legs, and looks absolutely stunning. This will turn your TV set into a freestanding art piece and it’s not bad at all. If anything, the reviews from happy and satisfied customers on the product’s page will convince you to invest in one.

Above: The Prism+ AL-Series on the Kanva Tripod Stand ($169, left) and Quad Stand ($199, right). Photo taken from prismplus.sg.

YOU CAN GO WIRELESS

A tie-in with Google also connects you to Google Assistant, so you can control the TV with just your voice. If you have an existing smart home ecosystem, you can hook the AL-Series up to that too. Another useful thing is that Chromecast is built-in to the TV so it’s possible to cast photos, videos and music from your smartphone to the large screen.

THERE’S PRETTY BALANCED SOUND

For almost every TV I’ve owned, the built-in sound has been dismal (voices tend to be too soft, while ambient noises like a gun shot or siren are shockingly loud and piercing); when it comes to sound, PRISM+ has done something right with the AL-Series and it’s fairly balanced. The two models (55AL and 65AL) utilise Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos so you don’t just get quality visuals, but quality spatial sound as well. I appreciate that I can actually hear dialogue without getting shocked by any sudden background noise.

If you want to upgrade your sound, the AL-Series is best paired with one of the new PRISM+ soundbars. There’s the PRISM+ Symphony ($699) and Flow ($249), featuring Dolby Atmos spatial audio and Dolby Audio respectively. They match the AL-Series TV with their sleek aesthetics, and when you crank them up when your friends are over, you’ll get a truly cinematic experience.

Above: PRISM+ AL-Series TV with Flow soundbar. photo courtesy prism+.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Here’s my TV set against the wall:

Above: the AL65 TV is so sleek that only the power cable stands out (which i intend to create trunking for).

It’s been a month of Netflix and HBO Go on this new screen. During the day, the display is really bright; so bright I can watch my shows without any distracting reflections. While at night, the screen is very comfortable to look at, even when the room is completely dark. Some of the visuals on the screen look unreal; it’s so incredibly clear that it feels like the scene is playing out right in front of me in real life. In fact, I can’t imagine TV screens getting any clearer than this.

It’s also quite evident that the AL-Series is priced fairly higher than the brand’s Q-Series (for example the 55″ Q-Series is priced between $799 and $999, while the 55″ AL-Series is priced at $1,699), which really sets the AL-Series in the premium market category. Its price range is undoubtedly high and not for everyone, but if you truly relish your TV shows and spend most of your free time glued to the TV screen, a better display will be a worthwhile investment for you. If you’re on a budget (who isn’t?), consider the 55″ rather than the much pricier 65″, which retails at $2,799. The specs are the same; it’s just 10 inches less display.