Vizio V-Series V655M-K04 65" 2023 Review
The Vizio V-Series TV offers picture quality that shames more expensive brands, but its terrible built-in sound is a fatal flaw. Here's who should buy it.
The 30-Second Version
A budget TV with a premium picture and pathetic speakers. Buy it for your eyes, but budget for a soundbar for your ears.
Overview
Look, if you need a big, decent-looking 4K TV for your living room and you're on a budget, the Vizio V-Series is the one to get. The picture quality punches way above its price tag, especially with Dolby Vision HDR. But there's one massive, glaring flaw you need to know about: the speakers are so bad they're almost unusable. Seriously, plan on buying a soundbar the same day you buy this TV.
Performance
The numbers in our database tell a clear story. Its picture quality lands in the 85th percentile, which is genuinely impressive for a TV at this price. The Full Array backlight and Dolby Vision support mean you're getting rich, contrasty images that make other budget TVs look washed out. The surprise is how lopsided the performance is. It's a smart TV champ (88th percentile) but a gaming laggard (54th percentile), and the audio score is a catastrophic 1st percentile. It's a TV of extremes.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Strong picture quality (84th percentile) 84th
- Strong smart (79th percentile) 79th
- Strong hdr (75th percentile) 75th
- Strong connectivity (69th percentile) 69th
Cons
- Below average audio (1th percentile) 1th
The Word on the Street
Specifications
Full Specifications
Display
| Size | 65" |
| Resolution | 3840 (4K UHD) |
| Panel Type | LED |
| Backlight | Full Array |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 |
| Year | 2023 |
HDR
| HDR Formats | Dolby Vision |
| Dolby Vision | Yes |
| HDR10+ | No |
| HLG | No |
Gaming
| Refresh Rate | 60 Hz |
| VRR | FreeSync |
Smart TV
| Voice Assistant | Google Assistant, Alexa |
| Screen Mirroring | AirPlay |
| Works With | Alexa, Google, Apple HomeKit |
Audio
| Wattage | 8 |
Connectivity
| HDMI Ports | 3 |
| USB Ports | 1 |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Ethernet | Yes |
| VESA Mount | 400x200 |
Power & Size
| Weight | 16.7 kg / 36.8 lbs |
Value & Pricing
For pure picture-per-dollar value, this TV is a steal. You're getting 85th percentile picture quality for a fraction of the cost of the big brands. Just mentally add the cost of a decent soundbar to your total, because you will need one.
Price History
vs Competition
The Hisense U6 Series is its most direct rival, offering similar mini-LED tech at a close price. The Vizio often wins on smart features, but Hisense can have a slight edge in contrast. If you're a gamer, skip both and look at TCL's Q-series with its 120Hz panels. Compared to a basic Samsung or LG at this price, the Vizio's Full Array backlight and Dolby Vision run circles around their edge-lit, HDR10-only screens.
| Spec | Vizio V-Series V655M-K04 65" | Sony Bravia Sony BRAVIA 5 65" 4K HDR Smart Mini-LED TV | Samsung Neo QLED Samsung - 65” Class QN80F Series Neo QLED Mini LED | LG OLED evo - C5 series LG - 55" Class C5 Series OLED evo AI 4K UHD Smart | Hisense U65QF Mini-LED Hisense - 75" Class U6 Series MiniLED QLED UHD 4K | TCL QD Mini LED - QM6K TCL - 85" Class QM6K Series 4K UHD HDR QD Mini LED |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen Size | 65 | 65 | 65 | 55 | 75 | 85 |
| Resolution | 3840x2160 | 3840x2160 | 3840x2160 | 3840x2160 | 3840x2160 | 4K (2160p) |
| Panel Type | LED | MiniLED | Neo QLED | OLED | MiniLED | MiniLED |
| Refresh Rate | 60 | 120 | 120 | 120 | 144 | 144 |
| Hdr | Dolby Vision | Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG | HDR10+, HLG | Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG | Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HLG | Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HLG |
| Smart Platform | - | Google TV | Tizen | webOS | Fire TV | Google TV |
| Dolby Vision | true | true | false | true | true | true |
| Dolby Atmos | - | false | true | true | true | true |
| Hdmi Version | - | 2.1 | - | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare |
| Product | Hdr | Audio | Smart | Gaming | Display | Connectivity | Social Proof | Picture Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vizio V-Series V655M-K04 65" | 75.3 | 1.1 | 79.1 | 50.7 | 62.4 | 69.2 | 49 | 83.9 |
| Sony Bravia 5 65" Compare | 97.6 | 67.6 | 91.6 | 94.9 | 62.4 | 99 | 94.3 | 97.1 |
| Samsung Neo QLED 65” Class Series Neo Compare | 89.9 | 90.4 | 96.6 | 92.8 | 80.1 | 92.4 | 97.6 | 86.1 |
| LG OLED evo - C5 series 55" Class C5 Series Compare | 92.9 | 90.4 | 95.3 | 99.9 | 84.6 | 99.8 | 99.5 | 43 |
| Hisense U65QF Mini-LED 75" Class U6 Series MiniLED Compare | 98.8 | 90.4 | 93.8 | 96.5 | 69.1 | 97.2 | 97.6 | 97.1 |
| TCL QD Mini LED - QM6K 85" Class QM6K Series Compare | 96.5 | 90.4 | 98.6 | 98.4 | 37.3 | 96 | 94.3 | 86.1 |
Common Questions
Q: Is the picture really that good for a cheap TV?
Yes. The Full Array backlight and Dolby Vision support are rare at this price and make a huge difference in contrast and color compared to basic edge-lit TVs.
Q: Can I use it for next-gen gaming?
Not really. The 60Hz panel and so-so input lag mean it's fine for casual games, but it's missing the 120Hz and HDMI 2.1 features that PS5 and Xbox Series X gamers want.
Q: Do I really need a soundbar?
Absolutely. The 8W speakers are among the worst we've tested. Even a $100 soundbar will be a night-and-day improvement.
Who Should Skip This
If you're a console gamer chasing 120fps, this isn't it. Go get a TCL Q6 or Q7 instead. And if you absolutely refuse to hook up external audio, skip this TV entirely—the built-in sound will drive you nuts.
Verdict
We recommend the Vizio V-Series if your priority is movie and streaming picture quality on a tight budget. It's the best-looking TV you can get near $400. But we can only recommend it with a giant asterisk: you must buy external speakers. If you won't do that, or if you're a serious gamer needing high refresh rates, this isn't your TV.