Expert review of the Philips The One (PUS8505)

The PUS8505 has the Philips P5 processor. This processor does all the processing to display images as sharp and realistic as possible. The P5 improves the resolution and color representation. I think that's clearly visible when I watch a nature documentary, for example. This way, all the details in a cooking show look clear and bright. The television doesn't support 100Hz. If you like to watch sports, you might miss the smooth display of fast movements, like a racecar that drives past.

Thank to the Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support, you can watch HDR images from many sources. This way, you can enjoy videos with a wide color gamut, so you can also see color details in shadows or clouds. With close-ups of the cooking videos that I watch, I can clearly see a detailed image with many shades and a high contrast. I also see little glow around the bright parts of the screen on a black background. The black looks nice and dark.

The One has a nice viewing angle, thanks to the IPS panel. I notice that the contrast only worsens if I sit far to the side of the TV. The colors in the image don't distort easily either. Thanks to the relatively high brightness of the screen, I have little issues with reflections. With dark images, I sometimes see the reflections from the bright room, but they don't bother my viewing experience.

The design of the PUS8505 is similar to the design of The One of last year. The light metal bezel and stand look stylish and luxurious. All models of The One have 1 stand, except the 70-inch version. That has 2 height-adjustable stands. The 3-sided Ambilight lights up the wall behind the TV in the same colors as the image. That's especially a nice addition when you watch a movie or play a game in a dark room. This way, you can really immerse yourself in the movie or game.

The 2 speakers of The One provide a nice sound for regular use. You can clearly and brightly hear voices. I do miss some spaciousness and depth in the bass tones. Do you really want to enjoy the sound of an action movie, for example? I recommend a soundbar, or a Philips television with a built-in soundbar. The One supports Dolby Atmos, which provides a much more spacious sound. This technique echoes the sound from the walls and ceiling, so you're in the middle of it all. You can benefit even more from this with a soundbar.

The included remote feels light and has a sleek design. When I quickly want to change the image or sound, I press the menu button, so I can get started with the settings right away. There are 2 large buttons that lead you to the Netflix or Rakuten TV apps right away to stream movies or series. At the top of the remote, you can find the microphone for voice commands. With a push of the Google Assistant button, you can give voice commands to quickly look up a YouTube video, for example.

The PUS8505 uses the Android smart menu. The menu responds relatively fast and the animations look smooth. Apps that are used often, like Netflix and YouTube, are at the top of the menu. You can also easily put the apps in a different order yourself. The downside is that the menus fills the screen. Other smart platform show the menu at the bottom of the screen, but Android doesn't allow me to watch other images when I navigate the menu.