A whole new range of Toshiba TVs was launched today at IFA in Berlin, but one of them stands out and it serves to rival some of the big players in the game, including some of Samsung's sets.
The Toshiba QA5D is the Japanese company's first-ever Quantum Dot TV and it looks set to be one of the best TVs for anyone who wants this top-tier tech on a tighter budget.
You'll be able to buy it in sizes ranging from 43-inches suited to a small living room, right up to a more home-cinema-worthy 65-inches.
I saw it in the flesh and it's certainly a looker with a sleek frameless design and a choice of simple, discreet feet to prop it up or a central platform stand. It will undoubtedly fit in no matter your living room decor and it's super slim too. But of course, it's quality that really matters.
Quantum Dot technology serves to boost the colours of the on-screen content under any room's lighting, but the Toshiba QA5D also packs all sorts of other picture-enhancing smarts like TRU Picture Engine, TRU Resolution upscaling, TRU Micro Dimming and TRU Flow MEMC, as well as Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos surround sound.
Toshiba is offering quite a far-reaching package here that should result in stunning picture quality across all types of TV shows and movies with bold vibrant colours and effective levels of contrast. Naturally how it'll compare to Samsung TVs side by side will need to be put to the test but so far Toshiba seems to be doing all the right things.
One of the very best things about the Toshiba QA5D is that it uses the Android TV operating system which is easy to navigate and very comprehensive, featuring all of the most popular streaming apps including Now, Disney+ and Netflix as well as extra smarts like Chromecast and the Google Assistant. Samsung's equivalent is Tizen OS and while it does look nice and do the job well, it's nowhere near as intuitive and won't work anywhere near as well for those with a Google Home setup.
Aside from all of that, the one big thing that makes Toshiba's Quantum Dot TV really convincing is the price. One of Samsung's cheapest QLED TVs, the Q65A, starts at £449 for the 43-inch model whereas Toshiba is offering a 43-inch set for only £399. That's a huge difference, especially now that everyone is watching their wallets that little bit more.
You can buy the Toshiba QA5D right now from retailers including Amazon, AO and Argos.
