First announced in February of this year, the Philips OLED808 was shaping up to be a worthy adversary to the LG C3 OLED; that was until it was delayed indefinitely here in the UK.
Plagued with a licensing issue between Google TV and Freeview Play, Philips had to push back the launch of its latest OLED TV, and missed the original August release date. Thankfully, it looks like we won't have to wait for too much longer.
We've had confirmation that the Philips OLED808 will finally launch in the UK in mid-October – though sadly, this isn't due to Philips resolving its issue with the lack of Freeview Play support.
Instead, the company has decided to cut its losses and release the TV without the ability to download the usual suite of UK streaming apps, including BBC iPlayer, ITV X and Channel 4.
While this might be a deal-breaker for some, we'd recommend investing in a media streamer, maybe an Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max or an Apple TV 4K (2022), for a simple fix to the issue.
Philips has also shared pricing for all available sizes, and we have a full breakdown below.
Philips OLED808 price breakdown
- Philips 42OLED808: £1400 (around $1745 / AU$2720)
- Philips 48OLED808: £1600 (around $1990 / AU$3110)
- Philips 55OLED808: £1800 (around $2240 / AU$3500)
- Philips 65OLED808: £2100 (around $2620 / AU$4080)
- Philips 77OLED808: £3800 (around $4730 / AU$7390)
Comparatively, the LG C3 has had some time to marinate and has since come down in price, with some equivalent-size models now costing less than the Philips.
For example: the 42-inch LG C3 is now closer to £1100, the 55-inch LG undercuts the Philips by £300, costing £1500, and the 65-inch C3 matches the OLED808 at £2100.
So is it better late than never for Philips, or has the ship already sailed for the OLED808? You'll have to wait for our full review to find out.
MORE:
Read our full Philips OLED807 review
And our early Philips OLED908 hands-on review
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